Some of us in this thread are lucky enough to have the tools necessary to properly grind the blades on screwdrivers. Most have to get by with what they can purchase. I've used a Dremel grinder and a small portable vice, that clamps on a table to hold screwdriver shanks, while I carefully grind the bit faces and edges. It works but it's tedious.
Many folks only need their screwdrivers for one firearm and are limited for space. They also don't have training on how to use tools properly and why they are designed with a particular shape.
When I was on the job in maintaining a large factory's equipment or installing equipment, I ground my screwdrivers meticulously. Especially if I was the only person assigned to a specific department. I was always surprised by the poor quality of the tools many red seal trades people carried as well as the lack of tools they had. A couple of guys had tool pouches that consisted of 4 different adjustable wrenches, one of which had a ball peen hammer head welded to the base loop. To say the least, following these "tradesmen" on a job often presented a challenge. Their flat screwdrivers were cheap types, intended for wood screws and doubled as drifts and chisels. Maybe they had a #2 Robertson in the pouch. The fasteners showed the abuse. The whole tool kit was rounded of with a pair of pump pliers of dubious quality.
The best advice I can give people here, is to use the proper tools for the job. If a kit is all you can afford, fine. Just learn how to keep the bits properly maintained. This can be done with hand held files.
The reason flat screwdrivers intended for wood screws are tapered, is for strength. It often takes a lot of torque to seat a screw into wood. That shouldn't be the case with flat slot machine screws, used for metal. Sheet metal is different.
I always knock $50 off the price of a rifle or pistol if I have to replace galled screws, which I find unsightly and which will often leave a nasty sliver behind or cause minor punctures that will bleed all over the firearm.
BCrider mentioned developing a habit of tapping solidly seated screws with a bit and hammer. Fine, I do it myself. The thing is, the bit used as the punch gets rounded off from the beating. Maybe not right away but it happens and this causes slips etc.
This isn't rocket science. It's mechanical. If something can break or go wrong, for just about any reason, whether it's competence related or the luck of the moment, it will go wrong.
I constantly come across firearms that people have owned for years and never stripped down, other than to brush some Hoppe's through the bore. These can be bears to get the screws out of. Care and patience are often the key to keeping those firearms looking good and maintaining value. That's when a good set of properly fitting screwdrivers comes in handy.
