Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing A hint that may serve some of you well.

One of the most aggravating things a gunsmith/blacksmith runs in to is when the owner of a rifle puts his scope bases on with thread locker and the gunsmith can't get them out. I broke 2 torx bits this morning trying to do just that. I even heated one with a soldering gun for several minutes with no luck.

Some gun owners must think the screws are holding the drive wheels of Kenworth together.

Mickey - So you're saying I no longer need to tighten my base screws just up to the point that I think they're fixin' to break?

I sure hope you charge the offender(s) for the extry work.

Tighten them until they just strip and back off half a turn.

Kroil ?

A couple of years ago, my daughter brought me a Remington 721 that her grandfather (my ex-father-in-law) had bought back in the mid-1950s and modified over the years. It was the barreled action, a poorly finished and partially bedded Fajen stock, some Leupold rings and a Weaver K-4 scope. She wanted it put back together for her son (my youngest grandson). I just finished restoring it and bedding it in a factory stock that I bought here on the 'Fire.

The hardest part was getting the one-piece Leupold base off. It was anchored with three different sizes of screws and was epoxied to the action. Apparently he was worried about it shooting loose. I had to take it to my gunsmith to get it removed. Roy blued the base and screws, along with the barreled action, and advised me to just put the base back on with the same screws in the appropriate holes.

It actually turned out pretty good!

Screws can be tightened in place by tightening them down with a good effort then giving them a sharp whack with a hammer and small punch. This seats the threads and allows you to get one half to one full turn of additional torque on the screw.

All with no locktite used. and they will come loose with hand tools

Blue loctite is not real good, red is bad. "Oversize" screws are a better option for worn receiver threads.

Don't use Loctite on my own rifles. Never had a problem.

I feel your pain, Mickey. BTDT.

LMAO

Mr C.

Let us know how the project goes

I can understand the occasional need to lock the threads - undoubtedly in the instance of a wicked recoiling rifle, but not as a universal practice. Personally, in 45 years of loony-hood, I have never loctited a screw, and never had scope bases and/or sights come loose. (Of course I have carefully avoided anything with the word "Magnum" in its name too.)

I'm sure I've scoped and shot at least 100 rifles over the last 15 years and I have never used anything on scope mount threads and I've never had a mount come loose. A properly torqued fastener needs no locking compound.

Guys,...do you Loctite the lug nuts on your truck?

Dd you ever get the screws out, and if so, how?

i have used my wife's fingernail polish and it's cheap and works good and still breaks loose.

but no loctite. wow that'd be a beyotch to get off!

Nothing an acetylene torch and cold chisel won't shift.. ;-)

My main gunsmith used to bemoan the extreme tension idiots put on Allen wrenches, esp long handle ones, then they moan when something gets stripped.

Wanna know what's worse? The morons who use fingernail polish..

And just two posts above is.......

I left the base on and Cerakoted the base as well as the receiver. If I can't get it off neither can he.

I use Blue Loctite on all my scope mounts, but just only on a couple of screw threads and not all of them, have never had a problem getting them out this way. When i get a rifle that is hard to get the screws out, i drill off the heads and use vice grips on the stud and they come out easy. Yes i have had bases work loose with out Locktite on them.

I also use blue loctite on base screws (not rings). I have never had an issue removing bases with my method.

First, if the receiver scope base holes are all cruded up, chase the holes with the appropriate 6-48 tap or whatever size your receiver holes are. This will clean them up nicely. Degrease screws and receiver scope base holes.

When installing, place a very small single drop of blue loctite on the end of a very small allen wrench. Then transfer that drop of loctite inside the threads of the receiver scope base hole (nothing on the base screws). Then install base as normal with 20 inch pounds on the screws.

This method will yield no mess with loctite everywhere, and provide the extra rigidity against vibration that could loosen the base screws.

Or you could follow the manufacturer's advice and use low strength purple #222


Medium strength blue is recommended for screws 1/4 inch and up.

Wouldn't surprise me if some (bubba) characters out there just grab the super glue.