Gunsmith fees to remove a screw?

M

Mike38

New member
I went and looked at a Hamden High Standard Victor this morning. Probably would have bought it but..... It currently has a red dot sight and mount on it, and in the center screw holding the mount to the barrel, someone rounded an allen screw key, then it broke off in the screw head. There is no way for me to remove the screw. Being smart enough to know I shouldn't attempt it, what would be a ball park figure I could expect to have to pay a gunsmith to remove it for me? If the current owner, a gun shop dealer, can't or won't remove it, I want to reduce the price enough to cover fees charged by a good smith to remove it for me, plus my travel expenses. I have no idea what smiths get for hourly rates, so I'm asking here. If it matters, I'm in north central Illinois. Also, any suggestions on who could do this for me? Thanks.
 
Boy, most gunsmiths in our area charge $20 when you walk in the door.
More even if they have to get out of their chair.
What did you mean by "then it broke off in the screw head."
The allen tool is broken off in the screw?
Flush or is there a bit of it sticking out?
If so, there might be enough of it to solder something to it as an aid to removing it.
Maybe even with a small vise grip??
Sometimes a buggered up screw head can be coaxed out with side strokes and a tiny chisel
Do you have a picture?
 
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There is maybe .050 of the broken allen key sticking above the top surface of the screw. Looks to me like someone used an old worn allen key that twisted in the socket head screw then snapped off. I know I'm not going to attempt it, but someone with the right equipment and patience could probably get it out in 5 minutes. If it only costs $20 and my travel, that's no big deal, but I work as an Electrician, and the company I work for gets $90 per hour, one hour minimum. I kind of figured gunsmiths are around that price range.
 
Drilling out a screw with an Allen wrench stuck in it will probably cost more just because the smith will have to use a carbide drill to get a clean hole in it. But instead of asking online, why don't you go ask your gunsmith?
 
There are some things that I will do to help a "new" person with a fairly simple problem, and with the intention of making that person a frequent customer. Stuff happens, and screws will indeed have heads get twisted off because the previous owner over-did it with Loctite, or twisted a hex head off a screw.
$20.00 would be a very fair price, for the effort involved with removing a broken off screw. Also, the care involved with leaving no trace of the work being done, but still successful, is the mark of a caring 'smith, and one who wants a customer for life.

A broken off hex wrench is not an insurmountable a task, but it does require some tooling that will penetrate hard metal.
 
Looks to me like someone used an old worn allen key that twisted in the socket head screw then snapped off.
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My guess is that the screw has threadlocker to keep it in place.

Step 1: The user tried to power it out rather than touching a soldering iron to the screw first to soften the threadlocker. That's how the hole was rounded out.

Step 2: The user selected the next size larger allen wrench and hammered it into the rounded out hole.

Step 3: Force was applied and the allen wrench snapped.

Step 4: Sell the gun.
 
I can't say what others charge. I am sure some over charge.

I ask $10-$15 depending on how long it takes.

A "big-job" takes me about 15 minutes. At 15 minutes, that amounts to 1/4 of an hour, so at $15 per 15 minutes it comes to $60 an hour.

I think that's enough.
Don't you?
 
Wyosmith...I think $15 is a bit on the light side. You've undoubtedly got some paperwork to do too. Nothing happens without that. I'd be happy if it were in the neighborhood of $30.
 
I admit that I've never had to deal with a screw that has loctite applied. I can see how the screw may have rounded but I don't think I've heard of an Allen wrench breaking. Guess maybe they can but I've never seen it happen. Just doesn't sound right.
 
I've broken more than one. They are made of very hard steel (as are most tools) which means that although they will flex a little, they will break if flexed too much.
 
jag2 said:
I admit that I've never had to deal with a screw that has loctite applied. I can see how the screw may have rounded but I don't think I've heard of an Allen wrench breaking. Guess maybe they can but I've never seen it happen. Just doesn't sound right.
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There's Loctite, and there's Loctite, and then there's Loctite. They offer about ten or so different formulations of thread locker. For general purposes, we typically encounter purple (light hold for very small screws), blue (for medium hold and larger screws that you may want to remove0, red (for high hold and large fasteners, heat required to remove), and green (just hope you never need to take it apart). For a sight on a semi-auto I would probably use blue but I can easily imagine someone using red "just to be safe."
 
I won't tell you what another person will charge for the work.
I will suggest you choose someone with a milling machine to do the work.

No,it is NOT a job for vise grips,chisel tapping,hand drills,etc.

With a mill,there is precise positioning,rigidity,and control.

A touch with a ball mill will spot a regular surface.That way the tip of a center drill will not be deflected and snap off.(Now THAT can be a headache!)Then,ONE (of several) possibilities is a left handed drill.
Good luck! A Victor is a prize!! I miss mine.
 
I will suggest you choose someone with a milling machine to do the work.

No,it is NOT a job for vise grips,chisel tapping,hand drills,etc.

With a mill,there is precise positioning,rigidity,and control.
Click to expand...

I whole heartedly agree with the above statement.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
 
No,it is NOT a job for vise grips,chisel tapping,hand drills,etc.
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I've done successful removals of countless threaded screws, bolts, 'etc without benefit of a machine shop.
It's easy to spend more time finding one than fixing the problem.
Especially after working hours or weekends when things are most prone to break.
Spend time around race tracks and you will pick up all kinds of useful tricks.
Technique counts.
P.S.
Red Loctite can dissolve in some of the nastier bore cleaners.
Just make sure all removal parts have been removed as the Loctite can run and re-adhere.
 
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That is one of those jobs that sounds simple but anyone who claims to have never had a problem in doing it is certainly lucky.

Jim
 
For the O/P's sake I hope I'm wrong. But if he uses a "true" Gunsmith, who is also a master machinist, and any qualified gunsmith will have more work than he can deal with. I've have to think a base price will be in the $50.00 per hour range with a one hour Minimum fee.
 
anyone who claims to have never had a problem in doing it is certainly lucky.
Click to expand...
Hey, that ain't luck, it's skill.:)
As old bear sez, take something to a genuine gunsmith and be prepared to wait, and wait and.....
The last time I did it took many weeks to get it back.
And this was a good friend who fit it in between jobs.
Otherwise it would have been months.
 
g.willikers.....What do you do when your methods don't work? You goober it up THEN take it to the smith. The smith thinks you are a special kind of guy.
A "skilled" individual.:rolleyes:
A Victor is a really nice handgun. $20? $40? $60? If the gun comes out with the problem fixed right and no further goobering,it does not matter.
This isn't racing. A Victor is not a "Claimer" or a demo derby car .

If the race car came via Carrol Shelby or Colin Chapman or Enzo Ferrarri or Buggatti,they would not use chisels and a vice grips.

The racecars you refer to are merely passing through your hands to the crusher.

Some folks would use a cold chisel and a claw hammer with one claw broke off to remove the sidelocks on a Parker .
 
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