8-34 would, indeed, be non-standard. 8-36 is pretty common and a die easily obtained if you don't single-point thread.
Single-pointing threads can be tough up against a shoulder. I used to set a 1" travel indicator on the way/carriage on the lathe and zero it where I wanted to stop just short of the tool hitting the shoulder. Then run the lathe slow enough that you can catch it. I back the crosslide out and disengage the carriage as it comes to the zero, which leaves a thread end that looks like you milled the thread.
I recently made some for a brand-X NID forend from 4130L (leaded) since it machines nicer than 4130 and I wanted to harden the screws so they resist buggering. Soft screws in guns is a peeve of mine. But any nice machining steel will do if you don't want to harden them.
|