Grip screw wil not come out......

[margator]

Think the head is rounded out....can't remove myself. Do I take it to the local shop and entrust it to them or just send it back to the factory? Thx!

[kjtrains]

margator.  If you have an easy out, a new screw, and a small soldering iron, you may can do it yourself.  Tracker reminded us of Slater's idea of heating up the screw to soften the loctite.  Then use the easy out to back out the screw.  

If you don't want to tackle this, I would send it back to the factory, unless you do have a very trustworthy gunsmith.  Just my thoughts.

[Z]

Excellent advice Ken. I second that.

You may want to purchase a couple of sets of Yankee2500 replacement screws as well.

I had the same problem a while back. I used a torx bit to remove it.
I then purchased a precision HUDY allen driver and have been aok ever since.

[Richard S]

Margator:

I've been there myself:

http://www.rohrbaughforum.com/YaBB.cgi?board=R9S;action=display;num=1190497569;start=10#10

If you decide to go the "DIY" route, just be sure to use a quality damaged screw remover of the right size and take your time. I would also follow the advice of Tracker and Steve on heating the screw a little with a soldering iron in order to help break the adhesion of any Loctite that may have been applied to the grip screw.

In recent years, I've been using miniature rubber O-rings under the grip screws of my R9. They work for me.

Good luck!

[yankee2500]

I had to remove 3 of the grip screws on my Son in laws pup with a Grabit screw extractor. worked like a champ but not for the weak at heart.
  

[margator]

i had no problem getting the screws out using the hex ball driver recommended on the forum. I installed new VZ grips using their screws with no problem. I decided to go back to the original Grips that came on the R9 and had them on for awhile. When I tried to remove the grips for a good cleaning I discovered the bad screw. Since i am not mr. Handy I will send back for service. The DIY method leads me to believe things will only get worse! thx 4 ur help!

[kjtrains]

Good decision, margator.    

[yankee2500]

i had no problem getting the screws out using the hex ball driver recommended on the forum. I installed new VZ grips using their screws with no problem. I decided to go back to the original Grips that came on the R9 and had them on for awhile. When I tried to remove the grips for a good cleaning I discovered the bad screw. Since i am not mr. Handy I will send back for service. The DIY method leads me to believe things will only get worse! thx 4 ur help!

I have used the Hex ball drivers but prefer the Non Ball type.
   The ball portion of the driver offers less contact surface on the screw with the rounded top and bottom areas of the ball.

[kjtrains]

margator.  If you have an easy out, a new screw, and a small soldering iron, you may can do it yourself.  Tracker reminded us of Slater's idea of heating up the screw to soften the loctite.  Then use the easy out to back out the screw.  

If you don't want to tackle this, I would send it back to the factory, unless you do have a very trustworthy gunsmith.  Just my thoughts.

Margator:

I've been there myself:

http://www.rohrbaughforum.com/YaBB.cgi?board=R9S;action=display;num=1190497569;start=10#10

If you decide to go the "DIY" route, just be sure to use a quality damaged screw remover of the right size and take your time. I would also follow the advice of Tracker and Steve on heating the screw a little with a soldering iron in order to help break the adhesion of any Loctite that may have been applied to the grip screw.

In recent years, I've been using miniature rubber O-rings under the grip screws of my R9. They work for me.

Good luck!

Hmmmm!    

[Reinz]

I remember Richard's success with the drill going very slowly in reverse.

[Marcion333]

Excellent advice Ken. I second that.

You may want to purchase a couple of sets of Yankee2500 replacement screws as well.

I had the same problem a while back. I used a torx bit to remove it.
I then purchased a precision HUDY allen driver and have been aok ever since.

where do you get these replacement screws. i cannot find them online.

[tracker]

"yankee2500" had some excellent R9 screws for sale but John hasn't posted here in awhile; you might try e-mailing him at yankee2500@rtmc.net if that address is still valid.

[ECR]

This seems like a good place to post this little tip on grip screw removal:

We always had a tough time removing "frozen" grip screws, especially with the extremely small 1/16" Allen head. I don't want to say how many early carbon fiber grip sets I had to eat because I did not know this trick until just a couple of years ago when I phoned Loctite and asked them if they had any advice. . . . . and did they ever!  Here is the best way to remove the grips screws from your R9 pistol:

Take an old school soldering iron, the straight tipped "pencil" type, not the high tech "gun" looking thing. Plug it in and let it heat up for a few minutes. Once it is ready, take it and carefully place it inside the Allen head area of the grip screw with the tip hitting the bottom of the indent where the Allen key goes. Keep it there for about 15 - 20 seconds at the most!. . . . leaving it there longer could damage the grip panel by melting it with the heat from the soldering iron. Put the soldering iron down in a safe place, such as it's holder, and quickly take a fresh 1/16" Allen key, place it in the screw head, "load it up" and the briskly . . . . Twist it with a snap counterclockwise and the screw should spin freely out from the frame. The trick here is simply this. . . . Speaking with a Loctite Tech, he mentions the Loctite cement melts around 300 degrees back into a liquid form, thus releasing it's hold on the screw and the frame. It's that easy and will safe your grip and you from destruction.  Now, go swap those grips for something different with confidence!   

Cheers

Eric R.

[tracker]

Thanks, Eric; somehow, that pearl of wisdom crept into the Forum some time ago and many of us benefited from it at the time. Reiteration of good tips is always welcome for those who may have just tuned into the program. We didn't have the benefit of the detailed process as you mention it.

[ECR]

Good Morning Tracker. . . . Yes, I spoke to Duane about it during the time I was not a member but kept tabs behind the scenes here. I am just looking through the forum now for any topic I may be able to reinforce with the real deal from me, someone who was there and worked on these things from the beginning. It's all good. . . . . . .

See you around the boards.

Eric R.