stripped screw heads?

[silent_recon]

hey, i'm trying to put a c8 body on my tm m4, but the screw that holds the mag release is stripped on the head, does anyone have any solutions to this?

[ColtFarmer]

I ran into this once, the flathead screwdriver part of my pocket multi tool was able to apply enough torque to finally get it out. Try small sharp flat tools.

if it's really fubared you might have to drill the whole thing out and replace the mag release.

[Nova316]

Or try to put a small slide it in using a dremel then take it out with a small flat head

[silent_recon]

lol i dont wana sound like a total noob, but what is a dremel?

and the sharp thing didnt work

[ColtFarmer]

dremel is a small rotary tool, very versatile.

[MadMax]

Left hand twist drill bit: www.kbctools.com

There are some left hand cutting tools at Home Depot. I don't know if they go down to a small screw like a mag release screw though. If you've got a dremel, you can cut a slot in it with an abrasive disk and crank it out with a screwdriver. You can also get brutish and drill out the screw with a 1/8" bit like ClotFarmer says. The head will drill off and you can remove the button. With the head removed you should be able to turn out the threaded stem as they'res no tension on the thread (unless it's loctited in place).

[ILLusion]

I run in to this problem a lot. Easiest solution is to get a torx screwdriver one step larger and just hammer it in. The hardened steel of the driver is almost always tougher than the steel of the screw. Hammer it in till you've got a good bite, then just twist loose.

[Lerch]

Fuck Home Depot! Come to Rona son, we'll even get you a new screw to replace that one

[Barf]

Get yourself a damaged screw remover. I keep these in my toolbox. Works like a charm.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...EARS&ihtoken=1

[CDN_Stalker]

Originally Posted by Nova316

Or try to put a small slide it in using a dremel then take it out with a small flat head

This is what I tend to do for that screw (and some others if I can't get it by other means), use the Dremel with the cut off wheel to cut a slot through the middle of the screw, then flathead screwdriver to get it out. Once I get it out I just use a replacement Phillips screw that I have a small quantity of, and put some gun bluing on the exposed metal on the button.

[MadMax]

Originally Posted by ILLusion

I run in to this problem a lot. Easiest solution is to get a torx screwdriver one step larger and just hammer it in. The hardened steel of the driver is almost always tougher than the steel of the screw. Hammer it in till you've got a good bite, then just twist loose.

That's a cute trick.

[CDN_Stalker]

Hate to see the condition of the mag release after that trick! Lol

[Spawn28]

have you tried an Easy out? they sell em at Crappy Tire they work really well

[bean]

i have got them out using a dab of jb weld on the screw head. then put a bit of oil on the desired screwdriver and push it in to make up the damaged areas. works for me. you gotta let the new screw head dry and then your good

[ILLusion]

Originally Posted by CDN_Stalker

Hate to see the condition of the mag release after that trick! Lol

The mag release is fine. The screw head itself is widened a bit for that larger driver. It sounds brutal, but it's not. In most cases, the hole is already so stripped that you can just hand push the larger torx driver in. I usually give it a couple of love taps with a hammer anyways, just to dig the teeth in a bit more for added grip.

I've been using the same mag catch screw that's had this method done on it for the past 5 years!

I'd actually like to see what the mag catch button looks like after laying a dremel wheel on it... not only is the diameter of the screwhead very small, the dremel wheels are thick and will make a 1.5 to 2.0 mm thick cut (for the regular wheel. The kevlar wheels take off even more). Once you're done cutting, assuming you didn't even go beyond the screw head and cut up the button, the width of the cut leaves almost no material left on the head to properly work it out with a flathead screwdriver that small.