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Dartssnake · Member

Fellow Fliegerschützen,

I have been looking for stainless steel screws to replace the entire manufacturer stock screw set on my 2240, both for looks and practicality.

I saw a set on Don Cathron's website and tried to buy some, but I continually get no answer from his website, nor the email listed as his.

The only other available option seems to be E-Bay and the set seems to be an outrageous $18.00 usd.

I have been considering finding a stainless steel fastener company and studying the true cost of those screw sets, and possibly making a personal investment and commitment to provide sets at a more acceptable markup, what with set-priced U.S. Postage boxes and envelopes becoming more popular.

If nothing else, I would like to have a few sets, all for myself...{{{{EVIL LAUGH}}}} ONE MILLION SCREWS! [pinky to lip juncture]

Here comes the kicker...

Is there an existing list (or lists) of precise sizes and descriptions for replacement screw sets for popular models?

I would like one for Crosman 2240, 1701-P, and any other available lists in the 22XX and 13XX families.

I must admit, I have not the expertise to so identify these items, myself.

Dale

Slavia · Moderator

You could certainly get the screws cheaper yourself, but I think what Muzzlemack is offering is convenience. You don't have to disassemble the gun, measure the screws, and then go to several hardware stores looking for the right head, pitch, length, and finish combination.

SMP · Silver Status Member

Lol.

I'm not sure if yourdaddyjoe is offering stainless re screw kits but I know he does offer high grade kits

www.hpasports.com

Dartssnake · Member

I found a list of sizes.

Like I said, I am just going to tenatively test the water and see what, if any good I could do.

I just wonder at the $18.00 usd price...there aren't even 18 parts, are there?

Dartssnake · Member

of the 8-32 button head screws in the front and rear gripframe screws in a 2240 and family?

yourdaddyjoe · Supporting Member

Don't forget to machine your own trigger shims. They make a huge difference in the side to side play.

Thank god your not into paintball. Similar kits will run you over $25 in plain steel. Mr. Green

SMP · Silver Status Member

yourdaddyjoe · Supporting Member

BTW, I just spent $9.00 on 2x #12-24x1.5" socket caps for my Ruger.

Bottom line Dartssnake, Slava hit it right on the head. I used to have to drive to Ace, Lowes & Home Depot to find almost all of the screws I needed in proper size, pitch, length, finish & drive type.

On your other thread, check the rear of the trigger frame for factory burrs and most likely you have a burr on the square/straight drive factory screw.
Replace it with a button head socket and it should take care of the chaffing issue.

This is the very reason I personally did the research, measured every screw, went to an industrial supplier, had them order the odd ball lengths in the finishes and drives I wanted in bulk. Made the trigger shims and include them in every kit. I've sold well over 500 kits in both finishes, all over the world.

The list you found, is proly on one of my old posts. I posted it on a couple different forums for the guy who would rather just replace the screws one at a time or is a penny pincher who does not want to pay to play.

If you are serious about making kits, good luck.

Don't forget the initial costs:
Business License - $100 - $200 depending on where you live.
Buying in bulk Apx $800
Inbound shipping charged by your supplier for the odd ball screws. ???
A organizer cabinet to stock them in $50
Poly zip lock bags - $40
Padded mailers - $50
Packaging Tape - $25
Labels - $15
Printer ink - $50
Printer paper - $25
Advertizing - How much your time is worth and do you have the skills?
Lathe, tooling and materials for the shims that you have to make because no one else does. Do you also have the skills?

On the back side of the sale
eBay & PayPal fees. 14.5 - 20% of the sale including shipping & handling depending on your ranking.
Fuel for P.O. runs for international buyers ??? guess high, with current gas prices.

Your time:
Research for the best pricing
Packaging up all the correct parts in the correct quantities
Answering emails
fulfilling orders
Trips to the Post Office & time to fill out customs forms for international buyers
Accounting
How much your time is worth?

Monies set aside all the time making sure you can keep plenty of stock on hand.

Then there is mental issue of dealing with the occasional customer that no matter how much you invest, how well you prepare and package, how fast you can get it out to them, or how nice you are to them, they are never happy with your efforts and will post a negative comment somewhere that might effect sales and reputation.

It all adds up quick.

It's the cost of doing business that drives up the prices. This is why you see guys trying and quitting making air gun parts year after year.

If ya like seeing parts available for our hobby, sport, passion and life style, you need to be encouraging to the guys that have the skills & stamina to produce and sell these parts.

Remember they are human too and if discouraged enough, they will walk away leaving you with out the resources to enjoy the love of air guns.

oddtodd · Silver Status Member

Amen Joe. My wife sells on Ebay and it is a royal pain in my a$$ to take care of all the P.O. runs for her. If she didn't make decent money at it I would tell her to do it herself. lol

SMP · Silver Status Member

I have a few thoughts on this subject as well and they are all principally oriented around the term "Cherry Picking"

It's easy to pick up on one specific product where there is a bit of margin and undercut that by a few % However I would like to put forward that this actually hurts the market rather than helping.
For example we'll consider "YourdaddyJoe" aka MuzzleMack aka HPASports aka whatever else my multiple personallitied compatriot calls himself. Laughing

He has built a business centered around servicing all areas of the dress and accessories of a wide variety of platforms. And he has probably built a very modest living doing so. He has taken the time to develop screw kit packages and it would seem obvious that he makes a decent enough margin by selling them. But as I said he is servicing the whole market. He is doing the R&D to bring us new products which is a loss. Where is that loss coming from, it's coming from the 40% he made on a screw kit. He is sticking his neck out and buying the tooling thats required to do that R&D and thats coming from the 40% as well. So if all of a sudden three people come along and cherry pick his three top margin products and sell them for less then Joe doesn't have the resources to service the products he is only making 5% or 0% or conceivably a loss. Thus we all suffer.

Another case in point and one that is very recent and affected me personally. I know a distributor that was going to bring in a premium line of pellets that is very broad but has three top sellers. He pledged that he was servicing the entire line. Awesome! Up until now there has been no availability on anything other than those three top products in the most common sizes which represents 90% of the market sales.

However it's odd balls like me representing 1% of the market that needs the exotic part of the product line to do the research with, that advances this and every other hobby,sport, industry out there. If that 1% that is pushing the envelope can't get the resources then the industry stagnates.
Back to the point, another distributor pops up and says he to is going to market this line but he is only going to service the top three products in the usual sizes. Now because the market is diluted on the products that would carry the line the first distributor backs out entirely. And rightly so. Because of that though the entire community suffers because the envelope pushers still can't access the stuff that the masses aren't buying.

In summary I think if you want to jump in then find a spot that is under serviced and then service that market fully. That way you can feel that you made a real contribution to the sport you love

Dartssnake · Member

I was going to buy 10-packs of the screws from online dealers and add up the cost and the cost of 5 one-price mailers, and divide up the entire amount and have 5 sets for me and 5 sets for sale, tell people the price and get each of them to send 1 U.S. Postal money order from each for 1/5 of the price and be done with it.

I have since changed my mind and will do the footwork, as Home Depot and Lowes, Ace Hardware and Busy Beaver are within hundreds of feet of each other in my neighborhood.

I had no intention to disrupt anybody's income-stream.

Enough said...8)