Crusader Templar

[HuskyFella]

I have a crusader Templar with a wobbly barrel. It’s got about a 1/4 inch of give. The barrel nut seems tight, and I can’t move it. Any ideas?

 

[JasonGTA]

Does it fall under warranty with Crusader Arms still?

 

[Morc]

Crusader uses a proprietary barrel nut and requires a special wrench that to my knowledge only Crusader has access to.

You'll need to work with Crusader directly. Almost for sure can be dealt with under warranty.

 

[Ustauk]

From MacPapRonin on this Reddit thread, a possibility:

https://www.reddit.com/r/canadaguns/comments/10yxu41/crusader_arms_templar_crusader_9_maintenance_tips

ISSUE/RECOMMENDED PREVENTATIVE MAINTENTANCE: Point of impact drift on Crusader Templar - inconsistent point of impact when attempting to zero or otherwise be accurate while shooting. Point of impact would drift randomly from side to side by as much as 5" when shooting. Please note that I have not personally encountered this issue, it was reported by a user on CGN here: https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...pectre-LTD?p=19460016&viewfull=1#post19460016
WHEN ENCOUNTERED: 1500 rounds
FIX/SOLUTION: Remove eight screws on upper, four on each side which lock barrel in place, just above the forward takedown pin, behind the handguard. Apply Loctite to all screws, screw in carefully and sequentially as you might a replacement tire, so that equal pressure is being applied by all screws. Witness mark all screw holes and monitor for screws coming out. [EDIT] Since writing this fix, Crusader Arms has released the manual for the Templar, which makes clear that the eight bolts mentioned above actually hold the steel trunnion into which the barrel nut screws. Loose trunnion -> loose barrel nut -> loose barrel.
[EDIT] Alternative - if barrel/trunnion is not already loose, unscrew a single screw, Loctite it, screw in and witness; then repeat with each of the eight screws in turn to keep the barrel zero. (suggestion from user Ustauk at CGN - makes sense!)
TIME/MATERIALS: 10-15 minutes of work with hex wrench, Loctite
CURRENT STATUS: User reports rifle is working correctly now, no reports on how many rounds fired since fix applied. [UPDATE - March 4, 2024] 1300 rounds fired - no evidence of barrel looseness observed. Screws remain tight and co-witnessed.

 

[Kaido]

This might sound silly, but are you sure its the barrel being loose?

I know there was a slew of people who said the same thing with their Ravens. The "issue" was that it used such a thin and long handguard that it was able to flex a fair bit.

 

[Nicodeco]

This might sound silly, but are you sure its the barrel being loose?

I know there was a slew of people who said the same thing with their Ravens. The "issue" was that it used such a thin and long handguard that it was able to flex a fair bit.

My barrel also has a bit of wobble. I wouldnt say its more than 1/16 to 1/8 in either direction though.
Ive been contemplating making a barrel nut tool myself to see if theres anything i can do.
It holds sub moa unless i have something against the barrel or rest it on the barrel itself, so i havent been to worried.

I dont believe it would be the handguard flexing either. These rifles arent exactly on the slim, nor the light side and the force required to cause the wobble, is rather minimal. Itll wobble around with one finger on the muzzle

 

[Nicodeco]

Using my calipers it shows roughly a .050" difference wobble left to right, and up to down

 

[Nicodeco]

Just so everyone is aware, crusader has a contact number for warranty concerns now. I got voicemail the first time i tried them, but they got back to me within 30 minutes.
They asked if i could share it for them, so here it is.

1-833-870-2390

My call was regarding the wobbly barrel. They informed me either the trunion or the barrel nut was loose. I had already inspected them both and both apeared to be tight. It wasnt until i took a brass punch and some persuasion to the barrel nut did it tighten up and remove the slop in the barrel.