So I've heard that on colts the screws can work themselves loose and are easily lost. So how bad of a problem is this really? I imagine it would be worse on more powerful guns such as the dragoon, but how bad would it be on say, a navy colt?
I have been shooting Colt and "colt style" revolvers for twenty years (still own a dozen) and I have never lost a screw or used loc-tite. Tighten them down when you put the gun back together after cleaning and you shouldn't have a problem.
I own an 1851 Navy and it's my only Colt. Most of the screws stay pretty tight.
The only offender is the screw pin for the bolt. I always notice it before it gets bad, but that's because I know to check it frequently. I just tighten it with my fingernail and keep going.
I imagine screws on Remingtons are no less prone to coming loose than Colts. There's just 5 (I think) less screws to keep track of
I shoot Colt Dragoons and never have a problem losing a loose screw. I check all screws every time I clean them and I clean them every time I shoot them. No problem here.
My second gen. SAA has fiber washers under screw heads, but with my b&c clones I check them when cleaning.
If you take care of your guns the screws never get more than a part of a turn loose.