Webley Screw Challenges

[303 Gunner]

Hi all, looking for some collective wisdom. I have a number of Webleys and the persistent challenge I face is not having appropriate screwdrivers. Although I have hollow ground "gunsmithing" screwdrivers, none have blades thin enough to accommodate the obnoxiously thin-slotted screws present across all Webley revolver models (especially the blasted hinge screws). Any recommendations?

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[Patrick Chadwick]

Any recommendations?

Well if you think you've got problems, try dismantling a high-quality "Schützen" or hunting rifle. The old gunsmiths seemed to make it a point of pride to have the slots as thin as possible, so that they were hardly noticeable amidst the decoration.

My recommendation is that you get a quantity of best quality screwdriver bits and grind the blade tips down to be suitable. Just the last 1/16" or 1.5mm of the tip, otherwise it will be twisted into uselessness by the first tough screw. And grind slowly, to avoid overheating and thus softening the tip.