Can someone post a tip that might help me hold the %$#%%^delta ring holes lined up as you screw in the barrel nut.  Every time after it's all snugged down the holes go out of alignment and I'm back to square one.  This is getting frustrating as hell.  I've been at it for an hour now.

Edited for language:  I was a little hot as wrote it  

Alright after a cleansing session of cussing, I found that a small rod of about the same diameter of the gas tube cut to about 1.5" or less in length is helpful.  

- Once all the holes are lined up in the barrel nut, delta ring, springs, and snap ring, slide the rod in to hold everything in place as you turn the assembly.  

- Tighten down to hand tight keeping the excess rod out on the barrel side of the nut.

- Once hand tight, back the assembly to where it lines up with the entrance for the gas tube in the reciever.

- Now take the real gas tube and slide it in from the rear of the receiver into the hole and out the front of the receiver/delta ring/barrel nut.  That should knock your piece of rod out the front.

- Back the gas tube into the reciever until it just clears the barrel nut notch and will not interfere with you turning it.  

- Now use the barrel wrench to tighten the nut as per usual, and the delta ring should stay put as you tighten up.  Then just pull the tube on through the receiver and into the front sight.

I hope this helps some other folks.  I was going nuts since no matter what I tried the ring, springs, and snap ring would not line up the gaps as I cranked the nut.   That was making things less-than-fun.  I'll bet others have done the same but I didn't see a concise set of instructions on it.

G

are you talking about the snap ring and springs lining upwitht the notch in the ring AND the gas tube and upper X-hole thingy?

I was just screwing around with an old upper and barrel.  i came in from the upper receiver side of the delta ring and rotated each piece one by one with a punch.  

is this the help you are lookng for?

I have read in a couple places that you should use a 1 1/2"- 2" rod or piece of gas tube ( .177") to do that job. I found a 2" aluminum 3/16" rivet at Sears, ground the head off and it worked perfectly. Cost about 20 cents.

Hell I dont cut up a good piece of gas tube... I just use the gas tube thats about to go in the rifle!

Just get them all aligned before you start to tighten.  Then, from the receiver, insert the gas tube thru the receiver, and push it through your aligned snap ring, spring, and delta ring..... but NOT thru the barrel nut.  Then holding the gas tube in position, start tightening the barrel nut, keeping the gas tube holding all the other pieces in alignment.  Get the barrel nut where it needs to be (torqued and aligned), then push the gas tube through the barrel nut and into the FSB.  It's just that simple.

I didn't use gas tube, I actually had some brass rod of nearly identical size.  Just cut some of it off.  I can see your no cut meathod working too.  I didn't realy consider using the wrench to get the nut started.  In about 6 attempts each time the snap ring, springs, and D ring would all get out of alignment and I couldn't see any way to get the springs twisted back.   If one part was lined up and I moved another part the prior part would slip.

The rod made it simple.  Just tighten, align and pull the gas tube through.  Much better!

Thanks for the reponses.  Like I said just I method I came up with that might help others not do so much cursing  

BTW:  Here's today's finished product...  Shoots nice too, pretty cool to know you built it and selected all the parts.  Thanks ARFCOM!!!

Quoted: are you talking about the snap ring and springs lining upwitht the notch in the ring AND the gas tube and upper X-hole thingy? I was just screwing around with an old upper and barrel.  i came in from the upper receiver side of the delta ring and rotated each piece one by one with a punch.   is this the help you are lookng for?

That's how I do it.