18 seems really light for bases based on my limited experience. Is that what the manufacturer recommended? I have recently mounted 3 scopes and I believe all of the bases were supposed to be torqued around 40-45lbs. I know my rings are all at 18 per manufacturer recommendations.
I see on the Browning website it does say 18 lbs for bases. Now I'm wondering if I did it wrong or if I maybe am confused with a different rifle I set up as Im nearly certain I was following manufacturer recommendations.
As I understand it the fat wrench does not work like that. In your pic that would be giving you 15 in/lbs and if you hit the next line you would get 20. If the red line is centered or above the next increment line it will bump up in incriminates of 5. The instructions that come with wrench explain how it works. You also have to consider that it’s not exact and has some variance in what it’s actually putting out so I would just go to the 20 line.