Torquing Scope Ring Screws

The guys at Vortex always say on their podcast not to use thread locker for scope rings, because they give dry torque specs and the lubrication from thread locker could cause you to over torque. I get the impression from other manufacturers that their specs are dry as well, but I don't remember any details.
 
My experience says threads should be clean and dry (unless the manufacturer specifies otherwise, which I've never seen for rings).

My gut also says that applying the same torque to lubricated threads on rings will result in greater compression on the scope tube, obviously. But usually not enough that you need to worry about it.

These things are designed with safe margins in mind. With properly manufactured rings, you have to go WAY overboard on ring screw torque in order to damage the tube. I don't have any real numbers, but I'm guessing it's in the neighbourhood of triple the specified torque value.
 
alpining - is similar to what I have found on various guns here - sometimes the holes for scope bases not straight in line - maybe was more common from old days when home handy-man had to drill and tap into a former milsurp receiver - not really set up to do that - somebody just screwed on the bases, then screwed on the ring caps - never removed them, so does not see the ding in the scope tube from misaligned rings - that lapping would have prevented - but was probably "too much fuss" or "not needed to do". Or somebody got a one piece base and did not realize the receiver was not milled straight - so tightening the screws for that one piece base simply "humped" it and the rings end up sitting misaligned. Some seem to care about that - some do not.

If it matters, I probably have mounted several dozen scopes on my own rifles. Almost always gets a drop of Blue Threadlocker into the receiver holes - I know that is likely acting as a "lube" on those threads until it sets up - so I usually try to come in at the low end of the base maker's or receiver maker's recommended torque. I have never used any kind of thread locker on the cap screws - just as they come from the package - again with my inch-pound torque wrench. When "dry fitting" - I do check with a straight edge that the top face of the rear base makes a plane with the top face of the front base - then confirm by measuring front base to rear base - from old days playing with converted mil-surps - was not unusual to have to put a shim under the base to get one aligned to the other, or partial shim on one side to get a base to "tilt" back to the plane.

And for those that doubt - is not really much reason not to know the maker's recommended torque specs - if not actually printed on the instructions in the package, can be found on-line on Internet - I have installed Weaver, Talley, Warne and Leupold stuff and found the specs - I did not yet find specs for Parker Hale things, but not sure how popular those are any more - is four or five sets done here - had to use my "best judgement" - if the scope moves, then maybe not aligned, maybe not clean enough at contact surfaces. PH bases seem to use 6-48 screws; the ring caps and ring cross bolt seem to be 4 BA size.
 
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No argument there - If your screw holes / receiver top are not in spec, then everything else goes out the window. Same goes for scope base and ring manufacturing tolerances, it's a weakest link in the chain thing.
 
Gun123 said:
25 inch pounds on bases, and 17 on scopes. Never had issues.
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Think you will discover that various maker's give different torque specs for their products made of aluminum versus their products made of steel. - I suspect your numbers have worked - but is not always the same numbers for all makers and all materials. The Leupold ring set, for example, that I installed on a Ruger 77 calls out 28 inch-pounds for their cap screws and 40 inch pounds for their cross bolt in those rings.

The Weaver brand scope mounting kit that I use has a chart of "recommended torque values", if user does not have actual spec's from the makers - varies from 15 inch-pounds for Aluminum ring cap screws to 30 inch pounds for base screws into a steel receiver - four lines - separate columns / separate numbers for same screw going into steel versus aluminum - ring cap screws, cross bolt screws, windage screws, scope base mounting screws.

Go here: https://www.leupold.com/media/manuals/std_mounting_instructions.pdf - is the "generic" Leupold instructions to mount their STD series of rings - see the 28 inch-pound thing in Paragraph #8 on the right side of the page.
 
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They work and are inexpensive. Only thing I don't like is the way they rotate the scope when tightened up. Seems like you have to have the vertical cross hair about 1 o'clock then begin snugging up the rings.
 
Mike Webb said:
They work and are inexpensive. Only thing I don't like is the way they rotate the scope when tightened up. Seems like you have to have the vertical cross hair about 1 o'clock then begin snugging up the rings.
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I just keep tightening until the crosshair gets to vertical again.
 
Too often, a guy tends to tighten the screws too much in an effort to prevent skidding - and four-screw rings have far more squish on the scope tube.

I don't use Locktite on screws - they don't back out, though hard recoil might settle the scope into the rings and make it seem like they have loosened - and if you have locked them with Locktite, it is hard to tell if they have less tension on them. Lube on the screws is not so much for the first torquing, but for when they need to come back out without stripping the heads after wet hunts and a few years.

I do put a tiny dot of Locktite ( wood glue would likely do fine too) into the bottom of the rings before setting the scope into them - then lightly tighten into place and then leave it overnight and torque it down in the morning. This makes a perfect bed for the scope, and takes all of the recoil so there is no need to over-torque and squish the scope. When it comes time to swap scopes, the Locktite easily comes off with a fingernail, and there are no skidmarks or stripped heads on screws or flattened tubes. The top of the ring does not need it - because it tends to self-align and it is the bottom which takes all the recoil forces.
 
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