Which 1/4" Torque Wrench Are You Using for mounting Red Dots/Scopes?

[Capybara]

Hi all:

I recently acquired a few green dot sights and will be moving a scope from one upper to another. I notice that in the specs, they all are requiring specific torque values (Holosun 507 requires 15 ft lb in. of torque for instance?)

I have been looking at the Fix It Sticks stuff which seems really cool yet massively overpriced for what it is. Their basic driver sets are $150-200! What they have that the rest don't seem to, is the body of the driver is very small and narrow so you can maneuver your bit and torque limiter in close to small red/green dots and the body of a scope and mount.

A lot of the other 1/4" torque drive setups on Amazon and elsewhere have a fairly wide handle which won't let you get the driver in close the screw in many situations, requiring you to use a driver extension, which is workable but kind of clunky.

Are there any alternatives to the Fix It Sticks that work similarly but are less overpriced? I have #10 Torx in another driver kit but just their T handle ratchet and their 01-25lb torque limiter are well over $100. Just seems super pricey for Taiwan manufactured stuff.

If I have to get it, I will but wanted to check in the brain trust here since many of you install and remove red dots and optics all of the time and I don't.

I have an iFixIt driver kit that I really like and it was cheap off of Amazon but I looked it up and they don't make a Torque driver or torque limiter. I got their little kit of working on computers and it's great for the money. I'm frugal and I dislike spending excess money for what seems like it should cost $40, but costs $108. Suggestions?

[tradecraft]

Wheeler FAT wrench will do the job.

[k1dude]

Originally Posted by tradecraft

Wheeler FAT wrench will do the job.

^This^

IIRC, independent testing found it to be the most accurate for the money of the small torque wrenches they tested.

If you have deeper pockets, a bunch of different Wiha's perform well.

[redcliff]

Originally Posted by tradecraft

Wheeler FAT wrench will do the job.

Yes, I'd recommend that one also. Fairly easy to find and has worked well on the numerous jobs I"ve used it on. The T handle models are nice for much higher inch-pound jobs, typically action screws in the 45+ inch-pound range but the FAT screwdriver handle works fine on the 12-15 inch-pound torque specs you encounter on scope/optic installations. Those tiny screws are easy to strip if you over-torque.

[Dirtlaw]

I'm going to hate myself in the morning and I expect a lot of my friends to flame me BUT ...



I've been testing torque devices using a torque wrench calibrator and Harbor Freight's new Quinn model has the biggest bang for the buck. That said I could list pros and cons of most of the torque devices out there including fix-it sticks (yes, they are cute, small and well made, but they are by no means the most accurate and their setting divisions are too broad).

[Dirtlaw]

I have three wheelers and none of them agree. Some are closer to calibration standards that others, but one I won't use without calibrating it for a use at a particular setting. That said, even if calibrated for a particular torque, another consideration is repeatability.

[jeffyhog]

Been using an old Gutentight for years, but it's probably overdue for calibration. I do need to get a torque screwdriver and the FAT wrench has good reviews.

[Dirtlaw]

Torque doesn't need to be spot on, but it's good to be as close as possible and consistency is just as important as being spot on. Often rings screws, etc. are torqued in a particular torque order that allows pressure to be gradually applied evenly.

[Capybara]

Thanks for the recommendations folks. Wheeler is on it's way to me. Seems to be half the cost of the Fix It Sticks and will do as good, if not a better job.

[MyOdessa]

There is a guy on SniperHide that compared settings and accuracy on half a dozen torque ranches. Can't find a link right now, but you can Google for it.

[1911-CV]

Wheeler FAT wrench

[redcliff]

Another thing to remember is to always reset your torque wrenches back to zero when not in use.

[Peahi2]

Good tools cost money. But I get it, during these times we gotta make cuts in the budget where we can.
I have invested in fixit sticks and have been slowly buy additional items from them. I have never been disappointed.

[Capybara]

Originally Posted by Peahi2

Good tools cost money. But I get it, during these times we gotta make cuts in the budget where we can.
I have invested in fixit sticks and have been slowly buy additional items from them. I have never been disappointed.

That's the thing, I think the Fix It Sticks are decent tools. But they are made in Taiwan (to good specs, I am sure, but they're not American made, something I wouldn't mind paying more for) and when I talk to my friends who are much more hardcore gunsmiths, mechanics, etc. I don't hear that they are GREAT tools. I hear they are okay tools and for being okay, they seem overpriced to me.

We'll see how the Wheeler goes but I have a ton of other Wheeler stuff, three punch sets, blocks, etc. and they are decent as a brand, it feels like they are good value. I don't mind paying more for quality, but hate being ripped off and objectively, the Fix It Sticks stuff seems a bit overpriced for what it is, just my opinion.

FWIW, I will use this to affix two green dots and a scope and then it'll likely sit around and collect dust for years too, not something I will use often. I also weigh how often I will use something to gauge value equation. I have some very expensive screwdrivers, because I use them almost daily. But a 1/4" torque driver? Not much call for it other than affixing optics.

[smoothy8500]

Even if the Wheeler stuff was 10% off, what is 2 in/lbs on scope cap screws (i.e. 20 in/lbs) or 5 in/lbs (i.e. 50 in/lbs) on mount cross bolts? Still better than guessing with a screwdriver....

