keeping the screws tight in HW 95 and HW 80?

[Bill_Ross]

Good Morning Folks,

I have a HW 95 in .177 and a HW 80 in .22. Last weekend the center stock bolt fell out of both of them on the same day within 10 minutes of each other. I have had the HW 95 for about a year and the HW 80 for about a month. So about 500 or so rounds out of the 95 and about 100 out of the 80. So now I am thinking I need to use thread locker to keep those bolts in. The question is Lock Tite Red or Blue. I would prefer the Blue because it is less difficult to take apart when necessary.

A friend of mine says to use clear fingernail polish to keep the bolts in. Anyone ever try that?

Any help you can provide is most appreciated.

Thanks,

Bill.

 

[Brislee]

If you are going to use thread locker use Blue. Red is meant to be permanent. It will take heat (a lot of heat) to release Red. an alternative to using Locktite of any kind is to clean the threads real good and use a small amount of Permatex Ultra Gray silicone. The screws come loose due to the vibration a springer creates and the silicone will "dampen" the effects on the bolts coming loose. Keep in mind the threads must be CLEAN before you use the silicone. When you need to remove the bolts they will release a lot easier than with Locktite.

 

[HeyU]

Hi Bill,,From where-ever I' ve read,the Blue 242 is recommended. Be careful not to over tighten the screws. Can damage the stock,by compressing it till it splits or cracks. AoA sells { Brass Screw Cup Kit } $15.30 a set for both your rifles. Kinda pricey for what you get.1 heck of a( 700%? ) mark-up.Have a friend with a lathe? They would be easy to machine. I think I saw another post around here somewhere that described a technique using glue to saturate the screw hole pockets to help the wood from getting compressed.

 

[MScottLeeman]

I use the Blue Loc-tite after cleaning the screws with aerosol brake cleaner and a small brass brush. I also spritz a cotton swab and clean the hole in the receiver along with a bore brush.

DON'T use the Red!! Hope this helps You!

Mike

 

[Guest]

I have my R1 since 1984 shooting in excess of 300,000 pellets.

It has never, repeat never had the screws come loose.

Ditto, the D52, HW35 and the TX200.

I tighten the screws as discussed in the manuals, shoot them a bunch and tighten them again. Voila

I know the trigger guard screws are adjusted because of pressure on the safety, etc., but for the front screws on my HW, TX, D52 I tighten them til they squeak.

Good luck

 

[Yarddog]

OP, I have struggled with this issue on my R-1, and all my other springers, and I have never been fortunate enough to have tightened them and forgotten them!!! I used to use Loctite 242-blue, but it produces more of a one and done type joint, as it were, BUT...it can be undone easily with hand tools. Not so, Loctite red...I also have used Loctite 290-green for locking a thread after the fact, IF I'm able to get into the back of the threads. But, it's a lighter bond than 242. Now, upon the advice of many on the World Wide Web, I use VibraTite VC-3. It's said that you can re-tighten and still have a bond established.

Along with all that, I have obtained a Wheeler FAT Wrench, and I use it before, after, and if necessary, during shooting. For my rifles, I tighten the front stock screws to 22 in-lbs, the big trigger guard screw to 35-44 in-lbs, the rear smaller trigger guard screw to 15-18 in-lbs (its not critical to accuracy), the horizontal scope ring screws to 30-35 in-lbs, and the vertical scope ring screws to 15 in-lbs. If you're gonna err, you'd be better off erring on the side of less torque, in my opinion. And there's no absolutes in terms of torque, but if you have a good feel for torque, you might want to opt for that instead of the fifty buck tool. I have a good wrist torque wrench, but for something as finicky as a springer, I've opted for the FAT wrench. And I use it often. 

If, when I'm shooting, the point of impact starts to wander, the very first thing I check is torque. And I've been flabbergasted on how little the stock screws have to loosen before it starts to wander!!! Which, if you think about it, makes sense...the pellets still in the barrel when the action starts to squirm around in the stock. Since going to this regimen, I've been rewarded with much more consistency out of my springers. Which is all I have, except for my 392, which isn't finicky at all!