I feel sick after this!

[Clubhunter]

Got my new badger one piece 20mm scope base and badger rings. I went out and bought a wheeler torque wrench so that I got everything correct. I first took out the plug screws out of the reciever. Put the base on and got the torque screws started. I then set the torque wrench to 15lbs per inch and proceeded to torque them down. Started with the very front one toward barrel then went to the very back toward the butt then back to the front rear and then to the last which is the back front toward the chamber. For some reason I started torquing it and it felt like it broke free. Now I didn't put any pressure that would even be close to the end where the torque wrench clicks. It won't even back out. It just turns.....did it get stripped???? Any ideas????
I just put it back in the safe.....could not deal with it.

 

[Garycrow]

Don't panic.

Most likely it was a defective screw, it's unlikely you stripped the hole in the action. To get it out take the other three screws out then pull up on the base while unscrewing the screw, it should back out with the base. You might have to slip something non-marring between the base and the action to give it some upward pressure while you back out the screw. After you get it out you can look and see exactly what happened, my guess is the screw might have had some incomplete or weak threads and stripped them off.

 

[ShowMeShooter]

I agree with Garycrow, shouldn't be too hard to get out.

Sounds like the screw may have bottomed out against the barrel and stripped the threads. I had this happen once before. Not a big deal in my case.

 

[Hairtrigger]

Might be a good idea to work up to the desired torque
Start at 8 then 12 and finally the 15 inch pounds
Did you put loctite on the screws?

 

[Clubhunter]

No loctite yet.

 

[Hairtrigger]

I am a firm believer in putting Loctite on bases but not rings

 

[soewe812]

You should also tighten from the middle out.

 

[Clubhunter]

Ok, I have taken the other three screws out and tried to unscrew the remaining screw and it just turns. It does not move out any. I have turned it upside down, applied pulling pressure to the base as I turn it and none at all. Nothing......

 

[Hairtrigger]

Ok, I have taken the other three screws out and tried to unscrew the remaining screw and it just turns. It does not move out any. I have turned it upside down, applied pulling pressure to the base as I turn it and none at all. Nothing......

Best option sell me the gun!!!

 

[Clubhunter]

That's funny Hairtrigger!
Well I took it in to the local gun shop and the guy there got it out. When we looked at everything we noticed that the screw stuck was a short one. Because it was placed in the higher ramp side I thought maybe I put it in the wrong side and that the package of screws were wrong. I needed two long and two short screws. The small screw was screwed up so I went to a Fastenol store and they did not have the size. I called Badger and they told me that it does come with 3 long and 1 short which goes in the very front hole. They are sending me another set.
I don't feel sick anymore!!!!

 

[Hairtrigger]

I tried!!!!!
Happy it worked out for you

That's funny Hairtrigger!
Well I took it in to the local gun shop and the guy there got it out. When we looked at everything we noticed that the screw stuck was a short one. Because it was placed in the higher ramp side I thought maybe I put it in the wrong side and that the package of screws were wrong. I needed two long and two short screws. The small screw was screwed up so I went to a Fastenol store and they did not have the size. I called Badger and they told me that it does come with 3 long and 1 short which goes in the very front hole. They are sending me another set.
I don't feel sick anymore!!!!

 

[luv long range]

Been there.All the info given above sounds good.Dont give up.Get that bad boy back out and get to work.Get that thing up and running.If we worry to much about hurting things or making mistake we would not do any of this stuff ourselves.Keep shooting.

 

[matemike]

Glad your rifle was not broke. I had a similar experience.

I had a screw strip in the #2 hole in my Savage receiver. I got the screw out and the first three threads were wiped clean. The next screw stripped the same way. Got frustrated. Thought I ruined my receiver and would need a professional re-tap and re-thread job done.

I got to investigating by feeling around in there with a toothpick. The bottom of the threads in the receiver were smooth. I got a q-tip and pulled a little bit of cotton off making it slimmer. I twisted that into my receiver's tapped hole and felt good torque when it reached bottom. I then untwisted it and it backed out like a steel screw. I was amazed to see that I pulled out the set of three threads from the first stripped screw. They wrapped around the q-tip perfectly. Ran a new screw into the hole without the base in place and had excellent thread feel the whole way through. I was ecstatic that I was able to revive the receiver with just a q-tip. It takes some genius and some luck to do your own minor smithing at home. Keep at it and gain from your experience is about I can advise from here.

Happy shooting.