I'm making my own forearms (one for hunting, one for benchresting) for my T/C Encore and the fastening screws are 8-40's. I did a couple of searches on the internet with no avail. I don't want to spend $70.00 at Brownell's for a half dozen screws. Any ideas??

How many do you need? What length should they be?

Look in the Yellow pages under Fasteners. Most towns have a specialty supplier that will sell ones and twos for a few cents but you have to go to the WIll-call counter.

If some screws don't appear from here on the site go to a company by the name of Jantz Supply in OK. A web search will get you a URL to get to their site.
LouisB

1 1/4" to 1 1/2" in length. Looking for 4 of them

I strongly recommend the T-10 torx head screws from Brownells. You don't have to purchase the entire screw kit. Just order the replacement screws for the kit. I believe they're worth it, irrespective of the price. Besides, it's not like you'll be needing to repurchase these on a regular basis. Get what you need and be done with it. If I'm using them to firmly fasten a scope for which I've spent $400-$600, I can justify the cost of a few decent screws. They just don't cost that much.

Like SST said, the place to buy is Brownell's.
The price for a 12 pack of 8-40 TORX head screws is $5.22 retail and less than half that for gunsmiths.

Look at Brownell's part number 080-924-841
http://www.brownells.com/

Brownells does NOT sell them in the length I need. Thanks for the suggestions, though. I'm not looking for 3/8 or 1/2 inch lengths. I need them a little longer than that.......

You might also find them at an electronics shop or a good old fashion hardware store. The advantage of a fastener company is quality control and variety of head style. It is very imortant that you get a proper grade of screw in that small size and these fastener companies keep certs on what they sell (so you won't get dead-soft cheap steel like I did when I bought Brownell's small allen screw kit).

Some things I learned making small screws on the lathe:
1) Put crank handle on the left side of the headstock.
2) Don't crank it backwards when making screws, or you will break the tip off the cutting tool due to backlash.

How about re- tapping the mounting holes to 8/32 tpi size. 8/32 screws in long lengths are available in hardware stores. You might find some long 8/36 tpi at a hardware store, and a tap. Just an idea. You may not have enough thread depth for this to work well with 8/32, but 8/36 might work.



If you absolutely must have 8/40's, your going to have to make them. Buy an 8/40 tpi die and make them in a lathe, or have them made at a machine shop; you supply the die. You can also re- thread an 8/32, or 8/36 screw with an 8/40 die. Might work. I've done this on occasion for re- placement screws; not a real pretty thread, but it might work. Loctite will help.



You can get an 8/40 die at www.brownells.com . Good luck with your project! -"gunsmither"

You might try 1-800-771-BOLT. I saw this on the back of a van in the Richmond, VA area about 2 months ago. Must be some kind of a specialty bolt, nut and screw store. There is also a place in Amarillo, TX that sells a myriad number of specialty bolts, etc. They call themselves Big A Bolts; the phone number is (806)372-7312. They had a nut I needed for my truck when nobody else in town had one, not even the Petro truckstop garage where I was having the repair done.