Marlin action screws-how tight?

[redneck]

Specifically for a model 81TS (bolt action .22) ?
I normally shoot it offhand at 30 yards (iron sights) and its dead on, get about 1 inch groups.
Yesterday I moved out to 50 and 100 and shots moved way high and right. Wasn't really even on paper at 100. Thought that was strange, I would exect a change in elevation , but the windage shouldn't change that much right?
So I decided to do the trigger job everyone talks about, put in a lighter spring, and I went a step farther and added teflon washers to take out side to side play. Its very light and crisp now.
I also cleaned out some plastic chips from inside the stock, doesn't look like they cleaned it after the final milling.

The action screws were barely hand tight when I took the gun apart. I torqued them in fairly good (with just a screwdriver) When they came flush I turned them another half a turn. Is that too much? Not enough? Seems like you would want things a little tighter than they were. Is this something I just experiement with?
Any advice at all?

Thanks

 

[Mike Irwin]

10 foot pounds would probably be a good figure. Not too tight that it would strip the screws, but not so loose that you'd worry about losing them.

 

[redneck]

Thanks
They're slotted pan head screws, so I'll have to see if I can rig something up with my torque wrench.

 

[Art Eatman]

Dunno 'bout the Savage, but Mr. Remington sez 60 inch-pounds (five foot-pounds) is the real deal for the 700s.

Lord knows how many rifles I've put back together after some sort of work, but I've always found good accuracy when just using a screwdriver and a good healthy half-turn to full turn after the basic "I'm snug!" feel.

Art

 

[redneck]

Thanks Art
Sounds like I had some blind luck, I'll see how it shoots tommorrow and then decide whether or not to get out the torque wrench. Probably take 27 adapters to get from a 3/4" drive to a 3/8" slotted screwdriver...hmm...it better just shoot good or I'm gonna have to devise a new plan