Poorly Installed Flash Hider on New AR-15 Upper

[allivak]

Hey guys I'm doing my first AR build and just received my barreled upper that I purchased online; i'm going to withhold naming the company until the issue gets resolved. Anyways I was looking over the upper and noticed a gash near the crown of the barrel/flash hider and after closer inspection is appears to be the washer thats damaged not the barrel. Still I am worried as to what it means....what could cause this? could the barrel crown be defective and can this cause any problems?

Sorry for the bad pictures....the first two pictures show the damage to what looks like a crush washer(i thought crush washers are supposed to be tapered in one direction?).

the last two pics don't do it justice but I attempted to show how offset/misaligned the thing is....its worse than it looks in the pictures. makes me worried that the barrel has a problem and they just cranked it down or something anyways, hence the damage. I've heard its really hard to cross thread a muzzle device, but still, the thought is in the back of my mind.


so is this A)safe/acceptable? and B)fixable??

 

[briansmithwins]

Looks like sloppy workmanship that damaged the crush washer and they didn't center it either.

If the bore looks good (no shadow rings near the muzzle) it's almost certainly cosmetic and would be safe to shoot.

BSW

 

[MachIVshooter]

Won't affect function, just an eyesore. A new $1.00 crush washer takes care of it.

Judging by the quad rail, this is a budget upper. You don't get what you don't pay for, and that includes workmanship.

Looks like sloppy workmanship that damaged the crush washer and they didn't center it either.

Looks to be backwards, too.

 

[allivak]

i dunno if the crush washer is backwards....it doesn't appear to have any taper or orientation to it like other crush washers I've seen. is this a concern in of itself?

 

[fireman 9731]

They gouged it with the wrench when they were tightening it. And probably pushed it off center at the same time.

Its an easy fix, but a new product shouldn't come that way. Also, if something as simple as a flash hider is messed up, what else is messed up?

 

[NWcityguy2]

The crush washer is installed backwards, but they work that way too. I'd just take some black spray paint and q-tips and do a touch up job. It doesn't affect function. While replacing a crush washer is easy, it requires a few tools as well. Namely, a bench vise, an upper receiver vise block and an AR wrench. Too easy if you have them, much more expensive than spray paint and a q-tip if you don't.

And probably pushed it off center at the same time.

Not possible.

Also, if something as simple as a flash hider is messed up, what else is messed up?

The flash hider is fine.

 

[Hookeye]

FH looks concentric in pic 1. Flats shown at edge in other pics, so look funky.
Washer? Who cares if it's shifted?

 

[yugorpk]

Its just a sloppy, upside down crush washer. It isnt an indicator of a poor build . The hole in the center is just a little larger to clear the threads and it shifted over on the recessed area at the base of the threads when the flash hider got torqued down because the washer was installed upside down. Minimum wage workers doing simple assembly work. You get what you pay for but if thats the only gripe you dont have much to complain about. Replace it if it bothers you or just flip it over. You saved money buying a budget upper.If you want it to be perfect you sometimes have to do a little work yourself. Remove the flash hider and flip the washer over to center the washer better. Personally I like jam nuts better.

This is how the washer is supposed to go on...

 

[fireman 9731]

Quote:
And probably pushed it off center at the same time.
Not possible.

Quote:
Also, if something as simple as a flash hider is messed up, what else is messed up?
The flash hider is fine.

I was referring to the washer being off center. Also, I didn't mean to imply that the flash hider itself was messed up, just the installation of it.

OP, have you heard anything from the company?

 

[Caliper_Mi]

could the barrel crown be defective and can this cause any problems?

The actual crown is forward of the crush washer and protcted by the flash hider. Look at the pic yugorpk posted - the crown is at the end of the threads.
I wouldn't sweat it. A touch of cold blue, or paint, or whatever will fix the cosmetic blemish. Build the rifle and shoot.

 

[Hookeye]

Lay the rifle down on your gravel driveway.
Step on it two or three times.

Now shoot the crap out of it.

It's an AR.

If you eventually stock it in bastogne walnut then yeah, worry about any bluing blems.

 

[allivak]

I'm not going to mention the company yet because the situation has not been fully resolved as of yet....but I will say that they did immediately reach out to me and agreed that a brand new item should not look like that and offered to replace/refund my purchase.

I fully understand the issues with buying "budget" uppers but there is a good reason they exist and continue to be popular, despite habitual issues such as this....not everyone has $1500 to build a high end AR.

I appreciate the responses and information...as you guys can tell, I've never installed a muzzle device. I was mostly worried that this would create an issue down the line, or that it might be a sign of some underlying issue with the barrel/threads. I'm really liking this forum you guys always give thorough and comprehensive responses, no matter how small the question or issue.

Thanks!