Want to take off the flash hider and FSB of my old H-bar to install free float tube.  Will the bare bones aluminum barrel vice blocks from Brownells be the ticket for the flash hider removal?  This one has never been off, got a feeling I will have to apply some elbow grease to remove it, and reading what I could find under search feature, the DPMS claw is not the right way to go, could turn the whole barrel, canting the pin in the receiver slot.  They are fairly inexpensive, figure one could line them with some thin leather to keep down the chance of marring the barrel.

80's era Colt, it appears that the FH is on with a crush washer, (those here who know more about the correct parts, and that would be just about anybody, might correct me) I have a couple of new ones on the way, figuring I might fubar the first one, and a spare might not be a bad idea.  Is the installation and timing as simple as it appears?  Hand tight, then around to correct position?

Upon further inspection and review of other threads, I now believe that the FH on mine must have a peel washer, (it appears too narrow to be the crush type), if that is the case, can I re-use the one that comes off??

Did Colt pin the FH back in '82?  I have looked it over and find no evidence of same.  

If in fact it is a peel washer, can that be re-used or do I need to get a new one?

Unless we're talking a "parts is parts" rifle and this doesn't sound like it, then the only practical reason for a flash-"suppressor"  to be pinned on would be IF the barrel was less than the 16" legal length.

Normally one should just use a crush washer to install a flash suppressor as they are much easier to index properly. Peel washers; while preferred by some require abit more tweaking to get them to index correctly and yes there is a possibility that you could use the same one.

YMMV, but crush-washers, peel washers and lock washers all used on varying AR15/M16 rifles should be standard parts kept in your spare parts kit, this way it simply picking the best choice for your rifle's FS/MB application is easy to do.

mike

You can reuse peel washers.