User Panel
Posted: 6/9/2005 1:48:43 PM EDT
Alright guys, I need your help.
I took my M4 in to a smith to have a DD 7.0 installed. He puts it on and when I go to shoot it I notice that the FSB is canted to the left. So much so that it is shooting about 2-3 feet right of the sights at 100 yds. I run out of windage and its still shooting to the right. How can I fix this? I cant seem to get the pins out without rounding them over, and I don't have the tools to get the barrel off. |
|
Barrel need to be correct indexed in the upper receiver socket, hence either drifted or shimmed to correct the problem is you have taper pins that are holding the FSB onto the barrel.
Do not remove the taper pins thinking that you will be able to drift the front sight base around on the barrel, the entire barrel needs to be correctly indexed on the upper receiver. Time for you to take the weapon back to the smith to have him correct his install problem (sight plain aligned (front sight against the rear sight) with the barrel bore plain). |
|
Chris, is it possible that he overtorqued the barrel nut? This could twist the barrel in the upper receiver slightly, causing you to shoot to the right.
|
|
maybe.
I'll take it in to him on Tuesday. Hope I can get it back to sight it in soon. I am thinking that its an incorrect indexing problem. The pins werent in all the way, so I hammered 'em in. I think this is going to provide me with the motivation to start collecting AR armoror's tools. . . |
|
Nothing like the nightmares of stretched/bent barrel socket, last it checked, they don’t just bend right back with the greatest of ease. Oh wait, I remember now, you don't need to use a torque wrench to install a barrel (must be true, I kept reading about over in the other forum). Lets just hope that the barrel slipped in the upper socket during the install, and at worst, the barrel extension pin was bent and need to be replaced to allow the barrel/FSB to be correctly indexed. |
|
|
Yea.
Lets hope that its something simple. . . . Otherwise I am goin to be quite pissed. . . . |
|
Forgetting to grease the barrel extension flange where it contacts the nut will do this. No, its is unlikely anything is damaged BUT you need corrective action.
I hold both the upper receiver AND the barrel while torquing the nut. This requires two vises. I snug the barrel nut finger tight, then secure the barrel in the vise with shims. With heavy, full diameter barrels, very little windup is induced. Holding just the upper will always be good for 3-10 MOA of misalignment. |
|
Well, I had a barrelmaker's son (Very famous barrelmaker BTW) AND a different gunsmith look at it tonight. They both think that the barrel is on straight, but the pins are in wrong which is causing the cant, (meaning a very small chance that the barrel is off) But its hard to tell. So, I am goin to have to wait until Tuesday to get it fixed.
I am quite mad, as I hoped to shoot it this weekend. Oh well, Now I hope I can fix the dammed thing without buying a new barrel. . . . |
|
You only get ONE chance with a barrel and the FSB for taper pins. Screw it up and no more taper pins. The taper pins partially penetrate the barrel. Now you could weld repair but do you want this? Not I.
There is salvation. Fill the taper pin slots in the barrel with brass rod, tapered to match. IIRC, that is 1:48 standard taper but you should measure. Dress the pins to fit the profile and trim both ends short and square. Degrease and install with epoxy. On the FSB, drill and tap for #8-36 setscrews. Use dog or cup point, not cone point. You might need to relieve the barrel slots a bit so the setscrew bottoms on the brass pin. Now the FSB is adjustable, each turn of the setscrew is worth 22 minutes of adjustment on standard length barrels. You have to loosen one side before you tighten the other. |
|
The Upper was already assembled, (FSB pins were drilled and pinned)
It should have been an easy reassembly, but I think he just forgot to watch the FSB as he was tightening it, as he did a really good job of alinging the forend. . . . I'll find out on tuesday. . . |
|
Grr. . .
More bad news. . . . I talked to him on Tuesday and he said he saw the cant and took it apart to make sure it went together correctly, but the cant was still there. I am beginning to seriously think he twisted the Barrel when he removed the old nut, which would explain the suddenly canted FSB, and the scratches on the barrel. . . . (I am thinking the Smith had the Barrel in the vise and the reciever in the air when he removed the old barrel nut. I'll post pics of the old nut in the am, but its safe to say he really torqued it. ) I am wondering what recourse I am goin to have if thats the case, as my CMMG M4 profile CL 1 in 7 twist barrel would be junk. I mean, am I out the barrel? |
|
I'm speechless,
Where the fuck do some of you guys find these |
|
Southern WI, near Madison.
