A Screw Loose

[musketman]

It will happen, there isn't a wooden muzzleloader stock in the world that is immune to having one of it's hardware screws stripped out...

I bought a few with loose screws holding the trigger guard or patch box in place, only to find out that it has been stripped out...

So, what is the best way to repair a stripped screw hole in wood?

Do you fill the hole with wood puddy and re-drill?

Do you run a bigger screw in and hope no one notices?

Or would you drill out the hole, glue in a hardwood dowel, sand flush and restain, then re-drill the screw?

How would you fix something like this?

 

[brushbuster]

for once i can help you this time
just take a wooden match stick and glue it into the stripped screw hole and trim flush ,i use elmers carpenter glue ,gorilla glue foams too much for work like this .
after the glue has dried re drill your hole and your good as new for larger holes i eigther cut a wood sliver or use a dowellwith the same process

 

[mule ear]

tooth picks can be useful for small holes. Otherwise, I cut a pointed sliver, glue w/ the same Elmer's and drive it into the hole and proceed as suggested by Brusbuster.

 

[Canuck Caster]

If it is a really cheap gun, the toothpick/sliver of wood trick will work just fine. If it is a really classy and expensive flintlock, send it up here to me. I'll fix it for you myself. It would need to be extensively tested for soundness of the repair though. I promise to have it back to you in time for deerhunting season in 2035. ...

Seriously, I used the toothpick fix on the end-cap screws on my Hawken-worked just fine.

 

[musketman]

None of my guns have a screw loose, just me...

I posted this because the "used" guns I bought always seem to have a loose or missing screw because it's stripped...

I was just wondering how many different ways there are to fix a stripped hole...

 

[vradin]

I was just wondering how many different ways there are to fix a stripped hole...

As others have said- matchsticks teethpicks, slivers all work quite well, especially in the field. For larger or more damaged holes I've used a mix of fine sawdust and epoxy and force-filled the hole. Advantage to this is that if it's a location where you need to constantly remove and insert the screw, the epoxy-sawdust mix makes a much harder surface and it acts more like a machined nut than just a threaded hole. Way back when, I did this and then tapped the epoxy/wood filler for a 10-32 machine screw. You'll probably want to enlarge the hole a bit, and make some undercuts.

I have enough loose screws ratlin in my head, don't need 'em on my guns too. :haha:

vic

 

[brushbuster]

I was just wondering how many different ways there are to fix a stripped hole...

I have enough loose screws ratlin in my head, don't need 'em on my guns too. :haha:

vic

lol, dont we all? :crackup: :crackup:ya gotta be half crazy ta shoot m/ls :blah: :crackup: :crackup:

 

[amccall]

I had this happen while I was building my rifle and putting on my patch box, by removing the wood screw repeatedly the hole got enlarged. If you are not going to remove the screw a quick and easy way is to add match sticks or tooth picks in the hole. Cut off flush or recessed in the hole and use the original screws.
If you are going to be taking the screw out then one of your methods that you stated should work fine, depending on the look that you are going for. :m2c:

 

I had this happen while I was building my rifle and putting on my patch box, by removing the wood screw repeatedly the hole got enlarged.

When building, I almost always do my initial fitting with small undersized screws for Butt plate, patch box etc. When everything is more or less finished, then I enlarge the hole in the metal and countersink/fit the proper screw. This way the hole that was a screw hole and may have become loose from repeated use becomes a perfect pilot hole for the proper screw. Seems to work fine.

 

[amccall]

Yeah, I originally done that with the screws but then after I got done I decided to do a little "improving", then the rest is history. The bad thing about first guns is time and growing experience turns a gun from not bad at all to what was I thinking when I did that. Oh well there is always another gun to build and improve on.