a screw loose!

[murf]

for some reason i woke up this morning and decided to check all my blackhawks for loose screws (my new year resolution?). so, i got out the alcohol, qtips and blue loctite for a marathon screw tightening session.

well, most of the ejector rod housing screws were loose, so they got a good cleaning and a dose of blue loctite. what surprised me, though, was the old model 357 magnum that also had a loose hammer pivot screw. i couldn't back that screw out all the way without capturing the hammer spring, so i backed the screw out about three threads, cleaned them up and put a drop of blue loctite down the hole.

the bearcat is why i started this project in the first place. this old gun (made in 1960) is my survival gun and stays in my backpack all the time. a couple months ago i pulled it out and shot (tried to) a few golf balls down in the wash. i was missing a lot and tried everything (grip, trigger finger placement, followthrough, etc.) to fix this accurate gun. finally, i wiggled the ejector rod housing ... a lot! bingo, that explained the misses. i grabbed the screwdriver out of the range bag and tightened up that screw. while checking the other screws i also found the trigger guard screw was also very loose. accuracy returned immediately.

just thought i'd share this because the frame screws on my ruger blackhawks have been mysteriously backing out as long as i have owned ruger blackhawks.

happy new year,

murf

 

[CraigC]

Pretty much all single actions are going to do this. It's a good idea to have a properly fitting screwdriver in your range bag if you're going to shoot them much. Just part of the game.

 

[BobWright]

Some folks sneer at my screwdriver tips, as opposed to having individual screwdrivers, but I've found these to be very handy in my tool kits:



The screwdriver is from Home Depot, and the bits are from Brownell's. The screwdriver is not made for magnetic tips, which is fine with me, hating magnetized screwdrivers, so I drilled and tapped the screwdriver to take a set screw to hold bits.

Bob Wright

 

[CraigC]

Me too! The brand specific bits from Brownell's are excellent. I have Ruger, Colt and S&W sets and use them regularly.

 

[buck460XVR]

I too have a driver with multiple appropriately sized bits in my range bag. It has it's own pocket. It has saved not only me a day at the range cut short, but also many a time, others at the range that came unprepared. Shooting big magnum revolvers shakes a lot of things loose. Have found sights loose, cylinder releases loose along with ejector rods and sideplate screws, etc., that I knew were tight before I started to shoot. As Craig said, just the "nature of the beast". Having a private range, I barely go to public ranges anymore, but even now, I'm amazed at the amount of folks that shoot so little they never had a screw come loose, and the amount of folks that think their IL has locked up, when it's just a loose ejector rod.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Colt screws loosen up from recoil too. At one time Colt installed little soft plastic washers under the heads of the grip screws in an effort to prevent the screws from backing out. They were pretty useless, I threw away the ones that came in one of my 2nd Gen Colts. I don't use Loctite, I just try to remember to snug up the screws every once in a while. Some guys put a dab of fingernail polish on the screws instead of Loctite, much easier to back out if you need to.

Here is my screwdriver set. No, it does not come to the range with me, it stays on my bench. However I bring three regular hardware store screw drivers with me to every CAS match to tighten up the occasional loose screw. Yes, I use relatively inexpensive wedge shaped screwdrivers at the range, however I NEVER try to loosen a factory tightened screw with anything but a hollow ground screwdriver bit. Once the screws have been loosened, a hardware store screwdriver bit will not harm them. When I snug up a screw on a gun, I just snug it up. I do not torque the bejesus out of it.




P.S. Uberti does torque the bejeses out of their screws. Uberti screws are made from relatively soft steel, and when Bongo, the resident gorilla, runs around the factory at night with his torque wrench, torquing the dickens out of all the screws, they are locked in pretty tight and are difficult to remove without damaging the screw slots. Even with good hollow ground screwdriver bits. VTI Gunparts even sells special sets of hardened screws for Uberti guns that are easier to remove without damaging the screwslots. But first you have to remove the screws that Bongo over tightened.

 

[murf]

so, what's in your range bag?



murf

 

[murf]

Some folks sneer at my screwdriver tips, as opposed to having individual screwdrivers, but I've found these to be very handy in my tool kits:

View attachment 773225

The screwdriver is from Home Depot, and the bits are from Brownell's. The screwdriver is not made for magnetic tips, which is fine with me, hating magnetized screwdrivers, so I drilled and tapped the screwdriver to take a set screw to hold bits.

Bob Wright

is that blue loctite i see in that picture?

murf

 

[BobWright]

I have a strong dislike for magnetic screwdriver shafts because of this:




As to blue loctite, those are NyLok screws in that phohoto,

Bob Wright

 

[Scrambler]

https://docallensversatool.com/

One in the truck and one in the range bag. Very handy.

 

[ThomasT]

Well dang! Now I have to drag out my guns and check the screws. And order those bits from Brownells or Midway. You guys are costing me time and money again.