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Stripped Hole on Top of Receiver?

17K views 17 replies 16 participants last post by  vaguru  
#1 ·
I seem to have over-tightened a screw holding the weaver scope adapter onto the top of my 10/22.

I guess I got frustrated because the adapter always seems to loosen while I am shooting at the range, throwing off my scope and my shooting.

Anyhow, now that screw will turn all day, so something is wrong.

If I replace the screw with a new one, it still turns all day without tightening.

Would it be correct to assume I have stripped the threads in the hole in the top of the receiver?

What can I do, short of buying a new rifle or receiver?
 
#3 · (Edited)
The receiver is aluminum and it can strip easily. You have definitely stripped the hole since the screw is steel and stronger than the receiver. You will need a larger screw to be tapped. You need an 8-32 tap and the a screw that size.which will make a stronger mount. If you stripped one on the front two you need to remove the barrel to tap it.
 
#5 · (Edited)
It is true that you don't need all four screws...

It sounds like you did not use loctite previously and that was the original problem...those screws will always shoot loose if you don't use loctite...blue is best...make sure it's fresh...shake it well before each use...let it cure for days before shooting...

To do the best job of analyzing how much damage you have strip the receiver completely...remove the barrel and the bolt...and the tip off rail...

However...remove the tip off rail last after the bolt and barrel are removed...before you remove the tip off rail look at how far into the hole the rail screws go when the rail is snug down...if the screws don't come to the bottom of the hole then there may be good thread left...

Clean all the holes thoroughly...inspect all of the screws carefully...use a magnifying glass...if there is aluminum filling the threads of the screws that is the metal that was stripped out of the receiver...now inspect the holes themselves...all of them...if only the top half of a hole(s) is missing threads then a new and longer screw of the same size/thread (6-48 I THINK) may be the easiest fix...

I have one that is 15years old and I have changed the rails way too many times...recently two of the holes gave up...they weren't overtightened...the metal just fatigued and broke...the screws only engaged 2/3 the way thru...so there was still thread left in the holes...I got longer screws...the protruded thru the hole and had to be ground to the exact length needed to engage at the bottom of the holes and still be flush so as not to interfere with the bolt in any way...that thread screw is only found on guns and they will not be in any hardware store...I find that the Weaver TO9 rail for the 1022 comes with long screws...

As said above the next size up is a number 8 screw and the commonly available pitch is 32tpi...but I prefer to use SS 45* flat head socket head 3mm which uses a 1/8 drill to tap...the reason is I find a better selection of SS screws in metric at Ace Hardware than I do in SAE... a 45* counter sink bit will make the head fit nicely into the rail...the most tedious part is grinding/filing the screw to the ideal length in all the fixes...I am lucky to be able to install mine then mill them down flush with the receiver on a machine...doing it by hand is not particularly difficult with a fine cut flat file and 400 grit sand paper on a hard flat surface...but it does take patience...

If the only hole you have to deal with is the furthest one forward it is much easier because that hole is over the barrel tenon and if the screw is not long enough to touch the barrel the perfect length is not required...

The three reasons you want to remove the barrel are:

1. With the barrel removed it is much easier to put the receiver in a vise for drilling, tapping etc...
2. With the barrel removed you can easily see if the new/longer screw is going to protrude far enough to contact the barrel or not...
3. The barrel is very easy to on/off and it is very much not worth trying to avoid it...

The hole you can see in this picture is one of the ones that gave up over time...the replacement screws I got from buying a new TO9 rail for $7 at the LGS... a lot to pay for four screws but all things considered it was more than worth it... also... Walmart often sells the same rail and also the same rail/screws in a two-piece version...if you already have a TO-9 rail and those screws are too short you will probably have a hard time avoiding tapping for a bigger screw...

If you look carefully you can see the tool mark left from where I milled the screw flush...

 
#11 ·
No you don't understand. If it is one of the forward two holes, you need to remove the barrel by unscrewing the v-block screws and pulling the barrel. For a TD model, unscrew the v-block screws and remove the barrel locking adapter from the receiver. Otherwise your tap won't go in far enough to cut the threads.
 
#7 ·
If the screws you use are too long they will hit the bolt and it will not move. (Ask me how I know this)
 
#10 ·
I'm not one to jury-rig stripped threads by using thread lock ... the only REAL solution is to tap the hole with a #8x32 then trim the head on a 8x32 screw until it fits the base. 8x32 screws are available at hardware stores ... the best ones for scope bases have an Allen head and are blued ... just a dime each and they hold better than the factory 6x48 screws.
 
#13 ·
I seem to have an issue with the center two screws. I don't think they are stripped, exactly, because I was never able to get them into the barrel to the receiver to begin with. I'm dealing with the 50th Anniversary and the Picatinny rail/screws that come with it if that makes any difference at all. Soooo, now I have visible aluminum AND the screws won't go in AT ALL. Upon closer inspection (yes, with a magnifying glass - I'm old) two of the four screws seem to be of slightly different girth than the others. Is this just my astigmatism? Can I just get by with buying smaller screws and some blue loc-tite? HELP!
 
#18 ·
If you bought an aftermarket Picatinny rail, some come with the incorrect 8-40 screws. The correct screw thread for the 10/22 is 6-48, so the larger 8-40 screws will not fit.

For a Picatinny rail with the correct screws order a UTG rail as it comes with the 6-48 screws.

If this is not an after market rail then I don't know what to say.
 
#16 ·
Contrary to appearances not all hardware stores have tried to become Lowe's or Home Depot.
My (great) local hardware store (a True Value) has a 'drawer' of gun specific screws among all the other 'pick-a-nut' trays. It's worth looking and or asking about. Longer 6-48 screws cut to maximum allowable length might just solve this. Get some blue locktite while you are at it.

Bruce