Action screw torque - interesting results

[dcali]

Wondering how one knows if a glue-in has stresses is a good question. I think that few people who have glue-ins have run into such issues. Maybe that is because most glue-ins are done by more experienced people, because the "seam" hasn't been broken which could allow additional erratic vibrations in the receiver, etc.? I have never encountered such problems with glue-ins.

There shouldn't be any stress because glue does not require any kind of preload to hold the action in place. The preload on torqued 1/4-20 screws gets into the 1000 pound range, so having two of them will definitely bend the action and stock (stock more than action) as it tries to force them together. Perfect bedding minimizes that. Glue just sits there and sticks and can't bend anything.

Using glue and torquing the screws hard is counter productive in my opinion - the glue really isn't doing much. Maybe it helps prevent tiny amounts of slippage. I don't know. I think If you're going to screw and glue, using only one action screw is probably ideal from a conceptual/theoretical point of view. Without two screws, you can't bend the stock. (Try otobend a metal bar with one hand - same thing).

That said, done properly, none of this matters. My glued guns have shot better than my screwed guns, but that isn't necessarily because of the glue.