AR Sponsor
Posted: 11/20/2011 8:47:24 PM EDT
|
I got so much info from this site I thought I would try and give back by sharing my experience in BIY. Many of the issues and questions that beginners have problems with are covered and I tried to take as many pics as I could. Thanks to the AR for Dummies sticky by Falarak I decided to continue a normal disassembly for cleaning purposes into a full blown overhaul. Barrel and everything. I have owned this AR for about two years and have put roughly 3500 rounds downrange with it. After about 60 or so is when the hooks went in deep and I started trying to learn as much as I could about the Black Rifle. Let's get down to bizz....
This is what it has looked like the whole time I have owned it, except for the AFG and EoTech, those I added. http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h389/LRMoore57/7c6785d2.jpg A friend sold this to me when he was in a jam and had to move back east. He swore he shot it but the smith I took it too said if my buddy did indeed shoot it he must not have shot it much. The bolt face was unmarked and firing pin hole area shined like brand new. Sweet for me! Most importantly for you guys trying this for the first time: A sturdy vice is a must. This one is old but does the job. http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h389/LRMoore57/ca566757.jpg The proper tools are cheap and well worth it. I learned the hard way. You will soon see. The multi-tool armorers wrench will work but I opted for a beefed up single purpose barrel nut wrench, worth its weight in gold when trying to remove a carbon sealed-on mother effer of all barrel nuts. The buffer nut wrench is nice, the three prongs grip very nice. I like tools so i bought both. Last but surely not least is THE single most inportant tool. An action block. Cheap and effective. http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h389/LRMoore57/80723a48.jpg Disassembly of the lower is fast and fun. A few punches, a small hammer, a screwdriver for the grip and a large bread storage bag is really all you need. I use the bag over the whole lower whenever I think a part might try to rocketeer across my garage. Works and is cheaper than replacing a part. Here we are now... http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h389/LRMoore57/c6288501.jpg The action block is important because it saves your upper from becoming a reciever shaped paperweight. I got the forward assist off no problem. Then the free float came off no problem. I was on a roll  yeah right. Before my action clamp showed up I got antsy and decided to pad the vice and just pop that ol' barrel nut right off. I read that torque should be maybe a bit higher than 40 ft/lbs.so padding should be adequate. Around what I estimate 80 ft/lbs. or so I felt a small stretch. Thought it was the nut so I put a lil more ass on it and got a big stretch. Was NOT the nut. Now the BCG doesnt fit in and I am the proud owner of a test painted and warped upper reciever. Yay for me
http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h389/LRMoore57/c6305c6a.jpg It is hard to photo but trust me the ejection port is no longer correct. Rails are twisted along the top as well. Major bummer. http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h389/LRMoore57/c5ffe5ba.jpg Once the clamp and Beefy barrel wrench showed up the damn thing popped right off. Not so rewarding after junking my reciever. A lesson learned the hard way is most often not forgotten. Learn from someone else if you can. Now we are here... http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h389/LRMoore57/b590e37f.jpg Notice the pile of cash placeholding the reciever. http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h389/LRMoore57/ce38ed8e.jpg I found some posts about guys chopping a FSB to make a low profile gas block. Looks easy, and it is. A few minutes with an air cut-off wheel and some passes on the dressing wheel and voila. I just saved some cash. http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h389/LRMoore57/0a7b5fa5.jpg After wading through the Refinishing forum I decided that I at least owe my poor rifle a paint job. Got a color called Thorny Brush. Its a cheap not so durable finish but perfect for a gun seeing only range time. I used Q-tips and Brakleen to remove the paint from all the pin holes. I wanted black parts on a painted lower. I am happy with it, Little bit of cocoa in there. http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h389/LRMoore57/c8f59b6c.jpg Next I started to reassemble. Just as easy as disassembly, dont smack the lower and you will be fine. I scuffed an itty bitty piece of paint of when I flushed up the roll pin in the bolt catch. Q-tip and some paint fixed that. The wooden dowel is very handy when installing the mag release. I believe it is 1/4". Here is by far the sweetest mod ever. Tapping the rear takedown and installing a set screw to hold in the spring makes putting