Have a 642 with the new grip screw. It appears it should be removed with an allen wrench. Tried using one but screw does not turn. Afraid to use too much pressure and strip screw. Is there another tool I should be using. Please help.
Thanks.

I work at a gun store and deal with these every day you need to get the correct allen wrench and have to use alot of pressure, it should not strip if you get the right one, I have had to hit the allen wrench with a rubber mallet before. If it strips and you get it out let me know I will send you another screw.

Thanks for the offer.

Try to make sure you are using the correct size of allen wrench. IF it strips, you can get it out but it will be a bit of bother. Buy an "Easy Out" and use it. Hopefully the screw will come out. Putting a drop of Kroil on the screw will help, but this will likely stain the grips. If the Easy Out fail, you will have to be more drastic. If the grips are wood, you can relieve them w/ a plug cutter. Drill down sufficiently to expose the head and shank of the screw. Us a knife to chip out the wood. Use a pair of needle nosed pliers to grip the head of the screw and turn it out.

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This is good advice that mirrors what I had to do to get the factory grip screw loose on my 642-1. If it is not obvious, you will need an Allen wrench tip that fits a sturdy screwdriver handle so that you can use a hammer to good effect while keeping pressure on the screw. You will probably need a second set of hands.

Another useful solution is a Craftsman Model # 47641 manual impact driver pictured below and still available from Sears for less than $23. Mine is many years old and has saved me a lot of grief over the decades.



The nice thing about this tool is that you insert the correct bit, engage the screw with the tool, apply pressure to the tool as if you are unscrewing the screw, and hit the tool with an ordinary steel hammer. The force of the blow unloads the threads and the mechanism inside the tool rotates the bit to unscrew the stuck item. Yes, the other side of the grip will need to be well supported. But, this turns the process into a one man show.

My tool was originally purchased to loosen motorcycle engine case fasteners. Steel into aluminum tightened by heating and cooling cycles is a real challenge. But, this tool has never failed me and almost never damages the screw or anything else.

Some of the grip screws in some models are torx. I don't think I've seen that mentioned above.

Whether torx or allen hex, one thing that works quite well in all these situations is having the right bit in a small cordless impact driver.

The thing they're really good at is removing screws

Something like the one in the attached pic.

Just make sure you have the correct size bit and go slowly.

Attached Images

ImpactDriver_.jpg (33.6 KB, 10 views)

The real problem is having them in there that tight to begin with. It will eventually warp the grips. Not saying the OP put them in that tight....sometimes stuff is the way we find it.