[captn-tin]

Bought a complete Snap-On 1/4" drive set at a garage sale for 10 bucks ! Works great for the scope mounting I do, which is not very often. Makes me smile every time I do use it though. HA!

[RNE228]

I use this set at work; we torque heatsinks for high end server processors. They work well. Have borrowed to set up scopes at home. It's a pricey set, but the individual drivers are available separately.

https://www.wihatools.com/products/t...1-to-50-in-lbs

[Capybara]

Originally Posted by RNE228

I use this set at work; we torque heatsinks for high end server processors. They work well. Have borrowed to set up scopes at home. It's a pricey set, but the individual drivers are available separately.

https://www.wihatools.com/products/t...1-to-50-in-lbs

Wow, what a thing of beauty. A little pricey for my needs but that would be a buy it once and you are done for life kind of set.

[thegiff]

I like Mountz tools and have 2 of them. Spendy but nice. Too heavy to put in your backpack though. It is normal for torque wrenches to vary 5 to 10%, if you really care then you will have a torque calibrator, and on critical screws you set to the calibrator and check every day. When I worked in an assembly house that is what the mfg. team did with dozens of drivers.

My Anschutz has a wrench with a bend hook in it for your finger. I don't happen to have the wrench, but the idea is hold the rifle up with the wrench and the weight of the rifle provides the right torque for the action screws. You just make it close to 90° at final tightening and pick up the rifle with the wrench.

[thegiff]

I like Mountz tools and have 2 of them. Spendy but nice. Too heavy to put in your backpack though. It is normal for torque wrenches to vary 5 to 10%, if you really care then you will have a torque calibrator, and on critical screws you set to the calibrator and check every day. When I worked in an assembly house that is what the mfg. team did with dozens of drivers.

My Anschutz has a wrench with a bend hook in it for your finger. I don't happen to have the wrench, but the idea is hold the rifle up with the wrench and the weight of the rifle provides the right torque for the action screws. You just make it close to 90° at final tightening and pick up the rifle with the wrench.

[Vinnie Boombatz]

Wheeler Fat Wrench here.

Been very pleased with it so far for scopes and red dots.

[Calisnaps]

Another Wheeler Fat Wrench user here.

[Carcassonne]

I use a Craftsman 1/4 drive inch pound torque wrench. A cheap Harbor Freight torque wrench should work.
https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-t...nch-63881.html

.

[ronlglock]

Capri for accuracy - Amazon sells digital and analog but pricey. Wheeler if you are budget conscious.

If you have a Romeo or other where the screws are close to a an obstruction, then use extension bits so that you don?t need to angle it in.

https://www.police1.com/police-produ...pr3IzIlbhdaxI/

https://www.police1.com/police-produ...GzlaF1RRn6UYo/

[Capybara]

Glad I bought the Wheeler. I don't think I will be mounting many more optics, perhaps one once in a while but no use buying a costly version of a tool if you hardly ever use it, the Wheeler seemed to work fine for mounting my Holosuns.

If I was mounting all of the time or was a gunsmith, the Capri looks cool!

[snacks]

Make sure to clarify if you need in lbs. vs ft. Lbs. holosuns and most rmr only need 10-15 in lbs as long as nothing is cross threaded.

Wheeler is a popular choice. My brother gifted me a set of fix it sticks. Smaller and more compact than the wheeler setup.

Good luck with your search

[Ki6vsm]

I use the Wheeler FAT wrench/driver for anything under about 40-45 in-lbs, such as scope rings, etc. And I grab my eTork 1/4"-drive torque wrench for anything over that. Things like scope mounts onto rails, many of which require 65 in-lbs.

The way I see it, 65 is the max for the FAT. That's right at the end of its scale. I don't know how accurate it'll be. I think it's +/- 5 in-lbs in that range? Or it's +/- 5%. It's a little confusing. Wheeler says:

ACCURACY PLUS/MINUS 2 INCH/POUNDS UP TO 40 INCH/POUNDS; 40-65 IS +/- 5%

Not sure why the measurement unit was changed. TBH, I think it was originally written by one person and edited later by another who expressed things differently. I'm in a business where this kind of thing happens and inaccuracies can get published if a sharp-eyed reviewer doesn't proof-read things.

Anyway.... the main reason I don't use the FAT for the higher numbers is I don't ever feel like cranking that bottom adjustment cap 200 times, then having to undo it again soon afterward. LOL The eTork wrench is much faster to adjust and re-zero.

[captn-tin]

1/4" drive snap on I bought at a garage sale for...ready?.....$10.00

[smoothy8500]

Originally Posted by captn-tin

1/4" drive snap on I bought at a garage sale for...ready?.....$10.00

That's cheap enough to send out and get checked/calibrated, because you never know.....

Never been used, only dropped once?

Used....or ab-used?

Used and put away with the setting cranked at 65 in/lb?

Still a good deal.

[sitruc]

For powered optics scope rings I use a wheeler fat wrench. For all my non-powered optics, no torque wrench. For most of firearm-related uses, the fat wrench's accuracy would suffice.