Scope mounting questions

[sksshooter]

Alright folks, need some input. I learned in my mjd 20s that spending a little more on decent optics made the difference in hunting those last 5 min of legal shooting time. I thrn learned that using quality 1 piece bases and rings held them there much better. Ive got a winchester model 70 with a 1 piece egw rail, seekins precision rings and leupold vx3 4.5-14x50lr with 30mm tube. Has performed great for my needs. The rifle is in a hogue stock with aluminum bedding block and has served me well for close to 15 years and 150-175 rounds. Never had to resight etc. Fast forward i have a browning a-bolt white gold in 300wsm with wood stock with same scope and mount setup torqued to specs and after 40-50 rounds the base is loose to the point i can see light when rocked. Not positive when it came loose but i was suprised at how much my groups opened up from 65-66 grains of rl19 and nosler 165s. Fired probably 12-15 more rounds before realizing the scope had movement. Ive never used thread locker and never had this issue. My .444 marlin single shot has never moved. The 300 has decent recoil but doesnt seem worse than the 444. Have i just been lucky? Should i use any and if so which thread locker?

 

[std7mag]

Lots of people will say no to thread lockers.

Personally, i do use it.
I use the low strength purple Loctite.
Blue will work, but is higher strength & may cause issues if you should ever need to remove it.

Oh, and make sure you actually torque the screws!!

 

[wkdickinson]

I also believe in "bedding" the base to the action, along with Loctiting and torquing the base screws.

 

[6BRA]

I have used red. The bbl/base can handle a little heat to loosen red threadlocker. No issue to remove.

 

[joshb]

Blue.

 

[Rem06]

were they new or reused screws?

new screws should just need proper torque. base i use 25inlb
reused screws i have used red loctite,

some drill and tap to next size up for added strength.

 

[ShtrRdy]

I like to use the blue on the base screws. I don't use any on the ring screws.

 

[Andy Work]

+1 on bedding the rail and using Loctite.

 

[Jarhead6870]

I have always used “blue” Loctite on the base screws and nothing on the ring crossbolt and cap screws. I always check my torque values on the action/guard screws, the ring cross bolts and caps screws whenever I clean my rifle. If I find ring bolts/screws that continuously loosen up, I use a “thread locker” on them; it’s different from Loctite and meant for screws that need to be removed and reinstalled a few times. You may have seen it applied to new screw threads you receive from various manufacturers; usually red or blue in color

 

[Fred Bohl]

The Vibra-TITE 213 VC-3 Threadmate is just great. Start with the 30ml size you will use it more than you think. Works on small to medium screws and bolts in every material and finish I've tried. Best for fasteners that will likely to be removed and/or reused.

 

[J_idaho]

After shooting 300wm for years that cartridge has special vibrating abilities. My advise is to bed, glue, torque and lap everything on the rifle.

 

[K22]

Blue on base screws, especially for magnum calibers. I would also use on any caliber above 223 Rem, especially for light hunting rifles with heavy recoil.

With Torx head type screws on the bases for my 223 Rem rifles, I don't need to use Loctite, but it doesn't hurt to use it if one wants to add an extra level of assurance.

 

[freebird22/250]

Loctite #222 or #242 on the base screws and nothing on ring screws.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Make certain the front screw isn't bottoming out on the bbl tenon, for sure. Bedding the base is always a good idea and clean the screws and holes out good with a good degreaser, like brake cleaner or acetone, then, I always use a tad of purple or blue loctite on the base screws. Comes out fine and prevents them from loosening via vibration. It doesn't need to be strong and please don't use red or green. If purple on clean threads doesn't work, you've got some other issue behind it.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Another thing...I don't think a big magnum requires a stronger thread locker than say a 22 hornet. It's not how hard it recoils but how often, unless something is just not well fitted or bound up. I think the thread locker just prevents the screw from turning with vibration. If something gets jarred loose, the screw will still be in the same place and have no tension on the base, either way. Hope that makes sense anyway. Stronger sealant won't tighten it back up, iow.

 

[DShortt]

I have never personally experienced a base coming loose if it was properly torqued on initial installation unless the base did not fit the action correctly. I'd check into the base bedding threads on the forum if it were me and I'd not done that before.

 

[BobT]

I use blue Loctite on base screws and have become a firm believer in bedding the bases. On my personal rifles I actually glue the bases on. Make sure the screws and threaded holes are clean before assembly.

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

After shooting 300wm for years that cartridge has special vibrating abilities. My advise is to bed, glue, torque and lap everything on the rifle.

super advice!

 

[sksshooter]

good info here guys. i will look more into what is required to bed the rail on the action. These were new screws and torqued with a fat wrench. it has been a couple of months since install but i seem to recall the base screws/rail called for 26 in/lbs. this was definatly a first for me. i did some reviewing of my loading notes and i'm actually just over 200 rounds through my 270wsm with no issues and it is the identical base and ring setup i have on the 300wsm. they were torqued the same so will do some further investigating here.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

good info here guys. i will look more into what is required to bed the rail on the action. These were new screws and torqued with a fat wrench. it has been a couple of months since install but i seem to recall the base screws/rail called for 26 in/lbs. this was definatly a first for me. i did some reviewing of my loading notes and i'm actually just over 200 rounds through my 270wsm with no issues and it is the identical base and ring setup i have on the 300wsm. they were torqued the same so will do some further investigating here.

New screws are sometimes...often too long. Again, just make darn sure that front one isn't bottoming out, if you haven't already. Also, new screws typically have lube on them to prevent corrosion in the package. Clean that stuff off as it may well prevent loctite from doing its job. Simple stuff that often gets overlooked. Our problems are usually something simple like that.