Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Stripped action screw hole

Bought me a boyds stock for my b-mag and per boyds was to use existing action screws. I ended up stripping the rear action hole (screw is good) the torque
calls for 40 lbs but I wasn't probably 20 and was only going for 25. What caused it was the screws were to long and it hit against my safety and stripped the hole. There are still a few threads where I was able to snug it up,probably less than 10lbs. I had to put a small washer in under my safety so as to space it for the safety to work right. What thoughts on a easy repair? I was thinking thread tape and JB weld on the screw and snug it up enough to where I know it won't come lose or re thread and a larger screw.

Drill out & helicoil

loctite thread restorer..online or auto parts store..I've used it on heavy equipment u-joint yokes, that's pretty hard test.

I do have loctite (med) on it now but was thinking since it didn't tighten down properly t wouldn't hold. Didn't know they made helicoils that small. Sems they would have made the screws softer that the action holes.

This is what flintlocke is talking about :

https://www.walmart.com/ip/LOCTITE-28654-Stripped-Thread-Repair-Kit-12-9mL-Gray/40903198

You are using Inch Pounds, right?

hope not 40 foot pounds

Anybody who uses a frekin heli-coil on one of my firearms would get a size twelve right to their scrotum...

so what would you do/suggest ?

I guess he wants you to Tigweld the hole closed, re-drill and tap.

Mcmaster Carr has them 1-64" thru 1&3/4" .

https://www.mcmaster.com/helicoil-inserts

Never used the Thread restorer, although it probably works fine.

Thanks haven't seen that kit before,worth a shot.
Yes inch lbs using fat wrench.
I don't know exactly what the material in the action screw hole is but to begin going in is like plastic with a small section of some sort metal,the way it stripped so easy makes me think aluminum.

Have used this more than once IT WORKS WELL.

Watched video on it and looks like it'll work good,will get some.

Heli-coil is a good way to niga-rig a repair that doesn't get constantly disassembled. If I were going with a thread insert I'd use a Jergens thin wall insert. The proper way would be to tig, redrill and tap.

The proper way would be to tig, redrill and tap.

Unable to do this. On the bmag there is only a small metal threaded portion which is enclosed in the center of plastic which is a bad design.

A TIG welded repair plug is annealed by definition plus the surrounding parent metal is going to be annealed as well. If a Helicoil is used, the original hardness of the parent metal is preserved plus the Helicoil itself is hardened stainless steel. This makes the repaired threaded hole stronger and more resistant to stripping than the original thread.

RAN

Just how hard do you think the rear mounting screw area is? How hard does it need to be? Besides re-making the hole it is acceptable to go up one screw size.

It's very hard plastic with a thin band of metal in the center. I have thought about tapping it and back off the recommended pound setting.

For those of us who haven't futzed with one and don't know what they're talking about (like me) this thing is a horse of another color.

Picture lifted from a video showing action with rear screw removed.



Picture from the manual



Long distance I don't know what I would do, rebuilding the threads may be the only reasonable option short of sending to Savage. Have done it with epoxy and it worked but not as strong and not so durable. Maybe purpose made stuff would do better.

Well at least it’s only the trigger housing you screwed into / stripped and it can be replaced because it screws into the rifle.

You could see if the hole in the stock is big enough to accommodate a larger screw, the screw is under the trigger guard assembly so no one can see it.
If the hole is big enough or you can enlarge it you can tap out the hole to the next bigger size and you should be good to go.

BE careful that the Boyd’s stock hole isn’t exactly over the screw, a buddy of mine brought me a A17 in a Boyd stock, and the hole was a bit further than it should have been the result was that he cross threaded the screw...

Savage tolerances are Terrible, and they vary wildly.. so combine that with a CAM machine like Boyd’s uses and you can have problems....

+1 on RAN's post, in more than 40 yrs. as a Tool & Die Maker I installed hundreds of Heli-coil inserts don't remember any problems.

Or that. Suspect the big objection was like mine thinking it would be visible like a big ugly booger

Is that trigger housing white metal ?? I doubt it’s steel..., but may be aluminum.

IF you fix it yourself then TIG & trap is the way to go.

There is room under the safety also as to where I could slide a square nut between the safety and housing and just screw a screw into it. I would guess the metal inside the housing that stripped is mad of aluminum. The pics posted fills everyone in on just what cheap way it was made.

I ended up finding a screw 2 sizes up from original and it easily made it's own threads. It's good and tight and I only put it to 15 inch lbs. I had plenty of options from here and thanks for so many.

2 sizes up? Meaning you went from something like a #8 to a #12 or 1/4"?

It's really concerning that you were able to screw it in and have it make it's own threads. Seems like cracking that aluminum threaded piece is a strong possibility, and much more likely than the screw cutting it's own threads unless you used a self tapping screw.

Hopefully that's miscommunication and you just went with a longer screw of the same size.

That is not what annealed means. Welds are not "annealed by definition", especially a small weld in a larger surrounding piece of metal. The rate of cooling matters, and quicker cooling from heat transfer to the surrounding steel does not leave the weld annealed. Annealing in carbon steel (like what is used in most rifle actions) typically requires slow cooling over a number of hours; very different than how a welded hole cools.

The heat of welding can affect the temper of the surrounding steel, but that is not the same as annealing. The weld itself may be harder or softer than the base metal, depending on the filler rod used.

No it was 2 sizes up,I ran the next size first which cut in real easy then the next size. It's mostly plastic.