broken frame screw

[white eagle]

yep the screw head on my sbh broke off. :shock:
knew I was in trouble when it would only spin and not tighten.
anyone have any ideas on how to get the little bugger out ?????
It is the grip frame screw on the right side next to the trigger .......:-|

[Rusty W]

Is it the one that holds the spring for the loading gate? Maybe it's just loose?

[44man]

If the head is really broken off, remove the grip frame and there should be enough screw sticking up to get hold of. If you can't turn it because of Loc-Tite, get a brass or copper rod the size of the screw and heat the end red hot. Hold it on the screw, it might take a few cycles. This will break down the Loc-Tite.
If it is broken below the edge, use heat from the rod first and try to turn it with a sharp pointed tool.
Ruger does not Loc-Tite the screws so if they have never been out of the gun, it should be easy. The screws have a tiny nylon insert in the side but they don't hold up well.
I have had to use a Moto Tool on some to cut a screw slot for a little screwdriver. A tiny dental burr does great. Stay away from the sides of the hole.
The screws are a little hard but a dental burr will even cut a broken tap out of a hole.
Chances are the screw is loose enough to turn because the only reason a screw breaks is because it is loose.
Ruger has screw packs cheap.
I would not try to drill it because you need to center punch the screw and that makes then tighter. Any drilling should use a dental burr and a Moto tool because you can cut in the center easy. Then you need a tiny easy out or a tiny junk screwdriver that will grip the hole.
I would say that 9 times out of 10, the screw will turn easy. I have turned some out with a sharp diaper pin.

[white eagle]

give her a try..... thanks

[white eagle]

It ain't happening
is that something I can do without??????

[MtGun44]

Not really. Is there anything left above the surface? I am assuming you have removed
the grip frame. If nothing is above, get a left handed twist drill a touch smaller than the
minor diameter of the screw. VERY CAREFULLY start drilling with the left handed drill bit in
a hand drill. The drill will eventually catch and unscrew the remainder of the screw.

If you are uncomfortable doing this, send it to Ruger.

Bill

[44man]

It ain't happening
is that something I can do without??????
You need all the screws. I made the mistake once of not checking mine and when I switched to 300 gr boolits and up, I sheared 3 screws.
I now use red Loc-Tite and always keep them tight.
There is a lot of force on the grip frame, some of those aluminum frames would break.
Make sure you have a GOOD gunsmith screwdriver with a perfect fit.

[Wally]

This happened to me..all my attempts failed--I had to send it back to Ruger.

[Freightman]

This happened to me..all my attempts failed--I had to send it back to Ruger.
That is the smart safe way.

[Heavy lead]

I make it a point to tighten these screws when I clean after a range session. I delt with the same thing you did on my 3 screw SBH. I did what MtGun44 suggested and it worked fine.
I wish someone would come out with aftermarket Ruger screws with a torx head.

[Char-Gar]

If you have a drill press, broken screws are not that hard to remove. You use a one size smaller drill and drill the screw out. You will probably need to use a tap and chase the threads. Really no big deal.