The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

All the above recommendations are correct until you tackle 19th century and earlier firearms. Early screws often have a tapered slot. made by driving a knife edge into the red hot screw head. Parallel driver bits are useless for these and you need a good set of gunsmiths turnscrews with taper ground blades. I must have more than 50 screwdrivers and still occasionally find myself grinding one up to get an exact fit in a rusted up screw.
Fred

I bought a set of those graces screw drivers.... Nice set look the part..... But They dont fit anything!

I recommend just getting something that is durable and will last forever the first time around. You’ll be happier knowing the ones you have are quality if you get better ones. These are all good options: http://www.shoutabout.org/review/best-s ... -handymen/

I have a set of Grace (made in USA) screwdrivers - bought them especially for working on my Pietta revolvers and I've found them to be very good thus far. I've not had cause to use them on my bolt action war horses as there's no real need to undo stuff. My AR based rifles pull apart by pushing pins. I expect I'll have cause to use them on my Winchester and Marlins at some point - I'll see how they cope.

I bought a set of B-Square gunsmithing bits. Supposed to be made in USA but on the box it had "Made in China".
I had to re-grind all of the faces because, although they were hollow ground, they were too thick to fit any of the slots on my rifle's/shotguns screw-heads.
Get what you pay for I suppose.

Had the same problem all my screw driver bits are to thick to be any use.

Brownell's Magna Tip, way to go.

Buy once, cry once as they say.

Mine is the Brownells NRA Magna tip full set. The larger tips 150-4 to 244-5 are useless unless you grind them down to a usable size.
I use good quality screw drivers out of my tool box in preference. I would not buy magna tips again.

+1 for magna tips

I got a set, needed a few more thinner ones, but I wouldn't use anything else on a rifle now, they are great

as for alpha's remarks of too think.... they are only too thick on screws he's come across, I can't remember what I needed one of the thicker ones for, but when it was needed, it was needed.

you can buy a smaller set, and expand it, or even buy some gun specific sets. you don't have to go straight for the all enccompasing set

bradaz11 wrote:+1 for magna tips

I got a set, needed a few more thinner ones, but I wouldn't use anything else on a rifle now, they are great

as for alpha's remarks of too think.... they are only too thick on screws he's come across, I can't remember what I needed one of the thicker ones for, but when it was needed, it was needed.

you can buy a smaller set, and expand it, or even buy some gun specific sets. you don't have to go straight for the all enccompasing set

Fortunately its not a problem for me I have a store room with shelves full of quality screw drivers enough to last me a life time.