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Double Rifles, Single Shots & Combinations >> Building Double Rifles & Gunsmithing

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xausa
.400 member


Reged: 07/03/07
Posts: 2037
Loc: Tennessee, USA
Suitable screwdrivers
      #108124 - 25/06/08 02:10 PM

Shooting skeet today with my recently acquired 12 gauge Beretta SO-3 O/U, I suddenly discovered that the right lock had failed to cock and continued to do so, despite all my efforts to persuade it to relent. When I got the gun home, I discovered that none of my motley selection of screwdrivers fit the extremely thin slotted screws on the right sidelock. I ground one down to make a passable fit and was able to remove the rear screw, but the front screw stubbornly resisted my efforts to budge it, and rather than risk damaging or defacing it, I ceased my efforts, pending acquisition of the proper tool.

Can anyone suggest a source for a set of screwdrivers with wide enogh and thin enough blades to use on such a finely made piece of machinery?


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DoubleD
.400 member


Reged: 23/11/03
Posts: 2435
Loc: Retired in Oklahoma
Re: Suitable screwdrivers [Re: xausa]
      #108128 - 25/06/08 02:37 PM

Brownell's sells an interchangeable bit screwdriver set under the name Magna Tip.

I have had The Magna Tip Super set in my shop for over 25 years. They have a wide range of bits to fit about any screw you might encounter.

By the way if you break one of their bits send it in and they will replace it free of charge. Bits do break and I save the broken ones for grinding specialty bits.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/ns/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=417&title=MAGNA-TIP%20SUPER%20SETS?

--------------------
DD, Ret.


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tinker
.416 member


Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 4835
Loc: Nevada
Re: Suitable screwdrivers [Re: xausa]
      #108130 - 25/06/08 02:45 PM

Xausa-

For fine guns, it's typically necessary to make a set of screwdrivers (turnscrews would be considered proper vernacular in high buck, high pinky finger company) for each gun, or to have a very broad selection of screwdrivers.
I have a lot of special screwdrivers, but I've been a machinist for most of my adult life.

This process assumes the screw slots have parallel walls.
Not all gun screw slots have parallel walls, so do what you can to determine this feature before you take this particular approach.
If the slots are vee shaped (wider at the mouth, narrower at the root) the general notion of this process can be used, with the obvious distinction that you're going to need to match the profile of the screw.

Start with a very good quality screwdriver.
Equally important is a good grinder motor with a true, round, flat faced wheel.
You'll want a diamond wheel dresser for the truing and flat-facing of the wheel.
This is one of those grinder operations where the tool rest is useful for the truing operation, but will likely get in your way for the screwdriver prep part of the operation.
Also, I don't have guards around the wheels on my grinder motors, and I can't suggest you do the same, you'd have to take that kind of risk on your own. I just find them distracting, and I always wear polycarbonate safety glasses when in my machine shop.

Once the grinding wheel is true and it's face is flat, I gently bring the width of the blade to nearly the width of the screw slot.
I then apply each of the faces of the blade to the wheel, so that the initial contact point is about 1/3rd the way back from the tip of the screwdriver. Do this in little passes, dipping in cool water between passes, alternating faces of the screwdriver tip until you have thinned it to the point where it's darn close to fitting the slot, but still a bit thick. You'll notice that you've also effectively 'hollow ground' the faces of the screwdriver. The tip will be a tad wider than the section where the wheel was initially touching off to the blade. It's also important to keep the faces of your screwdriver tip essentially paralell so that you're not ending up with a screwdriver tip which appears to be a wedge when viewed end-on.

At that point, re-flat the face of the wheel.
Then with the tool rest still in place from that last face-flatting exercise, adjust it so that the tip of the screwdriver meets the wheel square-on.
Take very light passes on the tip until it juuuust almost fits the slot in the screw.
Finish the last couple thousandths of an inch off the blade faces on a good hard bench stone.

