Seriously, what causes this?? Before & after pictures inside...

AR Sponsor:

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Seriously, what causes this?? Before & after pictures inside...

Posted: 4/6/2013 9:54:14 PM EDT

A friend of mine said he wanted me to clean his AR-15 that was built by an "ex-military armorer". I separated the upper from the lower and saw this. The guy who built it for him (remember, allegedly an ex military armorer...) had the castle nut on BACKWARDS and also had loc-tite/thread lock on EVERYTHING including the Magpul ASAP. There was so much thread lock on the grip screw that it had poured into the lower receiver. Anyway, I cleaned it up for him and made things right. Am I just being sensitive, or would you be pissed if this was your rifle that was built for you...

Before 1:

Before 2:

Before 3:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
After 1:

After 2:

After 3:

After 4:

I also put the receiver extension in correctly along with the castle nut, and then staked it properly as well...that's a pretty sexy stake if I do say so myself...

Posted: 4/6/2013 9:56:11 PM EDT

[#1]

Nice clean up.

Looks like someone dumped a bunch of milk in there.

Posted: 4/6/2013 9:59:58 PM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:
Nice clean up.

Looks like someone dumped a bunch of milk in there.

Thank you, I was quite pleased with how it turned out. Some of the stuff was white and some was green. It was very chalky and hard to remove. The other stuff, near the hole for the pistol grip screw, is mostly excess thread lock. The guy HAD to have soaked the screw in thread lock and then screwed it in.

Posted: 4/6/2013 10:15:38 PM EDT

[#3]

it looks like dried white lithium grease

Posted: 4/6/2013 10:16:11 PM EDT

[#4]

I would be more pissed that you staked my castle nut on

Posted: 4/6/2013 10:26:14 PM EDT

[#5]

What did you use to dissolve the threadlock?

How does one undo an aggressive staking job like that, if they want to put a different stock on?

Posted: 4/6/2013 10:29:19 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
What did you use to dissolve the threadlock?

How does one undo an aggressive staking job like that, if they want to put a different stock on?

Staking a castle nut on is per mil-spec. My friend also wanted it done. You do not need to remove a stake unless you are changing out a receiver extension/buffer tube. Why would you ever want to do that anyway?

I primarily use Ballistol to clean and lubricate my firearms.

Posted: 4/6/2013 10:30:08 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
it looks like dried white lithium grease

You think? It looks like it was sprayed though...it also was coming out of the back of the receiver extension out of the drain hole...

Posted: 4/6/2013 11:05:57 PM EDT

[#8]

You're a good man, to go that far on somebody else's project. Well done sir!

Posted: 4/6/2013 11:57:37 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
You're a good man, to go that far on somebody else's project. Well done sir!

Thank you! I appreciate that!

Posted: 4/7/2013 12:09:19 AM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:

Quoted:
it looks like dried white lithium grease

You think? It looks like it was sprayed though...it also was coming out of the back of the receiver extension out of the drain hole...

The Armament guys used something similar on 30mm barrels for the Apache's gun barrel and some internal parts. I forget the name but it's not what I posted above. The stuff above is availiable at any Autozone.

Posted: 4/7/2013 2:15:48 AM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
I would be more pissed that you staked my castle nut on

It's supposed to be.

Posted: 4/7/2013 2:23:49 AM EDT

[#12]

That looks like some one did a half ass job of cleaning/degreasing and tried cleaning it with acetone.

Posted: 4/7/2013 6:24:20 AM EDT

[#13]

Nice work.

Posted: 4/7/2013 12:39:18 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
Nice work.

Thank you!

Posted: 4/7/2013 1:18:50 PM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I would be more pissed that you staked my castle nut on

It's supposed to be.

I am not a conscript, I do not need mine staked on. I have fired 10s of thousands of rounds through ARs with the Castle nut not staked and never had one come loose. I have changed stock styles many times on the same Lower would be a PITA to try and unstake, especially that Staking Job. IT looks good OP and will hold well, but too well for me.

Posted: 4/7/2013 1:52:53 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I would be more pissed that you staked my castle nut on

It's supposed to be.

I am not a conscript, I do not need mine staked on. I have fired 10s of thousands of rounds through ARs with the Castle nut not staked and never had one come loose. I have changed stock styles many times on the same Lower would be a PITA to try and unstake, especially that Staking Job. IT looks good OP and will hold well, but too well for me.

Thanks! I do everything as hard as I can.

Posted: 4/7/2013 6:31:49 PM EDT

[#17]

a stake isn't hard to "undo", you just stick a regular pin punch (small enough to fit in the pocket of the nut) against the distorted material and whack it good, pushes it right back outta the way where it came from.

Posted: 4/7/2013 6:45:58 PM EDT

[#18]

Nice work OP.

If someone cant "undo" staking - they have no business doing so. It is sort of like a child proof cap on a bottle of medicine.

You are a good friend.

Posted: 4/7/2013 7:01:59 PM EDT

[#19]

Nice work there OP. I would the same for one of my friends. The guy who did that had no business building AR'S.

Posted: 4/7/2013 7:06:28 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
a stake isn't hard to "undo", you just stick a regular pin punch (small enough to fit in the pocket of the nut) against the distorted material and whack it good, pushes it right back outta the way where it came from.

That plate is pretty soft, I can usually just turn the nut past any staking.

Posted: 4/7/2013 7:26:48 PM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:

it looks like dried white lithium grease

Posted: 4/7/2013 8:01:39 PM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:
a stake isn't hard to "undo", you just stick a regular pin punch (small enough to fit in the pocket of the nut) against the distorted material and whack it good, pushes it right back outta the way where it came from.

