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Posted: 7/10/2008 9:47:08 AM EDT
| When cinching down the barrel to the upper receiver, exactly how necessary is it to use a torque wrench? I understand that this is the right tool for the job, and am heading to the hardware store in 15 minutes to look at them, but as yet I don't have one. Surely not every builder who posts here has one? |
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go to pep boys or harbor freight and get a $15 1/2" drive torque wrench... i like to make sure i am not overtorquing, so i'll set to 35... tighten... check for alignment of barrel nut and gastube hole... then set it to 75... and start messing around... in the dozen or so barrels i've installed... i've had ONE... line up PERFECTLY at 35 ft/lbs... i'm sure there are plenty of people that will snug it up, then move to the next notch in the nut, and call it a day... but for $15 you are going to need a 1/2" drive wrench for a GI barrel wrench anyway... ETA: Habor Freight LINK - $19.99 |
| in my opinion it is. but you can also get one of the cheaper models and use...like one of the beam ones. I have tightened on barrel nuts and later found they were probably on to about 26lbs and lined up instead of hitting the minimum 30lb mark............I have a beam one I picked up. can not justify and higher dollar one right now. |
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Never used it and I feel comfortable shooting my rifle. I highly doubt that a rifle will explode in my face because I didn't use one and aligned the nut to the nearest hole making the fit very tight. Its all propaganda from the torque wrench manufactures to get you to purchase their products.  
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| Let me quote my old NCOIC, "what does the T.O. say to use?" Does the manual tell you to use a torque wrench? I've never seen one that doesn't. Now if you want to blow yourself up because you didn't follow the directions, that's your own choosing but for folks that look at buying used rifles, please let them know so they can take it to a gunsmith and have them retorque the barrel correctly. Do I sound like an ass here? Probably but my wife and in a few years my son will be shooting the rifles I build and I will not have them shooting any weapon I did a half-assed job on putting together. It's this reason why I don't buy other people build projects unless I personally tear them down and put them back together again to ensure it's correct. |
Feel free to share news stories of people injured by AR-15s "blowing up" because the barrel nut was not properly torqued... I use a torque wrench, but I also know what 30-50lbs feels like... |
A standard barrel wrench has an opening for a 1/2" torque wrench. |
Bingo, we have a winner. Once you know what a certian amount of torque feels like you can easily work without a torque wrench. |
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Necessary? Nope. The intention is to snug up the assembly so the barrel does not wobble in the upper reciever, and get it tight enough to allow a gas tube to fit through the barrel nut teeth. Think you are capable of it? How tight is "snug?" A hundred armorers have a hundred results when "snug" is tested against a torque wrench. Hence, a standard is required. |
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