Loctite for scope rail screws?

[yukonal]

Blue loctite on dozens of scope bases over the years. If you need to clean the screws after removing, a little Dremel and a wire brush rip it right off.

 

[joshb]

Just a very small dab of the wife's fingernail polish is best
Don't forget to shake it really good first

Yeah OK but what color???

 

[yukonal]

Pink...hot.

 

[AckleymanII]

Hard kickers, I epoxy the bases on the action, heat gun will take them off if need be. I don't like stuff moving around

 

[atblis]

Loctite needs to be identified by alpha-numeric designation. Going strictly by color will get you in trouble. Guess how I know.

Yep.

Green is also the color for the cylindrical fit applications.

 

[lightman]

I've always used the blue and only a small drop. I degrease the threads on both the hole and the screw. I've never had a problem getting the screws out later on if I needed to.

I also run a tap through the holes before I degrease them. I usually get a lot of gunk out of them.

 

[NZ_Fclass]

The question is - why use it? Torquing down properly is all that is needed. I have never had one come loose... except...an old SMLE that was sporterised, and we made a 303 Ackley for a hoot. The action stretched a tad and the scope and rail fell off. May have been a bit on the hot side.... One day I'll post the whole story!

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Please dont loctite scope base or ring screws. You have no idea what the next guy is going to go thru trying to fix it. Put a dab of oil on em and torque correctly. Bed the bases if you feel the need

 

[Bill Norris]

I usually use Leupold bases and rings torqued to the Leupold specs.. I never use any type of thread locker on the base or the ring screws. Knock on wood so far I've never had anything to come loose even on the heavy recoiling ultra-mags back when I was crazy enough to punish myself to that degree. LOL. Guess there is a first time for everything though.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Use loctite, push paper towel into action to catch loose drops. Rail should be secure. Ring screws and torque for attachment by the numbers. 25 and 65 will keep you connected. Not rocket science.

 

[jnm300ultra]

I have used locktite for years no problems here, just when I didn’t. My leupold mark 4 rings were the worst corporate. I used a torque wrench and still loosened up. They were steel rings don’t know if that had anything too do with it. Went and used blue locktite and never looked back. Just don’t put more than you need, a drop. I would use purple if it was ever in stock at Home Depot.
Just my 2 cents.
Jason

 

[Jtate]

On rails that are not pinned, I bed them on with JB weld. If you ever need to remove just set your iron on the rail, a little heat and it will pop off.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

There is a member on here that had to send a new bat action back after putting loctite on base screws and galling the barrel threads when it locked up. Had to have a brand new barrel cut off, bored out and action rethreaded. Very costly mistake. When you see this type stuff every day and spend hours getting broken screws out of actions you cant stress enough to be kind to your gunsmith and avoid the threadlockers. Its just a broken screw, all you gotta do is drill it out- shouldnt cost but $35 or so!

 

[KY_Windage]

How many of these Loctite debates do we need going at the same time?

Loctite on Scope Base & Ring Screws?

Do you use Loctite on base or ring screws when scope mounting? Or just torque to recommended settings?

forum.accurateshooter.com

Purple does very little, because it does not set up. Blue does set up, but with larger screws can be broken with the force of a wrench. For small screws, like 6x48's in a base, you may need to hold a nail against the screw head and heat the nail with a propane torch for 3 - 5 minutes. Hardly a big deal, no more often than one removes a base. It is amazing how many times I take a scope off some guy's rifle and find that one or two of his base screws are not anywhere near as tight as they need to be, with him swearing that, while he did not use threadlocker, he torqued them to 30. Maybe he did. I just know that mine installed with Blue (242) Loctite never move. No matter how perfectly screws are torqued, given enough vibration they will come loose, especially if subjected to temperature extremes. No way I'm risking that.

And Dusty, even if the guy used Red Loctite, with only the small amount of Loctite one would use on the a 6x48 or 8x40 screw, there is no way it would impair removal of a barrel even if it did get into the threads. Even if someone uses Red on ALL THE THREADS of a barrel all you have to do is heat it up with a torch for a few minutes and the Red Loctite melts into a paste. I have done that numerous times removing mag tubes that had been Red-Loctited into S/A shotgun actions. If that barrel would not come off it had nothing to do with the tiny bit of Loctite getting on the barrel threads.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

How many of these Loctite debates do we need going at the same time?

Loctite on Scope Base & Ring Screws?

Do you use Loctite on base or ring screws when scope mounting? Or just torque to recommended settings?

forum.accurateshooter.com

Purple does very little, because it does not set up. Blue does set up, but with larger screws can be broken with the force of a wrench. For small screws, like 6x48's in a base, you may need to hold a nail against the screw head and heat the nail with a propane torch for 3 - 5 minutes. Hardly a big deal, no more often than one removes a base. It is amazing how many times I take a scope off some guy's rifle and find that one or two of his base screws are not anywhere near as tight as they need to be, with him swearing that, while he did not use threadlocker, he torqued them to 30. Maybe he did. I just know that mine installed with Blue (242) Loctite never move. No matter how perfectly screws are torqued, given enough vibration they will come loose, especially if subjected to temperature extremes. No way I'm risking that.

And Dusty, even if the guy used Red Loctite, with only the small amount of Loctite one would use on the a 6x48 or 8x40 screw, there is no way it would impair removal of a barrel even if it did get into the threads. Even if someone uses Red on ALL THE THREADS of a barrel all you have to do is heat it up with a torch for a few minutes and the Red Loctite melts into a paste. I have done that numerous times removing mag tubes that had been Red-Loctited into S/A shotgun actions. If that barrel would not come off it had nothing to do with the tiny bit of Loctite getting on the barrel threads.

It was red and since he didnt know it galled it pretty bad. Took about 3 total threads out with the barrel and had to be bored and re-threaded. Had he known it was in there he would have heated it im sure

 

[skeeljc]

I have never had a problem removing red Loctite. I use a small propane torch and apply heat to the head of the screw. Screw can then be easily removed with minimal torque and the rail and action do not even get warm.

Knowing the rail screws are always tight is worth the trouble.

 

[KY_Windage]

I have never had a problem removing red Loctite. I use a small propane torch and apply heat to the head of the screw. Screw can then be easily removed with minimal torque and the rail and action do not even get warm.

Knowing the rail screws are always tight is worth the trouble.

Precisely, hence my "rounded-point nail," that I can reach down into the base with to get to the screw-heads. Red Loctite is not a problem, but high-temp Red takes twice as long to melt and there is no need, as Blue works good enough that without high heat I will strip the torx recess out some of the screws before the Blue will break loose.

 

[skeeljc]

Just heat the head of the screw enough that you can remove it easily with a Torx driver (round screwdriver type handle).