Should You Use Loctite On Your Guns?

Photo courtesy of Angela Mabray

Here’s an age-old question in the gunsmithing world. Should you use Loctite or some other thread lock on your firearms? Thread locks like Loctite help hold screws in place regardless of the forces applied on them, making them invaluable for firearms applications. In this post, we’ll look at when to use loctite, the best thread lock for guns, and last (but certainly not least) how to get loctite off your gun.

Best Loctite Thread Lock for Guns

First thing’s first: should you use loctite on your guns? Unless specifically instructed not to, the answer is a resounding yes. Whenever you want to tighten up a screw and keep it there, loctite is the way to go. However, if you ever need to quickly remove the screw for any reason, a thread locker might not be the best choice.

Now that we’ve settled whether you should use loctite, naturally another question arises. Which loctite should you use? There are several different flavors of loctite, including purple, red, green, and blue. Some of these are extremely strong, and they’re the kinds of materials you’d use on vehicles.

For firearms purposes, it’s best to use blue loctite (medium strength) or below. Blue is the strongest non-permanent loctite out there, making it ideal for gun projects. If you ever sell the gun (or decide to undo the change you made) you can still go back and fix it.

Loctite rules. Photo courtesy of Timothyrfries.

How to Get Loctite Off Your Guns

Okay, so what happens if you’ve already used loctite to hold a screw in place, but now you need to remove it. Learning how to get loctite off your guns actually isn’t that hard! It just takes a little bit of technique.

First, apply heat to the loctite. You can do this with a heat gun, although a hairdryer can also work in a pinch. The heat will help to loosen the loctite. You can also use some kind of penetrating solvent to help loosen the thread locker. Just apply it around the screw, and it’ll do the rest. Once you’ve loosened the thread locker, it’s all about torque. You’ll need to apply plenty of it to break the loctite’s hold.

Learn Other Gunsmithing Skills at SDI

Does the thought of sealing up threads with loctite (and subsequently removing it) give you warm feelings in your jellies? You could be doing this kind of work for a profession if you pursue a career in gunsmithing. And SDI is just the place to help you get your start.

We have the skills, knowledge, and professors to help you learn the gunsmithing trade. Interested? Discover more when you check out the programs we offer.