Martini Henry Mk IV Stuck Striker

[englishman_ca]

Only a stub, no head? Modern wood screws are formed from steel wire. These 100 year old Martini wood screws are actually made from cast iron, the metal can be brittle and the screw head will chip out if over stressed. Because of this, some British gun screw slots take a very thin turnscrew blade. If overstressed, the turnscrew tip will break before the screw does. Well, that is my theory anyway.

Cutting a slot should work if you can get in there.

Another suggestion would be to make a tiny hole saw from a suitable steel tube and cut out around the screw. Or simply dig it out and then repair the screw hole. Drill a nice clean hole and glue in a plug with a piece of oak dowelling, then redrill for the screw.

This is the solution that I use sometimes when the screw strips out of the wood and chews up the hole. The wood into which the screw bites is not very deep as the cleaning rod channel is right above it, so simply using a longer screw is not an option if you want to fit the rod. Make sure that the rod is in place and lightly greased when you glue the plug

The repair will be inside the inletting for the hook so will not be seen when the rifle is assembled.

Raw linseed oil is what was used in the day. Modern boiled linseed oil has driers added to make it more convenient to use. Several coatings of boiled linseed can produce a shiny finish, which can look nice, but totally wrong for a military arm.
I recommend that you use raw linseed and many coats over an extended period. (SOP was once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, then once a year.)