Gunsmith Screwdriver - Flat thin tip

[Cawdor118]

Evening team, does anyone know of any decent thin flat screwdrivers for removing a trigger guard screw? It must be less than 1mm slotted. I don't have a driver that will fit so need to buy one. 

[enfieldspares]

Turnscrews! LOL! They can be made easily enough from any existing GOOD QUALITY screwdriver if you've even a simple grinding disc. Having said that if you haven't the major problem is one that is strong enough not to break. 

[Cawdor118]

32 minutes ago, enfieldspares said:

Turnscrews! LOL! They can be made easily enough from any existing GOOD QUALITY screwdriver if you've even a simple grinding disc. Having said that if you haven't the major problem is one that is strong enough not to break. 

Apologies! They aren't known as that in my trade. I was worried that grinding will soften the tip. I shall eBay "turnscrew drivers". 

[JohnfromUK]

Suggestion: it is very ’non traditional’, but hex bits can be bought easily and cheaply (but get decent quality) and grind to fit. 
The key thing when grinding is that you need to keep the heat right down, or as you rightly identify, you may spoil the hardness.  Easiest way is just to go slowly and gently to avoid heat buildup.

 I have adjusted ‘near fit’ hex bits to good fit just manually on a stone- that way you don’t risk too much heat, but not ideal if you have to remove much material.

 You can buy a range of different tip widths and thicknesses from Brownells, (both complete ‘turn screws or screw drivers’ or hex bits) but they are expensive.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

James The Woodworking Gunsmith aka Demonwolf44 on here, made me a lovely set of turn screws and he was planning to make a version that would accept the hexbits.

I have in the past used a screwdriver and filed the blade down to fit, I quench regularly to keep the heat down.

[rimfire4969]

I have a set of Wheeler Gunsmith's Screwdriver Set, not the cheapest but have got everything that I need.

[Gunman]

Forget what you call them   .  British guns have screws that are called , screws , pins and nails ,hence the old slang term for a hammer as a " Brummy  screw" driver . Personally I've always used screw drivers as have most gunsmiths I have ever dealt with  . On my bench there were probably 10 of different sizes  yet it was quite common that one had to be ground up to fit a specific screw .

Some of these were made  others were ground standard screwdrivers ,which as long as there were of a decent steel did the job as well as any .

[enfieldspares]

34 minutes ago, Gunman said:

Forget what you call them   .  British guns have screws that are called , screws , pins and nails ,hence the old slang term for a hammer as a " Brummy  screw" driver . Personally I've always used screw drivers as have most gunsmiths I have ever dealt with  . On my bench there were probably 10 of different sizes  yet it was quite common that one had to be ground up to fit a specific screw .

Some of these were made  others were ground standard screwdrivers ,which as long as there were of a decent steel did the job as well as any .

This. As long as all KNOW what you mean it doesn't matter. Turnscrew or screwdriver. Call it as you see fit.

FWIW as a rough rule of thumb a "pin" even though it is a screw usually attaches metal to metal and is parallel sided on its shank. Thus a "top lever pin" or the five or more "pins" attaching the bridle and etc. to a the lockplates on a sidelock.

But the guard screw that is a tapered like a normal woodscrew (which is what it is even if the head is slotted and the top engraved) that attaches the trigger guard to the stock. As long though as all KNOW what you mean in doesn't matter.

I can tell a tale though about a gundealer from Oxfordshire who didn't know that "sleeving was NOT re-lining!

[Dave at kelton]

12 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

Suggestion: it is very ’non traditional’, but hex bits can be bought easily and cheaply (but get decent quality) and grind to fit. 
The key thing when grinding is that you need to keep the heat right down, or as you rightly identify, you may spoil the hardness.  Easiest way is just to go slowly and gently to avoid heat buildup.

 I have adjusted ‘near fit’ hex bits to good fit just manually on a stone- that way you don’t risk too much heat, but not ideal if you have to remove much material.

 You can buy a range of different tip widths and thicknesses from Brownells, (both complete ‘turn screws or screw drivers’ or hex bits) but they are expensive.

Plus 1

[Cawdor118]

Thanks all 👌

[Gunman]

On 22/08/2021 at 14:59, enfieldspares said:

This. As long as all KNOW what you mean it doesn't matter. Turnscrew or screwdriver. Call it as you see fit.

FWIW as a rough rule of thumb a "pin" even though it is a screw usually attaches metal to metal and is parallel sided on its shank. Thus a "top lever pin" or the five or more "pins" attaching the bridle and etc. to a the lockplates on a sidelock.

But the guard screw that is a tapered like a normal woodscrew (which is what it is even if the head is slotted and the top engraved) that attaches the trigger guard to the stock. As long though as all KNOW what you mean in doesn't matter.

I can tell a tale though about a gundealer from Oxfordshire who didn't know that "sleeving was NOT re-lining!

Just a couple of notes 

1 Breech pins and hand pins should be tapered .So are forend pins esspesially for Deeley catches 

2 A sidelock can have  3 to 7 pins .

3 You dont mention side nails which are generally parallel but some do have a slight taper .

4 The ignorance of some gun dealers has amazed me for 40 years . As does the misinformation written in books by people who have never actually worked on a bench , that people read and take as true/correct . This also applies to US You tube video's .

 

We can agree to disagree over semantics .

Edited August 25, 2021 by Gunman