Blue LocTite- Rings and Bases or No?

[Jesse Jaymes]

Took my Sunday to further load development and check zero. Had some serious horizontal stringing with an accurate Bergara and Mark 5HD. Both should be known and accurate. After some frustration I checked ring screws. They were not "finger tight" but I was able to add over half turn to them rather easily. They were installed w torque wrench to spec.

Ring to Base screws were tight but those are much higher torque with a 1/2" ratchet. Before totally removing scope I shot another group. 3 shots touched.

Asking if Blue Loctite is both Ok and should be "standard"? The scope is the 5-25X56. It's a big SOB on a brake-less 300 WM.

 

[yycyak]

Degrease everything. Blue loctite on everything. 18in/lbs for ring screws, 30in/lbs for base screws.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Decrease with brake cleaner.
Blow out with air.
Blue lock tight and torque.

 

[Whisky]

Haven’t used loctite on any ring or base in quite sometime. Zero issues. Buy quality stuff and torque to spec.

Thats what I used to think....

Until last week when I had bases work completely loose on my 300prc, to the point where I could wiggle my scope quite a bit.

Now, loctite will be standard for me on all base and ring screws.

 

[wapitibob]

Loctite was made for undersize chinese screws and oversize threaded action holes.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Always degrease and blue loctite for me. My rifles see hard use though and I don’t want something bouncing or knocking loose.

 

[sndmn11]

orange

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Mine are Seekins rings on a CA Ridgeline. That matters?...it's metal

 

[Whisky]

What action & base?

Defiance Anti and Hawkins Hybrid mounts. Torqued to spec per Hawkins, 22 in/lb.

Now in the interest of full disclosure, they send little pins that go into the bottom of the bases and into the receiver. I did not install those, again with the old mindset, never used them before "why do I need them". Well I learned my lesson....

 

[ID_Matt]

I was told that the liquid loc-tite can actually work as a lubricant and increase torque if you don't let it dry. They sell a more solid type in a chapstick looking container that I have been using and it seems to work very well.

 

[Axlrod]

Degrease, torque, then finger nail polish on the outside of the screw. Never coming loose and easy to remove. I use black polish, but any color will work and a couple dollars worth will do a lot of screws.

 

[Bearwhisky]

Loctite the base, torque rings to spec is the way I do it. Ive read scope ring manufacturers claim that loctiting the rings has a negative impact on their ability to hold scope steady


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[Formidilosus]

Ive read scope ring manufacturers claim that loctiting the rings has a negative impact on their ability to hold scope steady

Complete nonsense. Ring and mount manufactures, as well as scope companies have their own agendas, and it isn’t primarily about zero retention.

Degrease everything, loctite/fingernail polish, and torque.

 

[Flyrodr]

To the degrease and Loctite, I'd add: Degrease, but also blow dry, or allow to air dry, whatever degreaser you use (acetone works well, and evaporates quickly, but don't let it get around any plastic/painted surfaces). Also, let the Loctite cure as labeling says. And take a paint pencil or something similar and put index marks on the screw and part, so you can visually see if there's any movement. Have mounted quite a few red dots on semi-auto pistols, and those are given a good rattling for hundreds/thousands of rounds over a year's time.

 

[HighUintas]

I quit using liquid loctite because it's nearly impossible to remove from threads after disassembly.

I now just degrease like hell, dry, torque to spec, then fingernail polish around the head to help lock it in place and give me a visual indicator on if it has moved.

Does anyone have a trick/chemical for removing cured loctite from threads?

 

[Bearwhisky]

Complete nonsense. Ring and mount manufactures, as well as scope companies have their own agendas, and it isn’t primarily about zero retention.

Degrease everything, loctite/fingernail polish, and torque.

The contact of the threads on the screws with the threads on the mount is held by the tension of the two halves essentially applying pressure away from each other . If theres loc tite on those threads then the threads arent making proper contact with each other.

I didnt realize all the scope manufacturers were conspiring against loctite! Gee better not listen to their recommendation, and listen to some guy on the internet instead!


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[Flyrodr]

From Loctite's web site (under the Blue Loctite, and with apologies if I attached incorrectly, still a newbie):

 

[#1antler]

Degrease, torque, then finger nail polish on the outside of the screw. Never coming loose and easy to remove. I use black polish, but any color will work and a couple dollars worth will do a lot of screws.

This is what I was taught by a very well respected gunsmith

 

[Bravo 4]

I use Loctite on all scope mounting hardware screws. Also with big heavy scopes and rifles with some recoil I will have the 6-40 mount screws replaced with 8-40, have the rail pinned (maybe double), and have even used more than 2 rings in some situations and have used red loctite. The scope and mounting hardware (no matter the brand) is still a weak point. The first time it cost you an elk after driving 1200 miles one way and hunting hard for over a week to fill a tag that cost a nonresidential 12x the “normal” rate, you will do everything you can to prevent this. Or if you have a job that peoples’ lives depend on equipment working.

 

[Formidilosus]

The contact of the threads on the screws with the threads on the mount is held by the tension of the two halves essentially applying pressure away from each other . If theres loc tite on those threads then the threads arent making proper contact with each other.

Does vibration loosen screws? Do small screws in other fields where they must not loosen use threadlocker or do they go bare?

I didnt realize all the scope manufacturers were conspiring against loctite! Gee better not listen to their recommendation, and listen to some guy on the internet instead

Scope manufacturers do not want customers complaining of rings binding up erectors. Ring manufacturers do not want customers complaining of rust on screws or rings, nor of stripped screws, nor of marring on tubes. Both generally state a torque spec that will not hold scopes from slipping in rings due to that. If they will do that, I wouldn’t put so much faith in them having absolute zero movement in mounts in mind over warranty complaints.
Neither scope nor mount manufacturers pay any attention about long term zero retention, nor have any clue what is required to maintain a static zero- how would they? Do you believe there is a division at Tally or Badger that shot five thousand rounds through fifty rifles each torqued but not degreased or thread locked, and fifty rifles for five thousand rounds each degreased and with thread locker and determined which had fewer issues? Do you believe Leupold, Vortex, or Zeiss did so? Don’t listen to some guy in the internet- you could always listen to Spuhr and have a coat of oil on each screw.

Where and how do you believe the manufacturers have learned that not degreasing and thread locking works better for a zero retention?