Barrel Nut to Handguard Question

mk3

mk3

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Calgary, AB
Hey CGN -I've been putting together my first AR and either a) am running into an issue or b) am running past my abilities.

I have mostly tightened the barrel nut and have been mocking up the free float handguard. The issue is when lining up the nut groves to allow the gas tube to pass into the upper the handguard is canted off center. The only way it looks like the handguard will mount properly is with the barrel nut to be off with a gear tooth directly blocking the gas tube entry port.

Is this something I can fix? Could the handguard or barrel nut be milled incorrectly?

Here are some pictures from Google drive - I don't know how to embed.

Thank you!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CYjXDqTm47_qmt1KHSIlLIvjac-XetNe/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZT7eGjDzAs0f35RUTJuyWa28i-AnksQ4/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M2IeJxT1QNL___MUPMAXgvXVVhJ6OmY4/view?usp=sharing
 
I'd contact the manufacturer for guidance. If all else fails could you not torque the barrel nut so the hand guard lines up with the receiver and then cut and file the tooth off that's blocking the gas tube? A bit of a hack, and definitely a last resort lol. This is coming from a guy who's only installed one hand guard with no issues, and has never built a rifle...

You're right though, it shouldn't be happening and there's a reason why.
 
If it's an NEA upper / handguard, look inside the handguard, and there is a groove where the teeth of the barrel nut go into and the handguard can be turned and locked into place. I've just built an upper myself and also had your problem, but figured it out eventually.it can be quite tight tho and requires a fair amount of "force"
 
Just looked at your photos, yup , it's designed that way, as you have it in the first picture, twist the handguard to the correct orientation, and as stated requires some "force"
 
Thanks for the replies. I tried to twist the handguard into the correct orientation but once the hanguard is properly aligned the tooth of the nut is dead center to the gas tube hole on the upper. I think I'll have to get in touch with the manufacturer and see what they recommend.
 
You need to torque your barrel nut to the desired ft/lb making sure the gas tube will go through. When you fit your hand guard, it will be off to the right, then twist it so that it is aligned ( the teeth on the barrel nut mate up with a groove on the inside of the hand guard allowing it to rotate to the correct orientation)
 
I had this issue on my first build too. Even after using a torque wrench to the right force ot wouldn’t line up. I ended up just grinding my own groove for the gas tube to fit it when the nut was tight and and upper/handguard flush. Hasn’t caused me any issues, there must be shims or something to prevent grinding I’m sure..: It was NEA parts..
 
Donkin said:
You need to torque your barrel nut to the desired ft/lb making sure the gas tube will go through. When you fit your hand guard, it will be off to the right, then twist it so that it is aligned ( the teeth on the barrel nut mate up with a groove on the inside of the hand guard allowing it to rotate to the correct orientation)
Click to expand...

Tried this and got it to work. It was an NEA handguard so emailed SFRC. They got back to me in minutes with these instructions. It just seemed counter intuitive but now the rifle is complete and I am very happy.
 
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