Muzzle break removal***PLEASE HELP***

[ILVH8RS]

So I do not have a vice nor the blocks necessary to remove my muzzle break. Also, When i did try and do so it seems as though my barrel is actually loose and was turning slightly in the upper. Is there anyone in San Diego available to help me with this? Maybe even this evening? have plans for this weekend with friends and would like to be able to use my baby for what I built her for. I am willing to pay well and travel a bit. Thank you for any help.

Matt 619 867 6108

[m16]

It's a brake, not a break - what kind of rifle, what length barrel and are you sure the brake hasn't been permanently attached?

You might be unscrewing the barrel from the barrel extension.

[ILVH8RS]

It's an ATI upper with carbine length barrel. No the break is not permanently attached; was put on at a lgs and the barrel is visablly moving where it meets the upper receiver...

[el tardo]

just a fyi the barrel and upper have noth that fit together so it cant turn like you say, what you see is your gas block turning a tad and you see the gas block and gas tube moving,normal.

most new uppers have some lock-tite on the threads of the flash hider and you need a heat gun to warm it up to break the hold of the lock-tite.

its better to have someone with correct tools but if you have to go getto you can use a leather belt and vise grips to hold the barrel and use the correct size wrench to re-move the muzzle brakeor flash hider you have on it.dont forget to get it hot as hell to break the hold of the lock-tite

now dont bash me for giving you the getto way as you might scratch something doing it this way but will get the job done.

good juck, its not hard

[ILVH8RS]

yeah, the stock birdcage has been changed to the one that is on there now...don't know if there is any locktight on it or not...the barrel is def moving way to much though..almost a quarter turn at one point...

[m16]

The barrel extension is the part that has a pin to index it in the receiver.

It is entirely possible to unscrew the barrel from the barrel extension by doing exactly what the OP is trying to do.

If he says it is visibly moving where the barrel meets the receiver, his barrel extension is most likely loose.

[ILVH8RS]

If he says it is visibly moving where the barrel meets the receiver, his barrel extension is most likely loose.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for that information, Tried holding it still with a belt and nadda...break won't budge. I am not a gunsmith and will never claim to be one...so is there anyone who may be able to assist with this problem? I dont really want to wait a few weeks as I have been told by many lgs in order to get it in and repaired. As I said, I was hoping to field her this weekend.

Thanks again everyone...

[el tardo]

PM ar15barrels here and see if he can do a weekend appt for you,but you will need to drive to los angeles. for a friday night this is your best option.

[ILVH8RS]

^will do...thank you

[RomanDad]

Im in orange county... I have the vice, block, torch, wrenches, etc... But if you've knocked loose your barrel extension, I wouldn't know how to make that right.

BTW.. The extension is supposed to be torqued to like 100 or 150 lbs or something like that... How the hell did you apply THAT kind of force without the right tools? Holding the barrel with a belt and getting half that torque would be pretty impressive.

[ILVH8RS]

^ I never messed with the extension or barrel at all for that matter. Had a LGS install a new gas block and muzzle break for me about 6 months ago maybe. Have since fired hundreds of rounds with no issues what so ever. But tonight when I went to try and remove the muzzle break to install my new one I noticed the barrel was turning and i could not break the thing loose.

I think i may have to go have a talk with the shop that did the work and see WTF happened. There a respectable place and hae had great experiences there in the past as well as several other people I know who recommended me to them...so i won't put their name out there as though they did something wrong. I was just hoping to find someone local who could maybe help out to get me up an running for this weekend but I'd rather be disappointed than dead so maybe the AR stays in the safe this weekend...

Thank you again everyone.

[m16]

It may have been improperly torqued to begin with.

I've seen it happen before in the middle of a range session and it actually caused a POI shift in my buddy's rifle.

[buellster]

If the barrel is rotating inside the receiver I bet the alignment pin is broken. I've broken one trying to tighten a brake.

[ILVH8RS]

It definitely didn't take much to realize that things flexing/moving that far was no bueno. I think it may just be best to take it back to the LGS and have them remedy whatever i did to brake something...Just curious, if the pin/receiver/extension or whatever the problem is is actually broken/distorted/messed up in anyway, would I not have noticed something wrong or had some kind of malfunction during operation? I had NO problems what so ever with it and went through at least 4 or 5 hundred rounds since the last time it was worked on...

[RomanDad]

It definitely didn't take much to realize that things flexing/moving that far was no bueno. I think it may just be best to take it back to the LGS and have them remedy whatever i did to brake something...Just curious, if the pin/receiver/extension or whatever the problem is is actually broken/distorted/messed up in anyway, would I not have noticed something wrong or had some kind of malfunction during operation? I had NO problems what so ever with it and went through at least 4 or 5 hundred rounds since the last time it was worked on...

I doubt you would have noticed anything being "not super tight and ready to come apart the first time some dude started wrenching on it" until you started wrenching on it...

Unless the flash hider was pinned on (and you say it wasnt) it should have been the weak link in the chain, meaning its on with a lot less torque than the barrel extension.... Im wondering if maybe the barrel nut itself isnt on there real tight and its allowing the index pin to pop out of place temporarily? Or maybe you busted it off completely???

So... If the barrel was turning a quarter of a turn, is your gas tube all bent and cockeyed now?

Do you have any pictures of this upper?