I'd like to hear your thoughts on whether standard 6-48's are adequate or should I have the holes for the bases retapped for 8-40's? The rifle will be a Model 70 416 Rem and the scope will probably be a Leupold 2.5x compact in Leupold QR rings.

Has anyone had 6-48 screws shear under the recoil of the larger rifles?

I think it would be a good idea, I haven't had any break but some people posting have. Also depends how many rounds you shoot, if only a box or two a year you probably don't have to, but I'd be on the safe side.

I'd also bed the mounts in epoxy before I tightened the screws down too.

What he said.

(The Loctited 6-48s broke after 700 rounds on my M70 .416Rem. )

Don

Most broken 6-48 are actually caused by over tightening and putting a slight twist in the screw itself, then recoil shears them after stressing the twisted area....

therefore 8-40 are a good improvment on any rifle, but particularly on big bores...

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

I guess the larger screws have to be an improvement. However I have never had any problem with the standard screws.

I always glue the bases on and have fired literally thousands of shots from 378, 458 Win and 460 Wby calibers. With 375 H&H I could not even guess at the number of shots fired

From my experience mount problems occur in the joining of ring to base not base to action.

Contrary to Don, I think loctite is a waste of time as compared to epoxy glue.

I also agree with what Ray has said about over tightening setting up a problem.

Many years ago we always sweated bases on to the action but I think epoxy glue achieves the same result and is real easy to do.

Mike

[This message has been edited by Mike375 (edited 09-04-2001).]

Anyone ever use JB Weld to glue bases on to your rifles ? Good stuff , but it could be a bugger to get the bases back off if you ever changed your mind .

Yep, and like you know it works good. Heck, I even used it on a 6.5 one time to hold the screws into the stripped out holes! Like all the other epoxies, it will loosen under the flame of a torch if you need to get it off.

Mike,

You have converted me to the epoxy-the-bases-down school!

(And you thought I didn't listen...)

Don

Don,

I use the softer setting ones. We call them Araldite 24 hour. Same stuff as we use for bench rest glue ins.

We also have a material called Stripoxy which strips the stuff of actions and bases when soaked. I think it has some chemical like trichloroethane. These are Ciba Geighy products.

The stripoxy won't work on heat cured (which of course happens when the bases are removed) epoxies like Devocn or other high grade epoxies with fillers in them.

Mike

I agree. Either way works for me. 8 X 40 screws or JB Weld with the 6 X 48's. I always do one or the other, or both (8 X 40's and epoxy that is), unless of course the action has integral scope bases like the Rugers, CZ's, or BRNO's.

The JB WEld comes off easily with a propane torch heat, not enough to affect the heat treatment of the action.

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Good huntin' and shootin',
RAB

[This message has been edited by R. A. Berry (edited 09-06-2001).]