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Posted: 2/24/2017 12:06:29 AM EDT
Just bought this upper this morning. I've never had a rifle with a Midwest hand guard before. I've removed the obvious screw at the bottom, but the thing won't budge. Am I missing something? The hand guard/barrel nut have a lot more play than I'm ok with, but I can't get the thing apart to figure out what's going on.
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Posted: 2/24/2017 7:07:55 AM EDT
[#1]
That black collar you see between the handguard and the upper receiver is a jam nut, it needs loosened. There is a special tool to do it, Google YHM jam nut removal.
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Posted: 2/24/2017 8:40:14 AM EDT
[#2]
I'm seeing a couple of different tools. Is there a specific one that will definitely work with a Midwest Industries free float handguard?
Secondly, why is this hand guard so loose to begin with? The whole hand guard and black collar has about 3mm of turn either clockwise or counter clockwise from being centered. Sorry if this is all obvious stuff. It's my 3rd AR and first one with a free float hand guard. |
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Posted: 2/24/2017 10:11:46 AM EDT
[#3]
I don't know if there is a specific tool for that rail. If you know it was made by MI, I'd look on their site or drop them an email.
As to the rail rotating, these types of rails are actually threaded onto the barrel nut. The main thing that holds them steady from rotating once aligned is making sure that jam nut is good and tight, then the screw or screws on the side that you removed act as an additional anti rotation stop. |
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Posted: 2/24/2017 10:18:53 AM EDT
[#4]
I had this guard until my kid really wanted it. I used a flat screwdriver a mallet and rag to loosen tighten mine. Never put a mark on it. Also you could use a rubberized strap wrench.
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Posted: 2/24/2017 1:42:29 PM EDT
[#5]
"a lot more play...." if you mean the handguard is slightly rotating, like an 8th of an inch, then you have a loose barrel nut that is rotating until it hits the gas tube. You will need to remove the rail and gas tube and index the nut to the next hole. Happened to mine. The gray rail needs to be "unscrewed" away from the receiver while the jam nut needs to go the opposite direction. You might be able to do what was suggested earlier, wrap a strap around the rail and just break it free. I think I used a flat blade and hammer to knock the jam nut loose without really hurting it.
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Posted: 2/24/2017 2:29:31 PM EDT
[#6]
From looking at the pic, it looks the the jamb nut (lock ring) will fit the Yankee Hill Machine wrench. This wrench is used for tightening & loosening the jamb nut.
http://yhm.net/forearm-wrench.html 
CY6 Greg Sullivan "Sully" SLR15 Rifles TheDefensiveEdge.com (763) 712-0123 |
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Posted: 2/24/2017 2:47:00 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
"a lot more play...." if you mean the handguard is slightly rotating, like an 8th of an inch, then you have a loose barrel nut that is rotating until it hits the gas tube. You will need to remove the rail and gas tube and index the nut to the next hole. Happened to mine. The gray rail needs to be "unscrewed" away from the receiver while the jam nut needs to go the opposite direction. You might be able to do what was suggested earlier, wrap a strap around the rail and just break it free. I think I used a flat blade and hammer to knock the jam nut loose without really hurting it. This is a very good point. If you have rotational play and you can see both the rail tube and the jam nut behind it are rotating together back and forth, what really might be happening is the barrel nut they both thread onto is loose and rotating within the limits of the gas tube. If this is the case, DO NOT FIRE the upper, it'll need taken down completely to have the barrel nut properly torqued. |
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Posted: 2/25/2017 1:39:55 AM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
This is a very good point. If you have rotational play and you can see both the rail tube and the jam nut behind it are rotating together back and forth, what really might be happening is the barrel nut they both thread onto is loose and rotating within the limits of the gas tube. If this is the case, DO NOT FIRE the upper, it'll need taken down completely to have the barrel nut properly torqued. Taking it to a local SOT tomorrow morning to get this done. Thanks for the responses. |
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Posted: 3/15/2017 10:08:43 PM EDT
[#9]
Got the upper back tonight. Midwest rail replaced with a 15" Samson Evo Keymod rail and more importantly, a new, properly torqued barrel nut. Excited to hit the range with the mighty Grendel soon.
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