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Posted: 3/23/2011 4:29:30 PM EDT
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I've been sitting on my ASAP for a month now pondering how I'm going to do this.
My AR's castle nut is staked and I've heard to "un-stake it" and the turn it with a spanner wrench and I've also heard to just break the stakes by turning it with a spanner wrench. Which is the the most least damaging method and then the age old question, restake it or use locktite (red or blue) I hear that the castle nut won't back off with either method. Has anyone had experience with removing a staked castle nut and then installing the ASAP? I would really like to hear people's personal experiences and not a bunch of things they read/heard other people do. It would be much appreciated. |
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Quoted:
I did it on my LMT lower a few weeks ago.. It took allot more force to break the castle nut loose than I thought it would.. Get a good wrench and get a good straight bite on the nut and lean on it hard.. same on my Bushy lower, I just attached my breaker bar to my stock wrench. I made sure the wrench was on securely and put all my weight on it. The tube was barely scared, no real damage. |
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Does just muscling throught the stakes cause any damage to the castle nut?
And after the stakes are broken and the old plate is removed, how did you secure the castle nut? Can I just tighten the castle nut? I mean does a castle nut ever back out in real life? ~E |
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Quoted: Does just muscling throught the stakes cause any damage to the castle nut? Shouldn't And after the stakes are broken and the old plate is removed, how did you secure the castle nut? Just put it back on Can I just tighten the castle nut? Yes I mean does a castle nut ever back out in real life? It can, and it's game-ender. ~E |
| Just unscrew the castle nut with a spanner wrench (obviously will take a bit more force than unscrewing an unstaked nut) & follow the instructions that come with the ASAP reference installing that part. Reinstall the castle nut with the appropriate torque. Stake it if you want to. It's not that difficult. |
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Yeah it seems very simple enough, Am I just obsessing too much about breaking the stakes and securing the castle nut after I put the ASAP plat on?
I guess I looking for people to tell me that one way or the other if the method they used Eff'd up their gun, or if it was no problem. Also I don't have a torque wrench and they seem very expensive. Can I just crank it down using my manly strungphf? Also if I don't think I'm going to retake the plate. anyone had problems putting lock-tite on the threads after installing the plate? (comes off too easily, won't come without a hydraulic spreader?) |
| It's not a problem. I don't know how better to tell you. There's nothing more to it. You can either stake the ASAP after you install it or leave it be. You can also apply Loctite but it will be serious endeavor trying to get the castle nut back off without some heat. You don't need a torque wrench to get enough torque on your castle nut. |
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Quoted:
I dont think its possible to stake the asap the material is real hard I could be wrong. You can stake an ASAP. There is a little more material to move compared to a stock end plate depending on where on the ASAP you are staking, but it is not difficult to move the material using a standard punch and hammer or an auto punch. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I dont think its possible to stake the asap the material is real hard I could be wrong. You can stake an ASAP. There is a little more material to move compared to a stock end plate depending on where on the ASAP you are staking, but it is not difficult to move the material using a standard punch and hammer or an auto punch. Use an autopunch. Don't waste your time with a punch and hammer, trust me 
An auto punch is $10, get one. |
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Quoted:
So with blue locktite, I would have to heat it up to unscrew the castle nut is I wanted to remove it? With the autopuch, I would be scrrd that the puch would slip and I would mess it up... I've never used blue loctite on a castle nut before, but if it's like any other application that uses blue loctite, if you don't go crazy and use a judicious amount when you apply it, it should break free with a reasonable amount of torque. That's what blue loctite is designed for. If you use a lot though, some heat application might be needed so you don't damage the lower by over torquing it. Heat breaks down the loctite. Someone with more experience using blue loctite on the castle nut can chime in and perhaps give you an idea of how much to use. As far as being scared that an auto punch would slip, that's just not very likely. You're far more likely to slip with a regular punch and hammer if you are inexperienced with their use, but even those are not difficult to use. An auto punch is painfully simple. Like Billy said, they are a cheap investment (<$10), and make the job foolproof. Check out my posts in these two links for more information, including how to stake the ASAP, where to buy the auto punch, and for some pictures of a staked ASAP: Staking an ASAP? Magpul ASAP plate issues |
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