Author Topic: Stripped screw holes in stock  (Read 1069 times)

Offline Zacwward

  • Starting Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Stripped screw holes in stock
« on: March 14, 2023, 08:33:30 PM »
Greetings All,
I'm new here and building my first gun which is a Kibler SMR kit. I unknowingly damaged the screws that hold on the butt plates and because I didn't realize their threads were damaged I managed to strip two of the screw holes in the stock. Ive done a little bit of woodworking before and so I can think of probably about 4 ways to deal with this issue. But I'm really curious what would be considered the best method resulting in the easiest repair with the highest likelihood of success. I'd like to avoid completely filling the holes and redrilling them if possible.

Thanks!

Offline ScottH

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 574
Re: Stripped screw holes in stock
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2023, 08:37:50 PM »
Drill out the stripped holes larger and plug with hardwood dowels and titebond wood glue and then carefully redrill for the appropriate size screws.

Offline rich pierce

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 19522
Re: Stripped screw holes in stock
« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2023, 08:45:43 PM »
An emergency fix for screws that won’t be removed and re-installed is to insert a couple thin strips of hardwood, opposite rack other, and break them off so they are just in the threaded area of the hole. It’s a cob-job.
Andover, Vermont

Offline Beaverman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 569
Re: Stripped screw holes in stock
« Reply #3 on: March 14, 2023, 10:22:03 PM »
Another fix would be filling the holes with a mix of a GOOD epoxy and wood flour, then install the plate with a releasing agent such as Pam non stick food spray on it and the screws, allow to set up and then remove the plate ad screw, I have had good success with this method on stripped out holes in both cabinets and door hinges along with fixing an overly deep lock mortise on a friends Lyman kit

Offline TDM

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 603
Re: Stripped screw holes in stock
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2023, 05:04:43 AM »
Drill out the stripped holes larger and plug with hardwood dowels and titebond wood glue and then carefully redrill for the appropriate size screws.

All good solutions above, but for a long term fix I agree with ScottH.

Offline Daryl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 15825
Re: Stripped screw holes in stock
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2023, 05:10:20 AM »
Me 2 - fill with dowels.
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V

Offline snapper

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2432
Re: Stripped screw holes in stock
« Reply #6 on: March 15, 2023, 05:36:39 AM »
I have or had an old rifle with lead in the stripped-out holes.  Seemed to work well.

Fleener
My taste are simple:  I am easily satisfied with the best.  Winston Churchill

Offline sbowman

  • Starting Member
  • *
  • Posts: 43
Re: Stripped screw holes in stock
« Reply #7 on: March 15, 2023, 05:54:58 AM »
I've glued in wooden toothpicks to good effect in a similar situation.

Steve

Offline smylee grouch

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7907
Re: Stripped screw holes in stock
« Reply #8 on: March 15, 2023, 06:14:02 AM »
It seems as though I always have a few short stubs of hickory ramrod laying around the work bench so that's what I use for such things.

Offline Eric Krewson

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2254
Re: Stripped screw holes in stock
« Reply #9 on: March 15, 2023, 04:15:09 PM »
We all drill off center holes and have to redo them, my record is 4 dowels in the same place on one of those nightmare English fowler butt plates.

The patches are hidden and a hickory dowel is much stronger than the stock wood.

My record for plugging the same hole, this is before I discovered centering drills.



Stripped TC tang screws, more dowels, the one to the rear has been stained to make it less obvious.

 

Fixing a crack and redrilling at a TC lock bolt hole. I stained all the dowels on this gun to match the stock wood and made them disappear.


« Last Edit: March 15, 2023, 04:23:03 PM by Eric Krewson »

Offline WKevinD

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1428
Re: Stripped screw holes in stock
« Reply #10 on: March 16, 2023, 02:17:47 AM »
try chopsticks glued in place, they fill a stripped woodscrew hole well and you get to have lunch ta boot.


Kevin
PEACE is that glorious moment in history when everyone stands around reloading.  Thomas Jefferson