gun screwdriver set do I really need to get a special screwdriver kit for our rifles? or can I just use my craftsman that I use on my cars?? is this a ok set? http://www.gundigeststore.com/gunsmithing-gun-care-screwdriver-set?cid=gdrr101012V9275
I think it's all about preference. I do this as a hobby so a professional opinion might be different but I got a screw driver set from harbor freight and it was $10 and came with short and long ones with rubber handles. Looks like nice screwdrivers in that kit you have on the link.
You'll notice that the screwdrivers in a gunsmithing set have hollow ground blades which in turn fit into the smaller heads of screws found on firearms today... The set you linked to would be perfect for the job intended....
http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...crewdriver-set-sku354-008-000-6739-16413.aspx Get a set of Grace screwdrivers they are honed so they wont strip the screws slot
using screwdrivers made for working on your car or washing machine is a sure way to bugger up the screwheads. get a set made for firearms if you plan on working on them.
axxe is right on......gun screw heads generally have deeper slots than others. therefore screwdrivers made for smithing have heads tapered to fit all the way down into the slots. They wont try and walk out stripping out the head. Also they are harder and the driver head wont strip or bend as easily. The set you show rich is a good one. You will probley find 2 or three is about all you normally use. That is unless you have a very large collection of firearms from all over the world with many different sizes of screws. Also use them for scope work. There are sets containing upwards of 60-100 drivers costing Hunderds of $$.
You dang sure need good, properly ground and fitting bits for many of the smaller slots in a variety of screws used in firearms. Don't try to tear down an A-5 without them (been there/done that and had to replace a few...well the smithy ended up fixing my oops'es). The screws Browning used/uses are really easy to bugger up. I've got a couple of the hollow ground styles and when I checked due to your note of cost...WOW! They've went way up. They've gotta be dead nutz square and of the correct width and thickness or risk putting a big scratch into the bluing and base metal. I guess it all depends on what you're working on and whether you've got access to a supply of the correct heads n threads for the gun your tinkering with. Still want a full set...but it's a wish...not a need sorta thing. I like torx heads. Not stylish, but 100% utilitarian. If a itty bitty torx screw will hold an insert on an metal cutting tool for CNC machining...they are darn sure capable of anything in small arms applications. Maybe we need to engineer/modify weapons platforms and swing the industry on board...NOT...never happen. Have to have thicker metal to counterbore for the heads and it'd add weight, unnecessarily Good luck with finding whatcha need and completing the task with excellent results.
A picture is worth a thousand words !!! the blade on the left is a Flat Ground Blade...notice how it DOSNT fit all the way into the slot. The blade on the right is Hollow Ground...going all the way to the bottom of the slot and applying toraque to all portions of the head equally. Hollow Ground has very litte or No taper and Flat Ground has taper. I like visuals.......
I bought a cheap set with the Winchester name. It is basically garbage. The bit selection doesn't meet all of my needs, and the hardness is low causing the bits to twist, slip, and defeat the purpose of saving my screws. Chinese made of course. The tune up kit I bought for my Win 94 includes all of the screws I screwed up over the years using flat tipped screw drivers. You can grind your own hollow tipped blades and heat treat if you are careful. There are some good "how too's" on the web.
Thats why I like visuals. I can sit in an 8 hour class and have an Idea....lot of times wrong. Give me 5 minutes hands on, let me screw it up once (sometimes twice).....NOW I'VE LEARNED SOMETHING that stays with me..........LOL.....thats what they call Experience......
Boy ain't that the truth SWO1 !!!!! real screwdrivers will be following me everywhere from now on. but mark my word, the day I do not pack them itwil lbe "anything will do" like before Cheers Bucky
I had a wonderful English teacher in the 7th grade. She had a sign posted on the wall that read: Tell me and I'll forget Show me and I'll remember Let me do and I'll understand
Glad you weren't offended. I don't know a good brand name to buy, remember like you I bought a cheap set to. The problem with cheap tools comes when suddenly they fail which happens when you have to push them hard. It's not a huge deal on a rust bucket in a junk yard, but on a nice piece of equipment, if it screws up the machine too, it's bad news. I don't know gun tool brands and makers. But if you find something made in the US you are almost always good to go. Other counties make decent tools too, but China never does...not yet. Another clue is to look for a warranty. And then lastly price. I have not yet seen anyone in the tool industry with the jewels to try and pawn junk for premium prices. If the price is outrageous it's a great tool. If you could buy a couple packs of bubble gum for the same price...it's junk. I bet Brownells customer service could set us up with quality screw drivers. The problem with all of the Chinese stuff I've bought in the last tens years is very much like the junk the Japanese were making 45 years ago. They have the machining and packaging down pretty good so the stuff looks good. But the materials and the heat treating is not there. Great price and great looking product, but it doesn't work very long. I have quit buying it unless I have no other choice, and then I try to figure out a way to do with out...often I can.
Brownell's or MidwayUSA carry some nice screwdriver sets that are for working on firearms. i agree, working on a quality firearm needs a quality tool. quality tools usually cost more, but when you factor in if they are taken care of, they will last a lifetime.
