Tip of the Week: Buy a Torque Wrench
In this edition of tip of the week, we cover why a torque wrench is a must-have tool in your firearm toolbox.
PPT Editor. NRA & USCCA instructor. Hunter, former competitive shooter, collector (200+ firearms)
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Few things are as annoying as having issues when it comes to screws on guns and optics.
Whether it is breaking a screw, stripping one, or having one come loose and cause malfunctions or issues, it sucks.
Luckily, there is an easy and relatively cheap way to avoid most of the headaches that come with overtightening or under-tightening firearms and optic screws.
What is a Torque Wrench?
Torque wrenches allow you to adjust the maximum amount of force that a wrench or screwdriver will apply to a screw.
For example, if your user manual for your red dot states that the screws need to be tightened to 18 inch-pounds, you can adjust your torque wrench to exactly 18 inch-pounds.
Once it is set, no matter how hard or how many times you turn the wrench, it will not put any more force on the screw than the specified number.
This ensures that you do not overtighten the screws and risk stripping them or damaging anything.
While most people will use torque wrenches for smaller screws, like those on optics and gas blocks, larger torque wrenches are also available. These are useful for torquing things like AR-15 barrel nuts and muzzle devices.
Checking Your Torque Specs
In order to effectively use a torque wrench, you need to know how tight the screws need to be.
Many scope rings and scope mounts will specify this information in the manual. If you cannot find the torque specification in the manual, try the manufacturer's website.
If that fails, a Google search can be your friend. Check a few forums; if you see multiple people reporting that their torque spec has been working well, you can try using that number instead of just guessing.
Make Sure You Get Quality Bits
A torque wrench is only as good as the bits that it uses. If your bit is made of poor material or doesn’t fit well, you run a severe risk of damaging the screw head.
Make sure you aren’t using cheap Chinesium bits, and double-check to ensure you are using the appropriate size. Always check the bit size just below and above the one you grabbed to make sure one doesn’t fit the screw better.
Final Thoughts
I have seen many a gun owner ruin their evening by putting too much ugga dugga on a screw and then breaking it or too little ugga dugga and chasing a wandering zero on a loose scope.
Next thing you know, they are looking online for a $4 screw that is out of stock everywhere except that one place that charges $18 for shipping and takes three weeks to get there.
Trust me, spend the $50, and you will have a tool that will last a lifetime and save you a ton of headaches. The only downside is that all of your friends will want you to mount their optics for them when they find out you have a torque wrench.
Do you have a torque wrench? If so, what kind do you use? Let us know in the comments below! Looking for other useful tools? Check out our article on the 6 Best Armorer's Wrenches.