welp hex key got stuck in tikka trigger set screw **FIXED**

[tacoman69]

well i was swapping to a lighter trigger spring in my t3x and just used my hex key set i use for archery to remove the bolts and it got stuck in the set screw that holds the trigger spring. I guess i could just get a new one but that might take a while. Any ideas on how to get it out? heat? cold?guess is its bc the hex key is SAE while the set screw is metric and its jammed in their too tight. soaking it in wd 40 at the moment. (yes I feel dumb although I did this same method with my other tikka without any issue before)

 

[OREGUN]

You need an inertia hammer. Thread the key through a small hole or into a small slot in a vise. Attached a cord or cable. Get a running start and whack the set screw against the top of the vise with some moving force. It’ll pop right off. The reason you can’t get it off is that it’s really hard to get any leverage or generate any force. Try just sliding a loose pliers down the leg of the key and into the set screw…again, the idea is to get a bit of inertia first. Heavier the better on the pliers.

 

[tacoman69]

Try just sliding a loose pliers down the leg of the key and into the set screw

thanks this is what i've been trying but with no luck. don;t really want to thread it into the trigger assembly and yank it, that doesn;t sound bright, but i will try to mcgyver somehting that is the same size. thanks again

 

[Aftermath]

Use a socket, big as possible but you will be limited.
Slide the set screw and hex wrench into the socket, through the square drive hole. The socket should not easily pass over the bend in the hex wrench.
Thread that screw into an appropriately threaded hole or figure out how to make that screw stationary.
Use the socket as mini slide hammer and start tapping. It might take 50 or 100 wacks but it will come loose.

EDIT: you can also try gripping the hex wrench tightly in a vise then use a brass punch to push against the screw, tapping with a hammer.
I also thought to cut the wrench so that you can poke it into a drilled hole (just big enough, so the screw doesn't pass) in some mild steel you can clamp in the vise, then use some vise grips and go full gorilla and pull that hex wrench away from the steel and screw.

 

[OREGUN]

thanks this is what i've been trying but with no luck. don;t really want to thread it into the trigger assembly and yank it, that doesn;t sound bright, but i will try to mcgyver somehting that is the same size. thanks again

The key to making that particular system work is to make sure there’s absolutely no give in the system. If you can clamp the hex key into a vice and then run a heavy set of pliers or vice grips down the key and whack the set screw. If you’re trying to hold the setscrew in your hand, the whole system is gonna move when the pliers hit the setscrew and nothings going to happen.

 

[supercorndogs]

Wiggle it and cuss at it until it comes off.

 

[tacoman69]

The key to making that particular system work is to make sure there’s absolutely no give in the system. If you can clamp the hex key into a vice and then run a heavy set of pliers or vice grips down the key and whack the set screw. If you’re trying to hold the setscrew in your hand, the whole system is gonna move when the pliers hit the setscrew and nothings going to happen.

it worked! i got some cord for added "whip" when smacking the hex wrench against the pliers and it came free after a couple tries. thank you!

 

[OREGUN]

What’s that quote about how you always want to use the right tool, the right tool is always a hammer, and everything is a hammer?

 

[acudaowner]

prayer and a good friend ( gum smith ) if he messes it up he should either have another or be able to get you another either way it's fixed

 

[rustyinbend]

Soak it in Kroil (penetrating oil) for a day or two and it'll pop right off with plyers.

 

[rustyinbend]

What’s that quote about how you always want to use the right tool, the right tool is always a hammer, and everything is a hammer?

The actual quote is ... "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail".

 

[OREGUN]

The actual quote is ... "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail".

This:

1-Always use the right tool for the job.
2-A hammer is the right tool for any job.
3-Anything can be used as a hammer.”

 

[Bradv86]

It is stuck because of poor fit and turning in the loosening direction?

Clamp that screw tight between some very soft metal, Al or maybe even wood blocks and try to turn in the tightening direction. If the hex is "cammed" in place it should come out in the opposite direction you fucked it in.

Or... Did you hammer that sucker in there? Can always drill and tap a matching hole, thread it in there, and work over the hex key.

 

[Threadcutter308]

I see where you've already gotten it apart......

I've had these kinds of thing happen before. It's real simple. Just get a pair of Vise Grips and dial them down to the smallest opening you can get (around the hex key), but don't actually "grip" the key. Then, like described above, use it like a slide hammer. Probably easier if you clamp the opposite end of the key in a Vise.

Oh, and don't forget to take some fine sandpaper and deburr the end of the Hex Hey. It's very likely it was burred and that's what caused your problem in the first place.

 

[jb0311]

Might wanna update your title to include “fixed” or “resolved”, otherwise you’re going to get suggestions on how to fix it for the next year, and then every other year when someone decides to bring it back to life.

 

[perttime]

I see where you've already gotten it apart......

I've had these kinds of thing happen before. It's real simple. Just get a pair of Vise Grips and dial them down to the smallest opening you can get (around the hex key), but don't actually "grip" the key. Then, like described above, use it like a slide hammer. Probably easier if you clamp the opposite end of the key in a Vise.

Oh, and don't forget to take some fine sandpaper and deburr the end of the Hex Hey. It's very likely it was burred and that's what caused your problem in the first place.

It was a wrong size hex key.
If it wasn't burred before, I'm sure it is now.

 

[tacoman69]

It was a wrong size hex key.
If it wasn't burred before, I'm sure it is now.

yes its a little burred up top but since it's a set screw it wont go all the way into the hole so I think i'll be alright.