(But I am willing to travel) Well, I went up and talked with him today, and picked up my now disassembled rifle. As far as I can tell, the barrel is pretty much junk. The chrome lining looks like it's cracked and starting to flake off right in front of the chamber. (which is where I suspect the barrel got torqued) I even had him clean it, and then looked at it again to be sure, but its most definatly not mirror smooth like the rest of the barrel. (Or before I had him work on it) He of course thinks I am making shit up because I appear to be 'some punk kid' who is trying to scam him out of a barrel. His explination is that the barrel extention came loose, and that I need to buy a barrel extension wrench to have him fix it. I told him I suspected that the way he had it clamped up was the cause, and he replied that 'the wrench wasn't long enough for him to create that much force'. He did admit twice that he had the barrel in the vise and the reciever unsupported, which I had kinda figured as a result of the scratches on the barrel. I am going to take some pics right after this gets posted and I'll post those up as well. Anyway, He said that I should have the barrelmaker look at it, to see if they 'built it right'. (They did, but I'm going to ask if they'd inspect it and make sure it wasn't like that when it left their facility.) If its his fault, he did say he'd take care of it, but it seems like I am goin to have to jump thru a lotta hoops to get it done right. |
|
Isn't he the supposed "Gunsmith"Why should you buy a tool for him to use.It's his screw up to begin with.He should be buying you a new barrel.
|
|
The thinnest part of the pin should be on the left, left as in when you are looking down the barrel as in aiming, with the thickest part on the right side/ejection port side of the weapon. Edited to add: That guy is a clueless hack. |
|
|
If you can wait a few weeks, I will be in Reedsburg (south of the Dells) teaching a Tac Pistol course and could probably take a look at it then. It appears that someone not only munched your barrel nut, but also used vise blocks or something on the barrel and not a receiver block. I am curious if the receiver was munched as well where the barrel extension pin sits.
CY6, Greg Sullivan "Sully" Chief Instructor TheDefensiveEdge.com |
|
Son of a ... Chris, it's pretty obvious that my original prognosis of overtightening was correct. How did you find this "smith"? I can guarantee you that I'd be hitting him up for some cash. Anyone can look at that barrel nut and see that that isn't normal. How can he say that he doesn't think that he's the cause for the damage? Ask him if he sees anything wrong with that barrel nut. If possible, let Sully check it out. He taught us well in the armorer's course in Lebanon, IN. |
|
|
Krazny, I'm going to post my thoughts in the hometown thread.
|
|
make sure to spread the name of the hack around too.
I don't see how he could have harmed the chrome lining tho unless he clamped the barrel into the vise (directly with no vise blocks) hard enough to distort the bore. even then I don't believe that the plating would flake off. the barrel extension isn't chromed so even if it did come loose (which I highly doubt given the difficulty in removing them) that wouldn't harm the plating. if a hack installs a barrel it doesn't take him much effort to bend (or break) the teeth on the barrel nut, has little to do with the torque applied. clamping the barrel (using vise blocks) is the .mil way so there's no harm done with that method, just the added time of cleaning the displace Al off of the barrel. I'm pretty sure (barring the chrome flaking off) that your barrel is just misaligned and can be corrected. |
|
Well,
I scrubbed the bore out making sure I got all the dirt/gunk out. That texture still apprears on the rifling in the bore, and I dont think less than 1k rds would pit/wear on the bore that much, but who knows. . . . Even if the bore is ok, I dont think I will put that barrel back on. 99% of my shooting is with Irons, and I really dont trust a set screw FSB on my home defense gun. (My FSB on my Service rifle is set screw, and it has a habit of working loose at the most inopportune moment. . . .) And after looking at the amount of $$ a YHM set screw gas block would run me, plus the cost of dicking around with it just doesn't seem as cost effective as selling the barrel real cheap and buying a different one. |
|
The taper pins are removed left to right (just like a casing is ejected) and reinstalled in reverse. He may have beat the shit out of your original FSB and either replaced it with another he had on hand or tried to install a new one and had no idea what he was doing.
ETA: Once the barrel extension is installed, the barrel index pin and gas port are drilled. The FSB is then installed on the barrel, drilled, reamed for taper pins, and pins are then installed. The Barrel and FSB are now married, trying to put one from another rifle on your barrel, could account for the cant. BBossman |
|
It is my FSB assembly, as I had a rather unique post installed, and it was the only AR he had in the shop at the time. And he woulda charged me for a new FSB. . . .
I think if the bore checks out ok, I may have him buy and maybe install an Armalite Set Screw FSB. And then I may or may not sell the barrel. But it sure as hell ain't going to be on my home defense gun after this. |
|
Didn't catch it, but your saying that the barrel extension pin is not indexed with the FSB?
