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Posted: 12/18/2012 3:53:29 PM EDT
| I'm new to the forum and new to AR's. I stumbled onto this sight about a month ago and it convinced me that it would be fun to build a rifle. I just got an email from PSA today that said the parts I need to start building a lower have been shipped. I think that the tutorials here and elsewhere have given me a pretty good handle on the build procedure except for one thing. How do I secure the castle nut? The items I've read both on this site and elsewhere range from "just tighten it" to "use loctite" to "if you don't stake it the rifle will fall apart". I'd rather not stake it because if I do, Murphy will insure that I'll need to remove it at some point. It seems to me that a little blue loctite and torquing to spec ought to do it. I'm looking for advice on the best method. Thanks. |
| Here is what I did and I am glad I did it. I just used a drop of blue loc-tite and tightened it down, so far so good. My reasoning is this, I want to be totally sure that I like my components before staking the castle nut. I used an asap receiver end plate and I am not sure yet if I like it, nothing wrong with it, it is just my opinion of the device, it may work for some but I am not totally happy with it. Now I can easily replace it. My advice would be to use the loc-tite and torque method until you are sure you are happy with your component choice, then if you are happy, check the torque and stake it. |
| I just torqued mine. I've only ran a few hundred rounds through it though. I'd imagine if you plan on going though thousands of rounds in a sitting you might consider the staking. If you are that worried about it being permanent, just torque it and try it out. If everything is fine whip out the punch and stake it down. Or pop it loose and stick some loctite on it. Its not the end of the world. |
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Well
I never stake mine...especially with all the end plate options nowadays.. Never had one losen up. Just cleaned my range gun...for guests etc...had about 10k run through...castle nut is right where it's been since built... I'd say don't stake it unless your having an issue with it coming loose... I know I've staked a few for friends and such...just as a caution... I check every nut/bolt/fastener on every weapon every time I clean them. Today cleaned 4 ars and 5 glocks...nothing other than some worn gas rings... Tomorrow my schedule will only let me clean a few shotguns.. Bret |
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I prefer staking. I have also used loctite and it works just fine. You may need a heat gun to remove it. You should stake or loctite it, I have seen/experience stocks rotating on guns that were not staked or loctited. Even with the castle nut staked you can remove it and re-stake it later. It may not look as pretty but it works just fine. My preferred method is to torque to 40 ft/lb spec and stake, if you don't have the equipment to torque it to spec check the hometown forum and see if someone will help you out. ETA: If you were close I would help you out, unfortunately I'm in Afghanistan right now. |
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Quoted:
The proper way is staking. This is, IMHO, the only answer. I have worked "behind the bench" at a dealer - and while some may say - oh, you'll be just fine, you don't need to stake - and perhaps for some, it may be correct - I always explain and recommend staking. Hey, maybe it doesn't happen to even most people - maybe even most people can get away with it - you only ever see the problems when you're having to do repairs. However - I have seen enough problems with alternate methods to say that I will not bother with another method. With Locktite, you tend to get either one of two options - wrong or old Locktite - you may as well not have applied any. Or - you may as well have welded your castle nut to your receiver extension - and if you ever want to get the thing off - you're liable to damage something. Unstaked - the nut loosens, whether it happens with every single rifle? Can't say - but it happens with a lot. Shoot it enough, and the castle nut will begin to back out. I've seen stocks where the owner has torqued the castle nut so far - under the auspices of "tightening it correctly" that they've deformed the nut itself - usually most visible on old-style CAR lock rings, where they'll actually stretch the holes with a spanner wrench. The nut will still back off. Staking is neither difficult to do, nor difficult to reverse, but it is priceless for keeping stocks where they should be. You don't need to "power stake" like Colt factory staking to get what you need out of it - you just need to displace some metal into the staking notch on the castle nut to mechanically prevent it from backing off. A couple of sharp wraps with a good wrench - and you'll break right through it if you need to remove it for whatever reason. ~Augee |
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I like the KAC sling plate. Mine had to have notches drew led into it to provide a place to displace metal. A guy here said he loctited his and had no issues. Just wait I said. Two days later he came back and said he checked and it had gotten loose.
I have everything staked. So I wouldn't know about what doesn't work. A friend took it farther and staked a Short Dot into a Larue mount. |
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Quoted:
this may be a dumb question, but once you stake it, how do you remove it should you want to change parts? Endplates are pretty soft - it just takes a little bit more pressure on the wrench - maybe a couple good raps with the back of your palm to break the staking. It's basically displacing just enough metal to prevent the nut from unthreading on its own - it only requires a little bit of resistance for a lot of insurance. Again - Colt factory staking in particular (what I have the most experience with) is pretty deep and heavy - it doesn't *need* to be like that - though I typically try to replicate it once I'm satisfied with the final product - but again - I'm not a chronic end-plate or sling changer - I've been using the same sling since 2007 on my primary weapon and the same kind of endplate. Still - once you're certain, I'd stake it hard - but lighter staking will suffice during the T&E phase, and you won't have to keep a stock wrench in your back pocket when you go to the range in case it backs out and ruins your day. Even then - it's reversible, though you may want to get a new endplate to re-stake with - for the most part - unless you had to drill the staking out - the castle nut should be fine. The biggest problem I've seen with boogered up castle nuts is people who try to use cheap/wrong tools - a heavy duty stock wrench - not one of the cheap, flimsy spanner wrench/1911 bushing wrenches is what you need, if not the Hammerhead - which I've never personally used (it came out after I bought my tools) but it appears to be the stock wrench to rule all stock wrenches. ~Augee |
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Thanks everyone for the information. I think I'll use the "torque it and loctite" method for now. As I said, I'm new to AR's and I might want to change the end plate after I've had a chance to gain experience and develop likes/dislikes. When I'm sure I've got what I want, I'll stake it.
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