Stuck Castle Nut

[RobsterCraw]

This SOB won’t budge. It’s not staked but possibly a result from loctite from the factory. I have it in a vise and utilizing a proper armorers wrench and nothing. I’m almost to the point of hitting it with a torch to loosen up the presumed loctite but a little nervous as this is a NFA lower and don’t wanna bugger anything up. Any thoughts?

 

[40Arpent]

Have you tapped the wrench with a hammer, both counterclockwise and clockwise? Tap the nut also, full circumference. Heating it with a torch is a risky venture.

 

[TxStetson]

Have you tapped the wrench with a hammer, both counterclockwise and clockwise? Tap the nut also, full circumference. Heating it with a torch is a risky venture.

+1 on the hammer. Smack all the way around the castle nut, knock the piss out of the wrench handle.

 

[grasshopperglock]

Lay the hammer down. Don't go off and start beating on your rifle. Spray it down with wd40 or a penetrating oil. Let it soak for a couple of hours. Keep lots of oil on it.

Try to tighten the nut... try budging it clockwise. All it needs to move is a mm. Then try counterclockwise. It's not a high torque value piece. If it is still stuck. Heat it up. Use a butane torch and not a propane torch. Heat it to about 350° in an area on the circumference of the nut. No need to try to heat it 360° around. You want the metal to expand just a tiny bit. Then try to tighten and loosen again. If it is still stuck. Spray the nut while it's still toasty hot from the torch with WD40. It should smoke a little bit. Let it cool and then....Tighten and loosen again.

If that don't work. He nut might have been cross threaded or the nut has cold welded to the recoil tube. It'll need to be cut off.

Cut a line half way through using a dremel. Weaken a spot enough to break the nut in one area. It'll come off.

 

[stdavies]

This SOB won’t budge. It’s not staked but possibly a result from loctite from the factory. I have it in a vise and utilizing a proper armorers wrench and nothing. I’m almost to the point of hitting it with a torch to loosen up the presumed loctite but a little nervous as this is a NFA lower and don’t wanna bugger anything up. Any thoughts?

If it’s locktite heats the only thing that works. I have a scope mount a very expensive Caspian frame haven’t put the heat to it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[grasshopperglock]

The ring is steel. The recoil tube alloy. If there's no antiseize' between the two. They will cold weld. It'll look like corrosion on the threads. If the steel nut doesn't tear the threads off the alloy upon removal.

When you put this thing back together. Smear some antiseize on it and it'll prevent the cold welding.

If someone did put red locktite on it.....it's a rather retarded move.

 

[pharmaco]

This SOB won’t budge. It’s not staked but possibly a result from loctite from the factory. I have it in a vise and utilizing a proper armorers wrench and nothing. I’m almost to the point of hitting it with a torch to loosen up the presumed loctite but a little nervous as this is a NFA lower and don’t wanna bugger anything up. Any thoughts?

Have you tried freezing it?

Get a can of comPressed air and spray the heck out of the extension

 

[Sam7sf]

This SOB won’t budge. It’s not staked but possibly a result from loctite from the factory. I have it in a vise and utilizing a proper armorers wrench and nothing. I’m almost to the point of hitting it with a torch to loosen up the presumed loctite but a little nervous as this is a NFA lower and don’t wanna bugger anything up. Any thoughts?

When assembled a gorilla could have just torqued the piss out of it. After working in the industry I definitely have a pet peeve for extension tubes installed wrong.

Depending on how your vise is set up try to use your armorers wrench from the underside, get close to it so the tool doesn't slip and try applying downward force to the handle with your body weight. Honestly if that doesn't do it someone had to have put thread locker on. And at that point all you can hope for is it's not down the entire length of threads. You will need heat. Blue will cook off rather easy. Red...ugh. Keep us informed. Good luck.

 

[motorcarman]

A cheap HEAT GUN can get parts HOT without flame.
I use my heat gun and a laser non-contact thermometer often to persuade parts on cars and firearms.

bob

 

[RoadRunner]

.

I agree with grasshopper accept it is okay to tap the wrench with a hammer after applying WD40.

 

[Gummi Bear]

I’ve had to split them before with a cold chisel.

Sometimes, like Sam said, some animal torqued the crap out of it and it just won’t budge



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[SQLGeek]

All good recommendations here. Couldn't hurt to spray with Kroil and let it sit and penetrate for a while.

 

[pharmaco]

Of course, if OP wants to show that castle nut he means business he could soak the assembly in MEK.
that or nitromethylene/methane.


His best and easiest bet would be to wick heat into the castle nut.

He could either get a chunk of sacrificial metal red hot and stick it against the nut, or, the easy way, just hold a thick soldering iron point against the nut

 

[toddnjoyce]

Lay the hammer down.

This. A cheater bar will apply more force than a hammer.

 

[MTA]

Use a BFMW. Big F’ING Monkey Wrench. Thats what I use for stuck barrel nuts

 

[TxStetson]

Use a BFMW. Big F’ING Monkey Wrench. Thats what I use for stuck barrel nuts

And a BFH on the end of it if needed.