Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Leupold base windage screw torque ratings ....

Everything by leupold is showing 45”lbs Just seems awfully tight when getting the torque wrench to break at that setting Is everyone else getting them that tight??Leupold std base

Tight and just a bit more.

As Lee would say, you can feel it in the drive.

Don’t get too happy, I’ve broken a couple, went to Talley bases and split rings, they seem to hold zero better

Screw driver with the appropriate bit. No need to use a torque wrench. Unless you are a gorilla or not used to tightening things down.

Tell us how you manage to do this.

He's a gorilla..

This. These windage screws tend to crack easily and sometimes you might not even know it cause the head of these screws are enclosed in the side of the base seems tight. I use to always keep spares in my range kit. This set up is a weak link and I've gotten completely away from these now using Tally, Conetrol and others.

Don’t feel bad buddy. I believe we drink from the same troth.

I use a TQ wrench to keep stuff from getting Marine tight.

How does Marine tight compare to farmer tight?

I’ve been following the book on most scope mounting stuff, but those get Grandpa Tight, aka Pretty Dang Tight.

Much looser…

Rifles shoot loose and never tight. Hint.

Said Reupold mounting "system",is a fhuqking joke. Hint...............

Grandpa tight= As tight as possible then 1 turn more.

Don't feel bad. I'll admit, back in my younger days I bent the f out of those windage screws. They can bend/distort. One reason I've gone away from them. In fact I just sold my last set last Friday. I made it a mission of mine to get rid of all of them. I had enough proceeds from all the ones I've sold in the last month to buy a new rifle..

Leupold Redfield Style Bases with the windage screws either have a slot, a torx hole, or a slot and a torx hole. They will NOT take 45 inch pounds. 45 inch pounds will reliably blow the slot or the torx hole. In fact, they will blow out before you get to 40 inch lbs. Whoever came up with rating needs to be be kicked in the teeth. 25 inch lbs on each screw is plenty. Leupold did, to their credit, send me a whole bunch of free replacement screws after I blew some out attempting to torque them to their own published specs. I used some of those screws on a Leupold base and some older Burris Signature rings to see where they holes would strip and is was in the low 30s IIRC.

The best advertisement for Talley or Warnes bases and rings are Leupold Redfield style mounts. They may look pretty and nostaligic, but almost anything now is better than those.

While 25-30 inch lbs is plenty, I like to REALLY reaf on those screws. When they break, the bases and rings go in the garbage, and they're replaced with something not rubish.

Tighten until they squeak an call it good

this....... broken more that a few, went with Talley's years ago and never looked back

Almost everything with the name Leupold on it is a POS.