Sharpshooter82
Member
I need to replace my strain screw on my L frame, the head is bit damaged but still works . Does anyone here have a spare that they can ship to me to the UK ?
Cheers
Cheers
anyone have a L frame strain screw ?
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There are lots of ITAR rules against shipping gun parts overseas now. I don't know if that would include just a screw. It might be faster and more economical to find a local home shop hobby machinist or model maker to make one. Even a watchmaker could probably do that part.
Can you put up a pic of the screw? I've often been able to carefully peen distorted metal on a screw head back into original shape or profile, especially the screw slot, even reestablish the slot with a fine hacksaw blade, then if necessary, chuck it in a drill and dress the head with a file or suitable (depending on amount of sheen desired) grit wet and dry paper. The head height will be slightly reduced, but still look good and be serviceable. Stainless, leave natural, blue steel, touch up with Oxpho blue after dressing and polishing.
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I use grade 8 , 8-32 socket head screws to make the strain screws for my competition revolvers. I store the original parts to put back on when I sell the revolver so it looks completely original, for those that care.
Nobody I know will risk shipping gun parts overseas without US Govt Permit, and you would not want to pay what that would cost. You can buy the functional equivalent in any proper hardware store.
Nobody I know will risk shipping gun parts overseas without US Govt Permit, and you would not want to pay what that would cost. You can buy the functional equivalent in any proper hardware store.
OP
Sharpshooter82
Member
here is a pic
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OP
Sharpshooter82
Member
what length for 8 , 8-32 to match the factory length strain screws ?
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The standard length grade 8 machine screws will NOT match S&W stock strain screws. Buy longer than you need, and grind to length. For the aftermarket strutted mainsprings I use in competition K/L frame revolvers, I start with 1/2" and adjust to 7# pull (the longer the screw, the higher the pull).
Use the S&W strain screw you already have for reference, particularly if you are keeping the stock spring.
Note: I use the lightened pull for competition only, not for defensive carry. I keep the pull about 10# for reliability in a carry revolver with commercial ammunition.
Take that screw, dress it up a bit with a fine file. Then put some tape on the threads and chock it up in a drill/ drill press is best. Place some fine grit sandpaper(I use cloth like crocus paper/emery cloth) on a surface that has a bit of give to it , I use a 1/4 inch semi soft foam from some package. A thick piece of cardboard from a box will work, but soft rubber like materisl works best.
Push straight down with the drill and hold the paper from spinning. The give in the material will radius the edges of the screw nice and even if you hold the drill straight. If you want to polish it just use a cloth and polishing compound the same way. If you do this to guide rods, use a backing that is pretty firm, so they don't radius so much. They come out with a very nice swirl pattern. I have done it to most of my S/Ws that I carried. Especially 2nd/3rd gens that look like someone cut them with a hacksaw. Good luck
Push straight down with the drill and hold the paper from spinning. The give in the material will radius the edges of the screw nice and even if you hold the drill straight. If you want to polish it just use a cloth and polishing compound the same way. If you do this to guide rods, use a backing that is pretty firm, so they don't radius so much. They come out with a very nice swirl pattern. I have done it to most of my S/Ws that I carried. Especially 2nd/3rd gens that look like someone cut them with a hacksaw. Good luck
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As long as the factory threads are not damaged;
95% of all screws can be reshaped or repaired, by a qualified machinist or Gun Smith.
When repaired, you need to acquire a screw driver that will properly fit the slot
and use care in placing the tip into the slot and keeping it there.
(Hollow Ground tip)
Good luck.
95% of all screws can be reshaped or repaired, by a qualified machinist or Gun Smith.
When repaired, you need to acquire a screw driver that will properly fit the slot
and use care in placing the tip into the slot and keeping it there.
(Hollow Ground tip)
Good luck.
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OP
Sharpshooter82
Member
thanks, I'm going to do that. On the factory strain screw i had to use high strength loctite because the medium strength one still didnt prevent from it from loosening - makes me wonder if the factory strain screw was not up to spec / faulty?
does medium strength loctite usually keep them from working loose ?
cheers
Something doesn't sound right, you should very rarely need loc-tite on the strain screw, and if so, blue should work fine.
I have found that usually when strain screws are working loose after proper tightening, they are usually a loosey goosey fit in the threads of the frame. In other words, too small. A correctly made strain screw will stay tight, assuming that the frame threads are also to spec. and not oversize. Too much space between the screw thread and frame thread won't hold.
OP
Sharpshooter82
Member
right i got hold of a , 8-32 socket head screw. However on look like that the socket head sticks out quite a bit that it might not fit inside the ribber factory grips ?? (i have not removed the strain screw yet )
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Venom6
Member
New strain screws have a nicely rounded end. After much cycling they develop an angled flat, and shorten, sometimes leading to misfires. I assume this is what you are seeing with yours. As an armorer for a mid-sized police department, when S&W parts were difficult to come by under Bangor Punta and Lear, we made do by taking a fired large primer, prying the anvil out, and putting it over the end of the strain screw. This looked like H*ll but was invisible, and worked until we could get a replacement. Laugh if you want, but "If it looks stupid but it works it's not stupid."
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Sharpshooter82
Member
no, whilst i do have a wolfe reduced power springs inside i dont have any light strikes with it. I use federal primers. It just if you see from the photo i posted above, the head is abit buggered up so was looking to replace it but there is no real need to do so at this moment. The slightly longer 1/2 inch , 8-32 screw would be interesting to see if it will set up off harder primers such as cci and magtech as there is real shortage of federal primers
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