Thanks for the heads-up, Tom.

I have three of these guns, a .17 MachII rimfire, a stainless Sidekick muzzleloader, and an ancient 10-gauge chopped and converted into a turkey slayer. ALL THREE exhibited the problem that you describe, on one or more screws. The blackpowder gun in particular was embarrassing...I use quick-detach rings on it and remove the scope each time the gun is used for cleaning, then replace it. Never checked the base screws before. One was so loose that I broke it free with two fingers around the shaft of the driver!

Strangely enough, a Buffalo Classic.45-70 that I owned for several years before selling to a friend had completely tight screws. I had replaced the aperture sight with a Williams unit, and for whatever reason the screws remained rock-solid tight.

John