Gun screw impact screwdriver recommendations?

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becket

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i need a good, small impact screwdriver for just here and there work on frozen gun screws. Currently I have a frozen
Side plate screw on a blued Taurus 85 that holds the cylinder in place. The revolver is mint, but I guess locktite was in use several years ago as just that one plate screw will not budge; the others came out fine. Minor Heat, soaking for hours with oil, Gunsmithing bits and screwdrivers have had zero effect and the slot is starting to deform a hair. Before it gets messed up I thought about a small impact driver to break it loose. Suggestions on one that will hold up to some occasional use please? Anything you have done to unlock that cylinder retention screw I haven’t tried yet would be greatly appreciated as well, thanks .
 
You tried heat. What about cold? Seriously, that works very well sometimes. Try freezing it over night. The metal will contract and hopefully aid in breaking the bond between the frame and screw. It works best if one of the parts is aluminum or other light alloy and the other is steel but may help even if both are steel.
 
I love my Dewalt 1/4" impact driver. It drives in and removes pretty much anything. Anything it can't remove it will do a great job of busting the head off of. The thought of using it on a flat head screw in a gun though????? It will definitely do something, it is hard to predict if it will give you the results you want though. If you decide to try an impact driver please let us know how it works out for you?
 
Will do; I’ll try the cold deal first and its been soaking in oil. I thought maybe putting an ice cube into the screw and letting it melt; then a quick pass or 2 with the heat on the plate around it? If no go I’ll freeze the whole thing. I’ll let you know how it goes . It has the spring and detention under it or I’d take a tiny bit to the middle of the screw head till it wants to drill out. I can replace the spring but don’t want to have to order just a stupid tiny detent.
 
So Doc u recommend doing a heat n freeze to loosten the screw thru a cycle of expansion then
Contraction? Figure it must have been a Friday late when the guy did a chemical lockup and called it good. Prob find it cross threaded or something.
Damn; listen to Eyore over here huh? Lol it’s the little senseless aggravations that pull my chain I guess.
 
If you have already done a solvent soak and a heat treat to no avail, putting the gun in the freezer for 12 hours would be my next port of call. If that brings no joy, you'll have to drop that screw out :-(
 
Did you try acetone? IDK what that does to the bluing, but acetone is supposed to dissolve or weaken red loctite.

Plus, if you breathe some in, it makes you feel funny.

The only other solution I know is heat. You said you've done "minor heat" and I'll take that to mean you took the wife's hairdryer to it. I would get one of those $10 heat guns from Harbor Freight and use that, much more heat.
 
I have a pair of the hand impact drivers from way before I owned an air impact wrench and never found them very useful.

Kroil is by far the best penetrant that I have ever used to soften a frozen bolt. It is MUCH thinner than any oil and creeps into places that oil will never get into. I don't think Kroil will do much on thread locker if thread locker is what is causing the problem.
 
I bought a Smith & Wesson model 10 a couple of years ago. It is a Hong Kong C&E revolver. The gun looked brand new except for the crummy grip panels someone must have swapped out on it.
Anyway, the yoke screw was in there hard. I could not get it out and didn’t want to cause any damage. I took it to a local gunsmith and he got it out using heat. I believe he did what JohnKSa mentioned with a soldering iron. I asked him if he used a pin torch and he said “No, but I have my ways.” The Weller soldering station sitting on his bench pretty much told me what he used. Regardless, it was worth $25 to me to have it done.
 
For heat I use a soldering iron/gun touched to the screw head.
A lot more heat than a heat gun, and concentrated on the screw.
If you've tried one never mind :uhoh:
:D
 
The heat fellas above noted is where I would have and have gone in the past - and still do.

In addition, a quality flat tipped, parallel-ground screw driver about 1/2-2/3 wide as the total screw slot used to tap directly center prior to trying to loosen with a full-width driver works for me.

You want to apply the axial striking over the center of the screw so that the impacting force is not dissipated on the side-cover's bevelled seat for the screw.

In short, in turning, you want to engage with the widest, best screw driver. For the loosening strike, it should be closer to the diameter of the threaded portion of the screw.

Todd.
 
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Wow excellent advice! Never thought that of the soldering gun trick, that and the center strike technique is next. I was afraid to use too much heat around the screw, or solvents, because of the risk to the bluing.
Bought that model 85 many years ago with fancy ‘gold’ (colored)
Hammer and trigger and nice rosewood grips for my then looong time girlfriend’s birthday. She was so excited she took it to work to show
It off.
Damn STRAIGHT I proposed after THAT and still going strong; I mean, come on!
 
In freezer now. Heat and cold, NO impact.
Thanks all; if screw doesn’t survive I hope its detent that goes under it does. Dunno y it wouldn’t tho .
 
I'd stay shy of acetone, it will mar many finishes.
Two things I use which don't damage finishes as badly are Blaster, or cider vinegar, to loosen the threads. Use a toothpick to apply the solvent with pinpoint accuracy. Sometimes if you gently tap the screwdriver, it will shake loose the screw.
Obviously, be ready with a clean rag, to keep solvents off finish areas of the gun.
 
If you have a drill press and the correct vises, you can use it manually to turn the screw with the bit in the chuck. Impact screwdrivers are kind of the last resort before drilling and due to close fitting of revolvers, I would not personally use on on it. Use the drill press trick first if you have tried all others. Be prepared to get a new screw in any case.

Last ditch involves drilling plus some other rather distasteful methods that can go South quickly if you are not careful or do not have the right tools. I would go to a gunsmith before doing that unless you are willing to risk a screwup.
 
boom boom said:
If you have a drill press and the correct vises, you can use it manually to turn the screw with the bit in the chuck. Impact screwdrivers are kind of the last resort before drilling and due to close fitting of revolvers, I would not personally use on on it. Use the drill press trick first if you have tried all others. Be prepared to get a new screw in any case.

Last ditch involves drilling plus some other rather distasteful methods that can go South quickly if you are not careful or do not have the right tools. I would go to a gunsmith before doing that unless you are willing to risk a screwup.
Click to expand...
This is a great technique.

Assuming one sets it up correctly, it takes 2 human error components out.

The driver will stay on axis and it will not be allowed to back out which are the two reasons screws get buggered in the first place.... Well, this two and using the incorrect/cheap screwdrivers in the first place.

Todd.
 
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