That's how I took a stake out once. Easy as pie......

Edited to add: Nice job OP! You're a good friend.

Posted: 4/8/2013 5:58:12 AM EDT

[#23]

Thank you all for the kind words! I guess I just think that things worth doing are worth doing right...

Posted: 4/8/2013 6:33:22 AM EDT

[#24]

It's a common practice to install the castle nut backwards so the large openings are against the end plate so they are less likely to snag on things.
It's tightend with an old school castle nut wrench instead of the new style one.

Posted: 4/8/2013 7:01:07 AM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:
It's a common practice to install the castle nut backwards so the large openings are against the end plate so they are less likely to snag on things.
It's tightend with an old school castle nut wrench instead of the new style one.

Very interesting! I am in no means trying to be argumentative, but rather trying to broaden my knowledge. Do you have any links to more information on that? I have spent countless hours researching and reading on this platform of rifle and have never seen any mention of the castle nut being installed that way.

Posted: 4/8/2013 7:29:07 AM EDT

[#26]

Also, the green stuff looks like Frog Lube.

Posted: 4/14/2013 11:37:50 PM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:
Also, the green stuff looks like Frog Lube.

Beat me to it. It looks like he put a fat layer of the thick grease Frog Lube in the lower before putting in the LPK, possibly thinking it would heat up and soak in

Posted: 4/15/2013 12:23:35 PM EDT

[#28]

Nice clean up OP.

Nice stake job too.

Posted: 4/15/2013 7:53:54 PM EDT

[#29]

Your a good friend OP. Very nice clean up and staking job

Posted: 4/15/2013 8:03:09 PM EDT

[#30]

Youre a good man. Great job!

Posted: 4/16/2013 5:55:47 AM EDT

[#31]

I would have done the clean up the easy way with brake cleaner.

Posted: 4/16/2013 9:54:05 AM EDT

[#32]

That is, in fact, a sexy stake job :)

Posted: 4/16/2013 12:54:32 PM EDT

[#33]

Quoted:
a stake isn't hard to "undo", you just stick a regular pin punch (small enough to fit in the pocket of the nut) against the distorted material and whack it good, pushes it right back outta the way where it came from.

I just use a castle nut spanner (stock wrench) to remove staked castle nuts. There's very little metal there and it's soft. It goes past the staking just fine.

Posted: 4/16/2013 2:04:30 PM EDT

[#34]

Quoted:
Your a good friend OP. Very nice clean up and staking job

Thank you!

Posted: 4/16/2013 2:04:56 PM EDT

[#35]

Quoted:
Youre a good man. Great job!

Thank you!

Posted: 4/16/2013 2:06:06 PM EDT

[#36]

Quoted:
That is, in fact, a sexy stake job :)

Haha, thanks! I strive to do my best

Posted: 4/16/2013 7:14:38 PM EDT

[#37]

Don't put castle but on backwards. It's pointless. What is going to snag on those small notches that wasn't already snagged on the sling, sling swivel, sling mount, charging handle (especially the extended ones), sight, optic, safety/selector, BAD lever, stock bolt catch, etc?

Posted: 4/17/2013 2:48:15 PM EDT

[#38]

Quoted:

Quoted:
a stake isn't hard to "undo", you just stick a regular pin punch (small enough to fit in the pocket of the nut) against the distorted material and whack it good, pushes it right back outta the way where it came from.

I just use a castle nut spanner (stock wrench) to remove staked castle nuts. There's very little metal there and it's soft. It goes past the staking just fine.

yeah I do know that but I was just putting it out there because a lot of guys go spend 1000-2000 dollars on a gun and then buy the shittiest most inexpensive tools to work on them with and the low end wrenches can and do break trying to run the nut back past a good stake. just seemed like info some guys could use is all.

Posted: 4/18/2013 11:03:13 AM EDT

[#39]

Quoted:

Quoted:
a stake isn't hard to "undo", you just stick a regular pin punch (small enough to fit in the pocket of the nut) against the distorted material and whack it good, pushes it right back outta the way where it came from.

I just use a castle nut spanner (stock wrench) to remove staked castle nuts. There's very little metal there and it's soft. It goes past the staking just fine.

yeah I do know that but I was just putting it out there because a lot of guys go spend 1000-2000 dollars on a gun and then buy the shittiest most inexpensive tools to work on them with and the low end wrenches can and do break trying to run the nut back past a good stake. just seemed like info some guys could use is all.

I hate being reminded that I spent close to 500 smackers on all the proper tools. I see it as a great investment though if I think about it enough haha!!

Posted: 4/18/2013 11:18:46 AM EDT

[#40]

Need OP's address so I can send him my AR's for cleaning.

He does great work.

TXL

Posted: 4/19/2013 12:52:57 AM EDT

[#41]

Quoted:
Need OP's address so I can send him my AR's for cleaning.

He does great work.

TXL

Thank you very much! I appreciate that!

Posted: 4/20/2013 1:23:24 AM EDT

[#42]

Wow. That looks 10X better. It has to function better too.

Posted: 4/20/2013 8:36:18 AM EDT

[#43]

I've changed stocks too many times to want to mess with unstaking. Never had one come loose.

Posted: 4/20/2013 7:47:07 PM EDT

[#44]

I stake mine also, but the "old way" with the castles toward the endplate is still being done in some circles...Oly still does this today. I have seen some unstaked nuts that were loose, but ones I have owned never did.