Broken Grip Screw KJW P229
 

Today I was doing some maintenance on my p229, and i accidentally tightened one of the grip screws too hard n the head broke off (leaving the threads inside). Is there an easy way to get the rest of the screw out without drilling and retapping?

If you tightened it enough to rip off the head, you've overtorqued it so much that you would need to drill it out.

If you are really good with a dremel and can somehow notch a groove into what's left of the screw so you can fit a screwdriver in there it might work but you'd probably damage your grip in the process. If you take off the plastic grip on the other side you might be able to get at it from inside the frame across the other side but I doubt it.

If you are lazy, just glue the screw head back in and leave it.

I don't know why people have the urge to overtighten things that much. Use loc-tite next time. Another friend just ripped off the head of a screw on a $5000 watch he was fixing himself becasue he was paranoid about screws falling out! Yikes!

Well before you get the drills and hammers and tongs out first take the other screw off, and then remove the grip.

Push your thumb onto what's left of the screw and see if you and start to spin it out.

If you are lucky when the head snapped off that relieved the torque on the threaded section. If that has no result then try a reversing drill with just a hard plastic rod in place of a bit and see if with a bit of pressure you can free the remaining section

If it is seized in solid though then a gun doc with access to a drill press will be the best route to pull the stub out.

Oh yeah, that's true, the snapped off head might have relieved the pressure. Try your thumb and if that fails, try to cut a groove into it and unscrew it.

It may not be worth it to everyone...but I bought a set of micro-screw extractors from Lee Valley. Set of 4...sizes M6-M3. They work...and for the number of times (knock on wood) that you need them, they'll last forever.

I think the last single one I bought was from Rona...it was a size M5 or M4....just a little big for a mechbox screw, but it works too.

If you go to an auto parts place (like Lordco out here) you can get single bits for the extractor kits. You want a nice variable speed reversing drill to go with them.