Do you Loctite action screws?

bobnob

Handloader
Nov 3, 2012
678
11
When putting your bolt gun back together, does anyone Loctite the action screws?
Is there any reason this would be a good or bad idea?

Also, how tight do you tighten said screws, if there's no specs provided?
 
I do not use lock tight on action screws.


Ruger

front - 65 in/lbs
middle - barely in the gun
rear - 50 in/lbs

Winchester and Remington 35lbs front and rear

Savage - 30 in/lbs front and 25 in/lbs rear


All mine are bedded. I'm sure others use different torques but these work great for me.
 
I use it on my rifles and use manufacturer recommend torque procedures! I have had action screws come loose and not a good feeling and can be expensive wasting ammo!
 
Loctite and action screws are two things that will never meet in my world.
To each their own I say.

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Get a torque wrench, as was suggested and look up you rifle's screw torque spec and keep your screws tightened per spec.
 
I see that there is an almost unanimous opinion of no locktite on action screws. Can someone explain why?
 
People using wrong type of loctite/ thread locker and using too much will cause expensive gunsmith bill ! Just my 2 cents, as Weatherby gunsmith told me they use it but only 1 small drop on each screw it helps to also have the proper fitting bladed screwdriver head to remove screws!
 
HOGWILD338-378":28o5ckob said:
People using wrong type of loctite/ thread locker and using too much will cause expensive gunsmith bill ! Just my 2 cents, as Weatherby gunsmith told me they use it but only 1 small drop on each screw it helps to also have the proper fitting bladed screwdriver head to remove screws!

Same here a tq wrench and some blue loctite are your rifles friend. It can make a nasty mistake if you use the red stuff, but blue will hold those in place exactly where you tq'ed them too.
 
SJB358":1v8nyej6 said:
HOGWILD338-378":1v8nyej6 said:
People using wrong type of loctite/ thread locker and using too much will cause expensive gunsmith bill ! Just my 2 cents, as Weatherby gunsmith told me they use it but only 1 small drop on each screw it helps to also have the proper fitting bladed screwdriver head to remove screws!

Same here a tq wrench and some blue loctite are your rifles friend. It can make a nasty mistake if you use the red stuff, but blue will hold those in place exactly where you tq'ed them too.
Like your new banner at the bottom of your post. 8)
 
Purple also works for me but blue is as good if not better and I have used red but I use it sparingly and never have had a problem removing fasteners! Took a scope off recently that I had used red on the scope bases and they broke free with no problem and had been on the action for a long time but were torqued to proper specs! It helps to have a solid bench vise to hold action in it so you get all the mechanical advantage to break the screws from the thread lockers hold on the threads! Very easy to over use this stuff and a little goes a long way especially on small sized fasteners just use it as one of these days you know it will have to come off so more is not better! Also people that continually re torque a fastener is doing nothing more than over stretching it by repeated cycles of tightening and loosening them, which is not good if you have used a thread locker! Even if you do not use it you are doing nothing more than over stretching the fastener which will cause early failure! Red I normally do not use but on thumper base installations I will use the lowest strength red but only a small drop and I always apply it to 1 place mid way up on fastener! I also do not use the stuff if it's much past it's shelf life date on bottle! So I always buy the smallest bottle I can and I guess my experiences with thread lockers and ant- slieze during my 32 years of working on cars and airplanes and rifles have given me a pretty good working knowledge of it's use and application. I have had action screws that were torqued properly back out that did not have thread locker installed but it was a 300 Weatherby and they do not come loose anymore! Just my 2 cents!
 
Thanks for the responses. To this point I've never used it. Having said that I've never owned a torx driver / torque wrench so perhaps I tighten a little tighter than is necessary anyway.
 
Bob that would depend on what rifle you are torquing as they are all different but all require small inch Lb torque values do to the size of the fastner! Too much torque can be as bad as too little as you are stretching the fastner and compromising it's ability to clamp by stretching it's body! That is the main reason to use say a blue thread locker! Please do not use a red one as it is more than likely too strong and it will break off in your action which will be NO good!
 
Years ago I had a Remington M700 BDL that kept having the action screws work loose. At that time I'd never heard of Loctite (deprived childhood I guess :lol: so got the bright idea to use the better half's nail polish. What do you know? It worked. It's been almost 30 years and the screw haven't got loose yet. I finally broke down about a tear ago and had my gunsmith put on a Decelerator pad and properly adjust the trigger. He said the screws were still tight and were easy to remove. I guess I should reapply some of mama's fingernail paint one of these days as I forgot to ask if he used anything on the screws. I use the stuff on the scope screws as well and haven't had a problem.
A simple way to remove screws that have been red Loctited or even epoxied is the application of heat to the screw. I use a soldering iron with the tip applied to the screw for a couple of minutes and the screw usually comes right out.
Paul B.
 
I have used the finger nail polish on old Redfield rings back when I was a kid and it worked great! Most of my teenage years was using 22 LR HP :) 1 shot 1 kill :) $$$$
 
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