Installing AR barrel without torque wrench?
- Thread starter themikea
- Start date
If you are set on using one of these I hear the preferred method is to clamp the receiver in the vice on its side. So it is clamped by the top rail and the bottom of the receiver block. You will need something to protect the rail from the vice.
Honestly, I have never used one, but I have seen enough reports/pictures of broken receivers to know better. One would think it is a non-issue, but from the stress it puts on the take down pin holes it is a concern that it might f-up your receiver. The take down pin holes were not designed for this...
I have one, used it put the barrel on my VLTOR upper as the clamshell type vice block (which I also have) wouldn't work on it. My #### didn't fall off doing what I did, but I would have used the clamshell type if I could have. I suppose it would have been better to clamp it by the top rail (which I could have done... my block is two-sided) so I'll probably do that in the future just to be safe now that someone has put the seed of doubt in my mind.
That being said, I would tend to think you'd have to be torquing the hell out of it in order to hurt your receiver even if it was held by the pins.
30 is the minimum.
I got mine on ebay. I looked there are still some available. You get gouged for shipping, but they still end up being cheaper then when you find them locally or brownells.
You need a big ass vise too.
When it comes to krap like barrels and gas systems just invest in the proper tools.
You really dont want to go to the range and have your barrel shoot out and hurt you or someone else.
Also you have probably already spent at least $700 on your AR invest in the $70 for a torque wrench and insure you dont destroy your rifle
You really dont want to go to the range and have your barrel shoot out and hurt you or someone else.
Also you have probably already spent at least $700 on your AR invest in the $70 for a torque wrench and insure you dont destroy your rifle
By this I assume you mean a gas block that is pinned? If you try that with a clamp or set screw gas block you risk spinning it (maybe not with the set screw if the barrel is dimpled.)
For tightening the barrel nut or the muzzle widget, clamping the barrel directly in a barrel vice, as close to whichever end you're working on, is best.
As far as putting pressure on the indexing pin, once you have the nut snugged up, the torque on the index pin is negligible. The pressure of the barrel extension against the receiver transmits the force directly into the receiver.
One should avoid using the barrel extension to torque against. If loosening a muzzle widget or barrel nut, you risk loosening the extension. (as an aside, while some companies drill and insert the index pin into the threads with the theory of locking the extension in place, the index pins sole purpose it to index the barrel into the upper).
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Possibly, but you might not notice that it's loosened until an inopportune moment.
I disagree with this. Like I said, once you have the nut snugged up, the load is being transferred into the face of the receiver by friction, not the pin. I'm also a little unsure what they mean when they say the pin will 'smash into the receiver groove'. Are they using an impact gun to install the nut?
DPMS uses their claw block to assemble their guns with seemingly no problems.
Many companies and gunsmiths (both home and professional) use the clam shell with seemingly no problems.
Many companies and gunsmiths (both home and professional) use a barrel vise with seemingly no problems.
Long story short; there's more than one way to tighten a barrel nut, and as long as you pay attention to what you're doing and you check your work, you probably won't screw things up too badly.
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I believe the instructions given in the US Army’s manual for doing a barrel swap say to clamp the barrel.
I don’t get this; the threads are on the receiver and the barrel nut, are you not putting force onto the receiver when you tighten the threads.
DPMS uses their claw block to assemble their guns with seemingly no problems.
Many companies and gunsmiths (both home and professional) use the clam shell with seemingly no problems.
Many companies and gunsmiths (both home and professional) use a barrel vise with seemingly no problems.
Long story short; there's more than one way to tighten a barrel nut, and as long as you pay attention to what you're doing and you check your work, you probably won't screw things up too badly.
Exactly, but from looking into this previously the DPMS panther claw block and the “cutting board” method seem to be the top two methods for wrecking a receiver. So, take caution when you use these methods.
That would be the claw that was mentioned above. Supposedly that's what DPMS uses to assemble their rifles. Some people have expressed concerns about twisting your receiver with it. Others have used it many many times without issue.
Hi Malice,
You are correct regarding the "twisting" your receiver" since the DPMS product fastens the upper receiver using the assembly pins rather than a "complete encasement" with the Brownell product.
I am guessing that the "twisting" to the receiver is limited to the fact that 30 ft/lb of torque is really not that much regardless of the upper receiver material. I like the way the DPMS product fits in a vice. It will also hold an upper receiver during assembly of other items as well.
Best regards,
B
