Modifying Gun Screws

We should not throw a gun away or quit using it simply because apart isn’t readily available. A good gunsmith can make the part, although doing so might becoming a lost art. When a customer came to my shop in dire need of a special screw for his old Model 500 Mossberg shotgun, he had that "I really need help" look in his eye. The missing screw that retained the ejector was gone and he needed the gun repaired for the shotgun deer season only two days away.

With no time to get a replacement screw, I suggested I might make one if the thread size was that which I had a screw for. This really excited him to stick around and I’d see what I could do. The needed screw here is sandwiched between the bolt and the 143 inch and head thickness of 0.055 inch. A perfect duplicate of the missing screw for the Model 500 Mossberg shotgun. 143 inch length for a flush fit with the outside of the shotgun receiver. 055 inch.

This thickness permits the bolt to slide over the flattened screw. receiver with passage through the threaded receiver wall. The head thickness couldn’t be much over 0.050 inch with a thread length of 0.143 inch. The thread pitch was 8- 32 with about 0.310 inch head diameter. So I got right onto the job of making up the needed screw as the customer watched me. I first put an over-length, fullythreaded, round-head steel screw

Total time to make the screw was under 30 minutes. in the lathe chuck and turned the head down to a thickness of 0.055 inch. This completely removed the screw slot to a nice, clean, flat surface. I then slotted the screw using anew fine-toothed hacksaw blade with the slot just short of cutting through the flat head. This all went very well and took only about 15 minutes.

I then turned the screw into the receiver with the ejector in place and used a vernier caliper to measure the amount of screw length that needed cutting. The screw was cut off and buffed down smoothly. I tried the screw, which fit perfectly, and buffed the end that shows through the receiver. With the prep work done, I dipped it into some Formula 44/40 Instant Gun Blue. Lapsed time was under a half hour. The bolt slid by the new screw smoothly and with plenty clearance.

Conclusions There is a lot of satisfaction in making gun parts that may not be readily available. Making a specific screw could put a hunter back into the woods without delay. AG