Screwdrivers for Lee Enfields etc.

[bags]

Can anyone recommend a good set of screw drivers to use with old rifles? I am looking for something to use mostly on old lee enfield, p14's etc.

Lee Valley has a set of gunsmith style screwdrivers but I don't know if they will be the right fit. They look like general screw drivers.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[gunrunner100]

Check Brownells and Wheeler for replaceable bits. Most can be ground for proper fit to individual screws.

 

[supernova]

Wheeler makes some decent sets. For $20 their basic driver set will do most minor 'smithin.

 

[sunray]

"...set of gunsmith style screwdrivers..." No smithy uses 'em. Too expensive. The 'bits' in most 'gunsmith' kits are horrendously expensive to replace and not easy to get. Smithy's buy cheap screwdrivers in Crappy Tire and grind 'em to fit.

 

[holdingfast]

The Wheeler Kits are great as long as you do not need to torque or apply a large anount form of leverage (I'm not Popeye... More like a slimmed down J. Wellington Wimpy) . The hex bits that are in their kits strip super easy and barely fit any generic rings. We burn through lots of Torx bits at the shop and the Wheeler bits just bend if you need to tighten up a side screw on a ring. For monkey-business the Wheeler kit does well... For tight screw that may be held in place by rust, look for something more righteous.

 

[camster]

x2 on carving up your own to fit

 

[tiriaq]

Get decent quality screwdrivers and grind them to fit as necessary.

 

[bearhunter]

Listen to what the folks are telling you about grinding your own.

Personally, I don't like the chrome finished screw drivers that come from Canadian Tire. Just my personal preference. The steel in them isn't bad.

I go to yard sales and pawn shops for my screw drivers. This includes flat, Robertson, and Philips heads. All can be carefully ground to fit. Especially when some screws in antique firearms are buggered. Many times, those screws can be peened and re slotted with sharp, square sides and saved. The same goes for Philips and Robertson styles.

Torx heads and screwdrivers are a whole different ball game. Allen head screws that have been stripped, can often be taken out with a custom ground allen wrench. No way to fix them, but at least they can be taken out and replaced.

Poor fitting screwdrivers are a recipe for disaster. They slip and cause gouging on stocks and metal, or they cause galling on the lips of the slots etc.

The same goes for those lousy, cheap, soft screwdriver heads that come in most sets. They just aren't rigid enough and cause damage, even if they fit.

$20 at a garage sale or pawn shop will yield a half dozen very good quality, non chromed screw drivers with hardened shafts, as well as hardened blades.