Help! Mounting/tightening scope rings/bases

[tikkataker]

So yesterday I was cleaning one of my rifles and noticed that the bases and rings on one were obviously loose. The scope had slid through the rings and the bases had come loose. Now, I have shot it all year round and never had an issue or noticed anything out of the ordinary except yesterday. I bought the rife and scope together about 5 years ago and never had an issue. It hasnt been dropped or anything as it has been in my care.

Should it be taken in to be re mounted/tightened or can I re tighten and loctite the screws myself and just sight in again? What would the the torque spec on these? It doesn't slide freely unless you add some force to move it through the rings. The bases on the other hand slide and 'click' back and forth.

Any help would be appreciated!

[Kurt505]

Do exactly what you thought, take the scope off, put some loc-tite on and snug them up. I usually torque the bases to 50 inch pounds and my rings to 35-40 inch pounds.

[qwert]

Originally Posted by Kurt505

Do exactly what you thought, take the scope off, put some loc-tite on and snug them up. I usually torque the bases to 50 inch pounds and my rings to 35-40 inch pounds.

AFAIK, the correct torque spec for 6x48 base screws is ~20 in/lbs
IMHO 50 in/lbs is a severe over-torque and likely to stress 6x48 screws past their tensile yield point, or strip or deform the threads or head.

AFAIK, the correct torque spec for 8x40 base screws is ~28 in/lbs

The proper torque for ring screws will depend on screw size and ring material and model,
check individual manufacturers spec for your model of rings.
NF specifies 100 in/lbs for the crossbolt and 25 in/lbs for the cap screws, used on their 6 screw, titanium, & 7075-T6 Ultralite rings. I suspect screws used with std 6061 aluminum rings will have lower torque specs.

Many suggest blue Locktite, or nail polish, but Locktite specifies purple thread locker for these small screws. Purple is not quite as strong as blue, has worked well for me, and will be a lot easier to remove when necessary. I have needed to apply heat from an OA torch to remove a Savage factory installed rail with 8x40 screws.

If the rings have ever been lapped or custom fitted, they may have problems other than loose screws.

Good Luck, YMMV.

[Smokinyotes]

I usually clean 6-48 threads with Brake clean then use blue lock tight torqued to 20 inch lbs. I have only had these ever come loose once and that was after 400 rounds of 300wm off the bench.

[mgvande]

So I have heard, and everyone has an opinion on this, that is you use locktite and let's say your spec is 20"/lb. you would actually torque up a little less as the locktite acts as a lubricant.

[couleefolk]

My new Vortex scope has a tag that says not to exceed 18"/lbs on rings.

[warriorboy10]

Loctite not necessarily needed if base and ring screws torqued to proper specs.

TT, if your interested bring your rifle by. I have the equip and you can torque your bases, lap rings, mount and level scope and torque your rings.

PM me.

[Tactical Lever]

I would look on the manufacturers site for torque specs. For steel it's higher than aluminum. Use the right (hollow ground) bits and get a decent torque driver. Before I knew better (and was very young), I used to torque the living crap out of the Weaver steel rings. They are tough.

One little trick, if it can be called that is pushing the ring forward into the mount before it is torqued. It probably doesn't make a difference, but I like having less chance of the ring being able to move under recoil.

[tikkataker]

It is a redfield 3-9x42 scope...exact model not sure. A little wary on doing it myself and making sure everything is level and straight as I don't have much equipment (i have allen heads and such, no level or bore sight etc...) for this type of thing to do it properly.

Id hate to do it wrong and then it bother me later....

[Salavee]

I use 22 and 28 in/lbs respectively for 6-48 thread Rings & Bases.. A small dab of clear fingernail polish on the threads locks them in.

[Nyksta]

if you over tighten the ring screws you run the risk of putting crushing pressure on your scope tube and making the internals not slide and adjust as they are meant to. could lead to not holding zero or broken things.

[MagnumMachine]

Originally Posted by Kurt505

Do exactly what you thought, take the scope off, put some loc-tite on and snug them up. I usually torque the bases to 50 inch pounds and my rings to 35-40 inch pounds.

This is exceeding SAAMI torque specs by about 100% which will stress screws and crush scope tubes if the rings have any amount of gap between the ring halves , as most do.

[Tactical Lever]

Originally Posted by tikkataker

It is a redfield 3-9x42 scope...exact model not sure. A little wary on doing it myself and making sure everything is level and straight as I don't have much equipment (i have allen heads and such, no level or bore sight etc...) for this type of thing to do it properly.

Id hate to do it wrong and then it bother me later....

You don't need a leveling kit, although it does help. I did quite a few without, but then again a couple cross hairs were a little sloped too. A good screw driver set is kind of a necessity just for various screws that you will want to check now and then. I believe the torque driver that I bought was about $35. I think you can buy a basic leveling kit for about that also. The extra nice one is around $80.

Up to you, but I like being able to do it properly myself. It's a peace of mind thing, and I'm not driving around to pay money to swap scopes either.

You don't need a bore sighter, either. The cheap ones are a waste of money, and good ones are a bit better. Bottom line is you still need to sight it in yourself. A bore sight may, or may not even get you on paper.

[Kurt505]

Originally Posted by MagnumMachine

This is exceeding SAAMI torque specs by about 100% which will stress screws and crush scope tubes if the rings have any amount of gap between the ring halves , as most do.

Strip screws and crush tubes? Wholly smokes man, scope tubes aren't made of toilet paper rolls. The only time I had ever stressed a scope tube was when I was young and figured I had to tighten the screws as thought as I could get them with that little torex wrench that came with the kit. I'd be willing to bet that Mose people who use that wrench torque the screws to 60in/lbs and don't even know it. I install one or two dozen scopes a year with my wheeler kit and never even leave a ring mark. It may be above SAAMI specs, but it's not causing any damage.

[gitrdun]

Originally Posted by Kurt505

Strip screws and crush tubes? Wholly smokes man, scope tubes aren't made of toilet paper rolls. The only time I had ever stressed a scope tube was when I was young and figured I had to tighten the screws as thought as I could get them with that little torex wrench that came with the kit. I'd be willing to bet that Mose people who use that wrench torque the screws to 60in/lbs and don't even know it. I install one or two dozen scopes a year with my wheeler kit and never even leave a ring mark. It may be above SAAMI specs, but it's not causing any damage.

It actually goes beyond ring marks. Think of the micrometer adjustments within the scope which are connected and secured by the tube internals. When you dial in 2 clicks on a .25 moa scope, you do expect a 1/2" shift on target. If the scope tube is distorted, twisted, then the micrometer mechasnism within the scope is compromised. certainly they are not made of toilet paper rolls, but they are aluminum, unlike the older steel tubes which could handle more distortion. Absolute ring concentricity and proper torque is condusive to repeated accuracy.