Think I stripped an action screw

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dakota.potts

New member
My Boyd's stock for my CZ 452 got here (looks amazing in person by the way). I went to pull the screws out to put it in the new stock and a couple of them were incredibly difficult. On one of them, when it finally turned I heard a snap like you hear when breaking the chips in a tap. Lo and behold, that screw will no longer grab in either stock. It just turns endlessly.

It is the shorter action screw in the front for those familiar with CZ firearms. I believe it is the screw for the recoil lug.

A couple of questions:

Is this necessary for the safe firing of the weapon? I have heard others suggest that taking it out might be better for accuracy so I assume it is.

How do I tell if it is completely stripped and worthless?

Is there some place I can get a replacement that isn't $20 + shipping?
 
J

jmr40

New member
Some after market stocks require a longer, or sometimes shorter, screw. The poping sound you heard was probably the locking compound breaking loose. I'm betting a slightly longer screw will fix your problem
 
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4runnerman

New member
Never heard of taking it out. If you mean the front screw toward barrel end,That is the screw that takes the least amount of tension. Should be 5 inch LBS looser than back 2 ( if you have a 3 screw setp ) or back one for 2 screw set up.If screw is stripped ( That should be easy to see by the threads) If it is snapped inside-Yo need to get it out
 
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Picher

New member
If the screw threads near the tip aren't as sharp as the others, it may be stripped. The way to check is to see if it will screw into the action without the stock. If it does, the new stock may be fatter than the other, so it's not reaching anymore.

If it doesn't, it's either the hole or the screw that's damaged. If the screw doesn't engage at the tip, the threads in the hole may work with a longer screw.
 
M

Magnum Wheel Man

New member
agree with a lot posted here... I had an issue with a custom Remington 700 I was building... the front screw was only held in by about 2 threads ( this on the stock Remington rifle stock )... 2 threads are not enough for a good bite, without the possibility of stripping out either the 1st 2 threads on the screw, or 1st 2 threads in the action... all the available screws were the same length... I actually had to have a custom screw made...

IMO, there is a good chance your screw was of minimum length, & very possible the new stock requires a slightly longer screw, & your stock screw was simply not long enough to get a good bite
 
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Unlicensed Dremel

Moderator
That sucks... Unusual to strip while *loosening*. Good luck.

This isn't a head issue - you said thread issue - but out of curiosity on a tangent subject, are these allen heads? I despise with a passion allen heads. Why oh why do we tolerate them, when phillips, flathead, or even torx are so much better in the "not stripping" department?

Go Marty St. Louis and the NY Rangers!
 
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reynolds357

New member
You can probably find the bolt you need at a good hardware store. Most of my aftermarket stocks go onto my customs with grade 10 bolts from the hardware store. They are of much higher quality than anything you get from a gun parts supplier. You usually have to cut them to length and then run them into a die to clean up the first thread.
 
J

James K

Member In Memoriam
First, is the stock creating a need for a longer screw? If not, and the screw is stripped, you can obtain another one easily enough.* I don't have a CZ so I can't check, but the screw is certainly metric, ruling out most ardware store screws. And it may well be a special gun screw thread, as many are, so having one made at a gunshop probably won't work either. If the screw is not stripped, the hole in the receiver may be and that could be trouble, requiring retapping for a larger screw. That might be a DIY job, or require the services of a gunsmith depending on how handy you are with tools.

The CZ 452 is a .22, so there should be no serious problem in firing the rifle without that screw, but accuracy will probably suffer.

*The current importer is CZ-USA; you can check their web site for the address.

Jim
 
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Picher

New member
Is the rifle a "Varmint" model with the barrel screw in the forend? If so, it's not needed, but if it's the one at the front of the receiver, it's the most important one and is absolutely necessary.
 
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reynolds357

New member
James K, the hardware store I shop at has more metric bolts then they have SAE. They even have some of the fractional mm stuff. I have yet to not find any screw or bolt I needed for action work.
 
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dakota.potts

New member
Hey guys,
yesterday I gave my dad an M44 with a Boyd's stock. It's a Father's Day present but I was going to do a little work on it so I gave it to him early so we can work on it together.

While doing that, I noticed that the tang wouldn't go in the slot cut out for it and the barrel near the front sight also wouldn't go in the hole. The magazine and the receiver wouldn't bolt together. The stock was inlet but not completely fitted and required about 10 minutes with some 220 sand paper.

My rifle has a smaller barrel and I could clearly see the free float, but I didn't think to check if the stock may need to be sanded a little bit for final fitting to my rifle (especially since the ZKM model may be slightly different from others.)

If that's not the case, I'm lucky enough to have started an apprenticeship doing machining for mold making. One of the guys there is huge into guns and will help me measure the screw to find a longer one. for it. Should be easy enough for me to cut off and grind into size in a surface grinder.
 
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