Barrel Nut Removal Tips?

[medicman816]

Update: One hour of freezer time followed by heating with a torch, then using the scalloped wrench with a breaker bar has proven unsuccessful. I'll wait a little while longer and see if there are any other ideas before cutting the nut off. Sending it out is likely to cost more than the upper ill likely destroy. Is there a need for these to be this tight? I have to assume that these are tighter than 80ft-lbs. Would it be unreasonable to put the impact wrench on the end of the brownells rod? I'm mostly joking.

[556Cliff]

Update: One hour of freezer time followed by heating with a torch, then using the scalloped wrench with a breaker bar has proven unsuccessful. I'll wait a little while longer and see if there are any other ideas before cutting the nut off. Sending it out is likely to cost more than the upper ill likely destroy. Is there a need for these to be this tight? I have to assume that these are tighter than 80ft-lbs. Would it be unreasonable to put the impact wrench on the end of the brownells rod? I'm mostly joking.

I think your loosening torque is being lost in distorting the indexing pin notch around the indexing pin instead of actually loosening the barrel nut. If you had them, the clam shell vise blocks might make a big difference.

[medicman816]

Is there a preferred brand of vice block? Best I could do at the moment is clamp the upper in the vice with wooden blocks between the takedown lugs and across the top rail.

[556Cliff]

People seem to like these ones. > https://www.btibrands.com/product/de...e-block-clamp/

I've been wanting to try these ones. > https://rguns.net/shop/r-guns-a3-receiver-vice-block/

[medicman816]

Ordered... Now we wait...

Thanks for everything. Hopefully I'll be back in a few days with good news.

[556Cliff]

The clam shell vise blocks aren't super expensive, so it's certainly worth the try... It just might work out.

[26 Inf]

Update: I'll wait a little while longer and see if there are any other ideas before cutting the nut off.

No need to destroy the upper.

If you have a four or five inch vise and it is securely mounted either make or buy a set of barrel clamps.

Get some help to hold the armorers wrench securely onto the nut, use the breaker bar and slide a pipe over it to add extra leverage (a cheater bar - most of the time I use an old piece of chain link top rail) pull.

If that outruns the grip of your barrel clamps line them with some appropriate sized rubber hose and try again - you can generally buy 1/2 to 1 foot of appropriately sized hose at a hardware store.

Using the barrel clamps probably runs about the same risk of shearing the index pin as do the receiver blocks but applies less stress to the receiver.

If you cant get it loose and need to cut the barrel nut take a dremel and cut about half way through the nut. Try to loosen it, the nut may split or give enough to get it off. I'd start conservative and cut a bit more each time it doesn't work, less chance of getting to the threads. Try to orient so the end of the 'scalloped' area of the wrench are on the ejection port side of the groove in the nut, not bridging the groove.

You can also cut more than one groove.

[556Cliff]

26 Inf,

He isn't going to get anywhere new with barrel blocks, he's already been using the Brownells barrel extension tool which accomplishes the same thing.

[26 Inf]

26 Inf,

He isn't going to get anywhere new with barrel blocks, he's already been using the Brownells barrel extension tool which accomplishes the same thing.

You are absolutely correct, I forgot that as I read through the thread, wondering why no one had mention barrel blocks.

I have the knock off Geissele Reaction Rod from BOTACH, it has flats and is designed to be gripped in the vise as you use the armorer's wrench to apply the torques. If the OP has been using the Brownell's tool to apply torque while trying to hold the barrel nut into a vise mounted armorers wrench I could see some problems.

I would mount the Brownells tool in the vise (probably need to build or get vise blocks) and give that a shot.

(I'd guess that Brownell's didn't put flats or their barrel extension tool and wrote the instructions as they did to avoid conflict with Geissele)

[medicman816]

The Brownells version has a 1/2" square socket in the end opposite the lugs. Placing a 1/2" socket wrench in that and then securing the round portion of the tool in the vise jaws, with the socket wrench up against the lower portion of the vise makes for a rather rigid setup, and the there is no way for the tool to rotate. The barrel is vertical in this orientation, but it could rather easily be placed horizontally. You can also secure the barrel wrench in the vise and use the 1/2 socket with a breaker bar. I have tried both ways and seem to get a better "grip" on things with the upper/rod/socket setup in the vise.