Am I the only one who sees folks over-tightening scope ring screws?

I watched a customer bring in a rifle last week where the guy had cranked the ring screws down to 45 inch-pounds trying to 'make sure it held zero'. He stripped the threads and warped the tube. I keep my torque wrench set to the maker's spec, usually around 15 to 20 in-lbs for most rings. How do you guys explain proper torque to new shooters without sounding like a know-it-all?

3 comments

3 Comments

river1902mo ago

45 inch pounds? That's insane, you could crush the tube with that much force. How do you even explain that without sounding like you're scolding them?

mila_craig42mo agoTop Commenter

Crush the tube" is exactly right. I saw a video where a guy showed what happens with over-torqued fittings. It wasn't pretty. The trick is to make it about the gear, not the person. You say the spec exists to protect the part from damage, not because they're doing it wrong. It takes the blame off them. That's how I'd explain it to river190, anyway. People listen better when they don't feel attacked.

mila_craig41mo agoTop Commenter

Why not just blame the torque wrench manual?