For those interested in installing a foregrip, you might want to prepare yourself. I thought I was just going to buy a barrel nut wrench and screw that puppy off. After some research and personal trial and error, I realize that many brands of new AR's have this thing torqued down REALLY tight. Long story short, what is needed on most new AR's is:
- good Barrel nut wrench with a handle that allows long leverage or attaching a long leverage arm. Don't cheap out on this or you will just get pissed off and possibly damage your rifle. ($35)
- an upper vice block ($35)
- a vice ($$$)
- Torque wrench ($40)
In other words, getting a gunsmith to do this might just save you some money if you are not planning to do it more than a few times. Here is the longer story:
I recently bought a Troy TRX, expecting "minor" gunsmithing. Getting the gas block off was a cinch, the barrel nut is something else. I am working on a brand new PSA rifle. I ordered a Barska AR wrench, which I realize is a mediocre tool, but for $15 I couldn't resist giving it a shot. Hindsight I might try the PRI wrench which has 5 prongs. Three prongs is just not enough contact for the torque required.
To begin with I tried using the three prong side of the barrel nut wrench, which fits well, but this thing is on there really tight. After breaking some teeth, I moved to the opposite side which engages all of the teeth on the nut. The only good thing I can say about the barska tool is that it did engage the mil-spec nut adequately. The problem is that this side constantly wants to get pushed off the nut by the Delta ring. This is why the five prong tool may work well, because the prongs slide in under the delta ring.
The problem with the barska combo wrench is that you can't really slip a steel pipe on it to increase your leverage because both ends are wrenches, or at least it would have to be a decent size pipe. Also, the half-inch cut-out is too large, so inserting another leverage wrench doesn't mate firmly at all.
Without a vice, I was sitting on the receiver which was wrapped in a towel on my work bench, pushing the wrench into the nut against the delta ring with one hand, and framming the other end of the wrench with a hammer. It wouldn't budge. Then I tried standing on the wrapped receiver, and powers-quatting the wrench. It still didn't budge. The next step will be making this a two man job, having a friend stand on the receiver, while I stand on the barrel, and we both jump up and down while pulling on the wrench. If that doesn't work, I will just grab the barrel with both hands, and swing it like a baseball bat into a tree or the side of my house to see if it will loosen up a bit.
In the end, I determined that I can either buy a vice, another wrench, and a vice block. Or I could be patient and send it to a gunsmith and probably save some money as well as some damage to my rifle.
I realize that this was not a professional approach, but I wanted to share some humor, vent some frustration, and maybe give someone interested in doing the same a heads up.
Oh by the way I have hear of using heat to help loosen things up. Does anyone know how to detail that procedure? I am not really sure how I could effectively heat up the barrel nut.
- good Barrel nut wrench with a handle that allows long leverage or attaching a long leverage arm. Don't cheap out on this or you will just get pissed off and possibly damage your rifle. ($35)
- an upper vice block ($35)
- a vice ($$$)
- Torque wrench ($40)
In other words, getting a gunsmith to do this might just save you some money if you are not planning to do it more than a few times. Here is the longer story:
I recently bought a Troy TRX, expecting "minor" gunsmithing. Getting the gas block off was a cinch, the barrel nut is something else. I am working on a brand new PSA rifle. I ordered a Barska AR wrench, which I realize is a mediocre tool, but for $15 I couldn't resist giving it a shot. Hindsight I might try the PRI wrench which has 5 prongs. Three prongs is just not enough contact for the torque required.
To begin with I tried using the three prong side of the barrel nut wrench, which fits well, but this thing is on there really tight. After breaking some teeth, I moved to the opposite side which engages all of the teeth on the nut. The only good thing I can say about the barska tool is that it did engage the mil-spec nut adequately. The problem is that this side constantly wants to get pushed off the nut by the Delta ring. This is why the five prong tool may work well, because the prongs slide in under the delta ring.
The problem with the barska combo wrench is that you can't really slip a steel pipe on it to increase your leverage because both ends are wrenches, or at least it would have to be a decent size pipe. Also, the half-inch cut-out is too large, so inserting another leverage wrench doesn't mate firmly at all.
Without a vice, I was sitting on the receiver which was wrapped in a towel on my work bench, pushing the wrench into the nut against the delta ring with one hand, and framming the other end of the wrench with a hammer. It wouldn't budge. Then I tried standing on the wrapped receiver, and powers-quatting the wrench. It still didn't budge. The next step will be making this a two man job, having a friend stand on the receiver, while I stand on the barrel, and we both jump up and down while pulling on the wrench. If that doesn't work, I will just grab the barrel with both hands, and swing it like a baseball bat into a tree or the side of my house to see if it will loosen up a bit.
In the end, I determined that I can either buy a vice, another wrench, and a vice block. Or I could be patient and send it to a gunsmith and probably save some money as well as some damage to my rifle.
I realize that this was not a professional approach, but I wanted to share some humor, vent some frustration, and maybe give someone interested in doing the same a heads up.
Oh by the way I have hear of using heat to help loosen things up. Does anyone know how to detail that procedure? I am not really sure how I could effectively heat up the barrel nut.
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