Use Loctite (red or blue) of firearm screws?

[Ed_Flecko]

Originally Posted By: Astro14


I've never had a screw come loose on a firearm, so I don't see the need. Perhaps on a magnum rifle scope...but I torque my scope screws with a purpose-made torque wrench and they're good....so...

I wouldn't add stuff that requires heat to remove. At most, perhaps the blue, but never the red. The factory doesn't add it, and, in general, screws don't come loose until the owner messes with them.

What problem are you trying to solve?


Oh, I'm not trying to solve anything, per se. I'm just wondering if using something like Loctite Blue or Vibra-tite, etc., would be O.K. to use on a regular basis after cleaning and then reassembling a firearm? Or..."if it aint broke...don't fix it" since the factory didn't use products like this when they manufactured and assembled the firearm.

Ed

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
I've never had a screw come loose on a firearm, so I don't see the need. Perhaps on a magnum rifle scope...but I torque my scope screws with a purpose-made torque wrench and they're good....so...

I wouldn't add stuff that requires heat to remove. At most, perhaps the blue, but never the red. The factory doesn't add it, and, in general, screws don't come loose until the owner messes with them.

What problem are you trying to solve?


I have to agree with Astro on this one. More firearms are screwed up with Loctite and Dremel's than anything else. The only time I use Loctite is when I mount a scope base. That's it. Even then I use Blue, and only a small amount. And I never use it on the rings. I have scopes that have been mounted on .300 Win. Mag. rifles for over 45 years, and over 1,000 rounds that have never moved, or come loose. I've seen guys bathe their screws and fasteners in red Loctite, along with going nuts with punches and hammers, staking everything. And in the process all they make is a mess. It's not necessary.

Go ask most any experienced gunsmith what they think of Loctite on firearms. Most all hate it. It creates problems where none existed. Stripped or broken screws that have to end up being drilled out and tapped the next size larger. Or else it requires heating something that should not be heated in order to remove it. It's one thing to use a thread locking agent on a 1/2" bolt being used on a off road automotive suspension. That is going to be subjected to severe and constant pounding and viabration. It's something else to slather it all over small, finely threaded gun screws. That's a guaranteed disaster if removal is ever required. It should not require a blowtorch to disassemble a fine weapon.

Chances are if you have a threaded fastener on a firearm that is constantly coming loose, there are other issues causing it. The thread is either partially stripped. Or else the hole was improperly tapped to begin with. Or else it was tapped oversize. Or the screw itself is undersize. Or a combination of all of the above. Either way, Loctite was NOT designed for that. In most cases indiscriminate use of Loctite causes far more problems than it solves. Too many times people look for overly simple solutions that come out of a bottle.

 

[Ed_Flecko]

Originally Posted By: billt460
Originally Posted By: Astro14
I've never had a screw come loose on a firearm, so I don't see the need. Perhaps on a magnum rifle scope...but I torque my scope screws with a purpose-made torque wrench and they're good....so...

I wouldn't add stuff that requires heat to remove. At most, perhaps the blue, but never the red. The factory doesn't add it, and, in general, screws don't come loose until the owner messes with them.

What problem are you trying to solve?


I have to agree with Astro on this one. More firearms are screwed up with Loctite and Dremel's than anything else. The only time I use Loctite is when I mount a scope base. That's it. Even then I use Blue, and only a small amount. And I never use it on the rings. I have scopes that have been mounted on .300 Win. Mag. rifles for over 45 years, and over 1,000 rounds that have never moved, or come loose. I've seen guys bathe their screws and fasteners in red Loctite, along with going nuts with punches and hammers, staking everything. And in the process all they make is a mess. It's not necessary.

Go ask most any experienced gunsmith what they think of Loctite on firearms. Most all hate it. It creates problems where none existed. Stripped or broken screws that have to end up being drilled out and tapped the next size larger. Or else it requires heating something that should not be heated in order to remove it. It's one thing to use a thread locking agent on a 1/2" bolt being used on a off road automotive suspension. That is going to be subjected to severe and constant pounding and viabration. It's something else to slather it all over small, finely threaded gun screws. That's a guaranteed disaster if removal is ever required. It should not require a blowtorch to disassemble a fine weapon.

Chances are if you have a threaded fastener on a firearm that is constantly coming loose, there are other issues causing it. The thread is either partially stripped. Or else the hole was improperly tapped to begin with. Or else it was tapped oversize. Or the screw itself is undersize. Or a combination of all of the above. Either way, Loctite was NOT designed for that. In most cases indiscriminate use of Loctite causes far more problems than it solves. Too many times people look for overly simple solutions that come out of a bottle.


Thank you...this sounds like sound advice. I think I'll skip the idea of using something llke this on my weapons.

Ed

 

[Balrog006]

Originally Posted By: Ed_Flecko
Originally Posted By: billt460
Originally Posted By: Astro14
I've never had a screw come loose on a firearm, so I don't see the need. Perhaps on a magnum rifle scope...but I torque my scope screws with a purpose-made torque wrench and they're good....so...

I wouldn't add stuff that requires heat to remove. At most, perhaps the blue, but never the red. The factory doesn't add it, and, in general, screws don't come loose until the owner messes with them.

What problem are you trying to solve?


