Threaded bead on shotgun broke.

[bripro]

I tried to remove the front bead on a Rem 870 to replace it with a tru-glo unit and it sheered off. Of course its flush with the raised lip on the barrel. Any suggestions? I figured there was red locktite on it but I didnt want to heat it cause I was worried Id mess up the finish. Now Ive got no front sight.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[ReconLdr]

That depends on your skill with tools. I would:
1. Mount the gun in a vise or clamp of some type. Be carefull not to apply too much force on the barrel.
2. Take a springloaded center punch and mark the very center of the threaded shaft.
3. Using a very small lefthanded drill bit (no more than 1/2 the size of the shaft) try to gauge how deep the mounting hole is for the sight, you can use the new sight for this as well. Place a piece of tape marking the maximum depth you want to go. (should not be very deep)
4. Very carefully drill (in reverse on your drill) the stud out of the barrel. If it is not in too tight, it may just back out when the drill bit "bites" into the metal. Do not go deeper than your mark on the drill bit. If the shaft does not come out with the drill you can use an EZ out and a wrench.

You could use some 2x4s to make a brace/stand to keep the gun stable instead of a vise.

If you are not good with tools take it to a gunsmith...

[762xIan]

Pretty standard job for most 'smiths....should not cost to much to fix if you don't want to try doing it yourself.

[Frenchy]

Use a High Viz magnetic, you will not need to screw it in at all

[P-11 shooter]

Use a High Viz magnetic, you will not need to screw it in at all

Mine was held on with double sided tape for years. The tape you get with the universal clipdraw is awsome!!!

Or you can just get one of those little dremel drill bits and carefully drill that shit out and tap it the next bigger size. IIRC my fiber optic front came with a few different sized threads.

[Pa. Patriot]

Beads are normally secured with loc-tite

Proper heating (heat the bead till the LT melts) will not harm the finish...

Now that it is broke, it will need to drilled, heated and extracted.
No biggie with the right tools

[mauser]

Note;
Some mechanics, and I'm sure some gunsmiths as well, will charge more if you tried to fix it first. Not because they want to "teach you a lesson", but because you've done more damage and made the repair more difficult.
In other words, if you aren't sure of yourself, let a professional do it right the first time. Not only will the cost be minimal, you won't have to waste those nasty words and the time it takes to get into the situation where you start to utter them.
Besides that, they already have the proper tools. If you don't have a well stocked tool box or a friend who has one and you have to buy a drill bit, center punch, EZ out, tap and tap handle you'll probably be spending more than you'd pay a smith to do it.

[bripro]

Thanks everyone for the advice and ideas. I have just one more question. How much heat is required to loosen the locktite? Im not sure if were talking about a hair dryer here, candle or torch. Thanks again, Brian

[Posit]

Probably too late for this job (?), but I use a small soldering iron, put heat directly on the screw (bead) but not the surrounding metal. I heat until the surrounding metal is very warm to the touch. Kind of a PITA to do, but safe - no possible damage.