Howa action screw torque

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Howa action screw torque

Post by Blr243 » 05 May 2021, 8:35 pm

I picked up my new 308 today. It has short fat barrel and sits in its hogue rubber stock. I have just been reading somewhere that action screw tension is quite critical in these rifles. And getting it right will be helpful if I want consistent nice groups. I’ll be shooting bm8208 handloads with Speer 130 hp I do have a tension/ torque screwdriver......what’s a good setting to start off ?
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Re: Howa action screw torque

Post by cz515 » 05 May 2021, 9:24 pm

Mate try between 40 and 65 inch pound.

Legacy international in the good old USA say 65 in/lb
Last edited by cz515 on 06 May 2021, 3:02 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Howa action screw torque

Post by straightshooter » 06 May 2021, 8:01 am

65 foot pounds seems like crazy talk to me.
I don't know whether the Howa uses a thread of 1/4" or 6mm but in either case the absolute maximum torque for a lightly lubricated high tensile strength fastener will be in the range 10 to 15 foot pounds.
Better still put your torque wrench back in it's shrine.
The general rule has been to tighten the front receiver screw as tight as possible without additional aids to leverage, as the case may be with either a correctly fitted flat blade screw driver or a standard hex key.
Then you tighten the rear screw firmly but not as tight as the front screw.
If, with the front screw now tight, you see the rear of the action being pulled deeper into the stock as the rear screw is being tightened then you have a bedding problem.
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Re: Howa action screw torque

Post by cz515 » 06 May 2021, 3:01 pm

straightshooter wrote:65 foot pounds seems like crazy talk to me.
I don't know whether the Howa uses a thread of 1/4" or 6mm but in either case the absolute maximum torque for a lightly lubricated high tensile strength fastener will be in the range 10 to 15 foot pounds.
Better still put your torque wrench back in it's shrine.
The general rule has been to tighten the front receiver screw as tight as possible without additional aids to leverage, as the case may be with either a correctly fitted flat blade screw driver or a standard hex key.
Then you tighten the rear screw firmly but not as tight as the front screw.
If, with the front screw now tight, you see the rear of the action being pulled deeper into the stock as the rear screw is being tightened then you have a bedding problem.


Sorry mate long day, it was in/lb I have edited my post, and thanks for catching that mistake
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Re: Howa action screw torque

Post by deye243 » 06 May 2021, 3:15 pm

The 3 howas I have here two 223 and a 7mm Remington Magnum all responded very well to 25 inch-pounds on the rear and 35 inch-pounds on front all of them are in Boyd thumb whole stocks
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Re: Howa action screw torque

Post by bladeracer » 06 May 2021, 4:07 pm

I would contact Howa if it isn't listed in the manual.
Screw torque is determined by the compresibility of the material, 65in-lb is what MDT specify for their aluminium chassis, but I would not try torquing a Boyd lami-stock that high. If the stock is pillar bedded then the torque is only compressing the pillar tube, not the stock material, so can be torqued much higher.
Last edited by bladeracer on 06 May 2021, 7:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Howa action screw torque

Post by Blr243 » 06 May 2021, 6:26 pm

Thanks for the input. I should take a look at all my rifles. It’s not something I have been giving full attention too
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Re: Howa action screw torque

Post by scoot » 06 May 2021, 7:12 pm

Screenshot_20191126-133505_Samsung Internet.jpg
Screenshot_20191126-133505_Samsung Internet.jpg (422.69 KiB) Viewed 7475 times

These were some guideline specs I screenshot a few years ago for tikka. No it's not howa.....but It gives you an idea of which stocks will take more torque. As blade said I definitely wouldn't try 65in/lbs on a hogue stock.
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Re: Howa action screw torque

Post by Blr243 » 06 May 2021, 9:39 pm

In relation to scoots screenshot , If my howa sits in a basic hogue stock, does it fall in the plastic stock floating lug category?
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Re: Howa action screw torque

Post by scoot » 06 May 2021, 11:18 pm

I stand to be corrected by my interpretation was that the "floating lug" refers to how the tikka recoil lug is separate to the action and sits in the stock. As opposed to being solidly fixed to the barrelled action.
I'd be tempted to try deye's suggestion above. You can always try to up tensions at the test bench and "see" what happens. I think by the time you get up past 40 in/lbs you will start to create problems and may even feel or see distortion.
Might not notice any difference either :unknown:
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Re: Howa action screw torque

Post by Blr243 » 07 May 2021, 10:45 am

Will pull action from stock and have a look in there ... that will help me to make a better decision I think
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Re: Howa action screw torque

Post by Veetwin » 27 May 2021, 4:08 pm

scoot wrote:
Screenshot_20191126-133505_Samsung Internet.jpg

These were some guideline specs I screenshot a few years ago for tikka. No it's not howa.....but It gives you an idea of which stocks will take more torque. As blade said I definitely wouldn't try 65in/lbs on a hogue stock.


Lithgow torque settings for the LA102 is 44 inch Lbs
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