Engineers tell us that screw threads maintain their tension by "bolt stretch" (think of the head, rod and main bolts on an internal combustion engine, no locking adhesive or device). Something on the order of a 1/4" shank, grade 5 or 8, needs to be up around ,real roughly, 72 to 108 inch pounds to get any bolt stretch. Flat bottom actions are more forgiving of variations in torque. Round bottom actions sans pillars are very susceptible to problems of varying torque. In competition, round bottom actions will 'shoot loose' for various reasons, sometimes during a match. Check the screw torque before a match, fire a hundred rounds and sighters, 20 of which will be rapid fire, re check torque, most likely it will be looser. Hence, pillars, and aluminum bedding blocks. I don't torque anything, going by feel, and Mauser, I doubt, ever intended a very tight guard screw since they provided locking screws and pillars both. If a guy were to ask me, I'd say, forget the numbers, snug the hell out of it, mark the screw lightly with a scribe, so you can see with a glance if it has moved and leave it alone. I don't use any adhesive because it the the stock and action could be loose, but if the screw isn't loose, how would you know?
Barsness once wrote a priceless tip about checking bedding, put a dial indicator on the barrel, and indicate to the forearm as you tighten the guard screws, it becomes instantly clear if the action is see-sawing or twisting.
