Home » General Conversation » DIY Gunsmithing » SS Contender screws (Bellm supplied?)
| SS Contender screws [message #29511] |
Sat, 08 March 2014 11:42  |
jamesgammel
Messages: 1708
Registered: August 2012
Location: Lovell, Wyoming
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I've seen a lot of interest in folks wanting SS allen head cap screws for their Contender forarms. We all know by now (I hope) that T/C dovetail Locks use screws with 10-32 thread. At one time used allen-head cap screws, otherwise slotted. Personally I preferred the allen-head.
I ran into a source for SS's in the allen-head cap screws somewhat locally, a regular stocked item. Possibility I can also get different lengths than what they usually carry, just need to talk to their supplier. What they did have when I was there was 1/2, 3/4, and 1". .55,.75, and *.89* each. I went ahead and picked up two each of the two shorter.
Bellm offers 3/8, 5/8, and 7/8, all for .95 each. Has anyone gotten any of his? And what forearm did you use them on? And most important, did they actually fit right?
T/C's forearms ship with screws and plastic washers to use with them.
Apparantly Bellm's don't come with either a plastic washer, nor O-ring, and I don't know if he tells you to use the plastic washers that came with the forearm.
Just checking with a super 14 composite forearm, the front screw measured .310 not counting the plastic washer. T/C head size is .290 in diameter. The SS screws I found are .305 diameter, and easily fit the countersunk hole, actually better than the factory screws do.
.310 is shorter than 3/8 (.375). Is he just "rounding up" to closest fractional, or are they .375? If they are .375, then obviously they're too long for the front screw hole for the 14" composite, even if you re-used the plastic washer.
Checking the rear hole, The factory screw is .620 with the plastic washer is .582 If his 5/8 is .625, it's too long with or without re-using the plastic washer. The SS 1/2" I found actually measure .484 in length. and I could run it all the way to the barrel flat (bad thing). However, it works great with either the plastic washer, or an o-ring under the head.
It makes me wonder what the 5/8 and 7/8 will work on. Certainly not the 14 composite, 3/8 either.
Jim
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| Re: SS Contender screws [message #29515 is a reply to message #29513] |
Sat, 08 March 2014 13:11  |
jamesgammel
Messages: 1708
Registered: August 2012
Location: Lovell, Wyoming
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Glenn,
I'm working on that. I have examples of most of the G-1 forends and grips, really G-2 ignorant. I'm hoping that someone with a G-2 could supplement what i find out about G-1, compile it all and post as a "sticky". This is just one thing I talked about with you and crubear back a few months ago. The perfect area (in my mind) would be The Contender section rather than gun-talk or some other. Someone could also do likewise concerning encores. I don't have, nor desire to get one, so would be really crazy for me to buy a barrel, forends, etc just to work all that out. If we get that other "sticky" too full of other data, it would be more difficult to navigate.
maybe it would be a good idea to have some kind of "round-table" open discussion to brainstorm? Also, my idea was to post a pix of the forearm, and what screw size it requires. Not just one size would fit every forend even if in the same position. That way a guy just goes to the pix of his and gets the info he needs.
Jim
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| Re: SS Contender screws [message #29516 is a reply to message #29515] |
Sat, 08 March 2014 13:22 |
jamesgammel
Messages: 1708
Registered: August 2012
Location: Lovell, Wyoming
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Just to add, the screws I found are a little bigger than factory heads. A commonly found 0-ring should be available that is bigger than the shank, yet smaller than the head. With the little excess room in the contender forearms, that remaining gap should become a moot point, it "shouldn't get sucked into the shank hole nor squish out the bottom of the sides. Next trip to town will be for resarch for them. I'm considering getting bulk quantities and supplying to folks here, not as a $$ making thing, virtually no profit. There would be soime caveats, I would only ship them out when convenient, not dive 52 miles round-trip to send a pack of 1.50 worth of screws. However, once I know total costs for everything including postage, wife could drop off to mail when she goes to town. This is ONLY a courtesy to our members, not a way to scalp members for profit. gaoona take a while just to finish the resarch. If I find the o-rings, I could include them at-cost. That would save "buyers" having to find there own.
Don't have any idea how many would even want me to work on this.
Jim
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| Re: SS Contender screws [message #30700 is a reply to message #30698] |
Thu, 17 April 2014 08:24 |
jamesgammel
Messages: 1708
Registered: August 2012
Location: Lovell, Wyoming
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Jim,
This topic and exercise isn't about what you can get from Bellm. He only offers three forearm screw sizes. In reality there are more sizes of screws needed, dependent on which forearm you have. IF you can find the screws loacally (to you), and you can't use your gun because you lost,misplaced, or damaged yours, and find them cheaper (you have to factor in shipping to you, how long the postal service jerks you around with delivery, and that he charges double what you can find them for, just where are you better off getting from him, and no guarantee that it will work properly for your forearm?
I already know that there is no one set length of grip screw/bolt that works for EVERY grip style T/C made for the contender. It varies from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches in length. I've been buying at least one each of EVERY G-1 grip from day one until the G-1 was deleted.
So I've been working on gathering the data for each one, will post a pix of each, and tell you "If you have this grip, you need x y/z length for it.
EVERY grip T/C made and shipped had a grip bolt, grip cap, and the screws to retain the grip cap, as well as any proper fitting washers, o-rings they used. Many jerks hoarde the bolts and screws, and even the gripcaps when they sell them to someone else. They may have them in a parts drawer and are either too lazy to keep track of which grip or forend they got them from, or simply take the attitude, "screw you, find your own". No forend ever left without the screws, O-rings, washer(if used),and steel bushings (some call them "top-hats")if they were required. How many times have you seen them when everything was included/there? Even then you don't KNOW that the screw wasn't replaced with a randomly grabbed screw from a bucket full of them for 100 different forearms or gripcaps. Maybe you don't mind making ten trips to the hardware store to finally find and use the right size to be able to use yours, but I Don't. Maybe you don't mind buying one or two of each length that the local store had "just to make sure", and still not get one that works on your forend, BUT I DON'T.
If I told you exactly what length you needed for your's and you went to the local hardware store the night before your planned hunt and you knew the hunt had to be cancelled because you lacked a screw, and could salvage the planned hunt, wouldn't you take advantage of that. If you your needed a 7/16's 10-32 shank length, and they only had 1/2, and all you needed was a small flat washer with an .X ID and a max .yz OD that info "saved your butt" was valuable for YOU, then I wasn't just wasting my time and $$ to give you that info. If not, just tell me, and I'll just keep that info to myself, and save the forum a lot of wasted bandwith.
Jim
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