Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Getting broke off sight screws out of barrel?

I have an early 80s rem model 7 walnut blued in 6mm. The previous owner took the sights off but left the broke off screw shanks stuck in the holes and just roughly broke off nearly flat with the barrel.

I tried one of those bits that's supposed to drill it out a bit and then you flip the bit around and it's supposed to grab it and back it out. Igot the center of the screw bodies drilled down in a little but it won't grab and back them out. I've soaked them in a bit of penetrating oil and tried again and used a little heat and tried again. I've tried small screw drivers and Allen wrenches and nothing really grabs. I didn't drill very deep and don't want to go any more because the barrel is so thin.

I think I just need to find someone with a precision drill press and the right tap. Any other ideas?

I bought some original sights from a fire member and I'm trying to put those back on and get it back to original shape. It's in really good shape otherwise and shoots well. I'm setting it up for my 8 year old.

Thanks,
Bb

It needs to be on a mill to avoid the quill wander that even the best drill presses have. Any decent 'smith will be able to do this for you.

A 5/64" carbide end mill avoids damaging the threads. Once the hole is in there straight, you can apply some heat to the screw with a heat gun and it will normally back right out with a small pick. If not, a 1/16" screw extractor gets them out.

Absolutely!!!!!! Do not try to use a drill press..

How ‘bout a hand drill or Dremel? 😁😁

.
This ^^^

Absolutely use a mill and carbide tooling.

I already tried to drill it out a bit with a really small drill bit. I kept it centered but worry I may have already screwed it up even though I didn't go very deep. The little drill end of the bit I used that was supposed to remove it opened it up a bit so it's dished out in the center.

I wish I still knew I decent gunsmith around here but my old neighbor Dean Zollinger passed away a few years back. He was really good with a mill but was a gunmaker not a gunsmith. He corrected me on that once. There used to be another guy nearby who was hood with a mill named Bruce Prehiem but he passed away too.

I'm not going to try anymore I need a pro like I should have started with. I'm really hoping I didn't mess it up i know i didn't go to deep and its centered on the screw but that little bit could have messed up the starter threads. I'd be willing to ship it to someone to do it right if I knew it was still possible. Unless someone knows a decent smith in eastern idaho.

I listen to some bad advice and regret trying to use that speed out bit. At least I didn't drill through to the rifling and knew I needed to quit. Just hoping I quit on time. I've messed a few things up over the years being to obsessed with getting the job done. Too many people told me this was an easy DIY job. Should have started with a pro.

Thanks,
Bb

Who would be a good smith to mail this too? It's the 2 front sight screws. I'm not finding much locally for this kind of work. I know a few local guys that have lathes and chamber barrels but most of the general gunsmith are gone in this area.

Thanks,
Bb

Or one of those old drill presses where you mounted your electric drill vertically!

John Peterson Gunsmithing is in Idaho Falls.

Redneck should know!

Or.... fill them in (black epoxy, perhaps? ) and have the sight moved back a tad with new holes might be easier and cheaper.? Dunno.

I have been told an EDM will take those out without damaging threads. Dunno about that either.

Do you know John? I've met him a few times. I don't recall him having a mill but maybe he does now.

Bb

I don't know where you are located in Idaho, but the Buckhorn Gun Exchange in Boise advertises in house gunsmith services. 208-377-2535

A friend passed along that recommendation. Hard to imagine anyone advertising 'Gunsmithing' services wouldn't have a mill....but you never know anymore.

There's a lot of 'assemblers' out there...not the same as a gunsmith or a machinist. A good machine shop could do this easily as well.

A "sinker EDM" will remove the screw without damaging the threads. Using anything else but a mill will create a mess worse than what you're looking to remedy. As a Tool & Die Maker with 40yrs. experience I've removed countless broken screws. Most screws are not hardened and don't require a carbide end mill, you need to pick up center of the screw to avoid damaging the threads. An end mill smaller than the minor diameter of the screw thread is used first, then a drill close to the minor diameter is used. What's left will be a fine spring like remnant of the thread, a fine scribe or dental pick usually easily removes this. If this won't move due to Loc-tite having used warming with a hair dryer or heat gun takes care of the problem. This method is what I most frequently used, I only used Ezy-outs on screws bigger than 1/4". Small Ezy-outs being hardened have a tendency to break so I avoided them. Also when dealing with broken taps which are hardened I totally avoided using the finger style tap removers, taps require carbide tooling. Many times if one was available a sinker EDM or "tap disintegrator" was used.

Like my Old Man used to say, "the definition of a skilled workman isn't how well he can create, it's how well he can correct a f*ckup."

You might try John Taylor, John Taylor Machine in Lewiston.

Are there any good machine shops?


Gunsmiths I trust are thin here.

But there is a great family machine shop about 2 miles away.
They would absolutely remove a screw for me. They wouldn't be interested
in doing a barrel, but that screw is no different than any other little job.

I've also had the machine a bearing seat in a lawnmower transmission to fix it for my
father-in-law. He couldn't afford much, they got that. $25 there, bearing and seal at the parts house, we had him back mowing. They aren't an engine/ tranny shop either.

Then, of course, there is total avoidance of the enemy...

Banded

I'd like to put the original sights I picked up here back on so I'm hoping I didn't drill too far. The little holes I did are definitely smaller than thread size but if they're off center too much I could have screwed up some threads. I don't think I got into the threads but one hole is a little deep in the center.

I'm definitely not comfortable going any deeper on that one as I can tell it's about at the end of the screw shank already from my measurements and poking in it with a pic the very center started to go so I know I'm there depth wise so that's when I quit and put out the bat light for help. I know I didn't get into the bottom of the screw hole yet but I'm close. I don't dare try a larger diameter bit because I can't be centered perfect enough.

I'm going to have Peterson look at it tomorrow because I confirmed he has a mill now. If he's not really confident I won't turn him loose on it I'll check around with some machinists first. I know another guy near Rexburg that I know has a lathe and may have a mill so I'll call him too. I think he mostly cuts chambers and installs barrels but he's got a good eye for detail and is a perfectionist. If he has a mill I'd trust him if he thought he could do it. His son is a machinist and has been making muzzle brakes on some fancy cnc machined and seems to do really nice work too.

I'm a little more worried about it today after seeing what some model 7s are bringing. This is a really nice one for being built in 1980. I want it back to original so I can give it to one of my sons. The other gets my 700 bdl 6mm I bought new in the 1980s. I personally now prefer a 6mm Creedmoor but there's some family tradition in 6mm rems.

As someone pointed out above I need a "skilled workman" after my attempt.

Bb