Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Rear trigger guard screw torque on A-Bolt?

Can anyone tell me how tight I should tighten the rear trigger guard screw on a Browning A-Bolt?

Furthermore, are there brand-specific reference books that tell these kinds of things?

As a follow-up, I called Browning customer service and they said there was no spec. torque setting for it, "just firm-tight". O.K., I think my hands are calibrated for "firm-tight".

as with most guns, the front action screw is the most important to have tight. I usually tighten the rear action screw (I have 3 a-bolts) to about the same torque. It's the middle one that will mess you up (the wood screw that holds the front of the trigger guard). That one should just stop - ie just engauge. It doesn't seem like this would matter but a test with this the only variable made a big difference in consistency.

Thanks for pointing that out, Lefty. That's interesting. I'll have to check mine.
BTW, have you done any re-bedding on your A-Bolts?

of the three, the SS 270 is pretty much factory. The 338 was a SS boss (cut it off at 23.5") and is now in a pillar bedded Medalion LH 375 stock with crossbolts. The 375 is cut to 24" and is in an Elk ridge Laminate stock I inletted and bedded with Acraglass. This is tricky to do and had to be done in two stages due to the way it was "pre inletted" but worked well. I would not try to bed one of the plastic stocks. They use what is essentially a "hot glue" at the factory. It is difficult to get anything to stick to that plastic and it's almost too soft to try to drill anchoring holes.

Lefty,
I'm considering getting a Richard's laminate stock for my .270 Medallion (shame to take off that pretty wood) and would love to correspond with you on how to bed one.
I'll check out the Elk Ridge stocks too.

yeah, let me know. the only complaint I had about elkridge is that they over inletted the rear tang area and it had to be built back up. laminate is the devil to cut anyway except parallel to the laminations but it can be done. the bolt release is difficult to inlet b/c you have to cut the laminate perpendicular to the glue and it tends to want to tear. The bedding was the real trick b/c the action has three contact points.

Lefty,
I just checked my trigger guard - it only has a single screw. Yours that had two screws must've been for a much larger caliber or something??? (mine's .270) Or perhaps Browning decided that they didn't need both screws or something. Interesting...

Keep it tight,if it loosens,the mag box drops and it may not feed.

It isn't customary when one pillar beds an action to use only 1 pillar, so it would stand to reason that the front and rear of the action are equally important. Tighten both front and rear screws the same.

It has been my experience that the actual amount of torque applied to guard screws is not as important as the consistency of torque between the two. The deciding factor is usually determined by the stock material, type of bedding, type of bottom metal, and whether or not you are using pillars. Also the type of screw head. Slotted screw heads will not take anywhere near the amount of torque that an Hex or Torx head will.

Unlike scope base screws, where torque is applied to pre-load the screw to resist shearing forces of recoil, the guard screws only need to be torqued enough to firmly pull the receiver down into the stock and provide a good even seat against the bedding and/or pillars.

Scope base screws normally need to be torqued to about 50% of their crack/fracture point. With guard screws there is no way you need to reach that level of pressure to have the screw[s] preform their job. In fact, on a wood stocked rifle without pillars the stock would start to fail/compress way before you reached the crack/fracture point of 1/4 inch screw.

I�ve heard it said that guard screws should be tightened in the German fashion: �Gooduntight.�

Well, that kinda reflects what the Browning tech said when he said "firm tight".

how old is your browning? all of mine have two piece bottom metal, the magazine & hinge on one screw in the front and the triggerguard in the rear with an action screw rearmost and a small wood screw just in the front of the trigger bow. Have they gone to a one peice bottom?

Lefty,
I purchased it around 1990, I think it was. It still has two-piece bottom metal, but only the rearmost screw holding the trigger mechanism in...plus the one forward holding the hinged floorplate in. The single rear screw seems to hold the trigger group plenty tight from what I can tell.
Want me to take a photo?

mine are all post '98 models. I live about 10 min from browning headquaters and know several of the R&D 'smiths there. I'll try to call and ask about this tomorrow. It sounds like they may have added the middle screw sometime invetween.

They needed it.

Why?

Lefty,
10 min. to Browning!? Wow, that must be nice.

my guess is I think a fairly good one: with only one screw it has to cause torque as well as a less than firm seat for the floorplate latch to catch on. I'll try to ask today. One guy there that's helped me alot pretty much does just a bolts and M 70s.

talked to R&D at Browning and in fact the Abolt I only had two screws. The Abolt II has three. It would be better to have the second screw in front of the trigger guard for the reasons previously mentioned. I was told that the trigger guard itself is identical except that the front flange is drilled for the wood screw and they can be used interchangably. I would recommend replacing the triggerguard ($38 at brownelles) and adding the screw ($5 at brownelles)to either the old of the new stock.

Interesting, Lefty - I always wondered what the "II" was for.
From what you're saying, I should be able to simply drill my current triggerguard to install the second screw, yes?