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Sako Scope Ring Tips (Use the proper tools)

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

It might be worth mentioning that when considering torque recommendations, it's important to recognize the difference between screws that may have a very light coating of oil as they come and those that are completely dry--with all oil removed with a solvent. (This applies equally to the screw holes in the ring.) You are likely to hit a given torque value in in.-lbs. sooner (that is, with the screw less advanced) with the completely-dry screws than with those that have a very light coating of oil--or at least haven't been cleaned with a solvent. I have always used the ring screws as they come--without a complete degreasing--and have torqued them to the desired level in that condition.

The situation is different with scope-mount base screws. (This doesn't really apply with Sako rifles where the rings clamp onto the tapered dovetail.) For scope mounts with bases that have to be screwed onto the receiver, I completely degrease the screws and screw holes in the receiver and then apply a light coating of thread-locker (like Loctite Blue #242) to the screws, torquing them down to the desired tightness--usually something like 25 in.lbs. for 6-48 screws and maybe a little more for 8-40 screws. The thread-locker allows the screws to turn much as they would with a light coating of oil. Some recommendations contain a distinction based on the number of threads of engagement, but that's probably too far into the weeds for this discussion and takes us into Zen and the Art of Torquing!

Just something to think about...
 
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apply a light coating of thread-locker (like Loctite Blue #242)
You will get some pushback on that; a lot of our members are anti-Loctite. Personally, I seldom use it but I see no problem as long as you use BLUE or PURPLE Loctite. Avoid RED Loctite, which is intended for permanent installations and they do mean permanent. Using it anywhere on a gun is likely to cause problems down the road. Blue is for screws that might have to be removed later; Purple is to keep adjustments from slipping.
 
You will get some pushback on that; a lot of our members are anti-Loctite. Personally, I seldom use it but I see no problem as long as you use BLUE or PURPLE Loctite. Avoid RED Loctite, which is intended for permanent installations and they do mean permanent. Using it anywhere on a gun is likely to cause problems down the road. Blue is for screws that might have to be removed later; Purple is to keep adjustments from slipping.
You are right--good advice; that's why I specifically mentioned Loctite Blue. I gather that Loctite Purple is lower-strength than Blue, so should be fine too. As you say, use of the high-strength Loctite Red is never warranted and could lead to problems. I guess that use of a thread-locker is not always necessary, particularly on smaller-cartridge rifles that generate less recoil (although Burris recommends it when attaching bases to an AR), and so omitting it with a .243 Win., 6.5x55, or .270 Win. is probably not going to result in a problem (although there's no disadvantage to using it that I can see). However, on a heavy kicker--like my 8x68S and 9.3x64 Brenneke--I absolutely want thread-locker on the base screws. A few scope-mount makers--Talley, Burris--recommend the use of a medium-strength thread-locker (Loctite Blue), and I've seen it mentioned in the NRA publications American Rifleman and American Hunter as well as in the Gun Digest. I use it with all my centerfire big-game rifles as an extra precaution in the event that I haven't torqued the bases down sufficiently, and screws with Loctite Blue are easily removed with ordinary hand tools. What are the reasons for anti-Loctite sentiments?
 
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It might be worth mentioning that when considering torque recommendations, it's important to recognize the difference between screws that may have a very light coating of oil as they come and those that are completely dry--with all oil removed with a solvent.
This is a very good point, and, as South Pender later mentions, torque varies with how many threads are involved -- as well as their pitch. Even the finish of the threads on either the hole or the screw can make a significant difference in just what a given number of inch-pounds gets you. As can the hardness of the screw. That is why I totally ignore torque "specifications" as being rather meaningless when applied to small screws and tighten them by practiced instinct. (Such instinct having been developed over the years by breaking small screws or buggering slots:(.) I'll admit that using "instinct" or common sense is imprecise, but no more so than relying on some kind of torque measurement which may be tighten either inadequately or excessively.

When used on larger bolts torque measurements are a bit more meaningful, but not all that precise: For instance, airplane mechanics precisely measure how much a rod bolt stretches to determine how tight to make the nut, regardless of how much torque is required to stretch the bolt.
 
You are right--good advice; that's why I specifically mentioned Loctite Blue.
To add, I just recently bought a new Leupold gloss base set for my Sako Hi Power. The base screws are coated approximately half way with a blue loctite type material. You can absolutely feel when the material engages into the threads a top the rifle. I understand Leupold has been doing this for quite sometime as I’ve been told by a technician at the company.
 