Was the index like this before you took it in, or is part of the aftermath? Also, did the rifle use a standard forearm handguard that didn't require the FSB to be removed, or did the FSB need to be remove to install some sort of forearm tube system after the barrel was installed? |
|
It might cover up some of the gas port hole in the barrel with it off center that much. |
|
|
The hole for the alinement pin is already drilled in the extension when the extension is installed. Once the extension is tightened the alinement pin hole determines TDC. |
|
|
Well, I talked to the guys at CMMG.
They are real good sports about all this. They said to check the alignment pin, as it may have been overtorqued. So, I'll try and pull it out and get a replacement. |
|
Got the pin pulled out, and it was bent. But it wasn't the main culprit. The Barrel Extension needs to be realigned.
So, anyone have a barrel extension wrench I can borrow? |
|
none of this is making any sense brother, I have never seen a bent pin that wasn't installed that way and I have never seen a barrel extension come loose that was properly installed.
|
|
LOL.
Its really strange. I will try and get pics up soon. 90% of the cant is fron a bent indexing pin. I am goin to replace it, and then if it is still noticibly canted, I'll realign the barrel extension. The Barrel is fine. I think. It just needs a refinishing and it'll be good to go. But I am using this as an excuse to build a Recce Clone. So, who wants to buy a used M4 barrel? |
|
no shit, wtf??
I don't like the fact that this kid is doing his own home gunsmithing on this barrel and parts- he's only giving the hack smith ammo to use back against the kid. |
|
Well it seems I'm now the owner of this barrel. Kinda wish I knew about it's WHOLE history before I bough it. Now I'm trying to figure out how to deal with this canted FSB. I'm looking at it.... the gas hole and index pin seem to line up alright... bore and chamber seem ok. But it's that FSB. It's majorily canted, I give about 7 - 10 degrees out wack. Now mind you, I bought this without the knowledge of this thread. Imagine my surprise when I search canted and come across this. It's a CMMG 1/7 M4 Profile barrel I bought from.... Kranzy13 in July. Yes I know it's 3 months later, but I didn't have the funds for the LaRue I wanted till about 2 weeks ago. So I get everything togethor when I notice the FSB is canted. I mean, I can't get the damn thing aligned. So what do I do? Break down and buy a new FSB like the YHM or a solid one like the Armalite? (Which by the way doesn't cover both holes drilled for the FSB - had a spare one I tried on it...) So any advice? Might CMMG be able to fix this? |
|
|
you might be able to adjust for it by turning the barrel in the upper receiver but I'd give it back to CMMG you might take the lugs out of time or take the gas tube too far over to one side.
If you pull the FSB you should be able to compare the circle in the barrel finish left by the gas port in the FSB with the gas port location itself. |
|
I tried adjusting it in the receiver, but there is still a major cant. I guess I'll write the CMMG guys and see if they can drill a new FSB for it. As much as I've spent on this barrel, I would be near a Mid Length Sabre barrel... The gas port isn't a problem either. I checked the location, and it the gas port was catching the very edge of the FSB port. |
|
|
I thought that the Barrel indexing pin was the culprit.
Email is coming. |
|
I got tired of dealing with the smith. He basically refused to have anything to do with me, and since college started back up I haven't been able to contact him. Replacing the Indexing pin is pretty easy. Even a 'kid' like me couldn't screw it up. I intend to make this right. |
|
|
And Krazny is trying. I've got an email in with CMMG about the barrel. Update when I get information. |
||
|
|
Just goes to show you that a good, *experienced* AR 'smith is worth the time and money spent. A whole lot of the time, the local "bolt gun, trigger job" guy knows nothing about ARs, and doesn't take much care with them since "they're so easy to work on."
I have zero training, other than my own pretty decent mechanical abilities, and I've done all of my own AR 'smithing, except for having Kurt of KKF shorten a couple of my barrels. And it was worth the money and wait to have him do the work. ADCO and CMMG (and Kurt and MTSN and...) do this stuff all the time, know what they're doing, use the right tools, and they CARE that it's done right. This post and many others have proven it. Thumbs up to AR15.com's vendors. -Troy |
|
is that hanguard as purple as it looks? let us know how it shoots
|
|
No it's not purple. I have a CAV Arms Purple set for that When I finally make it to a range I'll let you know about it. And big thumbs up to CMMG for fixing it up right (though I think there was something more to it than they let on about....) |
|
|
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.