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Loctite on scope mounts

Elmo

By Elmo,
in Guns and Rifles and Discussions

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Elmo Rookie

Elmo

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I noticed that the base of scope mount on my .308 is slightly loose.  I mentioned this to a local gun shop owner and he recommended that I use Loctite Threadlocker because constant firing will jar the screws loose.

Has anyone else done this?  I wanted to gather some opinions on this before I put any kind of permanent or potentially damaging substance on my rifles.

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steve863 Community Regular

steve863

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I know that some people put loctite on scope screws, although I never have.  I think you could do more damage than good by putting loctite on if you are not careful.  If you tighten the screw down good enough you shouldn't need it.  I have had the same scope mounted on my favorite rifle for 20+ years and I never had the screws come loose.  I do check them at the beginning of each season, though.  I think one would have to do a lot of shooting to jar a good set of mounts loose.  The key is also to get a set of GOOD quality mounts.  Those cheap aluminum ones are sure to give you trouble sooner than later.

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bubba Newbie

bubba

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I know that some people put loctite on scope screws, although I never have.  I think you could do more damage than good by putting loctite on if you are not careful.  If you tighten the screw down good enough you shouldn't need it.  I have had the same scope mounted on my favorite rifle for 20+ years and I never had the screws come loose.  I do check them at the beginning of each season, though.  I think one would have to do a lot of shooting to jar a good set of mounts loose.  The key is also to get a set of GOOD quality mounts.  Those cheap aluminum ones are sure to give you trouble sooner than later.

I wish I knew half as much about everything as you claim to.  It seems to me you just post an opposite opinion just to stir things.

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steve863 Community Regular

steve863

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just curious, what kind of damage could you do using loctite?

Well I do know that there are different potencies of loctite available.  If one uses the more potent ones you will be looking for trouble getting the screws off if you want to take them off.  I am sure gunsmiths have had more than a few guns come in where scopemount screws were stripped because people couldn't get them off due to loctite locking them up.

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WNYBuckHunter Experienced

WNYBuckHunter

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just curious, what kind of damage could you do using loctite?

Well I do know that there are different potencies of loctite available.  If one uses the more potent ones you will be looking for trouble getting the screws off if you want to take them off.  I am sure gunsmiths have had more than a few guns come in where scopemount screws were stripped because people couldn't get them off due to loctite locking them up.

Just gotta make sure to use the right type. The blue stuff (242) is what I use for most things. Some automotive applications (head bolts, connecting rod caps, etc etc) that take more of a beating get the red stuff.

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steve863 Community Regular

steve863

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I know that some people put loctite on scope screws, although I never have.  I think you could do more damage than good by putting loctite on if you are not careful.  If you tighten the screw down good enough you shouldn't need it.  I have had the same scope mounted on my favorite rifle for 20+ years and I never had the screws come loose.  I do check them at the beginning of each season, though.  I think one would have to do a lot of shooting to jar a good set of mounts loose.  The key is also to get a set of GOOD quality mounts.  Those cheap aluminum ones are sure to give you trouble sooner than later.

I wish I knew half as much about everything as you claim to.  It seems to me you just post an opposite opinion just to stir things.

Wow, you really ARE a tool!  What in hell did I say that was contradictory to you?  I didn't even see your post when I was writing mine.  I am giving the fella my experiences, that's all.  If it helps, I can assure you that I have installed more than one scope in my life.  LOL

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Elmo Rookie

Elmo

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Thanks all for all the advise.

I remounted the scopes of all my centerfires with loctite.  Left the .22 alone and I haven't gotten around to my 12 gauge which I have a red dot on.  Strangly, my 12 gauge is the one I've fired the most (did some skeet shooting this summer) and it is still on solid.

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Doc Experienced

Doc

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I'm not sure what different products Loctite has on the market today, but I know that they used to (20 plus years ago) market some varieties of loctite that basically turned screw-together assemblies into permanently locked together inseparable assemblies. I know because I once specified the wrong loctite on an assembly drawing and did not make any friends with the field reps ..... lol. And yes that stuff was strong enough to shear #10-32 screws when trying to disassemble. So if that stuff is still on the market, it may be that if you use the wrong loctite, some ugly future problems for anyone trying to dis-assemble may lie in wait.

The proper kind we nick-named "breakable loctite" which was designed to simply require extra torque to loosen the screws. the other stuff was a nightmare waiting to happen. So, be careful.

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Elmo Rookie

Elmo

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I'm not sure what different products Loctite has on the market today, but I know that they used to (20 plus years ago) market some varieties of loctite that basically turned screw-together assemblies into permanently locked together inseparable assemblies. I know because I once specified the wrong loctite on an assembly drawing and did not make any friends with the field reps ..... lol. And yes that stuff was strong enough to shear #10-32 screws when trying to disassemble. So if that stuff is still on the market, it may be that if you use the wrong loctite, some ugly future problems for anyone trying to dis-assemble may lie in wait.

The proper kind we nick-named "breakable loctite" which was designed to simply require extra torque to loosen the screws. the other stuff was a nightmare waiting to happen. So, be careful.

This should be the right one:

http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/10/15/t_lkr_blue/overview/Loctite-Threadlocker-Blue-242.htm

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Daveboone Proficient

Daveboone

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My .308 scope, .300 Win Mag, and 45-70 scopes are all machined steel mounts (Leupold), I did not use Lock-tite on them, and in 25 years havent had to touch the .308 (my oldest) or the others (several hundred rounds through each).

I have started to put Lock tite on my newest arms ...I guess just because. I do tend to agree that I think the aluminum mounts being of softer matereal could be more prone and probably benefit more. What the heck, I guess. Use it, check the screws often, and never have a problem. When we do have a problem it is usually discovered in the field, not at the range.

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