Gents,
Finally did what I feared I would do. I was skim bedding my Ruger M77 MkII into an Houge Overmold stock. I did all of the usual things the way I have always done them. This is not my first bedding job. However, when I tried to take the thing apart the front screw would not budge. The triggerguard screws came out easy. She's stuck in there like nothing I have seen. I sure could use some advice on how to get her apart. The stats:

Acraglass Gel.
The supplied mold release that comes with the kit.
Skim Bedded front and back of the recoil lug.
Skim Bedded the rear tang screw area.
Let stand three days.

The only thing that I can remember doing differently is that I did not take the guns apart after one day as I normally do and then put it back together. I have beat on it to try and knock it loose. I have had several people give it a twist but she does not move. Close to taking it to someone with air tools and see if that can break her loose. Let me know what advice ya'll would have.

Cheers,
Jason

Acraglas gel can't handle heat.

Try heating the screw head with a small soldering gun held against the screw head. While the screw is still warm, try turning it.

Don't get carried away - just use trial and error as to the amount of heat.

[ 03-18-2003, 19:57: Message edited by: Mauser98 ]

I'll go with the heat suggestion. I heat a piece of 3/8 rod to red and press the end of it against the screw head then use an impact screw-driver like motorcycle mechanics use.

A much better question is--- What the #*(%$&*{ are you doing with the tang screw in it??!! If you're going to bed an action you want to do it STRESS FREE. That' what bedding is for. You can't do that by using the tang screws.

Might try sticking in a chest freezer overnight.Read somewhere that it works with regular acraglass might work with the gel.

The chest freezer method worked for me. A number of years ago, I bedded a mauser(no Jack, I didn't use the screws). When it came time for dis-assembly, there was no way the barreled action was coming out of the stock without breaking something.

I stuck the whole works in the the freezer overnight and the next day, a gentle rap of the barrel on my work bench popped everthing loose. Big time relief.

Doubt if the chest freezer will work here, well wait a minute Chic and think about this. His screw is stuck, it might work with an impact driver, or it may just mess up the screw. He might try that if heat doesnt do the trick.

[ 03-19-2003, 00:40: Message edited by: Customstox ]

I'm guessing the screw in question is the one at an angle, ouch. It must come out to get the stock and action apart. If the head is damaged there is no way to loosen it . The only way I see to keep from destroying the stock or bottom metal would be to grind the head off with a flat bottom grinding wheel the same size as the screw head. After wich you could try drilling the screw just before it touches the action.If you had another action you could measure the distance from the head of the screw to with in a 1/8 of touching the action.After you get them apart, then you could heat the remainder of the screw with a torch and try using a broken screw tap. Hope you have a lot of spare time. Good luck.

[ 03-19-2003, 02:28: Message edited by: gsp ]

Here is how I would do it. Set the whole works up in the milling vise, bottom up and at a 45deg angle. Next line up your drill chuck with the front guard screw. Use one of those screwdriver bits with a 1/4" hex shank and put a 1/4" combination wrench over the shank, insert it into the drill chuck and into the screw head and put pressure on it with the spindle of the mill when the screw head and the screw slot line up. You wil now be able to loosen the screw by turning the 1/4" combination wrench counter-clockwise to loosen it. If it was something other than that Ruger with that %*^$*( angled front guard screw, it wouldn't be that much of a job.

Put a screw drive that fits in the screw and tap on it many times setting up a vibration, pad the rifle, take scope off if on, hit it hard.

You can try a 2-pronged attack. Put the whole gun in the freezer, and also heat the screws.

I've had good luck using a soldering iron on a screw head. The epoxy will weaken long before the wood starts to char.

Yes, this is the voice of unhappy experience... :-) All did work out well eventually though!

jpb

in my experience (charin)
1: try freezing it.. and THEN impact driver

try the impact OFF for 2 hits, and ON for one.. rocking it

2: if you use a soldering iron, use a big one...
3: if you give up. (and this DOES work... sh!T) get a microtorch, get teh screw hot, (like 30 seconds, moving, and then let the heat "soak" for 30 seconds.. try after EVERY soaking with an impact). When it comes out (it will) you might have to replace the stock, if you get too hot... and you WILL have to either reheat treat or replace the screw...

lots of 4 letter anglo saxon words

jeffe

Do you think Kroil would break the bond between the epoxy and the screw???

I'd like to give it a try but I don't have a glued in action on hand to experiment...

Alright boys, we got the screw out. I tried the freezer trick. 3 days in the frezzer, good screw driver and a couple of friends. Pulled the gun out, beat the tar out of the handle of the screw driver while it was inserted into the screw head. A turn or so and then repeat the beating. It took 10 minutes of the abuse to get it out but it did. No I just hope she shoots. Thanks for the tips.

Cheers,
Jason