The ones you use to space a barrel nut, if you need to?
Brownells doesn't have them.
Thanks!

Usually contacting the manufacturer of whatever barrel nut/rail you're installing is the best bet. Ive seen many companies send them out to people.

They don't have them because nobody makes them because nobody needs them.

What is up with the recent rash of people who can't seem to clock a barrel nut?  We've made it how many decades now without the need for a barrel nut shim in service by any manufacturer or armorer in the world, and yet...







How many companies have you seen send out barrel nuts shims?

Some proprietary nuts are almost impossible to time with proper torque without shims. Not impossible, but shims make it much easier. Has nothing to do with gas tube.

Google results many.  Spikes sells them.

Installed a Parallax Tactical handguard a while back.  Came with shims.

+1  Never needed them. Just torque it down and loosen it a few times (using some anti-seize) to set the threads and your good to go.

All those past decades a mil-spec barrel nut was pretty much all that was available.

Recent years have shown a vast array of rail options with many of them having a  proprietary mounting system, a few of them requiring shims to time the barrel nut.

Bison Armory

http://bisonarmory.com/ar-15-barrel-nut-shim-set/

They work well.

Seekins

My UTG pro slim came with three shims but I didnt need them.

AL

If you absolutely cannot get the barrel nut lined up correctly, then the CORRECT way of dealing with it is to lap the face of the upper receiver.



Brownells sells them.

Have one of those.

I've never needed shims before. But I'm installing a Noveske rail on my Noveske upper reciever.
I already bought an SK 1 1'16 crowfoot wrench.
But I've read that some people still can't time the nut right, so the rail is in the correct position.
So I thought I'd buy some shims in case I have that problem.
I'd rather have the shims sitting here, and NOT need them. Than to need then and have to wait.
I hate to wait!
This isn't my first Rodeo.
I've never had a call to use them in the past. But this is the first time using this goofy barrel nut!
Thanks for the responses.

My Provectus HEAD DOWN 15" and 13" both came with shims for the barrel nut, which is a Seekins knock off nut.. I think I used one or two on both...

Funny!! ...the word "need"... when it comes to gun stuff.

Might as well post a follow up.
I ended up just using my lapping tool, to get the Noveske barrel nut lined up correctly.
It was a pain, and took a couple of times. I had to do it more than once for it to work.
Believe it timed our at around 55-60 foot pounds. Which is below their top limit of 80.

The shims might have been easier.
But if I used them it would have spaced the rail out farther from the upper. Because there is a shoulder on the inside of the rail that prevents it from moving back farther.
I removed some material from the front of the nut. So the rail would slide up tight.
Looks and functions great.
But still a pain.

Thanks for the suggestions.!
And the IM about spikes!

yep , built a upper for a buddy the other day and needed to use a shim, was the 5th time using that type h/g and first time needing a shim

I think the answer to BS's question above is more questions: What is up with all the out of spec receivers and or aftermarket parts that don't time correctly with in-spec receivers, whichever is the cause in any given case? While I agree with the point inferred by BS; ie. General engineering / technical principles dictate that the best / first choice for solving a well understood problem is usually the decades old tried and true method . I do think sometimes there is room for a newer less labor intensive solution. So IMHO the REAL question is: Are barrel shims a reasonable, safe, reliable and mechanically sound alternative for producing an end product AR that meets requirements? ...or is it a hackey short-cut that is gonna come back and bite in a wholly unacceptable way later on?

I personally lapped my out of spec receiver face after torqueing and untorqueing with three different barrel nuts and days of sweaty hair pulling. Pretty sure 0.001" or 0.002" wouldn't FUBAR feedramp alignment, but didn't want to risk that, or risk getting slapped hard for daring to ask the question here.