Silver Solder - A Question For You Gunsmiths
 

The lug holding the trigger group and the front barrel lug on my Omega X7 are both secured to the barrel with T8 Torx screws; two screws on each unit.

I recently had the front lug become very slightly loose for the second time. Not much, but I could detect a tiny movement that went away when I tightened the screws again (even though I could feel no movement of the screws when I tried to turn them).

Here's what the assemblies look like.





I haven't applied Loctite to them and was getting ready to do that when I got to thinking about alternatives. I know gun makers use silver solder to secure barrels and ribs on double shotguns, so it must have pretty good holding power. Also, it doesn't require the high degree of heat involved in welding.

So the question is this. Can I flood the areas between that stainless barrel and the carbon steel blocks with silver solder and expect it to hold? Would using Loctite on the screws be just as effective?

i just wonder how it'd stick with SS. SS alone is hard to weld.

Have you considered having it tig welded? I had a lug welded on my White Whitetail.
Art

You could use HiForce44 solder w/ Comet Flux or 70pa Homogenized solder from Brownells. A good heat paste will protect the barrel. I probably wouldn't solder the trigger block.

Only as a quick passing thought flounder. I don't think I would want someone welding on this barrel which is a tack driver when everything is right. I know the lugs were factory welded on earlier Omegas. But I suspect the factory knows a little more about how to do it than the guy at a local welding shop.

Fix the quote Urban

The guy who I had do it wasn't at the local welding shop, Semi. I thought the same as you about that. On my gun the lug was on the reciever so maybe that makes it less risky. Them screw holes are going to get egg shaped if they keep getting loose like that though.

There is a special low temp. silver soder but it will not hold well on SS.
Any thing that will hold well stands a good chane of messing up the barrel.
I have fixed a couple of them with blue locktight an they are holding well.

Does this mean the screws are barely too long? If this was my rifle, i would shorten them screw ever so little, then install them with loctite. If they ever came loose again would be when i would try silver solder or some such thing.

I believe you wrote you have never tried loctite. When i fix things, i always try to use the easiest (non-gunnysack) fix, and go from there.

+1 on shortening the screws a .010-.015"

Ron is the voice of reason- I'm always reaching for the torch or a bigger hammer :)

Thanks for all of the input guys. Doing the least possible harm makes sense, so a slight shortning of the screws and Locktite will be it for now. My brother-in-law recommended putting dog poop between the barrel and lugs which he says will stick to anything.

Yer wife's brother? Why does she think you're nuts?

There is a type of locktite made for retaining bearing repair sleeves that I would venture to say is going to be nearly as permanent as silver solder, nothing short of heating it to glowing red will weaken it!

http://www.etrailer.com/Tools/Loctit...4.html?feed=pn

that one

Semi-If you are going to use locktite 640,Loosen the screws and apply it between the block and barrel.you will have to use the primer on stainless.DO NOT GET IT ON THE THREADS if you ever want to loosen them.I used this stuff on bearing repair sleeves on web presses.It is awsome stuff when applied properly.Cleanliness is important.No trace of oil at all.

Charlie

Now that is interesting stuff Josh. I've never seen it before. It sure looks like an inexpensive and simple permanent fix. I've copied that data sheet to my How To & References file. If the blue Loctite doesn't do the job that stuff is going to get the nod.

Hey Chasam, thanks for the advice. Is that stuff thin like water, thick like cream, or even thicker like a light grease?

it's just a shade thicker than water so be careful

I wonder, could it be used to mount a scope base on a barrel without drilling and tapping screw holes? Does it act like an epoxy and actually bind metal that way?

There is a loctite product called bearing mount. It is to keep a pressed on bearing in place. The stuff is amazing. I would do as the others said and shorten the screws. Apply Blue or the Green loctite if you can find it to the screws and put the bearing mount on the lug. I had the same type of problem on my Triumph and this helped clear it up. To find these types of loctite products you will need to go to a fastiner distributor like Fastenall or Lawson

I ignored this thread at first since I did not think it applied (silver solder?) to me. But I have an X7 and have experienced the same problem with the barrel lug's T8 screws comming loose, so this is a lot of help.

One question regarding using loctite. When I shoot in the summer, my barrel can get pretty darn HOT. With this effect the holding ability of the various types of loctite?

when I say hot, I mean heating with a cutting torch until it is cherry. The sleeve retainer is made to hold in hot places as well.

I agree with the screws possibly being a tad too long...I use clear finger nail polish instead of Loctite, it holds well and breaks loose when I need to change...

If this happens again, I'd go with JB Weld instead of silver solder...

Hubby11...I slow down in the summer heat and clean well between shots...Heat is hard on sabots as well, so it sometimes hurts your groups...Typically I carry several guns to shoot, so my inline can cool...

What is the working time with the 640 and do you apply it to both surfaces?
Thinking of using it on my Triumph.