Flat/slot-head screwdriver, wide but fine...? **Browning Citori question**

.22LRGUY

.22LRGUY

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
174   0   1
Location
Ontario
Hey guys~I have a 1979 Browning Citori 20ga that I inherited a little over a year ago. After finally getting some trigger time with it, discovered that the bottom barrel doesn't fire reliably. Just took del. of 2 new firing pins + the req. 1 spring from WGP, but I do have a question...

The trigger guard looks like this; https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/1324590 and requires that 2 blued, decorative, flat-head/slot screws be removed. The only screwdrivers I own that are fine enough are maybe 1/4 the required width, but I tried with gentle pressure (so as not to damage) and they backed-out easily. Holes are mostly stripped which I can repair, but I will want/need the required screwdriver to reinstall. I may grind-down one I have (keeping things cool & hard!) but since it isn't the first time I've needed proper screwdrivers for gun work...can anyone here suggest a proper set of drivers? Especially slotted.

Thanks!
 
Brownells 'Magna-Tips'.

<http://www.brownells.com/search/index.htm?k=Magna-Tip&ksubmit=y>
 
Proper gunsmith screwdrivers look like conventional flat blade screwdivers for slotted screws but they are actually different in design. The conventional screwdiver has a slightly tapered blade on the flat side, being thicker cose to the handle and thinner towards the tip. Gunsmiths screwdivers are untapered towards the tip, totally parallel sides. Many gun screws, especially on better quality guns use screws with very narrow slots which are hard to match to a correct driver to so gunsmiths screwdivers come in a wide array with very narrow blades for these fine slots. A competent gunsmith won't mar even the most delicate screw and to do this he requires a perfect fit of screwdriver to each individual screw, filling the slot completely in width and thickness, right to the bottom with no taper to the driver which would only apply pressure on the edges of the slot. Many professional grind a screwdiver to precisely fit each screw when working on a fine gun. Buggered screw heads are the classic mark of an amateur.
There are many fine sets on the market at many different price points, available from places like Brownells, Galazan and likely some of the larger firearm retailers in Canada. Keep in mind that these are specialized tools of very good quality, you won't find them at Canadian Tire or Wal- Mart prices. I've been very satisfied with the Wheeler Engineering Gunsmiths set, very good quality at a moderate price. These sets come in different combinations. Jim
 
The technical name is a hollow ground piont I've had people bring in rifles they tried to remove a screw using a normal screwdriver and I've got the screws out in less than a minute with the proper screw driver. They are hard to find and not cheap but they are a essential tool and well worth the investment.
 
A bench grinder and whichever of the crappy screwdrivers that have been saved for the purpose, falls to hand first.

If you are not comfortable doing it freehand, build a jig to get a perfect 180 degrees. Just needs a block with parallel sides and a hole in the middle. secure the screwdriver with a wedge or a set screw.
 
One needs to use the widest hollow ground screwdriver when removing the butt stock.
Should one use a Craftsman that appears to fit and it slips off the screw while turning it out one runs a great risk of breaking the butt stock and thus ruining ones day.
Find the proper tool as mentioned and enjoy using a tool designed to do the job correctly.
Spend once cry once.
Just an observation of seeing it happen first hand.
No, it wasnt me even if I like to fix things till they break.
Rob
 
50 years ago I bought an assortment of screwdrivers from Simpson Sears and Canadian Tire... I ground them to fit particular jobs. I also bought some Brownell's bits.

I still use those old home ground blades as much as anything.
 
I bought a smaller size Wheeler set a few years ago. They worked and still work well. Well enough that when I set up the new house with two different places that I would need gunsmithing screwdrivers I bought the larger 89 piece set from Cabela's when they had their grand opening sale out here a couple of years ago. The 20% off eased the pain of the cost :d

The Wheeler set has worked superbly for me. And I like that the large set has doubles of a lot of the most used sizes. This has allowed me to trim the width of some to fit particular screws on some guns for a perfect fit.

If you don't want to drop that much coin on the 89 pc set then they have a 43 pc set with no doubles and a few less fancy bits for $50.

Using a narrower screwdriver of the right thickness but which is less than half the width needed is playing with fire. You were lucky that they were loose from the wood being worn (at least I'm assuming it's the wood screws). But for anything else using a screwdriver that narrow risks turning up burrs on the top of the heads. So you're smart to ask about getting a new set before you put it back together.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom