So I ended up stripping one of the screws while trying to install an optic onto my handgun. I bought one of those screw extractor kits on Amazon to remove the screw but it didn’t help at all, in fact it made things much worse. All it did was end up boring a huge hole into the screw making it even harder to get the extractor bit to catch and unscrew. Would anyone have any tips or tricks on resolving this situation, or alternatively have any recommendations on places I can take this to in order to get this fixed? I’m in the Brighton area but willing to travel, hoping this is a cheap fix.
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Stripped Screw Head Help/Recommendations
- Thread starter Joeldiaz
- Start date
38ExtraSpecial
NES Member
Loctite? If so heat that sucker up. Maybe a soldering iron in that divot. Then use a left hand twist drill to turn it out.
If not you can cut a slit in it with a cut off saw. Then use a screwdriver.
You might bugger up the plate but better than it being stuck on there.
This.
@sschevy
Steve bailed me out with some sheered screws on my DW 44 magnum scope mount
Sheered off my Dan Wesson scope base screws today
Uh oh!! Well that’s not good...😩 I thought just the scope base screws came loose but two of the three screws sheered in half!😮 That scope base has seen 1500+ rounds since I got it in February 2019, so it held up for a little while. @dhuze I broke another gun...kinda [laugh] I guess my...
www.northeastshooters.com
Randy Lahey
NES Member
Maybe tap in a slightly larger phillips screwdriver then unscrew it?
50wt
NES Member
Left handed drill bit - edit ....didn't see it was already mentioned.
Carbide drill bit and drill down far enough to break through to the rmr mount. There might be enough threads to grab with some pliers.
Carbide drill bit and drill down far enough to break through to the rmr mount. There might be enough threads to grab with some pliers.
Last edited:
tinhorn
NES Member
I've never screwed up this badly but I've always thought that if I did, left-hand bits and an EZ-Out (screw extractor) would be the solution to the problem. Start small in case you need to repeat the process. If you're lucky, the left-hand bit will stick, and the screw will spin out. If it doesn't, then tap in the EZ-Out. If the EZ-Out snaps, you're really f***ed.
(Hahaha--I jest. I've broken more bolts and screws than any man should. I now own more tubes of anti-seize than Astroglide.)
KH56010
NES Member
Oof, that's a good one. Take a torx bit that is slightly larger than that hole you've made and hammer it in. (Don't beat the shit out of it, but you want it to basially cut it's own grooves in.) Put an impact on that on a medium setting and literally put your body weight on top of the screwgun driving down into the screw head while trying to reverse the screw out. It should come out.
If it doesn't... If you have a really small drill bit, you can dry drilling it out from the underside of the slide (Most my guns the screw could potentially come all the way through.) Usually when drilling it out, it will end up unthreading itself. If you're terrified of messing up the threads on your slide. Gunsmith
If it doesn't... If you have a really small drill bit, you can dry drilling it out from the underside of the slide (Most my guns the screw could potentially come all the way through.) Usually when drilling it out, it will end up unthreading itself. If you're terrified of messing up the threads on your slide. Gunsmith
Keep drilling on that center hole, slow and steady. I would hold the slide in a vice with a vice block, or just some wood if you don’t have one (yet). Gotta get a nice deep hole for the ez out to grab what’s left of the old
Screw. Worst case, you drill the whole head off, the rmr comes off and you have some of the screw sticking up to grab with a nice pair of vice grips. If you get a lot of ez outs, they usually come with a left hand drill bit, which sometimes does the work for ya.
Screw. Worst case, you drill the whole head off, the rmr comes off and you have some of the screw sticking up to grab with a nice pair of vice grips. If you get a lot of ez outs, they usually come with a left hand drill bit, which sometimes does the work for ya.
chris_1001
NES Member
How do you manage to break every gun you touch?????This.
@sschevy
Steve bailed me out with some sheered screws on my DW 44 magnum scope mount
View attachment 853359Sheered off my Dan Wesson scope base screws today
Uh oh!! Well that’s not good...😩 I thought just the scope base screws came loose but two of the three screws sheered in half!😮 That scope base has seen 1500+ rounds since I got it in February 2019, so it held up for a little while. @dhuze I broke another gun...kinda [laugh] I guess my...
View attachment 853360
lol.
Tallahassee
NES Member
I have done this quite a few times now.
rosco61
NES Member
This.
allen-1
NES Member
If it was me, I'd use left handed drill bits and possibly an extractor. They're in my toolbox because I've done this before, and I can set it up properly squared in a milling machine.
But if it went sideways, I'd take it to a gunsmith before I wrecked the optic and/or the slide. If you're not confident that you can do this, you're probably better off giving it to someone who can do it. It'll be less expensive than replacing the parts...
But if it went sideways, I'd take it to a gunsmith before I wrecked the optic and/or the slide. If you're not confident that you can do this, you're probably better off giving it to someone who can do it. It'll be less expensive than replacing the parts...
Any other NES member, I would ask how did you do that. But not you.This.
@sschevy
Steve bailed me out with some sheered screws on my DW 44 magnum scope mount
View attachment 853359Sheered off my Dan Wesson scope base screws today
Uh oh!! Well that’s not good...😩 I thought just the scope base screws came loose but two of the three screws sheered in half!😮 That scope base has seen 1500+ rounds since I got it in February 2019, so it held up for a little while. @dhuze I broke another gun...kinda [laugh] I guess my...
View attachment 853360
I’m special…
I'm with the others who say to drill off the head and then pull the plate and grab the remainder of the screw with a set of vise grips. I've had to do that multiple times for RMR plates.
Those tiny screws suck
Those tiny screws suck
pastera
NES Member
With the amount out damage I'm assuming the wrong threadlocker or crossthreaded/wrong thread.
If you used threadlocker then heat the screw up with a soldering iron several times before going any further.
Check to see if you have a jewelers screwdriver that's a little larger than the hole - grind the outside edges sharp and tap it in then use vice grips to grab the screwdriver and carefully back out the screw while it's hot.
If it's a cross thread/wrong thread issue - pack it up and take it in as the slide is going to need a helicoil or a weld and redrill
If you used threadlocker then heat the screw up with a soldering iron several times before going any further.
Check to see if you have a jewelers screwdriver that's a little larger than the hole - grind the outside edges sharp and tap it in then use vice grips to grab the screwdriver and carefully back out the screw while it's hot.
If it's a cross thread/wrong thread issue - pack it up and take it in as the slide is going to need a helicoil or a weld and redrill
nstassel
NES Member
If you saw how fast DW357 can shoot you'd understand why his guns break.
Sweeney
NES Member
The best solution is to slowly build up weld bead on the damaged screw head effectively lengthening the screw shaft. Place a square nut over this extension and weld the nut to the extension. From here you place the square nut in an independent 4 jaw lathe chuck and adjust to center of the screw shaft and get it running true. Now you can machine away the offending pistol slide and plate to recover the threaded shaft of the screw. The head of the screw, previously built up with weld, can now be machined to proper dimensions and the socket rotary broached. A new plate and slide can now be assembled onto the rebuilt screw.
You're welcome.
You're welcome.
