screwdrivers

[pinemarten]

Just shot my Remmie 1858 with my son and my daughter's boyfriend. It was a lot of fun and they shot it real well. I am still getting used to cleaning the gun and sometimes it seems to take forever. I am trying to get all the correct equipment so the job is efficient and my cleaning time reduced. I have junk screwdrivers and they don't fit well. Already making some slight marring in the screw slots. I want to (need to??) get the gun completely apart with trigger off, hammer off,... so no water ends up in some dark space and rusts my gun. I think its time I invest in some quality screwdrivers for the gun. What type, kind, brand, size will get my gun apart (Remmington 1858) ? I've been looking at the Grace brand, which have the wood handles, and they are expensive but seem to have good ratings. How can I tell what sizes to get? I looked at my Pietta catalogue but no suggestions there. Do I just measure screw slot diameters?

Thanks for any recommendations on screwdriver selection!

Daniel

 

[AZbpBurner]

I have a Harbor Freight nearby and often get their sale flyers in the mail. I clip out the 20% Off coupons and often there are freebie coupons for flashlights, tape measures, and ... Screwdrivers. I have several sets of the free screwdrivers. A little time spent with the grinder and an oil stone & I have properly ground and fit screwdrivers fir all my guns.

 

[swathdiver]

Get the Colt Peacemaker set from Grace USA, a Christian run company. They are not expensive when you see what the cheap garbage does to your hard-earned money spent on your guns. This set works on Pietta Remingtons and Colts and more.

I also use his other sets and brass punches and brass hammers and stuff, excellent quality and Dan is a pleasure to deal with. I once wrote to him on a Saturday night about a screwdriver that I broke (my fault) and he wrote back that night and had one in the mail Monday and delivered Tuesday. No charge, wouldn't accept any money either.

 

[pinemarten]

oh my gosh! Good stuff to know! I'll order that set. will i still need to do any final grinding for fit? I am screw driver niave

Daniel

 

[garra]

That looks like a really nice hollow ground set, especially with the wooden handles. You will love working with them.
When I was an apprentice learning to work on mechanical machines we were taught how to hollow ground screwdrivers. I won't go into how we did it, but the object is that the thickness of the tip is widest at the tip and it tapers in from that point. What the objective is for the thicker tip to engage the edges of the screw at the bottom of the slot without touching the top of the slot. Most commercial screwdriver's are ground like a wedge, so they engage the top edge, which causes the damage to that area.

 

[pinemarten]

...ugh! I wish I hadn't marred my grip screw slot already! Its minimal but I get obsessive about taking care of my things as I want to pass guns/bows/etc down to my g. kids. Maybe I'll even look into seeing if there are replacement screws for the gun. I appreciate the advice and will order the set ...

Daniel

 

[mzloder]

Daniel,

I've been using this set from Brownell's for forty years and I have been very satisfied with it. It would serve you well!
http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...a-tip-sets/magna-tip-super-sets--prod417.aspx

Patrick

 

[Rifleman1776]

Screwdrivers. I have several sets of the free screwdrivers. A little time spent with the grinder and an oil stone & I have properly ground and fit screwdrivers fir all my guns.

That is the way to go, IMHO. I buy screwdrivers from flea markets and pawn shops. Then, when needed grind to fit specific screws. Also use to make scrapers and chisles. Cost pretty close to nothing. I like that. :grin:

 

[Cowboy]

I have a Grace set. They cost a little but you get what you pay for. I have had this same set for years now. Good quality and a good product. Respectfully, cowboys1062

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Grace drivers get my vote.

 

[ord sgt]

I have a complete set of hollow ground blades and handles from Brownells. The set was built up over time, buying new bits as I needed them.
I hate to see buggered screw slots. A sure sign of an uncaring person. It detracts from the piece.

 

[Artificer]

Get the Colt Peacemaker set from Grace USA, a Christian run company. They are not expensive when you see what the cheap garbage does to your hard-earned money spent on your guns. This set works on Pietta Remingtons and Colts and more.

