Great writeup, and good visuals on how everything is covered in oil from the factory.
Part of my profession is testing fasteners (meaning screws, bolts, nuts, threaded holes, etc) and I'd like to add one detail if I may: using blue 243 Loctite is better than blue 242, and here's why.
You won't get all the oil out of screw or hole threads with the methods described above, and #243 Loctite still cures correctly in the presence of oil. 242 does not, even though both are "blue loctite". There is no downside to using 243 in scope mounting.
I've taken to using green 680 Loctite under scope bases on bolt actions, mostly as a "belt and suspenders" thing. It has the added advantage of curing in up to .015" air gap, so it'll fill in minor misalignment between the base and receiver if necessary. It does require a little heat and a sharp impact to remove it so it's not appropriate in every situation.
