How much torque to use mounting a scope??

Just ordered a beam style Park 1 1/4" drive torque wrench off Amazon for $40, and need to mount & re mount all of my new and preowned scopes so I don't continue to strip screws using my years long GoRilla tight approach. The wrench I ordered only goes to 60lbs, but I can't imagine needing anything tighter than that on a rifle...but what do I know about it...nada.

So,
A. is there is difference in the amount of torque used on different brand/styles of bases ...ie ... the Classic style Weaver 2 piece bases I'll use with classic Weaver and Warne Maxima rings??

B. how much ft lb's of torques should I use on 1 piece Talley's x Warne Maxima's x Leupold DD's x classic Weaver's with several different scopes...ie does it make a difference between a Nikon Buckmaster x Vortex D'Back HP's x Minox ZA5 30mm's x Sightron x a cheapy Bushnell Banner that's going on a shotgun in a saddle mount?? Gotta wonder how long the Banner will last shooting 12ga 3" slugs out of a SuperNova pump gun too but we'll see how that works out on my lame shoulder too.

C. Do the various manufacturers CSR's have this kind of info?? I seem to remember the new Vortex D'Backs 'struction booklet said something about it but I've put off assembling everything that I've been collecting all spring...and NOW it's time while I am housebound waiting for the GREAT TEXOMA FLOOD of 2015 to subside a little....or find a dry spot somewhere else while I can still get out of here with all my household goods and furniture.
Ron

Your torque wrench needs to be inch pound. There's nothing on a rifle that needs to be gorilla tight with very few exceptions. Your scope mount screws need to be two finger snug with an optional drop of purple loctite.

Yup on the "inch pound" measurment, that's what I'd heard and this wrench was recc'd for this purpose on another channel, by a guy that had already done lots of extensive testing, I think as a tech writer somewhere, of every brand he could get his hands on....and said this Park 1 unit was the cheapest Best buy under a mega bux wrench...but had limited use in situations where the long beam was an access problem, unlike with a rifle sitting in a work cradle.

I've had a long history of stripping ring and mount screws, and it's time to learn the "correct way" to do this seemingly simple job.
Ron

Most manufactures have a recommended torque. You should be able to obtain this info from their website. Oh and it will differ most of the time depending on what material they are made of either aluminum or steel.

Call SWFA, that's what I do since most companies don't include that info with the rings. My SWFA brand rings were 60in/lb for the base and 18in/lb for the ring tops

Wiley, I've been using one of these for years, and I love it. The instruction sheet that comes with it gives general torque guidelines which I have used successfully. Haven't sheared off a single set screw/mounting screw since I began using this puppy!

http://www.amazon.com/Wheeler-Firearms-Accurizing-Torque-Wrench/dp/B0012AXR4S

The Fat Wrench was what I was looking at initially, until I read this guys notes, who was asking folks to send him samples of their wrenchs to use for a couple days in his data base.

The long handle beam style & big dial Park 1 & 2 models apparently are s'posed to be more accurate on a repeat basis...albeit slower to use and take more space to operate & store yadda yadda. Amazon's fulfillment source on the Park 1 I ordered, is a Bike Shop supplier...

It'll be interesting for sure...and mebbe I won't have to keep replacing torque & hexhead scope screws everytime I take a scope off a rifle.
Ron

Your Indian name is Too Tight. In the USN we called you OverTorque.

Per Wheeler Fat Wrench and/or the research I've done, 15 in-lbs if aluminum rings, 20 if steel, 35 for base. Loc-tite all with the blue.

Bingo! Simple to remember. Apply this to every brand and you will be just fine.





I was ever president I would mandate that every screw produced forth with would be torx drive. The flathead screw is an abomination and the phillips is so inferior to the allen and torx it might as well vanish with the flathead. Torx is better than allen, so allen can go away forever with the rest of them as far as I'm concerned.

Ok, rant over.

15-20 in/lbs on ring half
30-45 in/lb on base
Degrease all threads

You clearly never worked on a Jeep, they had an obsession with torx, they are the devil. Almost every one I have tried to remove would strip, if it didn't strip the torx it would twist the splines on the tool. I've used every brand torx bit I can find, including high dollar Snap-on and those even twist. Torx is the devil

Man those torx on the the windshield on TJs are the devil. We ended up just drilling them out every time.

Alright every thing under 3/16" Torx. Sounds like Jeep used Torx where they should have used a bolt head.

+1 on this advice.

Action screws for pillar bedded bolt actions tighten to 50/55 in-lbs

Warne Maxima rings and bases are 25 inch lbs. Most Leupold are between 20-25. Burris PEPR is 65 on the base screws and 20 I think on the ring screws. Most rings and bases have the proper torque amount in the package that I've seen. When not I've been able to find it on the Internet.

Took me many years to learn this. It's good to see this kind of information sharing on the THF.

Talley one piece are 25in/lbs on the base and 15 in/lbs on the rings. I give it 16 just to account for any that my torque wrench is off. If you are like me, you'll probably be very surprised at how light 15 in/lbs is and realize how much you've been over tightening everything.

I use DNZ scope rings and they specifically say no loctite. A lot depends on the scope and rings used for the Torque.

Like I said, I use DNZ rings and with them I do the bases at 35 in lbs and the rings at 25 in lbs with the wheeler fat wrench.

Its extremely light. Its basically one ft/lb.

FIFY

Was talking about the 15 in/lb. You are correct on the 25 in/lb.

No need to fret over all those inch/ft lbs... Just stop 1/4 turn before the bolt snaps-

(sorry, the rain made me say it)

I have a trick for getting torx out using a flat head screw driver and 3 pound sledge, I'm sure you can figure out the rest. No idea why it works, but it doesn't strip the head.

You nailed it!

We answered an engineering log that way on april fools day. One of the installers asked for torque values on something and we responded "torque to yield and back off a half turn."

They weren't laughing when we got down there to provide the correct torque value.