Previous owner screwed things too tight...

K

kealil

New member
Hello all!

I recently purchased another Smith and Wesson 422 6" and as per my ritual I broke it completely down and cleaned it insided and out....or at least I would have if the screws weren't so tight.

Whoever took this gun apart last screwed the screws so tight that it ruined two bits off of my precision screwdriver set.:(

They also screwed the thread guard really tightly as well.

I have never run into this problem on a gun before. I know that for other really tight screws I just take a blow torch to em and out they come. I dont think that would be wise here.

Any tips for getting these screws out without destroying my finish or the gun in general for that matter?

Thanks!
 
They might have used a threat securing goop, like locktite.
Try soaking the screw in acetone and hope it gets down into the thread area.
Then use an impact screw driver, the kind with internal weights, that you twist while banging with a hammer.
Another method requires having a drill press, and hand turning the press head while applying pressure with the handle.
 
I'd try a heat gun instead of a torch,you probably need extra torque on the
screwdriver to assist turning,I use a small wrench on the flats and secure the
part well.Tough cases don't tend to respond to the lubricating approach and
make it hard to apply any heat afterwards,fumes and so on.Patience pays
good luck.
 
screws

Sir;
If the slots are still there put a screwdriver bit into them and lightlt tap with a small ball peen hammer! That, many times will fracture tightened screws even with loc-tite.
Greywolf
 
Even better than a heat gun or blowtorch: set the tip of a small soldering iron in the slot of the screw. It keeps the heat very localized, and it doesn't take long.
 
Another vote for the soldering iron - and tapping it with a hammer too.

Heat it up, jar it loose.

And of course use a flat-ground screwdriver that fits the slot exactly.

Sometimes I use Kroil, letting it soak in overnight.

I used to have a security outfit bring me a shoe-box full of .38 snubbies to look over once a year, whether they needed it or not. - Every once in a while I would run across a stubborn screw like that.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
 
+1 for Kroil. I once had a set of scope hole plugs I had to remove that had been in place since the gun was built 40 years prior. They wouldn't budge and the tiny heads were in danger of stripping. A drop of Kroil each, an overnight soak and the next morning the plugs spun out at the first touch. It's amazing stuff.
 
If you don't have Kroil, I've found Ed's Red to work for this sort of thing too. The ATF thinned with acetone and mineral spirits is a great penetrator.
 
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