I have to agree with Astro on this one. More firearms are screwed up with Loctite and Dremel's than anything else. The only time I use Loctite is when I mount a scope base. That's it. Even then I use Blue, and only a small amount. And I never use it on the rings. I have scopes that have been mounted on .300 Win. Mag. rifles for over 45 years, and over 1,000 rounds that have never moved, or come loose. I've seen guys bathe their screws and fasteners in red Loctite, along with going nuts with punches and hammers, staking everything. And in the process all they make is a mess. It's not necessary.

Go ask most any experienced gunsmith what they think of Loctite on firearms. Most all hate it. It creates problems where none existed. Stripped or broken screws that have to end up being drilled out and tapped the next size larger. Or else it requires heating something that should not be heated in order to remove it. It's one thing to use a thread locking agent on a 1/2" bolt being used on a off road automotive suspension. That is going to be subjected to severe and constant pounding and viabration. It's something else to slather it all over small, finely threaded gun screws. That's a guaranteed disaster if removal is ever required. It should not require a blowtorch to disassemble a fine weapon.

Chances are if you have a threaded fastener on a firearm that is constantly coming loose, there are other issues causing it. The thread is either partially stripped. Or else the hole was improperly tapped to begin with. Or else it was tapped oversize. Or the screw itself is undersize. Or a combination of all of the above. Either way, Loctite was NOT designed for that. In most cases indiscriminate use of Loctite causes far more problems than it solves. Too many times people look for overly simple solutions that come out of a bottle.


Thank you...this sounds like sound advice. I think I'll skip the idea of using something llke this on my weapons.

Ed


Then there are firearms parts manufacturers like Magpul who dip every fastney for everything they make and sell in blue LocTite (or some equivalent) so the the vibration and recoil of the weapon does not unscrew the parts from it during firing, and these are typically on 5.56 AR style weapons nothing magnum.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted By: Balrog006
Then there are firearms parts manufacturers like Magpul who dip every fastney for everything they make and sell in blue LocTite (or some equivalent) so the the vibration and recoil of the weapon does not unscrew the parts from it during firing, and these are typically on 5.56 AR style weapons nothing magnum.


Sig Sauer even smears it all over the threads on their grip screws.... Stupid.

http://www.brownells.com/handgun-parts/g...ent=732-000-098

 

[bubbatime]

What screws are you taking apart during a cleaning/lubrication? What gun are we talking about here? MOST guns are designed to work fine without thread locker on the gun itself.

Some guns, use a LIBERAL amount of thread locker to keep them from falling apart (Kel-Tec guns that are screwed together, for example. Every screw has blue Loc-Tite on them)

And if we talking about accessories that are bolted to a gun, like red dots, flashlights, and scopes, then blue Loc-Tite should be used. There is no down side of using blue Loc-Tite on accessories that are bolted to guns. The down side of not using blue Loc-Tite is your widget comes lose, when you really dont want it to.

 

[jcwit]

Use blue Loc-Tite on the screws of a springer air rifle. Solves them getting loose

 

[jjjxlr8]

I like to use the blue LocTite on scope mounts and rings that I don't want to disassemble. I don't think you would want to use any on anything that you would need to disassemble for regular maintenance.

 

[dubber09]

I use blue one on trigger overtravel screw as well as rear sight on my handgun. But I shoot a fair bit and had those come loose.

 

[Toros]

I have a Bersa Thunder .380. Great carry gun. If the right side grip plate is too tight it causes ejection issues. So backing the grip plate screw off until it is just snug and a drop of blue Loctite works perfectly.

 

[MarcS]

Having worked at a shooting range, i have seen no shortage of accessories fall off of all manner of firearm, screws loosen on holsters, etc. Every screw gets blue

 

[MarcS]

Originally Posted By: Toros
I have a Bersa Thunder .380. Great carry gun. If the right side grip plate is too tight it causes ejection issues. So backing the grip plate screw off until it is just snug and a drop of blue Loctite works perfectly.


Thats actually pretty concerning on a carry gun. If it fails when the grip screw is slightly over tight, what's going to happen when you are death-gripping that thing in a defensive situation. I'd have a gunsmith look at that asap

 

[Olas]

Individual guns respond differently to temp & humidity. Some woods bend&twist more than others, some optics behave very strangely in extreme temps, and myriad other 'every gun is individual' nuggets of wisdom.

Learning the gun and how it responds is more important than blindly suggesting this or that loctite.

Until you know exactly how it performs in all the different conditions you'll use it in, loctiting anything could have you at best chasing a shifting zero, at worst selling the darned thing because its just no good.

 

[Toros]

Originally Posted By: MarcS
Originally Posted By: Toros
I have a Bersa Thunder .380. Great carry gun. If the right side grip plate is too tight it causes ejection issues. So backing the grip plate screw off until it is just snug and a drop of blue Loctite works perfectly.


Thats actually pretty concerning on a carry gun. If it fails when the grip screw is slightly over tight, what's going to happen when you are death-gripping that thing in a defensive situation. I'd have a gunsmith look at that asap


It's a common issue with that gun. It's more prevalent with the stock plastic grips than wood ones. I'm not concerned. I tighten until just snug after a drop of blue Loctite. I was trained not to death grip a gun.

 

[SouthEndCrusher]

Blue Loctite is what's recommended by Glock for such things as the front sight screw. I'd stick to blue.