Tool Question

[Poppypaul]

I have come to realize that screwdrivers for gunsmithing are different than regular screwdrivers you might buy at Sears or other makes. The screwdrivers for firearms have straight shanks coming up from the tip and the regular screwdrivers have tapered shanks. Can anyone tell me why that is?

[jack404]

so they dont slip , a 1890's screw driver is way different from todays , all where straight in them days , no tapers except in real cheapies

today ...

[Skipper]

To expand on Jack's reply, the normal slotted head driver has very little contact with the screw slot:



The hollow ground fits much better:

[Dutchboy]

As you have noticed, Gunsmithing screwdrivers are hollow ground at the tip. This difference allows for a tighter, more uniform fit into the screw head, which allows for better torque transfer. All of these differences make it less likely to damage the screw head when you are using the screwdriver. Most people find damaged screw heads very objectionable in a firearm. Frequently, these screws are custom built, and difficult to replace. So, if you damage one, you have to look at it forever. And it pisses you off every time you see it.

The downside is that you need a lot of different bits to properly fit all the variety of possible screw heads.

With a general purpose screwdriver that has a tapered tip, you can push it into a screw slot and it will go deeper or less deep until the taper snugs up to the sides of the slot. That only gives you a small area to transfer torque, and you are more likely to damage the screw head, but with only a few different sizes of screwdrivers, you can get the job done on a wide variety of screws. For general purpose work, no one wants to deal with a pile of different sized screwdrivers.

[Poppypaul]

Thanks fellas it makes good sense to me. The photos really show how much better the one fits than the other. In addition ruining a firearm screw head will be much more costly to replace IF it can be replaced at all especially in much older guns.

[aa1911]

perfect photo Skipper! Brownells has excellent gunsmith screwdriver sets with interchangeable tips, one of my better gunsmithing investments.

[Jim K]

The screw driver can still jump out of the slot even with a hollow ground blade. For tight screws, you will find that using a drill press prevents that and allows removal of even stubborn screws without battering the head or the driver slipping.

You clamp the work in the drill press vise or otherwise hold it in place with the drill press chuck perpendicular to the screw head. Insert a stubby screwdriver bit into the chuck and tighten it. Do NOT turn on the drill press power!

Bring the screwdriver bit down into the screw slot, and use the press handle or lock to hold it there. Then turn the chuck by hand.

The same technique will work with stubborn percussion nipples with a nipple wrench in place of the screw driver bit.

Jim

[jack404]

i've converted a el cheapo drill press ( motor died) into a tapping and screwing center

no more not perfect threads .. where the top pulley sat i put a steering wheel off a boat , it gives you enough leverage to cut hard metals with ease and it dont slip

[Jim K]

That is a good idea if you have an old drill press. I have found that for most purposes, just hand turning the chuck works OK, but the steering wheel should give plenty of torque.

Jim

[cutter]

Great Ideas!! I have a couple old small drill press that I didn't know what to do with, now I do! Thanks

[ozo]

AND the drill press method will save you from
ragged holes in your flesh !!!!!

[ozo]

I am one that doesn't mind having a lot of screwdrivers at hand.
I do have the B-Square sets like Brownell's and Gander and.....sells,
but for some things the handle for the bits is too large and cumbersome
for the task at hand.
Some work requires small precision bits, and a small handle w/them.
Wiha from Germany has been my favorite for many years.
Standard bits, micro, handles, or a screwdriver.....

[aa1911]

my favorite and most handy one is a Smith & Wesson screwdriver; don't think they give them out anymore, I complained to the gun counter clerk when I bought my wife's .357, no screwdriver! Hey man, where's it at?

I also bought a 1911 combo bit screwdriver, all the bits fit into the handle; it lives in my pistol bag, takes care of anything on the 1911 in one handle. I think it runs about $12-15.

[aa1911]

the one in the middle is what my dad has, think there's about 2 or 3 at home. We found one at a flea market one time but they're pretty hard to come by it seems.

maybe they still do come with them and the gun counter guy ripped me off.