torquing the rifle stock

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thomis

thomis

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Just curious.. how many of you torque your rifle stock to specific inch-pounds to find the best accuracy?
And what tool (make and model) torque wrench are you using?

I've been fine tuning my new .308 for months now and borrowed a friend's Seekonk torque wrench. I set the two stock screws to 30 inch pounds and my groups closed up. I'm going to set them at 35 and see if they close up further. I'm told to stop at 40 and then back down in 5 inch-pound intervals until I find the sweet spot.
 
If you have bedded your action with a non-yeilding material such as Brownell's Glasbed and have a fully free floated barrel torquing the action won't make a tremendous amount of difference to group size. If OTOH you have pressure points along your barrel it could make drastic changes in you POI. I use a torque screw driver by Mac Tools and a torque wrench by Blue Point.
I'm told to stop at 40 and then back down in 5 inch-pound intervals until I find the sweet spot
Click to expand...
Once torqued never back off unless you back WAY off and then retorque at the lower spec.
 
I put an HS Precision on my 700 and HSP spec 65 in/lbs on the screws, so that's what I do. I use a 1/4" drive torque wrench with an appropriate bit.
 
Torque will make a difference on any rifle, bedded or not. The barrel naturally vibrates when a shot is fired. Changing the torque changes the harmonics of that vibration and will have an impact on your grouping.

However, the torque which works best will be ammo specific. So if you change from one factory load to another, or even one batch of hand loads to another with a different powder, the idea torque setting will also change.
 
Not yet, but I recently bought that torque wrench screwdriver from Wheeler Engineering mentioned above. Anyone know how much torque is recommended for a Winchester 70 Extreme Weather in a B&C Medalist stock?
 
Torque will make a difference on any rifle, bedded or not.
Click to expand...
How much will depend largely on the stock/bedding material,type of bedding(pillar,etc) Type of action,flat bottom (Mauser)or round(Win.,Rem.,etc). Torque specs aren't as important as complete,solid bedding. I torque my Mauser actions to know that the 2 action screws are EQUALLY tightened not to know how tight they are.
 
Agreed. Torqued tight enough, equal and always the same is probably more important than the specific value. Although 65 in/lbs gets quoted a lot by precision stock makers.
 
I emailed bell and carlson last year for my Winchester extreme weather SS, they said 50 inch pounds for the stock.
 
When it comes to the wheeler wrench.... Turn the dial back down when done, and I believe you are NOT supposed to un-screw with it (un-torquing, loosening). Use a different tool for un-screwing (I take the bit out of the wheeler and put it in a screwdriver), but only use it for torquing down (tightening). On a side note, I wish all companies that dealt with gun screws and bolts would switch to torx screws instead of regular old flat head scews. My burris rings I bought last year still had slot scews.
 
Be careful not to crush the wood of a wooden stock with too much torque!
Click to expand...
This can be a problem ,however, on a Mauser action the bottom metal is in direct contact with the receiver(if properly inletted)and a certain amount of stock crush is required for a good fit. Either glasbedding or pillar bedding will eliminate wood stock damage by over torquing the action screws on other action types.
 
It isn't enough just to torque the stock to the specified 65 Lbs. There is a precise means (sequence) to it as well to assure a proper return to zero when the stock is removed and returned to the barreled action.

1. Stand the stock vertical, resting on the recoil pad

2. Hang the barreled action on the stock (maintain vertical)

3. Insert the bottom metal (floor plate). Leave the magazine floor plate open.

4. Insert ONLY the front action screw. Leave the rear action screw on the table...not inserted at all.

5. With the action hanging under its own weight in the vertical stock, tighten the front action screw to 65 Lbs.

6. Insert the rear action screw, and torque it to 65 pounds. Some manufacturers call for the rear screw to be at 60 Lbs. Check the manufacturer.

This is the sequence advised to me by Stockys Stocks ( www.stockysstocks.com ) for my HS Precision and B&C stocks.

Geno
 
Torque will be different for every brand and kind of rifle. Generally 65inchlab for synthetic stock rifles and 35inchlbs for wood stocked rifles. That's my story and Iam sticken to it.

Cheers & TIghter Groups: Eaglesnester
 
Quoted from above:

"on a Mauser action the bottom metal is in direct contact with the receiver(if properly inletted)"

Get back in touch with whoever told you that and tell him he has a lot to learn about stock inletting.
 
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