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To add, I just recently bought a new Leupold gloss base set for my Sako Hi Power. The base screws are coated appropriately half way with a blue loctite type material. You can absolutely feel when the material engages into the threads a top the rifle. I understand Leupold has been doing this for quite sometime as I’ve been told by a technician at the company.
I've seen this on other brands and other kinds of parts and accessories as well.
 
To add, I just recently bought a new Leupold gloss base set for my Sako Hi Power. The base screws are coated appropriately half way with a blue loctite type material. You can absolutely feel when the material engages into the threads a top the rifle. I understand Leupold has been doing this for quite sometime as I’ve been told by a technician at the company.
Yes, Leupold uses a substance known as Nylok Blue on their base screws. It looks like Loctite Blue, but it is not a methacrylate-based compound like Loctite, but rather a nylon-based material that forms a wedge between the screw and screw hole making the joint stronger and more resistant to loosening.
 
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That is why I totally ignore torque "specifications" as being rather meaningless when applied to small screws and tighten them by practiced instinct. (Such instinct having been developed over the years by breaking small screws or buggering slots:(.) I'll admit that using "instinct" or common sense is imprecise, but no more so than relying on some kind of torque measurement which may be tighten either inadequately or excessively.
Yup, although I haven't stripped any threads or broken a screw (yet), I've certainly had my share of buggered screw slots too!:( It's why I really like Torx (or at least Allen-head) screws on scope mounts (and for action screws too, at least for anything other than an all-out custom rifle). With respect to practiced instinct, I'm not that confident that I can always trust mine (!), and it would seem to be as dependent as torques values upon differences in finish and coating on the screws. You would have to have a different "feel" for bone-dry screws than for ones with a light coating of oil. Although I can't remember at the moment where I saw this, at least one set of scope mount instructions I've seen has indicated that the ring screws shouldn't be de-greased (instead left as they come) before tightening them down to a recommended torque value.
 
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I really like Torx (or at least Allen-head) screws on scope mounts (and for action screws too).
Agree. I keep a bag of M3.5 Allen-head screws in the toolbox for when the screws on a set of Sako rings are just too buggered to clean up. Cut them to length, clean them up with the Dremel tool and a file, and bingo - better than new.
You would have to have a different "feel" for bone-dry screws than for ones with a light coating of oil.
True. I can quite easily feel the difference. The Germans call it fingerspitzengefühl (feeling in the fingertips).
t least one set of scope mount instructions has indicated that the ring screws shouldn't be de-greased (instead left as they come) before tightening them down to a recommended torque value.
There are two good reasons for this. In addition to making torque more uniform and allowing screws to be screwed down farther at the same torque, a thin coating of lubricant protects against rust and corrosion. I've seen plenty of gun screws rusted in place, and any time steel is screwed into aluminum, it creates a risk of "galvanic corrosion," which can lock up a screw so completely that it has to be soaked for days in Kroil or, in the worst case, drilled out. I used to run into this quite a bit when I was a motorcycle mechanic. I don't have to worry about rust much here in southern Arizona, but if you live or hunt in a humid climate, it's something to think about. I wipe gun screws with Break Free CLP before installing.

One more thing - threads should be absolutely clean and free of rust when assembling anything - guns, motorcycles, whatever. Any dirt or grit in the threads will cause problems. A Q-tip with a little CLP or denatured alcohol is good for cleaning threaded holes. Rust is more difficult - when I run into rust in a blind, threaded hole, I improvise a tool from whatever is at hand. A bottom tap is great if you happen to have one the right size, but not everyone has an assortment of bottom taps.

And finally - scope ring screws should be tightened incrementally - a little at a time on one side, then a little on the other. Four-screw rings should be tightened in an X pattern. With the reticle properly aligned, I snug down the screws until they are just snug and the gap on each side of the ring is equal (yes, that's a bit obsessive, but it ensures that the scope won't turn as I tighten the ring screws). I then tighten the screws a quarter or an eighth of a turn at a time, alternating sides, until both screws feel right. Or until the torque driver tells me to stop (I do use one sometimes, depending on the oracle bones and the phase of the moon).
 
And finally - scope ring screws should be tightened incrementally - a little at a time on one side, then a little on the other. Four-screw rings should be tightened in an X pattern. With the reticle properly aligned, I snug down the screws until they are just snug and the gap on each side of the ring is equal (yes, that's a bit obsessive, but it ensures that the scope won't turn as I tighten the ring screws). I then tighten the screws a quarter or an eighth of a turn at a time, alternating sides, until both screws feel right. Or until the torque driver tells me to stop (I do use one sometimes, depending on the oracle bones and the phase of the moon).
+1! Exactly how it should be done.
 
Thanks for the info. I’ve used the Brownells Weaver tip for many years. They work great. The pictures are also helpful.
 
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