M14 Flas Supressor Removal - Castle Nut Nightmare...

spellbound

spellbound

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Anyone find this castle nut IMPOSSIBLE to get off? I've sufficiently ratched it to death with vice grips (a replacement is on its way from Brownells...) and I also am expecting the special castle nut removal wrench in the mail any day now. That said, it seems that this thing was tightened by Hercules himself... any help or suggestions?
 
Getting the castle nut loose is just the first step , once it is loose get a BIG hammer and a punch . Use vicegrips to hold the punch against the bayo lug and hit it HARD. Once the welds break free the flashider will move up against the castlenut again . Back off the castlenut some more and then lightly tap the flashider forwards again .

At one of Hungrys clinics here in Petawawa a person took a grinder to his flashider as it had a VERY stubborn castle nut that just wouldn't come off .
 
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ADVICE???

Read the stickies. The flash suppressor is more than likely one of the ones welded on. One should really read before one puts the ##### bar to a firearm.

ps.... the brownell one may or may not fit or may somewhat fit. Gun is metric thread, American castle nut is imperial
 
I removed mine to change stock and add battle rail, was tack welded on and did need a good wack (or a few) before it came off. It's on there hard trust me!
 
I removed the small allen retaining screw first. Just trying to put M1a NM in a Troy MCS FDE I managed to score for 60% off...
I cant see a tac weld anywhere. Are they all welded now?
 
if it's a springfield M1A it shouldn't be welded on.
Use some penetrating oil on the castlenut and let it soak in over night.
 
If the oil doesn't loosen it you could try a brass punch in one of the grooves and some light hammer taps to jolt it into turning - make sure you go in the right direction (I've made that mistake more than I care to admit ;))
 
My friend has the same problem with his rifle. We bent the crap out of my castle nut pliers, and that sucker didn't move. We are thinking that we will have to make a stronger tool, because the pliers are cheap soft metal that doesn't last.
 
twoguntim said:
My friend has the same problem with his rifle. We bent the crap out of my castle nut pliers, and that sucker didn't move. We are thinking that we will have to make a stronger tool, because the pliers are cheap soft metal that doesn't last.
Click to expand...

I grinded up some vice grip c clamps today to make a strong tool and managed to shear off one end and mess up the castle nut a bit. Tried soaking the nut in penetrating oil for a couple days. Tried freezing the gun outside in -15C, then heating up the nut. Then tried the punch and just managed to screw the nut up some more and bend a brass punch. I am thinking it is about time to take the grinder to it...
 
Undo yur set screw like others have posted. Put some liquid wrench on it for at least a week. Stick the barrel in a freezer for 30 minutes or so then add some more liquid wrench and apply a butane torch gently to the castle nut, do not use too much heat to the castle nut and torque the castle nut with a good strong pare of castle nut plyers. Be patient it will loosen, you may have to undertake this action a few times before you are successful. It will come off, Now as to your flash hider. if u turn the weapon over and look at the underside at the end of the flashhyder barrel side u will see two very faint circles. these are indicaters of spot welding. I stripped my weapon and put the breach end in a barrel vice after grinding these two spot welds with a dremmel. (carefully) then I took a BFHammer and a piece of steel and put it up against the bayonet lug and let fly with the barrel supported appropriately. I was then able to push the flash hider forward a slight bit. with a good pare of castle nut pliers i was able to move it a quarter turn or so. after several more whacks and turns i had the castle nut off and the flash suppressor off. be patient, work slow it WILL COME OFF. after I removed the firearm from the standard plastic ChiCom stock I stuck it in a Sage EBR stock.
Had to order an extra crush washer and a washer kit to get the correct gas indexing. Have a Sadlak piston grooved installed shoot168 grSMK and about 40 grain of RE-15 and my 10 shot groups at 100 meters are an honest .05 to 1.5MOA which is the expected standard of ordnance for the US Marine Corps any less than that and they are rejected as designated rifleman platforms Some folks on here claim that the Sadlak pistons will not fit in the Norinco M305 I can assure you that they do. The inside diameters are slightly larger but the outside diameters fit in the gas chamber just fine and the ports line up just fine and they all pass the tilt test better than the OEM pistons.
There many old time professional US marines that swear just changing out gas pistons can have a huge implication on m305 accuracy and I for one believe it because I have seen this with mine. I have both the grooved and non grooved piston from Sadlak and they both shoot better than the OEM. I install the grooved piston when I shoot 168 grain sierra msk and the regular pistons when shooting ChiCom 7.62X51 Ball ammo from China.
 
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It will come off. All you have to do is find the way...

Here's one, gotta sacrifice the 'hider tho...

Strip flash hider (grub screw, sight)
Grind through top and bottom of 'hider so that a plain visegrips (padded with a leather strip) can clamp well on and TWIST THE BASTARD OFF.

Also; with a dremel, verry verry carefully cut the nut. If you're good you won't touch the 'hider body. Cold chisel in that slot, hit or twist VOILA the nut is free. I think if the nut is extremely corroded into place this might be the ticket (were it my call to make).

Neanderthal Technique, out.
 
Well, finally got the castle nut pliers in the mail, and it came off in a cinch.... probably helped that i left penetrating oil on it for a week also. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions! Now on to Optics and bipod...

M14_Troy_MCS.jpg
 
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