Of course I tried to order the tools I thought I would need in advance, and quickly discovered that this PRI wrench is useless for the disassembly because it will not slip over that free-float tube. (even if I remove the FSB)
Would any of you guys familiar with this RRA NM set-up advise me what brand or style wrench I should order next to remove the barrel nut? I’m hoping I can buy a half-circle style spanner wrench that will not require me to pull off the FSB.
Also how does that free float tube come off? It’s hard to tell by just looking at it being it’s already factory installed; I’m wondering if I only need to go unscrew the barrel nut, and then that FF tube will come off with it. (?)
I’m making great progress so far. I got the gas tube off…
And here’s a close-up of the FF tube and the RRA barrel nut;
BTW…I do have an action block AND a delrin claw. But, they’re not a lot of good until I get the right wrench that will slip on.
Sad to say hoss… but you ARE going to have to pull your muzzle device and your FSB in order to pull that FF tube.
I’ve installed several of those on DCM rifles for customers and they’re just like any other FF tube to install.
pull the muzzle device (ie unscrew your flash hider or muzzle brake)
push the pins in your front sight base and slide it off…
Unscrew the tube and slide it off…
now you’re ready to remove the barrel nut. This can be done in a normal fashion using the appropriate barrel nut wrench. The one you have pictured will do the job AFTER you remove the tube.
Badabing… Badaboom… you’re done
Edited to add: Yes I know it’s a PITA to do it this way but the alternative sux rocks. IE, cutting the assembly lengthwise. Please don’t ok? That tube is worth about a hundred bucks by itself and it’s possible to sell/resell it.
Thanks Mat. Well, I thought I was going to have to order another wrench and wait some more. I’ll just have to look at the brighter side that I already have the wrench and can get right to work!
Yep, you’re right that the RRA NM barrel and parts are worth a few bucks for resale…and resale is what I intend to do with it. It was for this reason that I did NOT want to have to disturb the FSB. I did not want to try to knock the pins out and discover how easy or not so easy that the FSB comes off. (?..I’ve never done that before) I’m planning on buying that WOA SDM barrel I was discusing with you at that other forum. I will be putting a Danial Defense rail back on with a WOA 4 screw FSB. So, I was trying to leave this whole RRA barrel with original FSB and NM handguard assembly in pristine order for resale. But, if it’s got to be done…then it’s got to be done! However, unless the parts are a b*tch to remove, I’m very anal and very carefull how I work, and so hopefully when it’s done the parts will still look very nice.
Can I use those same pins that I will be knocking out to put the RRA FSB back onto the barrel? (or do they become too loose to reuse?)
Will that free float tube screw off in the usual counter-clockwise direction if I put some kroil and a rubber strap wrench to it?
I’ve never seen one of those, but it looks like the tube is press fit between the barrel nut and the FSB restricting the removal of the barrel nut without first removing the FSB & tube?
It’s not a press fit, this is a Service Rifle free float tube, i.e. you can/do install handguards over it that look like factory stock handguards as issued to the military prior to quad rails. There is, or should be, enough room between the end of the tube and the FSB to slip a business card in. If you are stuck on keeping it together at all costs, I would look for an open ended barrel nut wrench like the Army issued one or, I believe, the DPMS AR combo wrench. You “might” be able to get it on the barrel nut without removing everything first, but whoever buys it from you will have to remove it all anyway to re-install on their upper…
I have one and I have never tried to remove the tube. Every time I look for a process to do so it invariably comes to needing a ridiculous amount of heat at the base end of the tube to melt the loctite they use.
Everything I’ve read says that they legitemately ‘went plaid’ with the application of loctite. You literally have to get it smoking to even try to strap wrench that free float off.
An open sided barrel nut wrench will work nicely.
The DPMS wrench is what I personally use on these things. YMMV
RussellM is also correct in that whoever buys this from you is going to have to completely disassemble the barrel “group” in order to install it on his upper receiver.
A suggestion?
Sell the upper as is , ie complete, and buy a good quality upper receiver w/o a barrel
BCM,LMT,Noveske,Daniel Defense,etc are all good choices. If you look here on the For Sale forum and at Gunbrokers.com you can usually find good quality upper receivers for sale. (If anyone has a source that’s cheaper please post!)
That way you’ll have a “virgin” receiver to put your new barrel on.
Two things it will do for you… one its WAY easier and TWO you’ll have the knowledge that “you did that!”.
Ok Hammer Man…perhaps I’ve confused you. I know that now I am totally confused.
What I am set out to do is to take the whole barrel assembly off of my upper receiver, so I can save my upper receiver for another build. I like the tight fit and finish of this RRA upper & lower, and all I’m trying to accomplish is to keep my upper and lower for another build. I was not wanting to keep anything from the RRA NM upper…except maybe the barrel nut if I would need it for another build.
Do I even need to keep the barrel nut…or will a Daniel Defense rail come with its own style nut?
