detail cleaning your own rifle.

[MrMcintyre]

hello, just curious if any of you guys have stripped your own rifle down to clean and reassembled them? Do you have to have a torque wrench to put them back together properly? Thanks

 

[Rob5589]

IMO, a torque wrench is 100% necessary.

 

[WCB]

what do you mean by "break down"? If you mean simply take the stock off, remove trigger group, and disassemble bolt then yes. I do this immediately after unboxing a new rifle. Torque wrench as said above, 100%

 

[thinhorn_AK]

All the time, yes you need a torque wrench if you want to do it properly.

 

[alexanderg23]

Yep. But I don’t remove trigger group.

 

[Sobrbiker]

Be sure to get an inch/lb torque wrench.
Inconsistent torque on action screws, scope rings/caps, etc leads to inconsistencies, and inconsistencies are what affect accuracy. Manufacturers usually have torque values available.
If shock is bedded, be aware of not getting harsh cleaning agents on bedding material.

 

[Marbles]

An in/lb torque wrench should be in everyone's tool kit. I have a Borka Tools torque wrench and would highly recommended it. If on a budget, look at the Wheeler FAT wrench.

 

[MrMcintyre]

Thank you everyone! I bought a winchester model 70 extreme weather ss second hand an when I got it the pictures made it look alot cleaner. The nearest gunsmith has a nine week waiting list so I'm going to strip it an clean it.

 

[Dhbwa]

If you have a mechanical background (use hand tools regularly) a torque wrench is 100% not necessary

 

[MrMcintyre]

Thank you!

 

[MrMcintyre]

I do use alot of hand tools. I feel 100% confident in doing it. Just wondering if people torque every bolt in the gun or will it affect the accuracy

 

[Reburn]

A torque wrench is a must. Dont be that guy that takes it apart to clean it, doesnt torque it back to specs and makes a post next week about bad groups and not being able to get it to shoot.

But I guess if you ok with less then stellar performace do it by feel to your hearts content.

 

[MrMcintyre]

Thank you id like it to be done properly the first time lol instead of a post ill just message you directly if my groups are bad

 

[Low_Sky]

I do use alot of hand tools. I feel 100% confident in doing it. Just wondering if people torque every bolt in the gun or will it affect the accuracy

Consistent torque makes for consistent accuracy. Can you get by without a torque driver? Yes. Is it worth the hassle and risk when a FAT Wrench is $35? No.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[gbflyer]

If you’re talking torquing the action screws then it comes into play with a poorly bedded rifle. Properly bedded it’s a non-issue. There is more to a good bedding job than many would like to believe.

 

[Sobrbiker]

If you’re talking torquing the action screws then it comes into play with a poorly bedded rifle. Properly bedded it’s a non-issue. There is more to a good bedding job than many would like to believe.

10+ yrs of rifle competition (precision, silhouette, etc) and many well built rifles along that road leads me to disagree. Minute of paper plate under 400yds maybe, but sub moa to 1k-I can think of at least a dozen smiths and high end precision rifle shops that would disagree as well.

 

[Marbles]

The fascinating thing about fasteners is that contrary to what most of us find intuitive, in a properly designed system a screw is not load bearing, rather it solely serves as a clamp and the friction between the two parts is what holds the load.

Too little torque and there will not be enough friction, which converts the screw from a clamp to a structural element. Too much toque and you can cause a failure of the fastener (or some other component).

Yes, you can guestimate a screw well enough to avoid catastrophic events. However, consistency is more difficult, though it can be achieved with thoughtful application. Check out the Bassett Machine picatinny rail for an M1A for a good example.

 

[gbflyer]

10+ yrs of rifle competition (precision, silhouette, etc) and many well built rifles along that road leads me to disagree. Minute of paper plate under 400yds maybe, but sub moa to 1k-I can think of at least a dozen smiths and high end precision rifle shops that would disagree as well.

Marbles post is on point. This is why a properly bedded action, done by a real stocker, not a “precision gunsmith” won’t be picky about torque numbers. The clamping surface will be stress free.

The guys that shoot BR competitively who chase the .001, not paper plates, precision (not sure what that discipline covers), or silhouettes, often times have a gunsmith and a stocker. Usually glue-ins but still stress-free. There are very few gunsmiths that know how to bed a stock, their price list or ego size not withstanding. Also, the bedding goes out from time to time and they have to be re-bedded. Cleaning solvents work on the bedding over time. Just the way it is.

Can you fiddle with torque and improve groups? Probably. But only on a bedding job that isn’t stress free. Wanna see? Clamp the rifle down and put a dial on the muzzle. Torque up the screws. Then loosen the front screw. If there is .001 of deflection you don’t have a good enough bedding job for BR, or your good bedding job has gone out.

Just my experience. A few more than 10, not that the number matters.

 

[Dhbwa]

Can you fiddle with torque and improve groups? Probably. But only on a bedding job that isn’t stress free. Wanna see? Clamp the rifle down and put a dial on the muzzle. Torque up the screws. Then loosen the front screw. If there is .001 of deflection you don’t have a good enough bedding job for BR, or your good bedding job has gone out.

This^^^^