I have a new savage in 308 I will use for deer hunting this season. I will be changing out the barrel afterwards. The picatinny rail I got goes over the barrel nut, so I will have to remove the rail to remove the barrel. This gun has not been fired yet and will see no more than 40 rounds of Fusion Lite ammo (170 gr @ 2000 fps) before the barrel gets changed.

How necessary is loctite in this scenario and if I still really need it, how do I break the mounting screws free when I need to remove the mount?

Thanks for any advice/info.

Dont need it at all. If you must just use a bit of nail polish but with such mild loads I really would not worry.

I do not ever use locktite on my scope mounts for any rifle, in any chambering up through the .458 Winchester mag. I certainly would not use it for a .308/7.62 NATO.

What I do often do, is replace the original screws with those made to take a hex wrench (Allen wrench) or a Robertson wrench (square wrench). But I just do that so I can easily get nice even tension on each screw and not carelessly bugger up the screw slots with an ill-fitting screw-driver blade.

It also allows me to put an Allen wrench in the sling of each rifle so that if I ever need to remove the scope in the field I have the proper tool at hand. I get the replacement Allen-head screws by the dozen from Brownells so there are always some handy in my shop. (I personally like the standard Allen wrenches better than the Torx wrenches. But that's just personal choice. I actually like the Robertson screw head best of all.)

Thanks, guys. It's good to know. AC, it's an EGW so it comes with hex head screws. I also have preferred them for the same reasons. I just always used loctite from being told, reading, etc.

Loctite is a poor substitute for a properly torqued mount screw. In 45 years of mounting scopes I've never had a mount screw come loose and have never used any kind of chemical or adhesive on one.

But I have taken apart plenty scope mounts "loctited" by others. GRRRRRRR!

If You have the right amount of torque on the screws it is 99,9% unnecessary, but as 99% of the people assembling scope mounts are not using a torque wrench... it is definetly necessary!

BUT:
Even when I am using a torque wrench, I am securing my screw with Loctite and will do this alays again: Why? Cause I want it safe, not causing trouble when I don´t need it most: on the hunt!

Why should You nozt use Loctite - I can´t see any disadvantage on using it (except You are using the too strong ones or using too much to much of it)

Why using it when I have the right torque?

Well, in general engineering, loctite is used to stop screws from getting loosened by vibrations - and also while shooting, You could have those vibrations which may start loosinening your screws. With enough torque no problem at all, but the screws of scope mounts (those holding the bases on the receiver) are totaly underdimensioned - they hold, but in stronger calibers not as they should work: as "loaded springs causing friction between the parts they should assmble together" - in most cases they are just bolts, transfering the recoil until they break...

How to break free? I am using Loctite 243 (medium strength) and with all you should add heat to weaken the Loctite: take a hairdryer and heat up the parts...

Never used it.. In roughly 35 years of hunitng and shooting Ive had to re-tighten mount screws maybe once or twice. Thats it, and that was a long time ago.. Not at all in the past 20 or so years.

I've never needed to use loctite and have never a had a torque wrench.

I'm not sure it is rocket science; just make the screws tight but not so tight you risk stripping the fine threads or burring the slot. A well-fitting screwdriver without leverage should make this this reasonably intuitive. I'm only talking calibres up to 338 mag, of course - maybe the .308 needs something stronger

quote:

just make the screws tight but not so tight you risk stripping the fine threads or burring the slot.

could you tell me where I could meassure this perfect line without a torque wrench??

Dunno, but I've watched gunsmiths do it and their screws and the ones I've installed have held so far. One gunsmith put grease under the rings, too, to stop rust on the steel tubes, but still the eye distances have held.

Do you break bones with your handshake?

I have had mounts and rings installed by others loosen.
I install base to receiver screws with 222 blue loctite. I may or may not use loctite on the rign screws depending on how wimpy the slots or sockets are. With good strong screws i use a tiny bit of 222. I have never had any loosen.

quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:
Dunno, but I've watched gunsmiths do it and their screws and the ones I've installed have held so far. One gunsmith put grease under the rings, too, to stop rust on the steel tubes, but still the eye distances have held.

Do you break bones with your handshake?

That man is right - not only to stop rust, but also to lubricate the screw-heads while fastening - otherwise the torque is needed to overcome the friction and not to fasten your screws! Also should the thread be lubricated if not using Loctite (which seems to lubricate as well...)

quote:

Originally posted by scubapro:

could you tell me where I could meassure this perfect line without a torque wrench??

How would I know the exact pressure to use if I had a torque wrench?

quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:

quote:

Originally posted by scubapro:

could you tell me where I could meassure this perfect line without a torque wrench??

How would I know the exact pressure to use if I had a torque wrench?

Looking into lists - need to know the strength of the components or at least estimate it: I use the list for 6.9 or 8.8 screws (strength class of the screw) - plus medium friction - all other you must knew are the dimension (messure the screws diameter) - so no big issue

The screws for rings are maximum 2Nm (says Swarovski and other manufacturers) - otherwise the lenses inside could be damaged (another reason to see why to use exact gear vs gorilla strength)

Of course You could calculate the screws with DIN - but I don´t think that this is necessary...

It does not require walking a fine line to install scope mount screws satisfactorily, nor does it require a torque wrench. Anyone with a lick of the sense of feel can do it with a drive-bit which properly fits the screws being used.

Screw them down to where they are snug. Then screw them in just a red hair further, but not enough that they squeak or take any strong effort on your part (usually they squeak just before they snap off).

Mounting a scope is like anything else mechanical. One can over-complicate the hell out of it with very little effort.

Thanks for putting it in simple terms, Alberta. Getting the lug nuts the right tightness on your car when you change a flat is statistically a lot more important to your life and limb than scope mount screws, but torquing lug nuts to a reasonable tightness simply using common sense seems to have kept me upright for better than 60 years. No loctite needed, it seems.

If you apply the wrong Loctite compound gott help you trying to remove them fuggers.