Help with Larue T1 mount

[Left Sig]

Anyone know what the correct torque spec is for the 4 screws that mount an Aimpoint T-1 to the LaRue mount?

Mine came from LaRue pre-torqued and Loctited, but I need to reverse the base so the lever is on the other side.

I'm left handed, and with a Larue 3x magnifier flip mount set up "backwards" for lefty operation (flip to left instead of flip to right), the QD levers on the two mounts collide.

Anyway, I emailed LaRue and they said 35-40 inch pounds. That's the same as for their traditional Aimpoint ring mounts, which use torx head screws into steel threaded inserts. Using that much torque on an Aimpoint T-1 mount screw is bound to strip out the threads in the aluminum sight body.

I may be wrong, but I don't want to crank up my torque driver to 35 in-lb and strip out a $600 Aimpoint.

[Biggy]

Anyone know what the correct torque spec is for the 4 screws that mount an Aimpoint T-1 to the LaRue mount?

Mine came from LaRue pre-torqued and Loctited, but I need to reverse the base so the lever is on the other side.

I'm left handed, and with a Larue 3x magnifier flip mount set up "backwards" for lefty operation (flip to left instead of flip to right), the QD levers on the two mounts collide.

Anyway, I emailed LaRue and they said 35-40 inch pounds. That's the same as for their traditional Aimpoint ring mounts, which use torx head screws into steel threaded inserts. Using that much torque on an Aimpoint T-1 mount screw is bound to strip out the threads in the aluminum sight body.

I may be wrong, but I don't want to crank up my torque driver to 35 in-lb and strip out a $600 Aimpoint.

I would also like to know for sure about this. Also for screws under 1/4" in diameter the correct Loctite would be the low strenght purple threadlocker 222 formula or you could use the Vibra-Tite VC-3 thread locker, both of which are removable if necessary. You would think when using tread locker a very (lite) snug would be all that is needed. I'm sure the engineers had a reason for the small mounting screws, but if they could have, i wish they would have went a little bigger.

[JimT]

^^^^^^^

Thanks for the info. I'll be sure to remember that for my next T1 + LaRue mount.
Unfortunately, I used Loctite 242 for my T1/LaRue setup. Didn't over-torque, just snugged it up and gave a gentle 1/8 turn. Hopefully I won't do any damage to the optic IF for some reason the two need to be separated.

[Left Sig]

I asked LaRue to re-check and they responded with 20-25 in-lb which makes more sense but is still a bit high IMO.

Aimpoint says they don't have a torque spec. Here's what they said:

"We usually tell people to use blue loctite. Once the screws are tight just put a little more pressure and that is it. If you have any more questions please feel free to contact us."

So I decided to use 15 in-lb on my torque limiting screwdriver along with blue loctite. I torqued without the loctite first, then removed the screws and looked for any thread damage on the Aimpoint. I didn't find any so I re-torqued with the loctiite. Maybe the hard anodized finish makes the threads less prone to strip than raw aluminum. Seems fine now, but the test is shooting with it and seeing if it loosens up. I experimented with 10 in-lb first just to be safe, but it seemed a bit too light.

For what it's worth, Leupold recommends 14 in-lb on their aluminum rings, so that's consistent with what I used on the Aimpoint. I also used 15 in-lb for the weaver mount on my Ruger 10/22 (aluminum receiver) and it works well without stripping the holes out.