on the buffer tube that much easier. I used a 4-40NC tap, #43, and it worked like a champ. Ace hardware for the 4-40 set screw at 2 cents apiece is nice and cheap and just plain awesome! The allen key is .050 if I remember correctly. Thanks ARFCOM for the awesome tip! http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h389/LRMoore57/7205dbd3.jpg http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h389/LRMoore57/1a854908.jpg Slap on the buffer spring retainer, castle nut, end plate and sling plate along with the buffer tube. A dab of grease smoothes the tube threads right on. My castle nut was staked like a vampire by the previous owner, teeth are slightly rounded also. I will be replacing that along with a different style sling attachment. I am thinking quick release for a single point sling. Any opinions for a good one are welcome. I hand tightened the whole mess to see what I'm workin with so far..... http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h389/LRMoore57/d41f1c85.jpg http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h389/LRMoore57/paintedAR.jpg Now that my lower is all built I am saving to replace my upper reciever. Yeah it sucks and I made a stupid mistake but I am already planning another rifle and I am glad I learned on this one rather than the big money monolithic upper I want for the next one. Or billet. Or cerakoted some awesome color. Or shorty 9mm. If Santa brings what I want I'll wake to a FAT bag of guns under my tree 
Got an upper picked from Brownells. Seems like all the ones I find for cheap are M4 and I need one with regular ramps to match my barrel. A tip for an upper would be appreciated! Also since I shaved down the front sight I can go longer and cover up the unsightly gas block. Thinking about the YHM Diamond 12" with a front cover to help hide the gas block. Thoughts on the free float are welcome as well. Only reason I basically flamed myself and took the time to do this post (like 3 hours for me!) is to try my best to give back to a site with members who posted invaluable info for a guy like me to find and use. I really hope this helps even one person out there avoid thrashing an upper. One more.... http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h389/LRMoore57/aee059c2.jpg Go ahead  You can make fun now LOL
|
.
|
I was going to try and twist the upper back but it seems a bit risky? Has anyone ever tried? I would hate for the thing to jam up bad during use and maybe cost me a bolt carrier or gas key or tube or god knows what. Anyone ever twisted one back and had acceptable results??? Seems like if it was off that the bolt wouldn't seat flat into the barrel extension. Possible KaBoom situation?? Thoughts welcome.
And thanks for the compliments all. |
|
Top and bottom on the pads. I might have understated the amount of torque I had to apply to finally get that barrel nut off. It really didnt want to come off. I've torqued my fair share of parts in my private and professional life, heads and flywheels at home, 750mcm feeder busses and transformer taps at work. I really would not be surprised if the amount was closer to 120 ft/lbs. or so. The first three full turns were very difficult.
I suggested the beefier barrel nut wrench in the post because the armorers wrench actually blew out two of the holes it was gripping in the barrel nut. I wasn't planning on re-using the nut so it didn't really bother me. Surprised the hell out of me though, never expected the nut to just burst wide open in two spots and tear on the third spot. The five pronged wrench fit tight, actually had to tap it in place. I have been thinking maybe some type of thread lock had been put on or the nut just got majorly over-torqued when assembled prior to me owning the rifle. I had it in that heavy 4" vice tight, but not overly so. Looking from the charge handle across the top of the reciever it is easy to spot the twist at the threaded end. Anybody got a line on a non-M4 ramped upper at a deal?
|
|
120 ft/lbs and three revolutions to loosen it up !!! Even with a clamp on vice block that's some serious torque for an aluminum forging. Seems like something had to give.
With 30 ft/lbs being closer to the minimum to install, four tmes that amount to remove! Ouch! |
|
That is exactly what pisses me off about the whole thing!
I am not even sure I could put the barrel nut back on with half what it took to get it off without twisting the hell out of it back the other way. Even in a clamp, it flexed big. That tip for the upper on sale was awesome. Ordering today! Thanks again, saved me 30 or so bucks off the previous one I had found. |
|
UPDATED WITH BLACK FRIDAY SALES PURCHASE!
I just love getting a good deal! JSE Surplus for my YHM Diamond Series rifle length free float for 139$ Shipped! Awesome! PK Firearms for a RRA non M4 ramped stripped upper 97$ shipped! Another Awesome! Totally worth the wait! Will update when my parts show, hopefully next week! 
|
AR Sponsor