Thread: Torquing stock screws

Hi guys.

Came back from a week away where me and the gun got rather wet. I would've probably been drier in a swimming pool. Pulled stock of the rifle when got home to clean it all properly. Just wondering when putting it back on how important is it to torque the bolts correctly? Don't have a torque wrench that will quite go low enough. Torque specs are 4 nm and tool goes to 5nm. Can it realistically do any damage if I slightly over tighten them? If it will can anyone recommend where to get a realitively cheap small torque wrench.

Cheers

I use one from torpedo 7 was $69.00 it goes from 1 to about 20nm for action screws and my scope. I find I can take a stock off and put it back on with no change of POI, I even swapped stocks between rifles (wood to synthetic) and as long as I torqued it up the same way POI was unchanged.

Yes you will squash a wood or synthetic stock, give or take depending on the bedding. A synthetic tikka stock I do at 35 inch pounds a alloy bedding block they say can do 60 inch pounds, I do about 55.
As long as you have a bit of a feel for these things you will be OK, just don't go too heavy, use a bit of blue lock tight and if there not too tight they still hopefully won't come loose.
I like Vietnam cams saying.... Go until it strips and then back it off a quarter turn! (Don't do that)

Rule of thumb used to be as tight as you can get it using one hand and a screwdriver....

Originally Posted by Spudattack

Rule of thumb used to be as tight as you can get it using one hand and a screwdriver....

This, and try remember how much 'ummph' it took to undo and do it the same putting it back together

Tikka screws on factory plastic stocks must not be torqued so High. On the wooden stock you can go generously firm with one hand usually.

The other thing I do, whether it's right or wrong I don't know but I always torque up the front one first & work back.

Yes that is the way to go

Lightly snug both screws,just barely more than finger tight with the appropriate tool be it screw driver or torqx etc etc,give a couple of taps rifle vertical butt on the floor to settle action rearward into stock and onto recoil lug.
Do front screw up till it strips and back off quarter turn na just good and firm(this goes for any bolt in any situation...if when tightening you find you reach a point where it continues to turn but the force required does not increase then....1 You have reached the elastic limit of the fastener and it is now stretching and will break very soon if you dont stop turning it.
2 You have reached the force required to collapse the thing being clamped and you are now crushing it. 3 You are stripping the thread tho this usually feels like force reaches a peak then lessens rather than holding a constant.

As a general rule the front screw should be tight, the rear not so much especially if in a poorly bedded stock,also it pays to recheck torque of both(by hand is fine if not a numpty) after firing a few rounds as some can move and settle in/loosen after a few rounds.

Originally Posted by Spudattack

Rule of thumb used to be as tight as you can get it using one hand and a screwdriver....

This depends entirely on how strong your wrists are. Once met a guy that could strip an M10 HT bolt with one hand if you got him angry enough

4506 ahg-TORQUE WRENCH

https://www.torpedo7.co.nz/products/...que-wrench-set

according to my android app, 30 inch#'s is 3.389Nm.....
I have a version of the top one for smallbore.

I was always told 3 white knuckles and a grunt does the trick. . .

like the head bolts on a TR4?

Originally Posted by Friwi

generously firm with one hand usually.

All us blokes would be familiar with this no?

What are you torquing about ? :-)