I intend to buy the WOA barrel, and put a Daniel Defense rail over the new barrel. If I have to buy another barrel nut to save me A LOT OF TROUBLE of trying to get this barrel nut off, then I will do that. (like I said; I’m not even sure if a Daniel Defense rail provides it’s own style barrel nut and so maybe I wouldn’t need this RRA barrel nut anyway…??..)
But right now, all I really want to accomplish is just be able to remove this RRA NM barrel assembly from my receiver.
Can I buy a spanner shaped (ie; half circle shape) wrench that will slip onto the barrel nut in that little space between the barrel nut and the feee float tube? …or will I have to remove that free float tube in order to be able to get at the barrel nut?
So far, I have only removed the gas tube and knocked the pins out of the FSB, and slid the FSB loose onto the barrel. I have not taken the FH off. (the FH would not turn off easilly, and so I stopped, and is where I’m at now) It would be nice to use the PRI wrench that I already bought special…but NOT if I’m going to have a bitch of a time trying to get the FF tube off. If all I have to do is buy a different style wrench…then I’ll do that and wait a few days for it to arrive.
Now I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do. I’ll not do anything else until I hear back from you. Thanks.
I understand that you want to keep your bcg and upper receiver.
With that said, lets address the barrel nut issue.
The barrel nut is PART of the NM FF tube. W/o it the tube has no support so they have to stay together in order them to be of any use to the next owner. Capish?
The only difference between the RRA NM FF tube and a “normal” one is that you can install issue (slightly modified ones) hand guards over it. You still have a tube and a threaded barrel nut that go together to create the free floating that you want.
Getting a new barrel nut is no biggy. They cost between $12 and $20 depending on where you shop.
If you have your FSB either partially or completely uninstalled then all you need to do now is loosen the barrel nut and it, and the hopefully still attached ff tube, will slide right out of the upper receiver.
The muzzle device might be locktited or just be tight as hell. Does it move at all?
Naaaaa…why would I ever want to start with a high priced stripped receiver (if I wanted an A2 receiver) when I already have the whole tight and purty thing completely built? If I could just get he damn barrel off!!!
I just looked at those threads closely again. Now I see that the barrel nut was made a special part that has those male threads as part of it. So then I guess those male threads screw into that FF tube’s female threads. It seems to me that if that ff tube is loctited onto those male threads (which is part of the barrel nut)…then if I turned that tube counter-clockwise, the barrel nut will turn off with it.
I’m surprised that when you tried to turn that FF tube off, that you couldn’t get enough force so that the FF tube didn’t unscrew!!..or… that the FF tube and barrel nut didn’t unscrew at the same time. Something should give if you turn that tube!
“If you have your FSB either partially or completely uninstalled then all you need to do now is loosen the barrel nut and it, and the hopefully still attached ff tube, will slide right out of the upper receiver.”
I only moved my FSB up the barrel just about 1/8" to confirm to myself it was now loose and will come off when I remove the FH, and when I’m ready to remove it. But, I figured I would need a barrel wrench anyway to get the FF tube off…because isn’t the “barrel nut” that sprocketed part hiding inside the Delta ring? Won’t I still need a wrench to turn it off?
Oh and yes…you’re right that I’m also wanting to keep the BC and other parts that come with the upper. I’m just going to sell the bolt with the barrel and everything in front of the receiver.
EDIT;
Ok…which tool do you advise? One is $10, and the other is $25. So if it doesn’t make a difference, I’ll go with the $10 tool. But shipping is another $12, and I have to wait another week…so this time want to get it right.
THANKS AGAIN. I guess now I’ll order the new tool and just wait for it to arrive.
What to do with the new PRI wrench…???..
Maybe I’ll enlarge the round hole in it, and make a nice bottle cap remover. Everyone can use a heavy duty bottle opener that takes a 1/2" torque wrench.
NOW, that I have the ff tube apart, I finally see how the parts look and how it all works Here’s a tool that anybody out there who has the time and patience can make which will remove the FF tube from its lock nut easilly.
Here is a picture of the 2x4" wood stockade style tool I made which locks around the barrel. Then the series of 5 dowels are pushed and protruded down into the slot in the FF tube. The barrel assembly is locked into the vise, using a Model1 action block. The lock-nut area heated up with a torch, and then the “stockade” tool is turned like a big wrench to spin the FF tube off. The metal shield in the photo is first slipped in front of the action block to keep it from melting. As well, I stick a soaked
patch of cloth in the breech of the barrel to keep it from needlessly overheating.
Here’s a photo of everything locked in my vise with the heat shield in place.
I kept the torch moving around on the barrel lock nut/ ff tube locknut joint for quite awhile (75 seconds maybe), and when I turned my 2"x4" stockade the FF tube came off pretty easy. There was tons of red loctite on it.
I was hoping that maybe the the Ff tube would have turned the barrel nut right off of the barrel. But it didn’t happen, and so now I’m waiting for my 2 new DPMS tools so I can get the rest of that thing off of the barrel.
