Well, I was trying to be good, and I guess I ended up being bad. I had my new Savage ML'er all set up for new loading trials, and my last touch was to torque all the action screws to the same level. I had my wrench set for 58 in/lbs and set the first two right into place, just smooth. On the rear screw of the trigger guard, I began torquing it, and it stripped, it isn't a machine screw into the action as I supposd, it's a self tapping wood screw, just into the stock material.

What's the best restorative procedure, just fill the hole with some epoxy and screw down snug only? Put a toothpick or something else into hole and screw in woodscrew, maybe same but add epoxy too? Or, do I need to be more serious, and somehow put a threaded sleeve in there and go to a machine screw?? The last seems a bit overkill, because best I can tell, the screw is simply holding on the trigger guard, and I guess solidifying the whole assembly, I want to do it right, just looking for some coaching.

Thanks in advance--Don

I'd epoxy in a toothpick and just re-screw it in after it sets.

If I ever stripped it out a second time then I'd drill it all out and glue in a piece of hardwood dowel and screw into that.

Mark, thanks for the reply, I guess this is just too mundain of an issue for the smith's here on the forum, I never seem to get a question like this responded to over here on the Gunsmithing forum, which is why I also posted it on the Muzzleloading Hunting forum, where I got several nice practical responses--thankfully!