How tight is hand tight? AKA henry big boy torques?

Shadow9mm · January 24, 2022, 07:11 PM

So I recently purchased a Henry Rifle. Steel Side gate, round barrel, big boy in 44mag/44spl, 20in barrel.

On my 2nd trip to the range the gun started failing to feed. After I got home I found that the trigger guard plate screw had come loose. All the screws in the gun were weeping oil when I got it so I was a bit concerned everything might start coming loose.

I contacted Henry hoping to get torque specs so i could double check everything. This was their response....

Quote:

Thank you for owning a Henry firearm.

The screws need only be “hand-tight”, or just snug and very little more. We do not have any published torque figures for this. Watching the Henry instructional videos for the Big Boy H006 model, which is the closest to your model, may help.

The severe cold will affect cycling, particularly if the oil has too high a viscosity for the weather. You can try a thinner oil for extreme cold shooting.

If necessary, you can use a bit of a medium thread locker on the threads to keep them in place.

Regards,

Anyone have any kind of guess for the official and or proper torque spec for "hand-tight, or just snug and very little more"?

Based on my limited research, most of which came from the auto industry, hand tight is approximately 2ftlb or 24inlb. one site stated 15-20inlb. some sites stated no more than 4ftlb or, 48inlb....

Here's the rifle.

**Unclenick** · January 25, 2022, 10:20 AM

The problem is the feel of hand-tight will vary with the size of the screw or bolt and the diameter of the screwdriver handle. If I make a 3/8-16 screw firmly hand-tight, then apply that same torque to a 2-56 screw, the latter will likely strip, as you want to use about 7½ times less torque on it. Only experience tells you what exceeding the thread strength feels like for different screw sizes and types of screw material. It's a manual skill.

If you are going to go to a torque wrench of some kind, you want to use a screw tightening torque chart because the wrench handle won't feel anything like a screwdriver. This one has a fair amount of hardware on it and the notes give you a sense of what different torque coefficient values are used with.

FITASC · January 25, 2022, 01:46 PM

I'd snug them up with a little Loc-Tite and call it good. IIRC the blue one is the easiest to remove if necessary

Ridgerunner665 · January 25, 2022, 07:15 PM

Purple loctite is the one for small fasteners... that said, lever actions are all known for shooting loose.

I snug mine all after each shooting session.

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FITASC · January 25, 2022, 08:42 PM

Thanks for the correction about blue v purple

Ridgerunner665 · January 25, 2022, 08:54 PM

Clear fingernail polish works too.

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Shadow9mm · January 25, 2022, 11:40 PM

Still baffles me that they don't have specs... Got blue locktite. Probably going to do a full tear down in the next few days, clean and lube. Try and get thread sizes and specs, and see if I can get rough torque figures.

One thing that had not occured to me. I could do a reverse torque. I could loosen then hand tighten each to "snug" then loosen with my torque wrench to see what they break loose at and use that as a base line.

FITASC · January 26, 2022, 09:52 AM

I think you are really overthinking it at this point - this isn't a NASCAR engine

Shadow9mm · January 26, 2022, 10:40 AM

Having stripped out threads in receivers before, it's something I never wish to repeat. It's a lesson I learned the hard way. And having had screws work loose more than a few times, I look for torque specs. Things just work better that way.

FITASC · January 26, 2022, 05:56 PM

Why I said you snug them until it gets tight with an application of whichever Loctite allows easy removal; except for the Loctite part, I do the same thing with choke tubes in shotgun - the principal is the same - you go TOO tight, you strip - or worse - break off the head of the screw

Shadow9mm · February 1, 2022, 08:00 PM

Well, had her out today. Hoping to to a full tear down this week. My suspicions were correct. The trigger screw was coming loose. Went ahead and snugged everything down. After I do the full tear down I will blue lock-tite everything.

January 25, 2022, 10:20 AM	#2
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,063	The problem is the feel of hand-tight will vary with the size of the screw or bolt and the diameter of the screwdriver handle. If I make a 3/8-16 screw firmly hand-tight, then apply that same torque to a 2-56 screw, the latter will likely strip, as you want to use about 7½ times less torque on it. Only experience tells you what exceeding the thread strength feels like for different screw sizes and types of screw material. It's a manual skill. If you are going to go to a torque wrench of some kind, you want to use a screw tightening torque chart because the wrench handle won't feel anything like a screwdriver. This one has a fair amount of hardware on it and the notes give you a sense of what different torque coefficient values are used with. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

January 25, 2022, 01:46 PM	#3
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,446	I'd snug them up with a little Loc-Tite and call it good. IIRC the blue one is the easiest to remove if necessary __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

January 25, 2022, 07:15 PM	#4
Ridgerunner665 Senior Member Join Date: June 22, 2007 Location: Upper East Tennessee Posts: 477	Purple loctite is the one for small fasteners... that said, lever actions are all known for shooting loose. I snug mine all after each shooting session. Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk Last edited by Ridgerunner665; January 25, 2022 at 07:42 PM.

January 25, 2022, 08:42 PM	#5
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,446	Thanks for the correction about blue v purple __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

January 25, 2022, 11:40 PM	#7
Shadow9mm Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2012 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 3,974	Still baffles me that they don't have specs... Got blue locktite. Probably going to do a full tear down in the next few days, clean and lube. Try and get thread sizes and specs, and see if I can get rough torque figures. One thing that had not occured to me. I could do a reverse torque. I could loosen then hand tighten each to "snug" then loosen with my torque wrench to see what they break loose at and use that as a base line. __________________ I don't believe in "range fodder" that is why I reload.

January 25, 2022, 08:54 PM	#6
Ridgerunner665 Senior Member Join Date: June 22, 2007 Location: Upper East Tennessee Posts: 477	Clear fingernail polish works too. Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

January 26, 2022, 09:52 AM	#8
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,446	I think you are really overthinking it at this point - this isn't a NASCAR engine __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

January 26, 2022, 10:40 AM	#9
Shadow9mm Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2012 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 3,974	Having stripped out threads in receivers before, it's something I never wish to repeat. It's a lesson I learned the hard way. And having had screws work loose more than a few times, I look for torque specs. Things just work better that way. __________________ I don't believe in "range fodder" that is why I reload.

January 26, 2022, 05:56 PM	#10
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,446	Why I said you snug them until it gets tight with an application of whichever Loctite allows easy removal; except for the Loctite part, I do the same thing with choke tubes in shotgun - the principal is the same - you go TOO tight, you strip - or worse - break off the head of the screw __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

February 1, 2022, 08:00 PM	#11
Shadow9mm Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2012 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 3,974	Well, had her out today. Hoping to to a full tear down this week. My suspicions were correct. The trigger screw was coming loose. Went ahead and snugged everything down. After I do the full tear down I will blue lock-tite everything. __________________ I don't believe in "range fodder" that is why I reload.