Ideally you've just gotten the screwdriver to perfectly fit the slot and still have it set up where it's contacting the base of the slot, and not touching the outer edges or face of the screw.
Consider the possibility that the screw is for a countersunk instead of counterbored (conical shaped head and not cylindrical head), in this case the screwdriver will need to be a little narrower than the screw slot.


Also consider that this process will take more than one try to get the feel of the process.
With an elementary command of this process, you will never be in need for the right screwdriver again.

I offer this as a solution for the reason that for years I've seen 'precision screwdriver kits' where not a single screwdriver in the kit fit perfectly a screw on a fine gun anywhere near the kit, without some modification or complete re-work of one of the screwdrivers -- where the use of any of the drivers in the kit would have butchered the screws in the course of removing and replacing them if it weren't for a fair bit or re-work.


My two cents.



--Tinker

--------------------
--Self-Appointed Colonel, DRSS--



"It IS a dangerous game, and so named for a reason, and you can't play from the keyboard. " --Some Old Texan...


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Pugwash
.300 member


Reged: 24/03/07
Posts: 113
Loc: Scotland,UK
Re: Suitable screwdrivers [Re: tinker]
      #108145 - 25/06/08 05:39 PM

For tough screws I use an impact screwdriver with a blade ground down to suit the slot.The downward force of the hammer blow stops the blade from jumping out of the slot,mashing the screwhead.Also sometimes it helps to try and tighten the screw a bit before you undo it.

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albertan
.333 member


Reged: 13/06/06
Posts: 432
Loc: Alberta, Canada
Re: Suitable screwdrivers [Re: Pugwash]
      #108172 - 26/06/08 09:16 AM

A little Kroil penetrating oil might abet this stuck screw problem.

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Nakihunter
.375 member


Reged: 13/10/07
Posts: 588
Loc: New Zealand
Re: Suitable screwdrivers [Re: albertan]
      #108177 - 26/06/08 10:44 AM

If you have a soldering iron, just heat the screw head for 10 seconds, let it cool down for 5 minutes & try unscrewing it. This usually works very easily unless the thread is jammed with rust or cross threaded badly. Take care not to heat the screw head for too long as you do not want too much heat transferred to the gun itself.

--------------------
Always shoot through the target & not just at it.


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Ripp
.577 member


Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
Re: Suitable screwdrivers [Re: DoubleD]
      #108180 - 26/06/08 11:10 AM

I too have the Brownells set--they seem to be very good quality and great selection of sizes---

Agree with other comments however, with expensive guns, grind to fit..

Ripp

--------------------
ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..


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Landy
.224 member


Reged: 05/03/08
Posts: 33
Loc: CA & ID, USA
Re: Suitable screwdrivers [Re: Ripp]
      #108197 - 26/06/08 03:58 PM

Brownells sells a special set of thin blades for those thin slot screws used in some Euro guns.

Thanks for reminding me to order the set that I need.


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Marrakai
.416 member


Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 3559
Loc: Darwin, Top End of Australia
Re: Suitable screwdrivers [Re: Landy]
      #108208 - 26/06/08 07:59 PM

A couple of gunsmiths I know use a drill-press with the correctly-ground bit chucked in the drill for Pommie and European screws. Direct-line pressure can then be applied as the chuck is turned by hand. This works especially well for threaded hinge-pins or hinge-pin caps.

I have adopted this principle myself and it works well.

--------------------
Marrakai
When the bull drops, the bullshit stops!
--------------------------------
www.marrakai-adventure.com.au


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tinker
.416 member


Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 4835
Loc: Nevada
Re: Suitable screwdrivers [Re: Marrakai]
      #108229 - 27/06/08 01:20 AM

Marrakai-


I've had the luxury of similar tooling in my shop for most of my life, not everyone does -- but the point is good to note for those who don't have a drill press or milling machine.

A 'C-Clamp' and suitable wood blocking as padding can be used to maintain a solid register of the screwdriver in the screw slot.



--Tinker

--------------------
--Self-Appointed Colonel, DRSS--



"It IS a dangerous game, and so named for a reason, and you can't play from the keyboard. " --Some Old Texan...


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