Removing M14 flash hider

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Roddy

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I know this has been discussed before but I tried searching and couldn't find any relevant information.

I recently got an M14 shim kit from Brownells (they were out of stock at Marstar) and have been trying to remove the flash suppressor to install it. I removed the set screw and backed off the castle nut. I blocked up the barrel and tried using a hammer and piece of steel to whack the bayonet lug just like in the video. After several dozen whacks the flash hider hasn't budged and the bayonet lug looks awful. I tried tried liquid wrench and even heating the flash hider up a bit on the stove but I was worried I would wreck the metal. I know it hasn't moved because I marked the castle nut and flash hider when it was backed out as far as possible and it's in the same spot.

Am I doing something wrong? Is there some kind of trick to this? I don't see any welds on it. it is quite a new M305, I got it in October. Would I be best to just cut the shims and pull them over the barrel?
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I cut my shims and slid them over .
The discolor by the lug my be the weld points.
Mine is spot welded on the bottom by the lug.
 
mjohn7 said:
I cut my shims and slid them over .
The discolor by the lug my be the weld points.
Mine is spot welded on the bottom by the lug.
Click to expand...

Actually that black color is a paint mark I made to track my progress.:redface:

Have you had any problems with your shims coming off? I am a bit worried because the shoulder piece makes a 1/3 turn and I may need the .005 and .015" shim and I don't want them coming off. I paid $15 for this 0.2 grams of steel!
 
Try using a brass punch and tap around the edge of the Flash hider close to the barrel

DONT hit the Bayo lug! you will get nowhere
 
If you get the castle nut moving you have to keep backing off the castle nut as the flashider slides forward.
Some have drilled 2 holes where the spot welds are and I have heard of others using a grinder.

What I did......got a BFH and put a steel punch against the bayo lug and beat it like a rented mule .I have taken off four like this without damaging the flashider at all.

Cutting the shim and slipping it over the barrel will work as well to tighten up the gas lock .
 
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chalkriver said:
If you get the castle nut moving you have to keep backing off the castle nut as the flashider slides forward.
Some have drilled 2 holes where the spot welds are and I have heard of others using a grinder.

What I did......got a BFH and put a steel punch against the bayo lug and beat it like a rented mule .I have taken off three like this without damaging the flashider at all.

Cutting the shim and slipping it over the barrel will work as well to tighten up the gas lock .
Click to expand...

Yeah it hasn't budged though, I haven't been able to move the castle nut any furthur than when I first backed it off. And I don't know if it is welded, I can't see any welds.

Try using a brass punch and tap around the edge of the Flash hider close to the barrel

DONT hit the Bayo lug! you will get nowhere
Click to expand...

Dsiwy I get what you're saying, you don't want it to bind, but won't that leave big scuffs and scratches on the barrel? The only punch I have is steel.

I heard you can use a box wrench set around the flash hider and sight and hit that so the impact of your strike is spread out around the flash hider. I may try that if I can find the proper sized wrench.
 
Your pic wouldnt load for me before...now that I see it you have to back off the castle nut further , it should have a bigger gap beside the castle nut on the receiver side of the barrel.Keep backing it out as you go..you turn it counter clockwise as you look down the barrel from the flashider end
It looks spot welded but just hit the beyatch with a big hammer and punch and it should come off.
 
chalkriver said:
Your pic wouldnt load for me before...now that I see it you have to back off the castle nut further , it should have a bigger gap beside the castle nut on the receiver side of the barrel.Keep backing it out as you go..you turn it counter clockwise as you look down the barrel from the flashider end
It looks spot welded but just hit the beyatch with a big hammer and punch and it should come off.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah it was backed off as far as possible when I was hitting it, it just wasn't in the picture. I really don't want to mark it up any more with a punch so I'm thinking I will just cut the shims.
 
svt1940 said:
I can see a very slight discoloration under side of your flashhinder, look like spot weld to me. If you you flashhinder didnt move, probably it's spot welded.
Jocelyn
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Yes, it looks like spot welded to me too, the same on my Poly M305 flash hider. But I did manage to remove the flash hider by brass punch. There is the Youtube video showing how to remove it though.
 
I have seen that video and I have been doing that, but it's harder than they make it look!

Also the discoloration/black mark is from a paint marker. I put it there so i could tell when the flash hider started to move. MY next question would be where is a good place to find paint that matches the parkerized finish on a Polytech M14? My struggle to remove the flash hider has left a few marks.
 
Roddy said:
I have seen that video and I have been doing that, but it's harder than they make it look!

Also the discoloration/black mark is from a paint marker. I put it there so i could tell when the flash hider started to move. MY next question would be where is a good place to find paint that matches the parkerized finish on a Polytech M14? My struggle to remove the flash hider has left a few marks.
Click to expand...

Look the discolored mark in the red circle, look like a spot weld to me. That's what i was talking about:)
Jocelyn

m14.jpg
 
Roddy said:
I have seen that video and I have been doing that, but it's harder than they make it look!
Click to expand...

It will come off, use a bigger hammer and a heavy duty brass or steel drift. I have removed a few flash hiders, and they often seem reluctant to budge at first. Perseverance has always been the answer for me, with the spot welds finally breaking loose.
I also placed the drift against the bayonet lug in every case, as the welds are beside it on the bottom of the flash hider. The majority of them came off intact, but occasionally the bottom will split at the weld points.
 
That lug is welded, as they usually are. You need to break the welds. I big chunk of brass works well as a drift, or and old wrench slightly larger that barrel diameter.

The area where you have black ink is where you need to hit.

It is also important that the gun be held firmly. If you are hold the gun up in one hand, it is not firm.

Also, it will come off all at once, once the welds break. It is not a friction/oil/heat issue.

The back of the FH will also likely break off. The metal is brittle from the weld.
 
Use a brass drift/punch. You will damage something for sure with a steel one. The 2007 flash hiders take quite a beating to get them off. Make sure you have it held secure in a vise and block under the end of the barrel. No girly swings either...hit it like you mean it.
 
I beat the crap out of my first one but it's hard to get a good strike right where you need it. Then I took a pair of vise grips with curved jaws and adjusted them so they were just barley touching the barrel behind the hider. Then a rag underneath the vise grips to protect the barrel, snug it up tight against the flash hider with the solid part of the grips(not the moving jaw) against the welded part. One good whack and it came off.
 
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