Screwdriver set.

electricworm

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About to tackle one of my first Gunsmithing projects (refurbing an old .303 Lee Enfield)..

Was going through the old posts saying to buy a good quality screwdriver set.

Was wondering if anyone has experience with this particular set:
http://goo.gl/Vxlm5x

Is it a good buy for the price? OR should I stop cheaping out and buy one from brownells?

TIA

~worm
 
Hard to know where that set comes from but almost certainly "offshore." Reviews on Midway USA are mixed. On the principle that "life's too short to buy cheap tools" I'd go for the Brownell's drivers. They're known to be good quality, plus you can get exactly the bits you need. I've only ever bent one bit and that was a thin one, trying to turn a very ornery screw.

If you dig around on the Brownell's site (ie here) you'll see that the first 3 digits are the blade width in decimal inches, and the number after the dash refers to a particular blade thickness. (There is also a "445- " series which doesn't follow the decimal width rule.) You'll need a 340-5 for the front trigger guard screw, and various -3 or -4 for the others.

For the butt retaining screw, you're on your own. You need a honking long screwdriver with a very big blade. I made my own from a 16" length piece of square tube with a piece of 1/8" (I think) flatbar set into and welded on one end and a piece of 1/4" rod welded to the other to form a t-handle.

You may already know this, but if you do order form Brownell's, make sure they can ship USPS if it's coming to Canada as UPS etc. will rape you on brokerage fees. (If you live near the border you can use a "just across the border" UPS/Fedex depot for non-USPS orders.)

:) Stuart
 
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You be well advised to put your own screwdriver set together. Just to get the stock off the Enfield for instance, you are going to need a long screwdriver with a wide blade.
The set should include a good quality handle and lots of inserts which you can all buy locally. Regular screwdrivers can be ground to fit all the different screws you will encounter in firearms..
 
As a suggestion, Princess Auto from time to time has long (like 2 feet) screwdrivers for $5 or so. They work great on Enfield type butt screws. It has a substantial square shank that will take a wrench to help with stubborn screws. The blade may need a bit of fine tuning for best fit.
 
Thanks for the advice folks,

Luckily for me I was walking through a cabela's in the USA and found a decent set (no complaints yet anyways), on a wheeler set for 10$ as it was missing a piece. Looked to be a tiny phillips but all the hollow-ground slotted bits were in there. To be perfectly honest I haven't taken a good look at what is required but I'd hate to strip the screw and be angry at myself for not having the right bit.
 
For buttstock screws, I either use one of my 3 long flat blade screwdrivers or I use my 3/8 drive socket with extensions. I've made some sockets with cross pins drilled through that engage the slot in the stock bolt. Failing that, I have used a 3/8 to 1/4 adapter and then the correct socket that fits my Brownell's bits.
 
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