RE INDEXING SCREWS

[Pittypatdugan]

Since most of us are not the original owners of the Parkers that we have, the screws that are not properly indexed were replaced by others. I am sure a lot of screws were over tightened ,under tightened or replaced with trash in the treads ect. I have fixed a few with a little Teflon tape, but have not had much success if the screw is way off. Do you shorten them , or file off a little of the underside of the screw or what? I know this is a real open question, but there must be some hints to try that wont hurt the screw or the gun.

Thanks

PDD

[VH20]

The first thing to do is make sure they are in the proper locations. Typically, the left-side screws have a "-" mark on the tips. Have you checked that?

[Bob Jurewicz]

If screw is in proper location, all threads clean an channels clean, I carefully file the underside of the scrw head for metal to metal fastening. For butt plates I ream the plate recess alittle deeper.
Bob Jurewicz

[Chris T.]

I have never tried, but have heard of people who put a few wraps of soft wire under the head instead of filing the bottom.

[Big D]

Doesn't that depend on whether the screw is proud to the surface, or recessed?

[Pittypatdugan]

I did not know to check for the " - " Mark for the left side. I will be checking.

PDD

[Richard Flanders]

If the screw is proud it's likely in the wrong hole or is a poorly made replacement. I have been thinking of punching out v thin washers of soft copper that would fit floorplate screws that have been overtightened and improperly indexed. There must be sheet copper of shim-like thicknesses available that could be used for this, something in the .002" range. They would fit on the screw and would crush down to a certain extent if one was careful and would allow screws to be indexed properly and the soft copper would actually serve to prevent screws from backing out.

[Chris T.]

John your are right, but if a screw and its hole are clean and are still higher than the surrounding surface it is probably in the wrong hole.

[VH20]

Pat,

Which screws are you working with? There can be different markings. For the screws on the side of the receiver the most common thing I've seen is "-" on the left screws and nothing on the right ("left" meaning on the same side as the actual left barrel, and "right" meaning the same side as the actual right barrel, regardless of how the gun is oriented when working on it).

For the floorplate screws, I've seen different combiniations. Early guns have two short screws in the doll's head, and one longer screw at the rear (partially covered by the forward bow of the triggerguard). For these, I've usually seen just a "-" on the left screw. The other short screw is the right side by default, because the longer screw (also unmarked) goes to the rear. Some (later?) guns have three screws of equal length. On these, usually the left is marked "-", the right is unmarked, and the rear one carries the "+" marking. The terms "left" and "right" used here still follow the same convention as the others, and are defined by the gun's actual left and right sides. Therefore, with the gun inverted, the left will appear to be on your right as you are viewing it).

These are general guidelines, and I suppose there could be other variations. If the above advice doesn't help, you can just experiment with different placement to see what gives you the best alignment. Whenever you see a gun with buggered screws, there's a good chance they also weren't put back in the right place. When someone doesn't know how to use a proper screwdriver, there's a really good chance they didn't know that it matters where the screws go either.

[Bindlestiff]

OK, this looks like a good FAQ to add to our web page. Before I add it, I would like comments to make sure it is accurate. I am not a person that takes Parkers apart, so its up to you to keep me on track. Here is what I have so far, when it look correct I'll add it to FAQ:

How to get the proper index when working with Parker screw heads.


As you take apart a Parker shotgun, it is wise to remember the screw placement and one proven method to guarantee they go back where they came from is to use a stiff paper or wood block pattern, with holes arranged to mimic the screw arrangement for the right, left and bottom sides of the frame. Then as you remove any screw, place it in the paper or wood screw hole which corresponds to its original placement in the frame. Then, when you reassemble the frame, you will easily know where each screw belongs. Correct placement of the screws preserves proper screw slot alignment; which is always at right angles (either up & down or right & left).

If the screws are not aligned properly, the first thing to do is make sure they are in their proper locations. Typically, the screws on left side of the receiver are commonly marked with a "-" on its tip and nothing on the right. A "+" mark on any of them is usually an indication it is for the right side. The "left side" references the left side of the gun while looking at the bottom of the receiver with the barrels pointed away from you.

The floor plate screws can have different combination. Early guns have two short screws in the doll's head and one longer screw at the rear (partially covered by the forward bow of the trigger guard). For these, a "-" is usually seen on the left screw tip end. The other short screw (may be unmarked or it could also have a "+" marking) is the right side by default; the longer screw (also unmarked) obviously goes to the rear. Later guns often have three screws of equal length and on these the left is usually marked with a "-", the right has a "+", and the rear one is unmarked.

When installing these screws, insure the screw is in the proper location, and all the threads and channels are clean.

These are general guidelines, there could be other variations. If the above advice doesn't help, you can just experiment with different placement to see what gives you the best alignment.

Remember to always use the proper screwdrivers when working with any Parker screw to keep the screw head from being damaged.