I recently purchased a Browning Lightweight Stalker BAR with an Alloy receiver from an AR member.

Whoever mounted the scope put the "gorilla" on the scope base screws and the front one had the head twisted off.

The screw is basically flush with the receiver so there's nothing to grab ahold of...

It's a Weaver QR type base so I assume it's a steel screw.

I really need to use this rifle this hunting season for coyote control and all the gunsmiths I knoew are backed up with "emergency repairs" and can't even look at it for a couple months.

What to do...

Is there some kind of left hand twist drill bit to buy to fix this? I'm afraid I'm WAAAAAAY over my head here but I can't just give up...

$bob$

LH drills are available from MSC (mscdirect.com, I think). You really need a good set up to do this. A milling machine is much better than a drill press but the drill press will work IF you are careful and have the skills. Don't considere using an easy-out, they don't work if you have a "through" hole, they just expand the screw in the hole and lock it in.
Spot the center of the broken screw with a punch or a center drill if you have a rigid setup.
Go slow......

I'm assuming the screw is on top of the barrel shank and can't be driven down through the receiver with a right hand bit. Hopefully it isn't torqued too tightly onto the barrel.

Regular left-hand drill bits are great for backing out snapped off head bolts or exhaust manifold bolts but this is a little different animal. First, the Loctite that is probably there won't ever fully release. There will always be some resistence so drill speed needs to be SLOW. Second, a hand drill is going to wander no matter what. Find a friend with a reversible drill press or find a standard press and plan on drilling all the way through the stub and backing it out with a jeweler's screwdiver blade or some other improvised easy-out. With a little luck, the stub will start turning and come out. Worst case, be prepared with an 8-40 bottom tap to drill the whole thing and up-grade that hole to the bigger screw.

If you don't want to take any chances, drill and tap the GOOD hole to 8-40 and let'er rip til after hunting season, then get the rest converted professionaly. One good tight 8-40 will get you by on a non-DGR caliber gun

This carbine is chambered in 243 Winny so recoil is MINIMAL.

The other three screws were loctighted wtih what was probably the blue stuff.

I can't remember if the holes go through or not. I'll dig it out of the safe in the am and look. I'll buy a drill press that's reversible if that will get the job done.

$bob$

If it's a .243 I would relax a little and just go with one screw on that base. Clean it real good and glue it with a little Marine-Tex epoxy if you want some extra margin.

Unless it gets dropped hard you should be fine until you have the time to leave it with a 'smith you trust.

If you hold a soldering iron on the screw it will release the locktite, and free up the screw. Hold it on there until it gets nice and hot, then try and extract it.

Thanks Guys!!! A gunsmith just told me to send it to him and he'd fix it!!

$bob$

OK... While waiting for the gunsmith to send me mailing info I decided to try to centerpunch and drill out the screw.

I grabbed the smallest centerpunch I've got and spent a minute or so carefully trying to get it centered. When I was sure it was centered I grabbed my little brass hammer and gave it a light and tentative whack.

The whole damn shebang disappeared into the receiver leaving a hole a good bit bigger than the screw.

At first there was the quick breath intake and gusty expletive and then the brain kicked into gear again. I pulled the rifle out of the vice and looked into the hole from the bottom side.

VOILA!!! The screw normally sits in a steel insert in the top of the receiver and they are easily knocked out with a whack of a hammer.

They have what I would call a gear type ragged edge around the outside perimeter that helps keep them from turnng in the receiver when the screw is tightened down. If you've ever seen how a lug bolt fits in a brake drum you know what I mean.

Called the gunsmith and he's trying to find me another insert from Brownells to just put back in there and I'll be in business again without having to mail the rifle anywhere.

Amazing what a little Yankee ingenuity can do. Failing that just plain dumb luck ain't so bad either.

If anybody knows the part number from Brownells I'd sure like to save my gunsmith the trouble of looking it up.

Thanks to all who offered help and encouragement.

$bob$

Bob,

Try gently holding the insert (in a vise) in a drill press and drilling from the back side forward, use a slow speed and do not use any lubricant. Often the bit will heat things up and grab a little and the screw will wind forward and out.

Hope that makes sense!

Mark

Mark,

It makes perfect sense and I've tried it. Seems that the fellow used some pretty serious mojo when he put the gorilla on that screw and I'm pretty sure it's stripped in the insert plus he used some serious glue or loctite or whatever.

I might try again tomorrow.

The latest word is that Brownell's doesn't carry the part so I'll be calling Browning tomorrow.

Thanks,
$bob$