Which Loctite do you use for mounting your scope base screws? It seems the purple would be the best but I cant find it around here. The next step up is the blue but I am worried about being able to get the screw back out.

I am mounting a Badger Ordnance tactical scope mount on a Rem 700 with 8-40 Torx screws and want it to be rock solid.

Thanks for your input.

I always use the BLUE and I don't seem to have any problems removing the screws at a later date!

I use the red or even glass bed...If I want to remove the screws I apply a little heat to the screw heads and unscrew them...I mostly use a small propane torch that you get at cooking stores and it spots the screw head perfectly...

or use a soldering iron or a drill press with a screwdriver and heat the screwdriver and twist the drill press head...

Its not a problem so use the strongest stuff you can get...

Bill,

There are two camps in the loc-tite on the old base screw gag.

I tend to favor the don’t need it group.

I have Seekonk torque handles in 25 inch pounds and 65 inch pounds in my shooting bag...and the 25 inch pound setting works great for 8x40 base screws and ring caps.

I confess that I am one of those guys that regularly checks the torque on my bases and ring mounts...but I seldom find that they have loosened up.

I use the blue on my scope bases. I have used the purple on other screws and yes, it is hard to come by but Brownell's does have it

Thanks for your help. I ende up going with the ble after I did a trial run using a 8-40 torx head screw and a nut. It worked just fine and wasnt too dificult to remove.

I was told by an engineer at Leupold not to use any type of Locktite on the Torx head screws. he said the slender wrench provided provides the correct amount of torque when held between thumb and forefinger near the end of the wrench and tighten till the wrench just starts to flex. I've been doing that for a few years now and I've never had any come loose. I am interested to determine # inch pounds torque that equals. I've got other tools that I would prefer to use than the wrench they provide, but it's handy in the field.

brianbo,

I argue with people all the time over this subject...and I have asked the question of Dick Thomas at Premeir Reticles (the guy that knows more about scopes than anyone I know) and also the tech guys at Leupold and Al Lee at Unertl. All of these guys are against using Loctite for scope base and ring screws.

If you ask Leupold tech guys they will tell you that they conducted a study some time ago on this and found that plain lubricating oil (yes, oil) is the best thing to use on scope base and ring screws.

The thing that seems to be most important is to assure that the threads on the screws and in the tapped holes are SPOTLESSLY clean prior to installing.

Next up in importance is to always torque the screws the same amount and in the same sequence.

Loctite, in my opinion, should not be used on easily accessible screws on firearms since it ain’t that big a deal to check the tightness on them. This is especially true (again, on the advice of the above mentioned guys) when an accurate torque on the screws is necessary. Locite will give false torque readings and/or “feeling†to a tightened screw.

quote:

Loctite, in my opinion, should not be used on easily accessible screws on firearms since it ain’t that big a deal to check the tightness on them

Actually to check the base screws on many rifles you must remove the scope which results in having to recheck the point of impact.

heating to 400F is sufficient to break down most forms of loctite

Only the "RC" series loctite compounds whice are made for locking bearing races in worn housings require heating to higher temps to get the material to break down.
(IIRC RC680 requires 475F to "kill" it)

AllanD