Proper Way to "Time" Screws

[Jim Cloninger]

What is the proper way to "time" (slot 6 to 12) gun screws?
Case # 1 - initial slot is about 5 to 11.
Case # 2 - initial slot is about 1 to 7.
Jim

[Silvers]

The timing of visible Fox gun screws (main frame screw, trigger plate screw and trigger guard screw) depends on tightening of the threads and the bottom of the screw head contacting (interference) with the bottom of its counterbore, or its countersink in the case of the trigger guard screw(s).

When I fit a new screw I'll make it tight at 11/5 o'clock and if the screw is really reefed down it will index to 12/6. Best to leave it at 11/5 because every time the screw is removed and replaced the thread engagement surfaces will wear and it doesn't take more than a few thou of wear/wood compression to have it over-index to 1/7 or even farther when tight.

If talking about existing screws you're basically out of luck if they index past 12 o'clock when tight. There isn't any easy way to tighten the threads, and the expedient of very thin shim placed under the screw head will make it protrude when clocked to 11/5 or 12/6. There are ways to tighten a thread fit but beyond the capability of most amateur gunsmiths.

Often fellows who are flipping a Fox will just index a loose screw to 12/6 and leave it that way to look good even though loose. Then when the new owner gets to disassemble and clean etc, s/he finds that the screw Is too loose to be tight when clocked to 12/6. Not a big deal to over-clock it if a "shooter Fox" but that's a problem if you have a higher condition/original gun and want to shoot it a lot. Caveat emptor.

Yep I know some gents with an Brit bent will use the term "qualify" instead of index or clock as in common US usage.

frank

[Sporrns]

"Index" or "clock" I can live with - but in 60 years of fooling around with guns, I never heard the term "time" in referring to screw slot position until about 5-6 years ago. I still believe that it's a term adopted by millennial gunsmiths to "rebrand" the process of making sure all slots are in alignment correctly according to the axis of the bore or location on the sideplate(s). "Qualify" was the only term I ever heard used referring to guns up until the time period mentioned above. And Americans as well as Brits used it routinely in service. Maybe I hung out with the wrong gunsmiths all these years! Kevin

[Stan Hillis]

I have indexed a few screws, on guns I was building and on vintage guns, and it takes a bit of time for me to do it right. But, IMO, it is worth every bit of the effort. I'm a Libra, and indexed screw heads are a thing of beauty to me, on a gun. It just looks "complete". I index them on the door knob plates in my house, vertically. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, and I'm not OCD.

SRH

[Jim Cloninger]

Thanks for the info, Frank. Jim