Buttstock came loose? - Big Boy Steel Carbine 357

[SteelCarbine357]

How common is it for my buttstock to come loose on my Henry Big Boy 357 steel carbine?
I'm not terribly knowledgeable about guns as this is my first firearm.
I have shot 100 rounds through it in the past few months and have not banged or dropped the gun.
I didn't realize it was loose until today when cleaning it after a day of shooting. During the day's shooting I had been finding that my scope was no longer zero'd and shooting off to the right. I was a bit concerned about whether it was something with my scope mount as I hadn't bumped the gun and it had been shooting accurately the last two times I went shooting.

I don't know if this had effected the accuracy today or if my scope had just lost its zero in other ways.

I noticed I was able to move the stock up and down with my hand and it was shifting.

I tightened the main screw that holds the stock and it is no longer moving.

I will have to test it for accuracy next time I get out to shoot, but in the meantime:

Is this normal with this gun after having taken so many shots?
It was pretty cold outside when I was shooting. Would this have caused the stock to come loose because of weather?
Any suggestions as to how to prevent it from loosening again? Would locktite even have an effect on that type of screw or is it tightened in some other way? Thank you anyone that can help!

[BigAl52]

If your butt stock screws were loose it sure would have an effect on your accuracy. If this is the first time it came loose and you havent shot it much since you bought it I gotta believe it may not have been tighten all the way up when the gun came out of the factory. I would not worry about it to much unless it does it again. I think I would go back out check your zero on the scope and shoot it and check the screws after putting some rounds down range. If it was to come loose again I would contact Henry and let them know what it is doing. Al

[SteelCarbine357]

If your butt stock screws were loose it sure would have an effect on your accuracy. If this is the first time it came loose and you havent shot it much since you bought it I gotta believe it may not have been tighten all the way up when the gun came out of the factory. I would not worry about it to much unless it does it again. I think I would go back out check your zero on the scope and shoot it and check the screws after putting some rounds down range. If it was to come loose again I would contact Henry and let them know what it is doing. Al

Thank you very much!

[daytime dave]

Keep us posted.

[Mistered]

How common is it for my buttstock to come loose on my Henry Big Boy 357 steel carbine?

A better question would be is 'How common is it for screws to come loose on a rifle while shooting?' - the answer would be not uncommon but it seems to vary from gun to gun. I have owned rifles I have shot for long periods of time with none of the screws loosening and some having a certain screw (or more) coming loose after each shooting session. Heck my Henry BB lever screw starts loosening after shooting. Bottom line is it's nothing to worry about unless it becomes epidemic with the same screws then some sort of applicable adhesive might be in order for them.

[JEBar]

we've literally fired thousands of rounds through our Henry rifles .... so far, the only screw that has worked loose is the large one directly above the trigger ..... I tightened it and so far, it seems to be holding .... if/when it comes loose again, I'll probably put a light drop of Purple LocTite on it ===> https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-38653-Pu ... B0002KKTT0 ....

[Ojaileveraction]

Checking screws for proper tightness in just responsible maintenance.

[North Country Gal]

I agree with the others that it will vary from gun to gun and also type of gun. I find that screws will work loose on my Marlin lever guns, so I do periodically check for tightness. Colt single actions revolvers, original or clones, are notorious for screws working loose. My spring piston air guns are even worse. I check mount screws for tightness before every shooting session. Spring piston guns are an extreme example of what happens when mount screws come loose - POI changes, often dramatically and accuracy goes downhill, fast. Relevant to the issue you're facing, when this happens, it's all too easy to assume the scope is going bad.

In other words, I wouldn't be in a big hurry to assume your scope is bad. A 357 lever gun is not much of a scope eating rig. Tighten things up and give the scope another try. Blue loc-tite won't hurt a thing, but stay away from the red if you hope to ever get your stock off, again.

[Henry88]

What "might" have happened, though I doubt it, is the stock changed position, so your eye changed position with relation to the ocular lens. If your scope was not parralax free at that range, the POI would have changed.

Like they say, tighten and try again

[Oksrt]

The screws came loose on my 41 bbs. Haven't loosened up since.