screw keeps loosening

M

MJRW

New member
My grip screws tend to loosen after a few hundred rounds. I can't tighten them too much or else the mag doesn't drop. Was thinking about the temporary lock-tight stuff in the hole. Any suggestions for how to take care of this?

The pistol in question is a steel baby eagle compact .40.
 
I worked for a manufacturer of Thread locker (Loctite type stuff). You are experiencing transverse vibration-------------a common malady as old as sin.

I would guess this is a through hole thread pathway which means you may apply the blue thread locker to the fastener. If it is a blind hole, (one way in and one way out), apply the blue loctite to the side of the thread way and allow it to run to the bottom.

Anaerobics are liquid polyesters that harden in the prescence of metal ions and abscence of oygen. Just think blue. Blue is mil spec for medium strength. The breakaway torgue is greater than the prevailing torque and thus it is removable. The strength of a threadlocker is determined by the final durometer hardness.

Now, if the fram is aluminum you will need a primer to "fool" the threadlocker into thinking it is steel. If the grip is plastic and the female thread way of the grip is plastic without a steel insert, DO NOT USE A THREADLOCKER. Anaerobics will cause plastic to craze. In this case, use a little superglue and you will be good to go.
 
I can't tighten them too much or else the mag doesn't drop.
Click to expand...
That, I believe is the clue ... I'd be willing to bet that your grip screws are a few thousanths of an inch too long and that you are not able to torque them in without having them get in the way of the mag. I'd trim the tips off of the grip screws and torque them appropriately ... I don't know your model, so I don't know if there are inserts that these screws thread into ala the 1911. If so, then I would DEFINITELY stay away from the locktite as you are likely to unthread the inserts instead of the screws the next time you try to remove the grips. If the screws go into tapped holes, then the Locktite won't hurt ... but if the problem is that your screws are too long, then that's what I'd fix.

Saands
 
Or if you can get some small "O" rings that have an OD just smaller than the screw head size, use them as a lock washer.
 
The usual cause is not that the screws are too long, but that the stocks are compressed. Wood stocks have the problem all the time, but plastic stocks also can compress to the point where the screws will no longer tighten without sticking into the mag well. The solutions mentioned will all work.

Jim
 
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