Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing How to get out stripped scope mount screws?? HELP...

I have a couple of leupold bases whose allen heads have stripped out. How do I get them out so I can remove and install talleys?
On a side note, why do the manufacturers not put hex heads on their mounts? It seems rediculous to put allen heads that strip out so easy.
How much force do they recommend for installing mounts? Seems I may have torqued them down a little tight.

Ideally, you need a mill & an end mill cutter of appropriate size to mill off the head(s). Then remove the base & use either pliers or a small pair of vice grips to turn out the screw, depending on how easy it will come out.

If you don't have a mill, it can be done very carefully in a drill press...........it you don't care about re-using the base, not so much care is required.

Torx head screws are available and are a big improvement on hex heads, assuming you have good bits.

MM

Select the appropriately sized Rodertson bit and drive it into the stripped out screw head (probably a number two). Remove the screw.
Alternative: Select the appropriately sized torx bit and drive it into the stripped out screw head. Remove the screw.
I've used these techniques successfully since about 1972. Actually, I didn't use the torx bits until the mid-eighties. GD

If you used lock-tight on your screws, hold a soldering iron to your heads and let them heat up, this will release the lock-tight.

My gunsmith took the next size larger allen wrench and tapered each flat on a grinder slightly and removed the stripped screw.

Sometimes just a screw driver driven in with taps from a hammer will get them out, in fact most of the time..

If the screws were locktited or glassed in I use one of those miniture kitchen butane torches to heat the screw. It has a small hot flame and you can put the tip of the flame directly on the screw, it works in a hurry when you see the edges of the screw ooooozing glass twist the screw driver or whatever.

I've removed stuck screws by locking down the item in a drill press vise and then lowering a small bit into the screw and backing it out by hand while holding downpressure on the drill bit. It'll bite into the screwhead pretty well.

brownelle still makes, i think, a stripped out allen screw remover. it consists of an oversiae allen wrench bit that is driven and and then a nut is placed over the allen wrench and with a box wrench is turned out. usually the stripped out allen screw comes right out.

Guys, I don't mean to sound contentious but I spent a goodly portion of my gunsmithing career working in busy retail outlets where I removed, quite literally, hundreds of stripped out allen head screws by driving in a Robertson or Torx bit. The only time I was unable to do this was where some guy had gotten at it with a drill bit or something and screwed up the head too badly
Burris rings seemed to be worse than any when it came to soft headed screws. GD

GD,

What about stripped out torx heads?

MM

Just drill off the heads take the base off and take some needle nose pliers and turn out screw.I've had to do this a couple times. It's very easy.Just make sure you have your rifle held firmly and have good control of drill and bit so you don't slip.

highridge1 is spot on..that is always a cure for the problem, but first I might try wedging a screw driver, torx or whatever works into it as many time they come right out..if not then drill off the screw head as in Highridges post, and your done.

Not much into dickin' around with stuff like this...

The stripped out allen/torx has a ready and waiting pilot hole.

Simply select a sharp drill bit slightly larger than the screw threads and slightly smaller that the screw head.

A spot of oil and a few well controlled "bumps" on a battery drill trigger will "pop" the screw head off quick like.

A smallish vise grip will then easily turn the stub out after the base is lifted off. Done the same deal with stripped ring screws too. Once the head is gone any "torque" is a non issue. If there's loctite involved, a little heat solves that pronto.

BT/DT lots, and it took longer to type this than it takes to do it........

hit the screwdriver with a hammer a couple of times and turn.

Yeah, that's what I normally with a mill to hex heads too (see my post at the top of the thread); just thought GD might know a quicker way.

MM

Anybody try left-handed drill bits? Wasn't about bases but was recommended to me for similar applications by a guy who does a lot of work on industrial machinery. Said that a lot of times the screw just backs out about the time pressure is relieved by drilling through the head.

The lh drill is an option if you have a mill that will rotate backwards. Most drill presses only run rh. Also these repairs usually occur after the supply house is closed, so you use what is on hand.

If forcing a larger bit doesn't work, just drill off the head and remove via small vise grips. Just go easy on the drill, you want it to just break through the head. Should you drill the screw down flush with the action, you'll have the next level of cuss words to deal with.

I've not seen any stripped out Torx screws. I've seen them with the heads twisted off and I've seen them with the end of the wrench busted off in the hole but not stripped out. I do drill off Torx heads just because they are usually so damn tight and that's why the wrench broke off!
Again, a good smack on the bit with a hammer BEFORE even trying to turn it can save considerable grief. GD

agree. the repeated sharp rap can bust em loose.. another try may be to get a very small chisel and grind it down to fit inside the hole. whap it a few times to get you a good slot in the head. use a GOOD quality screwdriver or even better an impact driver with proper tip and have at it. this works.....

good luck

woofer

I use a small flat blade screwdriver that I have to lightly tap into the hole across the points. Make sure you release the locktite first.

Sometimes switching to a better allen wrench works, or a metric size that I have to lightly tap in.