Help Removing Staked-On Stock

[Kalash]

I've got a complete 6920 lower that I want to swap stocks on. I want to add an M16A2 fixed stock and get rid of the collapsible factory stock.
What tools do I need to do the job right, Lower receiver block & Armorer's wrench?
I'm considering just Dremeling the castle nut off instead of purchasing tools I'll only use one time.

[spamsammich]

Just twist the castle nut off with an armorer's wrench or stock wrench. It will be a struggle to move the metal around at first, but it should move with a little elbow grease.

With BRD, you'll get more than one use out of those armorer's tools. I said the same shit you did when I started out, "Why bother when I'll only use them once?" I've built 6 lowers since then.

[mark5pt56]

By the tools so you have them and besides, run that Dremel into the receiver and you'll wish you had purchased the tools.

[Kalash]

OK, I'll get an Armorers Wrench. Do I need the lower receiver vise block? I've read the staked stocks can be hard to get off.

[spamsammich]

I like using the lower vice blocks, you could probably get away with using an old worn out magazine or something, but I use the vice block enough to justify the cost. On one of my LMT lowers, I had to use enough torque to almost tip my butcherblock workbench when I removed my castle nut, but that was only because I went a little overboard fixing LMT's shitty stake job.

I also use it when I clean the rifle, makes a nifty 3rd hand.

[BlueForce]

Castle nuts and end plates aren't expensive. You can duct tape up your receiver for safety / protection and then carefully drill or grind the staking material out of the recess, remove the nut and end plate, and just throw them away. Put a new set on with your new stock. A new end plate will allow a nice clean stake. And getting large amounts of staking material out of the way means you won't have to apply enormous torque to your lower receiver. I'm sure they CAN be bent at some point.

Also, heat is never a bad thing when removing castle nuts. I've seen a little heat reduce the removing torque by 10x. And you don't need a torch, which tends to oxidize and ruin the things it heats! A heat gun or even just an average hair dryer will get it hotter than you can handle. Wear gloves so you can get a good grip on things anyway. Be sure and hold the teeth of the wrench into the castle nut firmly with your fingers so it doesn't slip out and leave an ugly scar! Use a plastic lower receiver block that engages the magazine well (or make one out of the end of a 2 x 4) and get it locked firmly in a vise. With no staking material in the way and heat applied to the tube you should not even have to grunt to get the nut off.

Be prepared to catch the detent and spring as soon as the nut starts to back away.

Use moly paste when you put the new nut on.