Tightening action screws and scope mounts without Torque wrench

[tb80]

Any suggestions on how to tighten the action screws and scope mounts without a torque wrench. I don't do a lot of work on guns and don't want to spend $50+ on a screwdriver I will only use one time. Thoughts?

[SageRat Shooter]

You'll use it more than one time... Trust me on that.... You'll want it every time you have to take your gun apart to dry it out (after a long week of hunting in rain, wind, snow)... you'll want it when you change out your scope etc....

If I don't get one for Christmas (from kids and wife) then I'll be investing in one...

The only suggestion I have for you is what I do... Action screws are cinched down to hand tight using the longest side of the allen wrench . For the scope base, I hand tighten using the longest side as well. For the scope rings I hand tighten using the shortest end of the allen wrench... I've had them come loose on the scope rings and the action screws... Although they are far and few between.

The real benefit (So I hear) is when it comes to accuracy torqueing... Savages you can torque to specific numbers to increase your accuracy... It's peace of mind knowing you're exactly torqued @ 45 lbs for both action screws and not 55 on one and 40 on the other for example...

[pokorn28]

I use a torque wrench as well because I think it helps provide consistency across the board. I found a suggestion a long time ago for specifications to tighten things down to and have used it religiously without failure.

base screws 30 in. lbs
windage screws 30 to 40 in. lbs
alum. rings 10 to 15 in. lbs
steel rings 15 to 20 in. lbs
wood, fiberglass,synthetic stocks w\o pillars 40 in.lbs
wood, fiberglass,synthetic stocks with pillars 65 in. lbs


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[LoneWolf]

I use a torque wrench because I have stripped way too many screws etc. Plus I know for a fact everything is to spec and as stated above consistent and repeatable.

[SageRat Shooter]

I use a torque wrench as well because I think it helps provide consistency across the board. I found a suggestion a long time ago for specifications to tighten things down to and have used it religiously without failure.

base screws 30 in. lbs
windage screws 30 to 40 in. lbs
alum. rings 10 to 15 in. lbs
steel rings 15 to 20 in. lbs
wood, fiberglass,synthetic stocks w\o pillars 40 in.lbs
wood, fiberglass,synthetic stocks with pillars 65 in. lbs


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Heck yeah!!! That's what I was looking for... Thank you!!

[PhilC]

Mine arrived yesterday, no more "guessing" for me - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012AXR4S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[pokorn28]

If you don’t want to spend $50 on a wheeler torque wrench you could always go buy a 1/4” drive pendulum style torque wrench from harbor freight or the likes. I think those are pretty cheap.

When it comes to tools, I hit up pawn shops a lot because most of the time you can get a decent deal on the tools. They always have an abundant supply of them.


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[Robinhood]

30 inch pounds= 3 inch long allen/torx wrench with 10lbs force applied at the end. Or 30" long wrench with 1 lb force applied to the end.

[Mozella]

Any suggestions on how to tighten the action screws and scope mounts without a torque wrench. I don't do a lot of work on guns and don't want to spend $50+ on a screwdriver I will only use one time. Thoughts?

The very fact that ask this question tells me that you need to cough up $45 bucks for a torque screw driver. I have tightened countless screws, nuts, and bolts in my long lifetime. Although I rarely break or strip anything these days, I have broken or stripped more bolts/nuts than I can count. I've also had plenty of components disassemble themselves because I failed to use sufficient torque. Of course, I've also hand tightened thousands and thousands of fasteners which didn't break and they didn't fall apart either. Over the years, I've learned to hand tighten fasteners pretty well, both large ones and small ones. These days I rarely damage anything and I have a high success rate when it comes to keeping things from falling apart in use.

In other words, I have a lot of experience over many many years just like any old guy who is either a mechanic/fabricator or who plays one in his garage. Nevertheless, when it comes to important fasteners I ALWAYS use a torque wrench. This includes fasteners used on scope rings, scope bases, action screws, etc. It also includes the lug bolts or lug nuts on my cars.

I don't use one when I mount a recoil pad or a sling swivel, but for things which would be a real PITA if they break/strip or things which would put me out of a match if they fell apart at the wrong time, I use a torque wrench.

If you really think you only need it one time and can't justify purchasing a torque wrench, try this: Go to any gun oriented venue where you do business, a pawn shop, gun shop, rifle range, or even an auto repair shop. If they know you, it is almost certain that they would torque a few screws for you. Or just ask the shooters you know from the local range or the hunters in your hunt club. You get the idea. Be sure to research the torque values for the particular screws you need to tighten.

Taking advice from this forum, no matter how well the intentions are, on what it feels like to tighten a scope mount screw by hand seems to me as the worst choice of all.

[Blackthorn]

I would be lost without my Wheeler torque wrenches. I have both twist and electronic. The twist is carried in my shooting bag. Prior to matches I double check the torque settings on rings and action screws. Easy to use and always available.

You spend a lot of money on rifles, ammo and optics so what is $60 really worth in the scheme of things overall. Not much...

[tb80]

Thanks for all the replies. I will look at getting a torque screwdriver.

[Spring1898]

You probably already found something, but for anyone else who is looking...
If you have socket-allen wrenches, Amazon has a beam style 1/4 in/lb torque wrench for very reasonable. I prefer it to an inexpensive click type so that I don't risk snapping something waiting for a click. The number is Neiko 03727A. Works well for my needs and cost less than $25.