Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters How to deal with stripped screws in my Burris rings?

I was trying to remove a scope from an old rifle when apparently I used the wrong size allen wrench and stripped the heads of both the screws that secure the top half of the ring to the bottom - it has Burris rings, just like Leupold where you have to twist in the front ring onto the base and the rear rings are windage adjustable.

I don't know if the former owner used loctite on the screws, but they all were TIGHT! I got the screws from the rear ring off with no trouble, but it looks like the front ring screws are hopeless.

Any advice? I'd hate to have to drill out the screws and probably ruin a $40 set of rings.

I use a little larger Torx bit tapped into the allen head with a mallet.

Great idea! Thanks

God I have Allen wrenches!

If someone used the wrong type of LocTite, it may be a good idea to zap the screws with a little heat.

The more recent Burris rings used a Torx head screw not an Allen head. Take a look at the screw using a magnifying glass, if it is a Torx try tapping a Torx head wrench into it while twisting it.

drover

They like to keep life interesting by using metric on some and English on others and then Torx for desert.
It pays to have good lighting over your bench. Lol

What everyone else has pointed out so far, plus the fact that there's a definite difference in the quality of Torx heads. The more expensive (harder) ones are definitely better on stuck Allen screws.

You may need to apply heat via a solder gun to loosen Loctite.

I have used a drill bit just slightly larger than the screw shank and carefully drilled down thru the head . Do it slowly until the head just pops off. Once the head is off unless they are lock tighted in place or buggered the screw shanks should back right out with finger pressure.

Sometimes a left hand drill bit 'sized appropriately' will take the screw out.

[quote=czech1022

Any advice? I'd hate to have to drill out the screws and probably ruin a $40 set of rings. [/quote]

Google Easy Out tool, and see if there is something of the proper size.

Kaiser Norton

If you have access to a drill press. Put the scope on the table portion. Place the allen/torx/easy out bit in the jaws of the chuck. With one hand adjust the chuck down until you have a very tight fit. With the other hand grab the chuck and turn. And of course this is all done by hand without the press running.

Google the "easy out" tool? It sent me to Amazon and showed me a "handheld bidet".

Will that work with Torx screws?

If they are not to badly damaged you can put some JB weld on the proper sized wrench and hold it in place with a piece of Styrofoam, leave it set for a day to harden and they will come out.

This works extremely well for screws with damaged heads, it gives great down pressure and good leverage for breaking the screw loose. By far the most likely solution to the problem. Do use a quality bit, many of the cheaper (Chinese made) bits are soft and the bit will round off which in turns damages the screw head even more.

drover