Rossi M92 Mag tube removal assistance

[plinkercases]

I have had feed issues last match and was going to remove and clean the mag tube however I cant for the life of me get the screw at the cap/muzzle end to budge. And before I torque and strip screw head I have 3 questions:

1) could it be counter threaded for some reason?

2) would WD40 help release it or is there something else used to ease tight screws (no filth intended but no other way to say it really), and,

3) has anyone used the Lee Valley gunsmith screw driver set and is it worth it? I see the value in drivers designed for smithing but are these ones worth it?

Thanks in advance for any first hand advice you can provide.

 

[Claven2]

1) It unscrews CCW, like any standard fastener.

2) Not likely. Buy a real fastener release agent such as PB Blaster, Kroil, or the like.

3) Not worth it. What most smiths I know use (and what I use, FWIW) is a regular Canadian tire screw driver that takes cheap interchangeable hex bits. Then you just hollow-grind the tip thickness and width you need on the bench grinder to get a really snug screw slot fit. Grind a new one fresh for each screw for a while and before you know it you will have almost any possible size and only grind new ones if you break a tip.

My advice: Mount the gun, by the barrel, in a good solid vise using a good thick pice of leather to isolate the jaws from the barrel. Even better, if you work on a lot of guns, a trick I learned years ago from a local gunsmith was to have your vise jaws machined then surface ground smooth (no checkering) for a gunsmithing vise. Still use the leather, but smooth jaws add margin in not putting vise marks on the metal.

Once the gun is held snugly, grind your bit so it JUST BARELY goes all the way into the slot across its full width. I you need more torque, wrap a piece or rubber or leather around the handle of the driver to get more leverage.

The screw will come out. Definitely.

Here's a photo showing the difference between a hardware store screwdriver (cheaper to manufacture) v. a hollow-ground screwdriver, which is better in EVERY case:

 

[plinkercases]

Excellent advice thanks. I assume I can get PB Blaster or Kroil at Canadian tire? or Princess Auto perhaps?

 

[Claven2]

You will either find those, or some other sort of penetrating oil designed for fasteners. They all work about equally well, but they normally are not needed if there is no rust. A Proper fitting driver should be sufficient by itself.

 

[sniper58]

An impact driver can be your best friend for stuck screws.
I have one in 1/2" drive and one in 1/4" drive.

A couple drops of Kroil or penetrating fluid.............let it sit overnight..............usually takes 1 tap with the impact driver to break the screw loose.
I've gotten screws out that 2 guys working together couldn't budge.

 

[Claven2]

It's a really small diameter fine thread screw. I'm not sure it would hold up to an impact driver.

 

[plinkercases]

well I finally got time to get a bunch of flat driver bits and do some grindings and filing and it work like a charm now. Thanks fro the DYI solution to buying "gunsmith" drivers.

I also found out that there is a screw or two that seem loose on the receiver but if tightened... they actually protrude onto the slide and the action wont cycle.. doesn't make good sense to me but I am not a gunsmith or designer... so back them out and away we go.. I will know now at least to check not necessarily how tight they are but how flush they are on the head and inside.

Now any suggestions on how to clean up a screw head that got a little bubba'd in the process?

 

[Can-down]

You can push the flared out metal back by hammering it or "peening" it back to where it should be then use a file to clean up any burrs. I've used custom ground flat punches and hammers to push metal back to where it came from.

Often glancing, flat blows with an appropriate hammer in the direction of where you want to push the metal works well.

 

[Claven2]

I have a set of tiny ball peen hammers (I think they came from Pricess Auto at some point?). I hold the screw, head up, on the anvil and use the tiny ball peen to push the metal back down toward the slot by using many light strikes, walking back and forth across the slot. You can only make it so good, if you over-tighten the slot again, it will now more easily deform.

the point behind grinding tight driver bits is the prevent the damage from occurring in the first place...

As for the screws that are jamming the bolt, are you talking about the plug screw that you remove the bolt link pin through? If so, you can file back the tip so that the screw tightens down without fouling the bolt.