How tight do you do your scope mounts ?

[Nikharvey]

I was fitting a Bushnell scope to my Bro's gaystate and setting it up for him and he claims I do the ring bolts too tight,now on both my hw100's one with a bushnell and one with a falcon menace I've always done them up with the small end of the supplied allen key making sure I tighten opposit bolts as tight as I can without being forcefull,he on the other hand does them up a lot less than me,

I always thought the general rule of thumb was tight with the small end of the allen key ?

[JerryD]

That's what I always do. Never crushed a scope tube yet.



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[oldskoolzzz]

I would agree with you the top bolts holding the mount cups just nipped up with the small end of allen key. I nip the mount to rail bolts up quite tight especially if it's going on a lively springer but not so tight that I feel I'm going to damage something.

I once had mounts come loose on a daystate air wolf of all guns could of swore I had nipped the mount to rail bolts up but for some reason not quite enough and it surprised me that the mounts were moving on the rail especially on a non recoiling pcp.

[Arthur John Smithsplease]

I've always used the long end of the allen key in the screws on scope rings in order to avoid overtightening.

[angrybear]

I normally give them a tweek on top with the long end, but only about 1 number on a clock face, (1/12th turn) you just get a feel for it.

[Dave the Frame]

I use the long end on the scope rail, tight then no more than 1/4 turn. The rings, small end of the key and the same. This is dependant on feel, if you've got hands like a gorilla your idea of tight is going to be different to Ronnie Corbetts, it comes down to feel in the end. If it feels like you're getting close to distorting anything, let go and let someone else do it.

Dave

[DedIdick]

Use standard engineering practice, tighten until until the screw strips then back off half a turn!

[mr dink]

I normally give them a tweek on top with the long end, but only about 1 number on a clock face, (1/12th turn) you just get a feel for it.

This is the way.

[captain_gatso]

So really a slight nip and nothing more, otherwise fooked scope!

[Nikharvey]

So really a slight nip and nothing more, otherwise fooked scope!

Now listen bell wipe I put this post up for you to show you that as per usual I am right and your fanny fingers don't do scopes up tight enough........it will slip and move.

[M500dpp]

Use standard engineering practice, tighten until until the screw strips then back off half a turn!

Think this needs clarifying. The screw should be tightened to half a turn before it strips, you have described how to achieve that!!!!!

Back to being serious, I dont do mine up that tight, but do check them regularly. I prefer this to risking tightening so much that I may risk crushing the scope, or stripping a thread.

[RandyRees]

Wheeler Engineering makes a very nice tool called a Fat Wrench. It is a torque wrench that you set and read in in/lbs. Here is the link and you can download the instructions PDF which gives the torque specs according to the size of the screws on your mounts. Great tool in my opinon.

http://www.battenfeldtechnologies.co...b=instructions

Best regards,
Randy Rees

[kat1]

I normally give them a tweek on top with the long end, but only about 1 number on a clock face, (1/12th turn) you just get a feel for it.

Exactly-you just get a feel for it is right. Once you know you never forget-it's weird .

Kat.

[air-tech]

Wheeler Engineering makes a very nice tool called a Fat Wrench. It is a torque wrench that you set and read in in/lbs. Here is the link and you can download the instructions PDF which gives the torque specs according to the size of the screws on your mounts. Great tool in my opinon.

http://www.battenfeldtechnologies.co...b=instructions

Best regards,
Randy Rees

Personally I don't trust torque wrenches, except for the flexy types they are mechanical devices with a +/- tolerance, but to make things worse an oily bolt and a dry one may show the same torque setting but sure as hell won't be tensioned anywhere near the same amount.

For some reason as long as you have the feel for it, doing it by hand works very well indeed.

[SandyB]

Personally I don't trust torque wrenches, except for the flexy types they are mechanical devices with a +/- tolerance, but to make things worse an oily bolt and a dry one may show the same torque setting but sure as hell won't be tensioned anywhere near the same amount.

For some reason as long as you have the feel for it, doing it by hand works very well indeed.

I have just been looking at the FAT wrench, seems I've not been doing it wrong in all this time.... You may have just talked me out of buying one