Drilling Out a Snapped Allen Key

[BigNate]

OK - looking for tips / tricks / advice here...

"Someone" snapped the tip of an allen wrench off in the front screw of their Buckmark's site mounting plate (see image below)... Must have been a cheap Chinese tool because there was really very little force applied and it had only deflected a couple of degrees when it yielded (yes - I've since picked up a set of "good" allen sockets). It yielded completly flush with the screw face so there is no way to grasp the nub with anything.

Anyway - I've tried tapping it lightly with a drift (on as much of an angle as I can get) to losen it in hopes that I can get it to drop out - no dice...

Any other suggestions / tips / tricks that I should try before putting it in a padded vice on the drill press and drilling the head off of the screw?

 

[xerts1191]

Nate, yeah drilling is all I can think of, anybody else with an idea?

 

[dread_scott]

Is it magnetic? Put a strongish magnet on it and see if it pulls out? Maybe also heat it up a bit?

Do you have a pic of the actual broken piece?

 

[etprescottaz01]

Is it magnetic? Put a strongish magnet on it and see if it pulls out? Maybe also heat it up a bit?

Do you have a pic of the actual broken piece?

Strong magnet was my recommendation also, blast from an air compressor?

 

[Winmagbill]

Super glue? I’ve never done it but they sell “special Glue” in kits and the internet is full of DIY. Might even try JB welding a new Allen right on top then getting a new screw.

 

[Harrier]

In the past I have loosened a tight or rounded-off bolt using a sharp punch to make an indent at the desired angle/place then impact the punch to back the screw/bolt out... like using an impact driver... if you can visualize that... The allen is probably metric & the wrong size and is slip-wedged in there, so it just might punch back enough to fall out.

 

[BigNate]

Is it magnetic? Put a strongish magnet on it and see if it pulls out? Maybe also heat it up a bit?

Do you have a pic of the actual broken piece?

Here are a couple of pictures... It is pretty flush...

 

[Pale Rider]

The best way is to use a small carbide burr that's smaller than the allen hole. It's best to use a drill press and basically grind away at the center until it can be popped out. I've done it to similar types of broken tools like this many times.

 

[Brlux]

I recently had something similar happen to an expensive piece of equipment at work. I used a dremel to cut a notch across the screw and broken key and once big enough use a flat head screw driver to turn it out. Mine was a bit easier being a button head allen screw. In your case I would use one of those amber stone cutoff wheels on some other scrap steel to wear it down small enough to get in there without contacting the slide cover. Perhaps profile your Flathead to match the curve of your cut if you can't get it very deep.

 

[QuietM4]

Perfect excuse to sell it and buy a new gun!

Dremmel cut-off wheel, small flat head screw driver to remove it, contact Browning (or Natchez) to get a new screw.

 

[smithers599]

Perfect excuse to sell it and buy a new gun!

Dremmel cut-off wheel, small flat head screw driver to remove it, contact Browning (or Natchez) to get a new screw.

That's my thought. Use a Dremel cutoff wheel to cut a slot into the Allen wrench piece, turning it into a slotted screw. Then use a screwdriver to unscrew it. That process will also cut into the surrounding area, but no big deal; nobody is going to ever notice.

Or, drill a tiny hole into the top of the broken piece, then hammer a slightly oversized small screwdriver into the hole, and unscrew the piece.

 

[Harrier]

That's worse than I thought... I think Pale Rider has one solution- drill it out with a flat bottom mill and collapse the sides in... or like the others said, grind a slot and unscrew the whole thing then replace the screw from browning - or maybe send it back to them to fix...

 

[Crippledtrigger]

Write off the screw. Get a small easy out and remove it.

 

[BigNate]

Thanks gents... I've ordered some tiny burrs and I'm going to try to cut the middle out of the tool and see if I can pull it out. If that does not work I'll slot the screw and replace it... if that does not work ... well ... I might be mad enough to go the oxy-acetylene route...

 

[redj]

I would think any competent gunsmith could remove it fairly easy and be reasonably priced.

 

[Crippledtrigger]

Try a little heat incase there is thread locker on there.

 

[littleleft]

drill and tap a left hand screw. or drill and tap a smaller screw and weld and back it out

 

[littleleft]

normally the left hand drill and tap works. if it too small. then needs to be drilled out and re-tapped to oversized.

 

[Rock Hardson]

There are several things you can do. A really powerful magnet might pull out the snapped off portion.

You could cut a slot in the screw, as several have suggested, or drill a hole and use an easy out, or weld a bolt to the screw, or the snapped off portion, and take the screw out and replace it. You will have to work out a ground for the welder, but that should be as easy as a longer, disposable screw in place of a grip panel screw or some other bare metal ground contact.

My son works for Frys and gets these really powerful magnets to take the anti theft tags off of the shoes and clothing from the apparel dept. I can't lift the magnets off anything, I have to slide them to the edge of whatever it is stuck to.

Whatever you decide to do, use tape to protect finishes

 

[Clickoops]

Use a HSS drill bit and extractor tool. easy peasy and youll have it in your box for next time