Thread: Help removing striped screws

Hi all, so I had a bit of a cock up. While trying to remove my picatinny rail on my Tikka I rounded two of the hex head screws. Dose anyone have any advice or know someone that can help me out. In Christchurch.
Cheers

See if an applicable torx head can be tapped down into them and try that.
We're they loctited? They could need some heat from a soldering iron to release.
You could also drill the top off the screws to release the rail and then take the screws out afterwards. If not loctited they should unscrew with out the load of the heads

They were locktited. The first two came out good as gold. Thought the others were but they were just striping. I may need a gunsmith.

Dont muck around. Take it to the gunsmith.

Have you seen these before?

https://www.bearingandengineering.co...TOR+BORDO.html

The idea is that you drill into the shaft of the screw and the easy out grips inside and spins the shaft out. If not, then I have been doing it wrong. It will probably be surgical to try and drill into the shaft of a rail mounting screw, but if you get the right sized EZY out, although you may need to grind the tip of it off, it might be able to grip inside the rounded hex head.

The other option could be to solder an allen key inside the rounded hex head, in doing so, it would also heat the locktited shaft of the screw.

i second the gunsmith. before you spend 100 bucks on a screw removal kit somebody surely is going to appreciate the business.

heat it to break loctite, hammer in next size hex
or wait till 2nd week sept and ill come give u a hand

Originally Posted by longshot

Have you seen these before?

https://www.bearingandengineering.co...TOR+BORDO.html

The idea is that you drill into the shaft of the screw and the easy out grips inside and spins the shaft out. If not, then I have been doing it wrong. It will probably be surgical to try and drill into the shaft of a rail mounting screw, but if you get the right sized EZY out, although you may need to grind the tip of it off, it might be able to grip inside the rounded hex head.

The other option could be to solder an allen key inside the rounded hex head, in doing so, it would also heat the locktited shaft of the screw.

they work good on bigger stuff like diggers bulldozers tractors car exhaust studs etc but on this small gunsmith

You could try making a paste from grease and fine metal fillings.
If there is some life in the screw head it’ll pack around the Allen key and may yield enough purchase.
I’ve used this method a few times successfully but with alloy phillips screws.

A bit of heat for the loctite.

I've got a screw removal kit. They don't always work. Think I'll try the gunsmith just in case I do more damage and a $50 job turns into a $200 job.
Cheers

Found the simplest method is to drill out the screw head, use bit the same size as screw head, do it with a drill stand. Remove the base then the remainder of the offending screws are easily removed with vise grips.

Had a similar experience last week! But with a flat head screws, that were stubborn enough to twist the head on my screw bit, but not completely stuff the head of the screw.
Took it to the gunsmith. He took the action out of the stock (avoiding heat damage to the stock), then heated the screws with a pretty precise blow torch, which loosens (breaks down) the locktite. He gave the driver a bit or persuasion with a mallet.. while repeating this process on the more stubborn screws.
Some numpty used red locktite on the pic rail...

Many grades of loctite are red, from 'please stay' through to 'I curse your children's children, the thing this is screwed into will rust before this screw comes out'. Right grade is the key, probably avoid green if in doubt!

dONE THIS A FEW TIMES.Drill out the top of the screws and the rail will come off. Then I used acetone ( nail polish remover) to put a few drops onto the stub of the screw. Leave a few minutes to soften it then use pliers to screw it out.

Happy to have a look for you mate. Can't do it will soon say. Got reverse drill bits maybe heat & kroil