Anyone have a Griffin Alpha? -- End Cap Issue

[tb-av]

I just got one and brand new, never fired, I can not for the life of me get the end cap off. I've emailed Griffin to see what they say.

I was able to get it to clack, clack, clack maybe a 1/4 to 1/3 of a revolution. Then I could ratchet it back tight which sounds pretty normal like a ratchet click, click, click.

Going counter clockwise,,, I've had their wrench, a rubber strap plumbing wrench and pressed that whole ordeal into the floor. Just getting a single clack is unbelievably painful.

I can't find a single thread where anyone has had this issue and think maybe I got a defect.

Anyone hear of this?

[Pappabear]

I'd wait to hear back, don't want to trash it and them blame you. Make sure your pushing the correct direction.

PB

[tb-av]

They didn't email me back today. I'll wait a bit longer and then call if I have to.

I'm looking into the muzzle and turning Counter Clockwise.

The directions say something can go wrong when removing that piece with the spring binding up. I'm thinking it got assembled incorrectly and that's why it won't come apart now. I don;t really understand how that piece works. I can see the little round end of the spring drops into notches in the tube. Then it's a half circle. I can't figure what the other end is doing though so I can't tell if that end looks normal.

It's basically turned into a one way locking clutch type deal.

[Ryno12]

Not sure if this helps or not but this picture shows how the spring is supposed to work. Looks likes there's recesses in the tube that, along with the spring, act as a detent. I'm wondering if that spring cocked & locked up the end cap.

A close look at the Alpha’s end cap and its retention spring. Watch the spring during reassembly. Sometimes it likes to wedge itself between the end of the suppressor tube and the raised portions of the front cap. If it is not fully seated during installation, it won’t engage the ratchet surface inside the can.

https://modernrifleman.net/2016/04/1...-alpha-review/

[tb-av]

Not sure if this helps or not but this picture shows how the spring is supposed to work. Looks likes there's recesses in the tube that, along with the spring, act as a detent. I'm wondering if that spring cocked & locked up the end cap.

Now think about this.... this is right out of the Disassembly instructions....

Interface the included 3 prong CAR Stock Wrench with teh front cap, ensuring to cover the spring ( see figure 1). Ok, so figure 1 just shows that it would cover the spring when placed from 12 Oclock to 6 Oclock.

While applying downward force to keep the wrench in contact with the tube body, rotate the wrench counter clockwise. Failing to apply downward pressure with the wrench may cause the spring to eject from the tube and bind in place.


I honestly can't understand that. The spring sits below the surface of the tube front edge. Then you have the depth of those gear teeth for lack of a better term. I can see the spring and it is under the 'gears' such that I see maybe 1/2 it's diameter. IOW, it's not bound on the edge of a gear, it is fully captured by the gears. Yes that knob end does fit in those tube detents.

Here's what I can't figure out,, when I was able to get a little counter clockwise movement at great difficulty, turning it back clockwise was what I would consider 'normal'. It sounded just like a ratchet, and then it simply tightened back to a very reasonable feel. Trying to go back counter clockwise from there... back to mission impossible.

It's a though that round prong is being forced into those detents so firmly that it's more like a near permanent fix than a serviceable removable piece.


"Failing to apply downward pressure with the wrench may cause the spring to eject from the tube and bind in place." How can it eject from the tube AND bind?

Then in their Assembly instructions you are supposed to, with car key, finger nail, or some other device... and once the prong touches the front edge of the tube you just spring it down into one of the notches and continue to screw the cap in. Now that tells me this spring is not so powerful that basic hand manipulation can't move it around.

Mine seems like I am dealing with an inflexable piece of metal that is captured in counter clockwise movement. Yet turns like a watch bezel clockwise. In fact that's what it's like. It's just like a divers watch bezel.

This is no lie, my arms actually hurt today from the isometric stress I had going yesterday trying to make that thing move. Yet when I look at it. It looks just like all the pictures I've been able to find. I haven't been even remotely close to the spring possibly being able to 'eject' so I'm not sure what the deal is there.

[Ryno12]

Are you able to see anything definitive from the backside of the end cap if you removed the baffle stack?

Sounds to me like the spring retainer has popped out of place and/or is binding.

[tb-av]

You can't get the baffles out without removing the end cap.

That's basically what I was going to do. I was going to disassemble it before use so I know how everything was supposed to feel and fit.

[tb-av]

the only thing I can think of that would jam it is if the other end of the spring. The part you can't see in that photo. Imagine if the other end were to come to sit on one of those gear notches ( between two gear teeth ) instead of under the gear. That means it would or could press the spring and try to force it in to wall of the tube. Forming a friction lock. then the prong would of course be in a notch.

BUT... when I look at the other end it's just a little curl than bends towards the center and it looks to be fully under the gear it terminates at. So the gear would spin over it rather than jam it.

I just can't anything even with a flashlight and magnifying glass that looks unusual. In fact, in that picture above. If you look closely after the prong the spring dips in behind the first two two gear teeth, then it sort of exposes more by the third then more at the 4th gear. It's not perfectly symmetrical... that is exactly what this looks like.

It's quite a puzzler.

[Joelski]

Would the baffle tool be able to engage and create enough pressure to give that spring some wiggle room?

[tb-av]

Not that I could imagine. All that stuff is on the other side of the end cap plug.

At first I thought well the spring must be jammed along the edge of one of those gears and I think a tap with a small screw driver might free it, but when I look at it... it just looks normal. Nothing to tap, no where for anything to go. It looks absolutely perfectly just like there photo in the instructions. The prong on that spring is one notch to left of a gear. The top notch aligns with the 12)clock 'spoke' in the muzzle hole. Then the spring tucks in behind the first few gear teeth to right, then when you get to about 3 Oclock the spring rides about 50% under the gear and 50% exposed. Now on mine from 3Oclock to 6Oclock mine begins to tuck back in such that at 6Oclock the end of the spring is fully behind the gear where it terminates. In there photo... from say 4Oclock to 6Oclock the spring rides on the inner face of the tube where the notches are ... That is the only difference I can see. It's as though the trailing end of the springs in the photo would simply drag over those notches but mine is deeper below the notches.... as though it needs to be pulled up a bit.

Side View

|| <<< Notch track
O~~ <<< Spring
--- <<< Ledge

Their photo
Prong End------------- Trailing End of Spring
||O[~~~~~~~~~~~~~]O||
-- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --

Mine ------------------------]--||
||O[------------__________O-- <<<<<<<< This looks like maybe it is depressed too far and needs to be popped up over a slight ledge back into the notch channel.
--

Notice there is a little ledge under the "notch channel" towards baffle side of tube.

Not the greatest drawing but that's supposed to be a cut-away side view. I just noticed that this morning. Problem is the spaces are so tight I can't imagine what I could free it up with.

The ledge is basically the bottom of the notches in the tube.

Large view of tube notches

| | O <<<<<< spring rides here
-----
____ O<<<<< the trailing end of mine is riding here.. As though it slipped off the notch track. Which is kinda hard to imagine how that happened since there is so little place for the spring to be able to move in the first place.


That's all I can see that looks like it could be the culprit. and again, no idea how i remedy that.