Thread: Help! Stuck action screw

Hey all. Have a siezed/stuck and action screw on a rifle that needs removing. Was a torx head that has been completely rounded out. Is recessed so can't cut a slot with the dremel without ruining the stock

Any ideas on how to best go about this(tack a Allen key to it maybe) or anyone who is that way inclined want to earn a box of beers before I send it off to a gunsmith or similar?

Use a bigger hammer... Tried a slightly larger torx and smacked it in?

Drill the head off it

I would be inclined to take to gunsmith. However, alternatively you could sharpen a piece of hs steel to a miniature cold chisel profile and carfully with chisel and light hammer, cut a straight or pk slot for driver.

Originally Posted by northdude

Drill the head off it

Yeah w
This would be how I would usually go about it but may be a mission as this screw has a fat shank that runs about 15 mil down before the thread starts. Can see myself ballsing somthing up. Might give the drill and studd remover a go. Be a useful top to have anyway

Id be for drilling the head off it as above, then you have the stock off and out of the way to weld a nut on or use heat.

iv watched my mechanic use a sharp punch and tap a headless screw out of one of my pieces of machines

its better to give these jobs to people who arnt all thumbs as i tend to only fuck things up worse

Originally Posted by Nick-D

Yeah w
This would be how I would usually go about it but may be a mission as this screw has a fat shank that runs about 15 mil down before the thread starts. Can see myself ballsing somthing up. Might give the drill and studd remover a go. Be a useful top to have anyway

Just use a drill that's slightly larger than the diameter of the shank not the diameter of the screw head go steady and it will just ping the head off if you were close I'd do it we get it all the time with home handicaps trying to fix their cars

I've used a flat blade screwdriver before. get one that almost fits and bash the snot out of it so work it to the bottom of the hole then a pair of vice grips on the screwdriver and try to unwind. Drilling it out would be the best but you do risk sliding off and getting the stock.

Sweet cheers for the help guys. Screw is out and replaced with a fresh one properly torqued to factory spec. Managed to get the sucker off with a screw/studd remover driven well in and a couple of big wrenches.

Fucking thing was in there so tight, not sure how it held in as much as it did. Whoever did it up must have really disliked action screws ever coming loose.

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Originally Posted by northdude

Just use a drill that's slightly larger than the diameter of the shank not the diameter of the screw head go steady and it will just ping the head off if you were close I'd do it we get it all the time with home handicaps trying to fix their cars

Yeah the shank on these screws is the same diameter as the screw head and runs down to where it tucks in to make contact with the pillar. Doable for sure but would have taken some drilling!

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Another option is to find an Allen key that is about the right size, slightly bigger. Use a ball grindstone to hollow out the centre of the end leaving the tips slightly extended. This can then be driven into the head to re-cut as an Allen head. I've done this a few times in the workshops.

Yea if the screw is toast anyway just drill the diameter of the other screw shank till the head pops off then deal to the shank when it slides out of the stock with vicegrips carefully

I have used a impac driver with success in the past (multiple CRC applications over night beforehand), the job needs to be held firmly with a solid backstop. Also drilling out slowly the centre with a smaller diameter than the actual screw shank, bites in and can undo the screw without even using an easy out bit, also do the crc pre soaking beforehand.

Drying the screwhead and putting a thin piece of rubber between screw and driver and lots of downward pressure is often enough too