Pistol Bit issue.

Hope some of the vast knowledge on here can help.
I have a 3yr old 8″ pistol bit that suddenly won’t cut unless i really lean on it.It worked fine until about 3wks ago.I put new blades on it and no change.
I have it on a clam plate and thought maybe that was getting worn out because it seemed to walk\wobble before it bites into the ice.I tried my Lazer bits and they cut just fine.
I was wondering if any one else had any issues with one.TIA.

Ya realize that there is a sharpened side and an unsharpened side, don’t cha?

Denny O wrote:

Ya realize that there is a sharpened side and an unsharpened side, don’t cha?

depends on if EPG was there helping!

Thanks Glenn

Chuck, they work better if you take the cold snap off prior to augering.

Is it turning the right direction??
Asking for a friend.

Iowaboy1 wrote:

Is it turning the right direction??
Asking for a friend.

Chuck, now that the crew has had their fun you deserve an answer. I’m not familiar with the pistol bit necessarily but have sharpened/replaced several auger blades over the years. It’s pretty common to place a shim between the blade and the frame to increase the blades angle. Typically shims are cut out of sheet metal and are about 1/4″ wide. You may need to stack more than one shim do achive the desired angle.

Ditch that thing and get a Strikemaster 40 volt.

walleyesforme wrote:

Ditch that thing and get a Strikemaster 40 volt.

We may not agree on trucks but I agree with this.

40v>drill>gas

walleyesforme wrote:

Ditch that thing and get a Strikemaster 40 volt.

I own a 40V Lite-Flite and a Pistol Bit/Milwaukee/12AH

Haven’t even drilled a hole with my 40V this year, she’s a big dusty paperweight

My drill set-up is nearly half the weight at 12lbs 7oz compared to 21lbs 12oz. This is with batteries in and blade covers on.

Not only is it A LOT lighter, it’s smaller and packs down faster, and dare I say faster than the 40V in ice less than 24″ thick.

I haven’t done a head to head comparison for how many holes each drills on one battery, but from my experience they’d be awfully close to the same (they both drill A LOT of ice on one battery)

*Important to note, I’m running a big 12AH battery in the Milwaukee, a 5AH or 8AH wouldn’t be as competitive to the Strikemaster.

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To Chuck100

Have you ever used a torch or heat gun on the blades? If so, maybe the plastic warped and the pitch is off?

Have you tried it directly on the drill to eliminate the Clam plate being a possible issue?

Are the new blades actually new? Not repackaged/returned by some a-hole with his old blades?

Also worth mentioning, a year or two ago Eskimo had a bad batch of new blades with the wrong pitch, there’s a chance you might have gotten a set.

I’d give them a call tomorrow, they’re a great company.

We wont know for a while,he was going to call them tomorrow but his phone is swimming with the fishes

Uhh ohh

Goddamit…I keep losing posts where I quote or reply.

Bman…big difference is he has a plate and you don’t. That’s more parts and more weight.

I downsized to the 24v for weight savings. I couldn’t be happier.

Matt Moen wrote:

Goddamit…I keep losing posts where I quote or reply.

Bman…big difference is he has a plate and you don’t. That’s more parts and more weight.

I downsized to the 24v for weight savings. I couldn’t be happier.

Agree and agree.

I had a 24V for a season when they came out, good for what it is especially if you can get one on sale.

They’re great for guys who don’t drill a bunch of holes. I talked my Dad into one, he might drill 6 holes on a good day and still have plenty more left in the tank if ever needed. He loves his!