I'm on my second go round installing Dakota two screw sling swivel studs in a stock. I like them because I can get a good clean inlet using my bench top mini-mill. I just have a couple questions:

1. The OD of the screw measures about .15". I have been using a 1/8" drill bit to drill the screw holes because I want a good snug fit to avoid them pulling out. And they are snug... so snug that I'm twisting screwdriver bits. (the screw slots are pretty narrow to begin with, which looks very nice...) Anyhow, on the latest I decided to widen the screw slot to use a heavier driver rather than ream the hole and lose purchase on a stress bearing part. (unlike a grip cap screw, which I might be inclined to open up a bit more...) So, to the question, am I just drilling too small of a hole? Are my driver bits too soft? (I'm using a Brownells kit with removable bits and a magnetic handle)

2. The last ones I cold blued, but these ones I want to rust blue. After dressing down the screw head flush with the stud I want to make sure the front and back screws are matched back up in their proper holes to minimize any small variation in the amount of material removed from each. To that end I wrapped the threads with a small masking tape flag, and wrote in pen whether it was front or back. My questions is, will the masking tape survive the boil cycles? Or might I end up with a screw and tape "soup" and not know what goes where?

Any tips or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks,

1. Bits are made that way to prevent buggering the screw slots. I think you have them too tight. 18-28 in lbs should be sufficient as long as the screw holes in the stock aren't sloppy.


2. I kinda doubt it. Perhaps you could turn them upside down and use a prick punch to put one dimple in the forward one and two dimples in the rear to set them apart.

I go only slightly larger with the holes (.128) and use a little wax on the threads when installing. I've never broken a bit doing it this way.
As for marking the screws, I grind flats on them and have a chart for what screw gets what amount of flats. Any system will work if you have a way to keep track of what you did. Between the two grip cap screws, the four sling swivel screws, and the four cross bolts it's good to have a system of marking that you stick with on every gun.

I've run hundreds of these in to stocks. I made a tap from stressproof 1144. Made 2 flutes with a small ball mill and use it in my cordless drill. I start the hole with a hardened drill bushing to exactly center the hole. If you don't want to make a custom tap, you could buy one from:
http://www.victornet.com/detail/TAST-8-24.html
I would not recommend using it in a cordless drill though. Pretty sure it's 8-24. At least they were 20 years ago.

I file three small flutes into the ends of the screws, with good walnut you need some kind of tapping action.

Good ideas all, thanks!

You are going to bust a stock doing that; make the hole the size of the screw shank, not the OD. Use wax. Mark your screws with an electric pencil, under the head. Or tap them as suggested. I no longer boil; steam is about 1000 times more efficient.

quote:

You are going to bust a stock doing that; make the hole the size of the screw shank, not the OD. Use wax. Mark your screws with an electric pencil, under the head. Or tap them as suggested. I no longer boil; steam is about 1000 times more efficient.

How do you use steam when rust bluing? Just hang the parts over boiling water?

You must have missed the big discussion last year on it;
Bobster here on AR, sells the solution and tells you how to do it; go to www.rustblue.com.
I made my steamer out of an old pressure cooker; just because of the locking lid, there is no pressure involved. It is a 3 foot piece of PVC pipe on top of a pot. You don't have to boil water to fill a tank; just a couple of cups is enough. Steam for ten minutes. Hang parts in the pipe which concentrates the steam and converts your rust. Very quick and easy; I boil the water in an electric tea boiler in 2 minutes first which makes it even quicker. I no longer use my tanks; takes too long.
Steam rust bluing was used by Springfield armory in the 1800s on a production basis.

You are drilling the holes too small, use beeswax when installing and make sure the driver bit is a good fit to the slot. I do it all in the mill; mill the slot and drill the holes, use a correct hex bit and drive them in with power. That way they go in straight. When they go out for blueing, I take some aircraft safety wire with the screws in the correct position through the swivel base. Te underside of the base is marked "F" or "R" to keep them oriented.

Jim and I have used the same bluing guy for years. George always asked to have the screws wired up so he could keep them straight...thus the wire. I always grind the bottom of the front screw off so there is not finished appearance so that I can keep the screws straight.

I put the majority of the inletted stud screws into the Kimber of Oregon gunstocks made from '84-'87. I used a air driver to put the screws in. I used Brownells Mag-Tip bits. IMO, you are not using the proper drill bit. I tap the screw holes now. As I get older the hands are not as strong as they once were. I use Toliet bowl wax instead of beeswax. Cheaper and there is not an glue I have used that will stick to it. Kimber of Oregon used it as mold release for epoxy method of barrel channel gap removal, recoil lug setting, grip cap sealing, and buttplate sealing.

I THINK toilet bowl wax IS beeswax

Johnsons Paste Floor Wax. used it on gun wood screws and release agent since 1966 and no need to change now.

Synthetic stuff Jim. It used to be but not for a long time...at least the stuff I buy for $0.99 each. Lasts about 6 years in my shop.

I guess it must be I'm showing my age.

And yes, Johnson't paste wax for me too.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
You must have missed the big discussion last year on it;
Bobster here on AR, sells the solution and tells you how to do it; go to www.rustblue.com.
I made my steamer out of an old pressure cooker; just because of the locking lid, there is no pressure involved. It is a 3 foot piece of PVC pipe on top of a pot. You don't have to boil water to fill a tank; just a couple of cups is enough. Steam for ten minutes. Hang parts in the pipe which concentrates the steam and converts your rust. Very quick and easy; I boil the water in an electric tea boiler in 2 minutes first which makes it even quicker. I no longer use my tanks; takes too long.
Steam rust bluing was used by Springfield armory in the 1800s on a production basis.

I did miss that, but thank you for filling me in. I will definitely give this a try!

If I'm not mistaken these screws have machine threads on them. Tap the hole in the wood before you start the screw IF you have a tap with the same bastard thread as the screw. On the other hand, I have issues getting the slots aligned north/south so I just make new screws on the lathe and use them. Also with machine screw threads.

When you get the hole size figured out,try a little bar soap on the screw threads.

Might make it a tad easier to go in.