With out a doubt gun screws are the #1 damaged item of guns, and I have damaged my share of them. I actually own both a B-square and the wheeler kits along with the scope mounting kit as most screws are in the scope and rings with few on the gun itself although on older gund there are plenty of screws to mess up. Like some of the rest of you guys I bought a good supply of the most common gun and scope screws. Instead of loctite try clear finger nail polish, works great and is easier to remove. Lastly I have had all kinds of problems with this website I really think F&S needs to hire a new webmaster so the old one can quit " screwing" up the web page.

I take and issue with GO TO A GUNSMITH. It needs to be changed to GO TO A GOOD GUNSMITH. Like most things in life, gunsmiths are not all created equal.

Besides a set of screwdrivers and adapters, a correctly calibrated torque wrench is an invaluable tool.

You forgot about the Canadian wonder invented and patented sometime in the 1920s I believe: the Robertson head screw. For the life of me I don't know why Robertson head never caught on in the USA. They are simply a square hole fitted by a square tipped screwdriver (various sizes are color coded in the screwdrivers - red, green, yellow, and black). Not quite as good as Torx but damn near. For usefulness phillips head (cross-point) is an extremely distant third and, of course, slotted screws aren't even on the same playing field. Pretty much useless in this day and age. In fact, it is hard to find slotted screws at a hardware store up here! Dang near impossible. Everything up here is Robertson except drywall screws which are by necessity phillips head (less goop needed to fill the slots).

I like the "go to a gunsmith" idea. I have screwed up every gun I have tried to do anything to. I have even screwed up stocks by making them look pretty by oiling them. Pretty much every time Dave tells us how to ruin a gun I have already been there and done that. Go to a gunsmith...

Getting my mind out of the gutter now, sorry.

A very good friend of mine who owns dozens of rental units and an apartment complex told me once; "Never, hire the plumber who can come right over."
I find the same thing true in gunsmiths. The guy who can get it in today and out by the weekend is probably someone you don't want to leave your fine firearms with.

Years ago my brother caught me removing the screws from my rifle with a Leatherman tool and promptly showed me how I was "buggering-up" the screws. He sent me a very nice B-Square gunsmith screwdriver set for Christmas that year. Having the right size of bit to fit the hardware makes all the difference.

The very first thing I look at when looking at a used gun, is the screw heads. A lot of nice guns will have the screw heads butchered up. If I decide to accept the gun, I change the screws... does'nt always make the gun shoot better, but sure looks nicer...

It hurts when you pick up a wonderful old rifle, pistol or a fine old shotgun like an L. C. Smith or a Parker and see the screws all buggered up.

Safado: One sees indexed (that's the word I was trying to think of) in the older European guns but rarely anywhere else. This sure looks nice and also makes the end user feel that the maker cared enough and possessed adequate skills to create a better than average weapon as I feel certain is the case with your M-S.

"Scope-base screws do not require the same degree of force required of scope-ring screws."

I thought it was the other way around. I thought arthritis and bleeding should happen when you screw down the base to the receiver. I also thought main tube deformation could happen if you do the same to the rings.

To Shane: That sentence was ambiguous, and I apologize. It should have read: "Scope base screws require considerably more force than scope ring screws." Your recollection is correct. It's pretty hard to deform a scope tube with the ring screws, but it can be done. The better reason not to lean too hard on them is, you may have to get the scope off in the field someday, where there is no gunsmith available to drill them out.

Here's another quick thought, which many people don't know. Gunsmithing screwdrivers are slightly different than standard drivers. As the shape and fitment of the various slots in screws are different in firearm manufacturing than in other trades. So even if the driver fits along its edges it doesn't mean that its seated properly! Finding "screwed" screws is one of my biggest pet peeves with used gun racks! I've also noticed that probably 90+% of any used firearm has marks from improper tool usage.

O.H. we have the "Robertson" screw heads here. They are actually used alot. I first ran into them when I work for a custom cabinet maker and they were all we used and I would agree they are very strong and nearly impossible to strip unless you use a impact drill.

A fine firearm without "slotted" screws is like an egg without salt.
Not that TORX is/is not a good idea, in it's place.
TORX is a poor excuse to NOT properly fit a screwdriver to a specific "slot!.
Ever see a TORX somebody tried to remove with a Phillips screwdriver? Real ugly!
A fine (any!) firearm with a "crosspoint" screw is a Model 12 Winchester with a Poly-Choke!! A Rolls-Royce with bias ply tires. Ground shooting quail!
As Capstick would say, "Terribly unpukka, old chap! Just not done!"

Robertson would like a word with you. Canadians have it right!

i can't say much for the wheeler screw driver sets though the make good products. I've used a set of bonanza screw drivers for 34 years now. they are ground differently than a common screwdrivers so the fit in the slot straight up and down. the common screw driver like Stanley, craftsman and even snap on are taper ground. i use a snap on screw driver style torque wrench for scopes and the mounts. i never use lock tight. it's why a lot of screws get buggered. as a gunsmith for over 30 years use your head and let the professionals take care of the heavy repairs. it could make your gun unsafe. and use the proper tool for the job. torx screws are great but when you over tighten them they break also then you have a mess. remember use your head.

About gunsmiths...
I think it was Bob Brownell who said something to the effect that a gunsmith should only attempt to do work that he's actually capable of doing right.
In other words, if the work is above your 'pay grade' don't take it on.

Turning screws, mounting scopes rings, cleaning guns, etc isn't rocket science. Small repairs, refinishing (to some extent), etc can be tackled by the less experienced.
You don't need to send your Winchester 94 made in 1999 to Doug Turnbull to get it re-blued.
With that being said, trusting Bubba to repair or correctly restore grandpa's Parker is probably a bad idea.
Knowing what your gunsmith of choice (or yourself)can and CANNOT do is critical in receiving quality work. Check REFERENCES, reputation, what does he specialize in, look at examples of his work, etc.
Don't be afraid to trust your local gunsmith. Know what he's capable of doing and use his services accordingly, unless he's know to be a hack or jackleg.

of course, you should remove the screw first before attacking it with a ball peen hammer. My bad.

About 20 years ago I took a shotgun to an "English Trained" gunsmith and he had a beautiful set of turnscrews (screwdrivers) that he had hand-build. They would not let him turn a screw until he had built a set of turnscrews that would pass inspection during his apprenticeship. A large part of his work was repairing savaged screws and mistakes made by amateurs. Attention to detail is the key.