(10-05-2013, 01:43 PM)TomG Wrote: ...Timing maybe? Or is it so the screws can be made flush and then slotted?

Tom

If you are building a custom gun, sure.

I mostly use it to try to repair damaged screws. If they aren't torn up too bad I'll just file off the raised burrs and touch up the bluing. If the slots are scarred and distorted you can try widening them a bit to get them straight again, or deepen the slot to get a better grip on the screw.

You certainly can't run to the hardware and find gun screws on the shelf, that is for sure. Original screws for old guns are often impossible to find anywhere do to their age along with the thousand different variations between tread size and pitch, and height and style of the screw head. And they often have special shanks that act as trigger / hammer pins etc.

Sticking a newer modern screw on an older gun sticks out like a sore thumb in most cases. They can come close, but they never match exactly.