I've read several suggestions that say to reduce the recommended amount of scope ring screw torque by 15-20% when using loctite since it acts like a lubricant so I wanted to see what the consensus here is?

You’re supposed to but I usually forget to. Somehow the world has kept turning.

No, because Loctite should be figured in the torque spec.

I never use Loctite on scope ring screws. I always torque to the scope manufacturer's recommendation. I've never had a scope come loose using this method.

Locktite is designed to fill the gaps between fasteners,  it keeps bolts, or screws from vibrating loose. Torque spec always remains the same,  using it, or not.

@VortexOptics

What about bases and mounts?

https://youtu.be/O96AUlIBkU8

Very interesting vid

No, but with caveate: I use scopes and mounts that have a 25% safety margin even before you rely on the "behind the scenes" safety margin the engineers built in.

Example: NX8 and Badger C1 mount. The NX8 is meant to be mounted with 25 in-lb in a NF Unimount, and the Badger C1 is just fine well past 25 in-lb regarding ITS integrity, although for the commercial market, it is to be torqued to 20 in-lb.

I torqued my NX8/Badger to 20 in-lb with loctite 243. Even presuming I should have reduced torque by 25%, I am still around 25 in-lb, which both the optic and mount are fine at, per the factory.


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I do not believe in torquing a dry bolt. Every single case study I have seen with dry bolts being torqued, shows greatly varying tension at equal torque. Lubing bolts makes torque vs. tension much more uniform across an assembly.

-I called Geissele, they use a light preservative on the scope mount ring-cap bolts, and suggest you do NOT remove it.
-I read Hakkan Spuhr's mount instructions. The bolts are lightly waxed and he does NOT recommend you remove it.

Loctite has a k-factor statistically identical to light machine oil. It is not an EP type lube and will not greatly increase your tension like an EP type lubricant or grease would. It is analogous to the wax or oil in the above applications.

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It is my opinion that you should consider the K-factor of loctite, and reduce torque as advised to meet spec of a manufacturer like Vortex. In fact, Vortex does the math for you, and advises 11 in-lb with loctite used, vs. the 18 advised otherwise (I do not know how they arrived at this, but it's their product, and they spec'ed it as such, so deviate at your own peril). Be advised that k-factor delta caused by adding loctite also depends on substrates of the bolt and the material you are screwing it into. For example, it will not be the same for anodized 7075 and a blued bolt, as it would for a Bobro phosphate bolt/stud arrangement. Further still, each time you remove/torque a fastener, the tension achieved will vary. You may have knocked rough area down on fresh ano/phos, and the tension values could actually increase, for example.

Again, this is why I use products with overlapping specs/safety margins as outlined in the first part of my response. You can REALLY get into the weeds, here, and this is a rifle, NOT a space-shuttle, and I just don't want to do all of that math.