Best Tool

[fastshuter]

I want to remove the sight mount off my STI Competitor and am wondering if anyone knows if there is a correct type of tool to use besides allen wrenches. I have bought a few allen's to try out but they are bending/twisting quite a bit and I don't want to strip out the head of the screw. TIA

[The Hangin' Chad]

Typically, as long as you make sure to insert the allen wrench all the way in the screw head you won't strip out the head, you will just twist and break the allen wrench (trust me, I have experience).

The most effective way to get the screws out is to take the gun all apart and clean everything so that it is dry mainly in the area of the back side of the screws inside the dust cover. Now take a propane torch (like the plumbers use) and keep the flame turned down kind of low, carefully apply the heat inside the dust cover to the back side of the screws. What you are trying to do is burn out the loctite. I would start with intervals of about 20 to 30 seconds and go up from there as needed, focus on one screw at a time.

If you don't feel comfortable trying it, take it to a gunsmith or find a buddy who has done it before.

Hope this helps

THC

[ErikW]

Yeah the problem is the Loctite holding the screws in tight. I always had to use red because blue wouldn't cut it.

First of all, make sure you really need to remove the mount. Don't bother taking it off just to clean the gun!

Anybody know if you could hold a soldering iron tip to the back of the screw and conduct the heat to the threads and Loctite?

[Crusher]

Loctite makes a "release agent" that does work.

[.40AET]

Red locktite requires 500 degrees to melt. I havn't checked, I don't know if a soldering iron gets that hot. The release agent sounds like a good idea.

[fastshuter]

Thanks for the help.

Actually I want to mount a "*thumb rest [generic]*" thumb rest so I only need to take out a couple of screws. My left thumb touches the slide once in awhile and causes the slide to slow down when I'm shooting.

[warpspeed]

When I added a "*thumb rest [generic]*" to my open gyn, I used the undrilled Arredondo Accessories one. I then drilled and tapped 2 holes in the mount and atteched it w/o having to remove it. I did it so I could put the thumb rest exactly where I wanted it, not just where Ralph had the holes.