Not discussing sheet metal screws. Discussing using hardware store crap on firearms. Not sure why you keep bringing that up, unless it is to be willfully stupid or just obstinate.
If you get mail, and have internet access (even if it IS a half hour drive to town to use a public access location) you can get appropriate fasteners, and have them in hand if you plan a bit ahead.
Get a Brownells catalog, if you don't have it already. There is a great amount of info regarding the size of screw threads most often used. If you don't buy from them, at least they were good enough to put the info together in print, so you can see what you should be using.
Nothing elegant about a Farmer Hack. It's still a hack. And every Farmer hack I've ever seen, caused someone a headache down the road.
Elegant solutions don't leave the next guy wondering WTF, at what you did.
Nothing proprietary about most screws used on modern Firearms, esp. for scope mounting, etc. The thread sizes and pitches were chosen for their suitability and strength. The helix angle of the finer pitch thread reduces the tendency to work loose, and the minor diameter of the fastener is larger, making the screw stronger.
Brownells is a convenient source, but not the sole source by a long shot.
As far as "need a screw, got one" goes, put yourself in the place of the fella that actually has the correct materials in hand, and finds that he must first fix his way past the bodge, to get on with his day. Not gonna be a happy customer.
Lots of guns have been fixed by guys that thought pipe wrenches and a bench vice were an elegant fix too.
Suit yourself. For me, I'll stick to using appropriate tools, where it involves a permanent change to the firearm, and use due care.
Not sayin' I have not done the odd hack job, but I save them for rescuing stuff like a stripped scope ring thread or something that was otherwise doomed from the get-go. Not for drilling and tapping a receiver when I was not willing to wait for the proper hardware or tools.
Cheers
Trev
If you get mail, and have internet access (even if it IS a half hour drive to town to use a public access location) you can get appropriate fasteners, and have them in hand if you plan a bit ahead.
Get a Brownells catalog, if you don't have it already. There is a great amount of info regarding the size of screw threads most often used. If you don't buy from them, at least they were good enough to put the info together in print, so you can see what you should be using.
Nothing elegant about a Farmer Hack. It's still a hack. And every Farmer hack I've ever seen, caused someone a headache down the road.
Elegant solutions don't leave the next guy wondering WTF, at what you did.
Nothing proprietary about most screws used on modern Firearms, esp. for scope mounting, etc. The thread sizes and pitches were chosen for their suitability and strength. The helix angle of the finer pitch thread reduces the tendency to work loose, and the minor diameter of the fastener is larger, making the screw stronger.
Brownells is a convenient source, but not the sole source by a long shot.
As far as "need a screw, got one" goes, put yourself in the place of the fella that actually has the correct materials in hand, and finds that he must first fix his way past the bodge, to get on with his day. Not gonna be a happy customer.
Lots of guns have been fixed by guys that thought pipe wrenches and a bench vice were an elegant fix too.
Suit yourself. For me, I'll stick to using appropriate tools, where it involves a permanent change to the firearm, and use due care.
Not sayin' I have not done the odd hack job, but I save them for rescuing stuff like a stripped scope ring thread or something that was otherwise doomed from the get-go. Not for drilling and tapping a receiver when I was not willing to wait for the proper hardware or tools.
Cheers
Trev
