help! my Beretta is broken!

P

Popsicle

New member
Hi everyone! I just screwed up royally. I had changed my grips on my 96Fs inox from the hogue rubber to standard plastic. I took the Nevada CCW class with the gun, but when I got home last night, the grips had shot loose. I decided to tighten them tighter than I had previously done. I should have known better and used some blue loctite in the first place, but being impatient as I am, I wrenched down on them so tight that I snapped the screw head off the screw! just the shank is left in the bushing. I know you guys are gonna suggest I use lockwashers, but in fact I did have the Beretta washers installed... they just failed to keep the screws locked in. Anyhow, does anyone have suggestions for this problem I stupidly created? If I drop the gun off at the gunsmith, what would you think he would do? Can the shank be drilled out in order to save the bushing? I hope so. I'm gonna take it to the smith tomorrow, I just hope everything turns out O.K. :confused:

Pat Brophy
 
Sounds like it would be cheaper, or at least easier, to replace the bushing with a new one. And get some LockTite.:p
 
I think I'd leave the bushings alone except as a last resort. They're just staked into the aluminum frame.

Either removal or installation of a grip screw bushing gives you a decent chance to ruin the frame of the pistol.
 
Can you get a hold of the screw with a pair of needle nose pliers? If you can you may be able to work it out that way. If not, see if you can take a very small punch or pick, and rotate it out by catching the pick on irregularities in the broken surface of the screw shank. If you were having that much trouble keeping it tight, hopefully it will come out easily. Can you get at it from the inside? Drilling, and tapping is a last resort. Removing the bushing is more trouble than it's worth. You may damage the aluminum. Blue loctite will be your new friend.
 
Try "tapping" it out as described above, if no luck there. You can get an "easyout" at most better hardware stores. I believe they make one small enough for your broken screw. Its pretty easy, works well as long as you follow the destructions and take your time. You will need a drill for a pilot hole. Shoot well
 
I once used the tip of an X-acto blade and (persistently) scratched the shaft of the broken off screw until the scratch was deep enough to use it to turn it back out. Depends just how tight yours is in? Another idea: take the wooden handle of a hammer and tap on the grip frame a few hundred times and the thing may walk itself out the way it did during firing.
 
The flat cutting blade of a dremel tool will turn anything into a flathead screw in seconds. If the shaft of the screw is down into the bushing you can still do it, but it will leave two small cuts on the bushing surface. If the screw shank in sticking out on the inside of the frame, use a sharp edged through the mag well to cut a groove and turn out through the opposite grip hole.

I'd buy some aftermarket grip screws to go with the locktite. Maybe they'll be less prone to breakage.
 
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