bloody hands

[kjtrains]

I think the key to this discussion is "anything is possible."

[Dino]

Ok men, time for me to jump in here.

Experience: 35 years in the automotive industry, half of that time I was hands on, the other half, management and then ownership of franchises including: Mercedes Benz, BMW, Volvo, BMW motorcycles, Porsche, Land Rover and Jag, ect...many, many screws and bolts removed and installed in my lifetime.

Change the screws, for all the reasons mention.  It is not hard, really.  Even if you have to take them out one at a time, change them.  

I take off my grips almost every time I go to the range. I  change my screws from time to time as constant tightening can stress the threads.   Cheep insureance.

Just my 2 cents.  

[kjtrains]

Dino.  Everyone has their own way of doing things, and that's OK.  I've owned guns since I was knee high to a grasshopper and never have changed out screws or had a problem.  That being said, I don't begrudge anyone who wants to do it.

My R9 is nearly a year old, and still has no issues.  I'll keep checking for loose screws after each range session.  So for those who want to change screws, that's your business.  I just don't recommend it unless there's a problem.  Now that's just me, pure and simple.

[Dino]

Understand kj.  

However my best shop foreman has a favorite saying, "pay me now or pay me later".

The way he would explain this topic to a customer would be something like, "even though the factory does not reccomend changing the grip screws we reccomend changing them because if they fail it may cost you more down the road".

On the other hand I like working on my guns, taking off the grips, cleaning everything, and changing the little suckers.

[kjtrains]

Dino.  I do understand.  I like cleaning the guns, where cleaning needs to be done, just don't like doing something that could cause me a problem if I did it; like stripping out a screw just because I was changing grips or screws.  

I can't see me changing screws on the Ed Brown, or for that matter any of the numerous guns that I own.

I still employ the saying " If it's not broke, don't fix it." Have a reliable gun smith who believes the same thing.  I just buy guns from him.

Oh! and Dino.  The "pay me now or pay me later" thing, you would have starved.  Not one of mine has ever been to the gun smith for maintenance.  (Except for once, when an ill fated 45 LC got stuck in my Ruger Alaskan's barrel due to a friend's reloaded ammo, when the round went Pffff.  The friend was shooting it.)  Gun smith didn't charge me a thing to remove the round.

Now, as I keep saying, over and over, to each his own.  Keep changing the little suckers.      I don't want to take away anyone's enjoyment.        

[Dino]

That's what makes the world go round.  

I think we covered the screw issue well.    

By now Bubbacloud's hand is healed and he is enjoying shooting his new R9.