Interesting day at the range

I put a new stock on one of my rifles. I expected to see an improvement. I didn't! The gun was slinging bullets everywhere! I didn't get it!

So I figured I'd let it cool down some and shoot my 30 06 Tikka. I had some Fusion bullets I wanted to shoot up and it would help determine if it was me or the gun that had accuracy issues that day.

At 100yds I did this. I strongly suspected at this point the problem was with the other gun.



Everything felt tight on the newly stocked gun so I decided to try again. Maybe I just needed to calm down.

One more shot was all it took for the back ring to jump out of the base and the scope to slide forward an inch! The windage screw on one side got sheared out and the opposite side the ring base is sheared off. Yikes! Had these pop out before when they weren't tight but never shear. The back ring and base are now junk. Well that was it for the day for that rifle. New rings are on order. I'm gonna go with Talley Lightweights this time. The Talley's have a serious reputation for being strong. They are also a very economical route to go when you have to replace both the base and rings.

We'll see how that goes.

Yikes!!

I never had that happened either.

Let us know what you find out.

Good thing the problem showed up right away anyway. That would've been a bigger issue on a trip. Had you used those rings before the new stock?
Don

I'd been using those rings successfully for a few years. They aren't cheap rings either, they are Leupold's. So I was really surprised when this happened. Leupold's dual dovetail mount is a whole lot stronger. I was gonna switch to that but I'm really hearing great things about the Talley Lightweights.

Are you using Loctite on the screws?
Don

Loctite couldn't have prevented this. And it didn't. The metal sheared through.

The mount wasn't loose and rattling I was checking for this while I was shooting. I think it was failing just a little with every shot. I just couldn't tell. The metal was moving and shearing but didn't let go until it finally failed.

BTW, FYI, Loctite doesn't work very well on windage screws. In order for Loctite to cure(harden) it must be deprived of air. Technically it's an anaerobic adhesive. The plastic bottles it comes in are actually "breathable". Windage screws won't seal very much area for the Loctite to work in. They were loctited in as well as is possible.

I really like using Loctite on scope mounts but you have to be cautious of a couple things. Only use the "Blue" removable type. Make sure it's the removable type rated for smaller screws. There is a removable type that is for bigger screws and it's stronger! Using this stuff on tiny screws is almost like using permanent loctite. I think as many folks make that mistake as use the permanent stuff. The "Red" permanent loctite has different grades as well. Never ever use the "Red" or "Green" on scope mounts. You can pull threads right out of metal on small screws fastened with "Red" or "Green". Loctite doesn't work great with aluminum. I don't know for sure why. In my experience it just doesn't work that great with aluminum. It helps some but it doesn't lock nearly as effectively with aluminum as it does with steel. If the screws are torqued right this shortcoming isn't an issue.

Good advice. All we use is blue and it's just a backup for vibration. Have you found any products that work well with aluminum? Everything that attaches to my wheelchair is aluminum and it's a constant battle.
Don

Unfortunately, no I don't. But try this to improve it's performance.

Try cleaning the threads on both the screw and nut or tapped hole with Brake part cleaner or Acetone (available in the paint section in home stores, nail polish remover isn't strong enough). Run the screw into the nut or hole a couple times while it is still wet with the cleaner or acetone. Clean the stuff again. Any Loctite residue from previous attempts will interfere with performance. You have to get it ALL off! Let the cleaned parts dry. And then finally try using the Loctite.

Loctite only takes 15minutes to set up BUT it can (and often does) take a full 24 hours to achieve full strength. It's best not to use anything that's been loctited for at least a full day.

If you end up having to re-tighten loctited screws you have to start over. That means the bond has failed.

There are some other things that can be done if that doesn't help but that's the easiest suggestion.

Years ago, before we had loctite my Uncle told me to use fingernail polish..I've used it a few times many years ago and it seemed to work well... :

Leep:

What color fingernail polish do you use?

RE: Color of Locktite

That is good to know

I just watched a scope mounting episode on TV by the largest gunsmith company in Michigan. They were talking the benefits of Loctite but never mentioned the different colors.

Thanks

What color fingernail polish do you use?

Yep, I have used it.

I've found the clear nail polish is the strongest. Pigments tend to weaken it.

Loctite works better but I still use the clear nail polish on bowsite pins that are "finger" adjustable. You can usually still break the nail polish loose on the finger adjust stuff but with a good loctite job you'll need to break out the pliers!

That gunsmith show missed a major big point. Permatex makes several different grades for specific purposes. Using the wrong type of loctite causes major misery.