Well, I was tearing into my new M24/47 that the wife bought me for Christmas and came across a problem.

The rear action screw came out without any trouble. However, when I got to the front screw, I had to go find a square-shank screwdriver that fit the screw, then put a small crescent wrench on the square shaft to get enough leverage to get the screw out. Upon removing it, I found that, while the screw itself appears to be OK, the first couple threads in the threaded hole in the receiver itself are boned up. Anyone know what size and thread pitch I need for a tap? Since it's just the first couple threads, I'm thinking if I get a proper sized tap, I should be able the chase the threads and be OK.

On a side note, the weapon itself, aside from the above, is just beautiful. The bore is like new, there is some very minor pitting under the bluing under the wood, but the bluing itself is probably 95%+. The metal work, aside from the above-mentioned pitting, is almost perfect. The wood, aside from being just CAKED with cosmo, appears to be good, too. The handguard even matches the stock itself pretty well. It's gonna take me forever to get the wood cleaned up, but that's all part of the game, right?

Anyone know the thread size and pitch of the action screws or where to get a tap? Is it the same size and pitch as most other Mausers? I have a feeling I'm going to Brownell's or some place like that but, if anyone knows the size and pitch, I can check the machine shops and such around here. Thanks in advance for any and all help.

Bub