Glad to hear Grace has a set that is made for a particular gun.

The first set of screwdrivers I was issued during my gunsmith apprenticeship was in 1973 and it was a Grace "general gunsmithing" set. The handles and ferrules were indeed very good, the steel was great; but unfortunately most of the blades did not fit any military or civilian gun screw I ever ran across. I still have one of those screwdrivers I converted into a special driver for nuts that have two holes in them. After I filed it to shape and hardened/annealed it, it has outlasted many other special tools used for that one purpose.

Since I worked on so any UnCivil War period guns for NSSA shoots and shooters in the 70's and 80's, I bought a bunch of 19th century common carpenter's screwdrivers and filed/hardened/annealed them to fit original and repro screws for them. Have a couple dozen of them.

I really shy away from suggesting one buys most "cheap" screwdrivers. Way too many are not made from even passable steel. Found too many times that after filing one to fit a particular screw slot and filing/hardening/annealing them, they failed in the shank portion. NO more of them for me!!!!

Then in the mid 80's, I was gifted a Brownell's set and eventually bought all the ones for the Master Set including the thin bits set. I RARELY have to remake one of them to fit any gun screw, but if I do, they are MUCH cheaper to reshape than getting a complete screwdriver.

Gus

 

[Old-Duckman]

I too have a Brownells set but I bought it decades ago before you had to mortgage your house to afford them. I had also purchased two Chapman sets (much smaller than the Brownells set but reasonably priced). I see that Chapman sets are still available but lots of them look to have many bits that are not for slotted screws.

Amazon sells Chapman sets but zooming up on the photos to see just what you are getting is a pain and I didn’t take the time to see which set (if any) was a nice choice for gun work. But you might want to check out the Chapman offerings as they are similar to Brownells in that you have a handle that accepts different size bits. Makes for a more compact screwdriver assortment, When I remember, I take my Brownells set to the range, very handy and comprehensive but best of all compact. Individual screwdrivers…not so much on the compact front.

I would imagine that discount tool sellers such as Harbor Freight probably have sets similar to Brownells and Chapman sets but you are always taking a chance with inferior quality tools…but probably worth a look if you are on a budget.

 

[SOLANCO]

Daniel,

I've been using this set from Brownell's for forty years and I have been very satisfied with it. It would serve you well!
Magna-Tip Sets | Screwdrivers & Sets at Brownells

Patrick

Matches my experience. I second his recommendation.

 

[French Colonial]

I like the Chapman sets, grind to fit exactly and that little ratchet with a lot of down pressure will remove most stubborn screws without marring.

And they are heat treated and very hard to break or bend.

 

[Vaino]

I buy cheap wooden handled screwdrivers and hollow grind the tips....nearly all these screwdrivers are plenty hard and have never found a soft tipped one. Altogether, I've got approx. 50 reworked screwdrivers and at least one will be suitable for a proper slot fit. It amazes me that many screwdrivers, even the fairly expensive ones have wedge shaped tips in lieu of being hollow ground......Fred

 

[Old-Duckman]

Fred, the work involved and the storage space needed for your method makes Brownells screwdriver set seem like a bargain!

 

[Coot]

Another vote for Brownell - I keep the smaller set in my range bag & the master set at home. Half as many individual wood handle screwdrivers would take up too much space.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

I bought the Marlin Grace set on a group buy. Still the best If ever used.
Dont tell any one but they work on Winchesters too!
The flinter gets a Pickering tool. The screw driver is wide for those big screws.

 

[waksupi]

I got some good flat stock, and made a set of turn screws. I used 01, since that is what I had in the shop. Drill for pins, hollow grind the tips for the screw sizes, then temper. Some hardwood for the handles, and shape.
I do have a set from Brownell's I used for years when building modern rifles, but bought a lot of extra bits, as I found I had to grind most to fit a specific screw.