Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Stuck screws in scope bases.

Hi All,

I just got a great deal on a used Weatherby. I'm using as a project gun as I'm going to replace the trigger, stock, and then refinish it. I just tried unscrewing the aluminum Weaver bases and they are stuck. Not knowing if Locktight was used, I don't know. I know the bases will be wrecked when I apply a pen flame to the heads of the screws to see if they back out.

Short of the applied heat and prayer method. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks

Are they slot screws? I'd try holding a hot soldering iron on the screwhead for a minute and see if you can get them out that way.

"I know the bases will be wrecked when I apply a pen flame to the heads of the screws to see if they back out"

Putting some heat on the bases will not hurt them just dont let them turn orange.
Use a small flame directly on the head of the screw. If you get it hot enough and theres loctite on it, it should back out with no problem.

He said the bases are aluminum, they'd best not get orange! If you have a couple hundred watt soldering gun that would be ideal, a lesser iron maybe. Alternately a propane torch and a big nail heated to orange applied to the screw. May take a couple shots to get enough heat transferred. Something like 300�F at most is all you need. If it's Loctite it's pretty much solvent proof.

You are looking for 400* if you don't have a feel for what that is, you can get a cheap infrared temp gun or a tempasil stick to help you not cook the thing to death. Once it is up to temp, insert the CORRECT FITTING BIT, give it a rap and back it out.

The data sheet says to heat to 482�F (250�C) and disassemble hot but Loctite begins to loose strength well below 200�F. It doesn't melt. Lesse if I can stick the data sheet charts in this...

Loctite 242 Blue


Loctite 271 Red


100�C = 212�F
120�C = 248�F
150�C = 302�F

For just plain tight ones an aircraft mechanic taught me to use a close fitting screwdriver, apply max safe torque, and give the screwdriver a good rap with the torque applied.

I have an iron that my wife retired long ago. It won't get hot enough to alter surface hardening, or turn anything red. It's adjustable. I've used it to loosen screws rusted in, and loc-tited in place. It will even pop a glass bedding fiasco loose if you need it to do that.

For rust, add a drop of oil to the screw head, and let it sit a bit.

Get 'er done all by myself. Here's how it went down.

I hemmed and hawed and mulled things over for a couple of days reading the posts here. Some said NFW doing yourself and some said no prob.

Did the cost-benefit analysis. $80-90 r/t insured to ship to a smith in the Lesser 48 + smith charges, so about $110. If I fupped duck, I'd have send it down for a d&t oversized screw hole. One gent here did offer his services for free (tip of the hat to Jim Kobe.)

I started with a 5/64" drill hole freehanded and fairly well centered. Then a 3/32" hole down same hole. Tried super gluing the 3/32" into the hole and torquing on that assembly. No go as the glue bond broke. Thought about drilling the next hole size up, but recalled someone mentioning the LH drill bit. Light bulb went off - extractor!

Went to local hardware store and bought a spiral extractor for $2.50. Worked like a champ - mission accomplished. I will say that I was siding with folks that said once the screw snapped, there should remaind screw head would have no tension on it and be and easy out. Not the case. It should a fair amount of torque the entire way of backing it out - and it was a blind hole.

Sometimes you just get lucky.