Loctite on bases?

JRodko

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Regina, SK
Do any of you folks loctite your bases? I was shooting the .204 with 39 grain speers TNT and launched 5 into an inch no problem. Next time I went out my first two shots were about 5 inches apart and the third wasn't even on paper. I never thought much of it and I tried the 32 grain blitzking and was now shooting 3 round half inch groups again. Took er out the other day to the gopher patch and I was missing 2 inches left at 50 and 10 inches right sometimes at 100. Was ready to throw the gun in the slough until I noticed my scope was wiggling a little bit and the bases had come loose!

I've shot lots of .243 without this happening so I didn't even think about the bases. This happen to anyone else? Does anyone think they can explain why the blitzking shot good for a while after the TNT starte to wander?

J
 
I do use loctite on my bases, clean the screws and the holes with alcohol let dry then apply a drop on the screws. Only use blue or purple,NEVER use red. The blue is medium and the purple is low strength. I also use the purple on my ring screws although some say that they don't need it. Don't over tighten and you are good to go. Cheers Roscoe
 
I cannot emphasize enough the best advice provided above about NOT using the red loctite. A fellow shooter gave me advice about using the Red Loctite. Yup...I did. :redface: :( I am familiar with both and use the red with larger screws and such. Those screws are itty bitty and when I decided to change the rig our about two years later. Yup you guessed it. Stripped the head off those screws quickly and had one hell of a time trying to remove them. Cost me too - ended up taking to a 'smith whom had to drill them out.

Blue or purple is my recommendation. That and using a torque driver to ensure that you are not over torquing those screws.
 
I find red is more than you need... It does say "permanent" on the bottle. I clean the holes by running a tap in, then use one little drop of blue Loc-Tite per hole... Watch for excess squeezing out when you tighten the screws daon and wipe away the excess. They will hold, but still break free when you want them to.
 
Thanks for all the help all I had was red I will likely never change the bases so I am making damn sure this doesn't happen again.

Anybody have any theories on the strange bullet performance differences?
 
Thanks for all the help all I had was red I will likely never change the bases so I am making damn sure this doesn't happen again.

Ya...famous last words! That's exactly what I thought too, when I used the red on mine. The rest is a painful lesson in that "never say never, as never is never forever"! :runaway:
 
Loctite has caused me more troubles than it has solved. I have had to deal with it on used rifles, It will never go on any of my firearms.
I have never had bases or rings come loose either.
 
I use red on bases, nothing on rings.

When I want to remove them, they get the heat gun first and the stuff softens right up.

Never had a problem; never come loose.

Exactly! Red is easy to remove with heat applied. I usually just apply some heat to the screw head if needed with a tiny pencil torch.
 
loctite is a good idea you dont want to have to take your scope off just to tight your screws after first shooting which i would do if i didnt use loctite. soften it with a plumber style propane torch on the screwhead easy to remove
 
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