ATI Nova Freedom, Screw blank? (No warranty parts gun)

[BigBird]

Wondering if anyone has ever seen a screw blank in a Nova Freedom before.  I went to tighten down all screws and this turned but wouldn't tighten.  I'm not sure how it stayed in there all the way from China to ATI, to a customer, back to ATI and shipped to me???

Shown next to a replacement I made (luckily I had a 12.9 grade that I could cut down).

[mikeyb]

I've had blank and "mutant" screws in bulk boxes before.
It is possible they use a blank for alignment purposes during assembly and that one just didn't get replaced with a real screw?
I think more likely the assembly person was just "crankin em out" (whip cracking background sound) and didn't want to get in trouble for pausing the line.

[Hawkeye51]

Very plausible theory, about alignment & production.

[superchikn]

Thats not a blank,  You over tightened it and cleaned off all traces that there were ever threads there.   

[avator]

I'm sure you didn't but it actually looks like a screw that had been broken off at the threads.

[BigBird]

It isnt really a blank because it would be about the diameter of the major thread dimension.  It wouldnt fit.  However I dont think they make screws that way as the threading wouldnt happen after the heat treatment.  It is the diameter of the minor thread so it fits in there.  Maybe it is a placeholder but if I made these for that purpose, I would have made it with a grip to extract it easily.  It is dificult to get out without maybe a magnet.

[BigBird]

I'm sure you didn't but it actually looks like a screw that had been broken off at the threads.

It was "blued" on the bottom.  So it looks to be made that way.