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Grip Bushing Removal?

4K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  wembley 
#1 ·
I went back into the threads,could not find how to remove the grip bushings.Is there a tool or do you dremel and hope you don't booger it up? Thanks
 
#2 ·
Don't attempt to remove them without using the special driver bit available from Brownells. On USGI guns and vintage Colts you usually have to remove the staking as well, but most new 1911 pistols I've seen in recent have bushings that aren't staked.

Grip screw bushings are very soft. They are made that way on purpose so that they'll fail before the more expensive-to-fix threads in the frame aren't ruined instead. The downside to that is that they're very easily boogered up past the point of no return if you try to remove them incorrectly.
 
#5 ·
What is the procedure to undo the staking? Thanks
I'm not a smith, but it seems to me the back side of the staked bushing would have to be ball end milled away, or ground away in a similar manner. You could also get lucky and find that the bushing is soft enough to deform the staking on the way out and not need any machining at all. But this involves taking a pretty big chance.

My new Colt Defender (came from Colt in August 2009) had staked in stainless steel bushings. See my above post for the story.
 
#4 ·
You need special screw driver bits designed explicitly for this purpose. They encircle the bushing to help prevent the slot from tearing out.

Brownell's and many others sell these. There are two sizes, one for standard bushings, and another for the low profile bushings used for thin grips. You also need the appropriate driver handle.

Even with the proper tools, if the bushings have been disruptively staked in place, they can be difficult to remove without damaging them beyond being able to reuse them. You should assume that any bushing you attempt to remove will be ruined, and have new ones on hand to replace them before starting.

If you ruin a bushing before getting it out, have a backup plan ready. An easy-out will usually work, or if there is some material remaining above the frame surface, you can spin in a grip screw (to prevent the bushing from being crushed) and grab it with vice grips.

Also, in extreme cases, the threads in the frame can be spoiled, requiring oversize threads be cut and the use of oversize bushings forever. Aluminum frames might be more fragile than steel here.

Not trying to tell you not to try this yourself, but if you don't have the proper tools, or skills, you might want to hand this off to a qualified smith.

I removed a set of staked in place bushings from an aluminum alloy frame Colt Defender. And I did have the correct driver bits and handle. Two came out but required a lot of force. The other two were ruined and I needed vice grips to get them out. I was very lucky the frame threads were not ruined. Frankly, I still haven't figured out how the frame threads were spared.

Good luck.
 
#6 ·
I was very lucky the frame threads were not ruined. Frankly, I still haven't figured out how the frame threads were spared.
Because like I said the bushings are butter-soft. It makes it more likely that the frame threads will be spared, but the bushings are very easily deformed.

Removing staking involves grinding away the metal that has been displaced. Not an easy thing to do, especially considering that the staking is done inside the mag well.
 
#8 ·
For standard "staked" bushings where a the entire bushing skirt has been flared, you usually "iron" them out by the following process.

Using the bushing driver back the bushing out a fraction of a turn then turn it back in.
Back out a little farther then back in. Apply some lube to the bushing and continue turning it in and out and the skirt will be ironed out.

Where you strip the threads on the bushing or frame is by trying to just unscrew the bushing in one pass.
The flared skirt gets resistant and causes the strip.
By running it out until you get some resistance and then back in, you give the skirt time to unflare.

This is the same process you use on most staked screws or bushings such as the gas cylinder cap screws on the Ruger Mini-14.
 
#9 ·
Here is a method I inadvertently discovered for standard (not staked) bushings.

Put some blue lock tight on a grip screw. Screw it into the bushing with out the grip on and let it set up. Then try to remove the grip screw. The bushing unscrewed first. After that I heated the screw/bushing and they unscrewed from each other. I did need new bushings, but it worked for the price of a set of bushings. Essentially I substituted the harder screw for the bushing when unscrewing from the frame.
 
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