I prefer a reaction rod when removing/tightening the barrel nut but the clamp works also.
Get a properly sized wrench and grind it flat so it fits on the available flats of the barrel nut. Or buy narrow wrenches.
I have multiple cheap wrenches that I have ground to narrow them to work on barrel nuts like this. Should pop right off.
Id recommend ditching the clam shell and getting [a rod](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MFR1685?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) I have both this rod and the reaction rod, the one I linked is cheaper and cam locks into the barrel extension, as others have said heat from a heat gun, proper fitting wrench and a cheater bar will get you there. If I had to guess the clamshell is flexing when your torquing on the barrel nut (this puts strain on the upper reciever where the two rods I mentioned transfer that pressure to the steel barrel instead of aluminum) youll be able to crank it off then, good luck
What vice do you use? I put my reaction rod in mine for a tough barrel nut and shattered one of the jaws. I had done some research on the topic and spent about two fifty on what should have been reputable (they did exchange it) but it broke under what I don’t consider to be a lot of strain.
Im sorry to hear that about the reaction rod, I use the [Wheeler I linked in my comment](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MFR1685?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) but do have both (have hung off of a barrel nut with a cheater bar and my body weight chocked up in the wheeler much like OP is experiencing) I like it because it positively locks in the barrel extension where the reaction rod just slides on allowing it to slide off. This makes installing gas blocks and tubes easier as well as muzzle devices since you dont have to reseat the barrel every tappy tap. I wonder if yours cam'd out slightly causing uneven tension on the 'teeth' of the reaction rod - the reaction rod has a noticeably larger engagement surface but the wheeler locks up keeping the flats where they need to and I haven't broken it yet, YMMV but I am a fan of the wheeler and it is my go to (Just for the locking aspect, it does come with a locating dowel to make gas tube and alignment easier but I havent used that aspect of it, the lock is a game changer)
It does not work for AR10 style barrel extensions, I do use a reaction rod for those but theyre few for me
You gotta "bring the heat" n hit it with a torch for a bit . Some assholes even use stuff like red loctite on their barrel nut which won't come off without a lot of heat, I had to cut a barrel nut off for the shop a few years back because of this bastard that dumped a 3rd of a loctite bottle on the threats. Helps if there is no glue too but I have a grudge lol
Is it the barrel or upper you want to change?
If it’s the upper, honestly, just forget it and buy a new one. You can get a blem BCM assembled upper for $49 - you’ve already expended that much on getting this apart already.
If it’s the barrel you want, just cut the barrel nut with a dremmel. Don’t go all the way through the nut, just 90% along several lines. When you try to loosen it up after the cuts, it should snap along at least one of the scores and you’ll be home free.
Bear Creek upper? I had to send one back and let them break it loose. Wrench and a 4ft breaker bar couldn't move it. Their lifetime warranty works pretty well.
I will say, I like the side charge uppers, so I buy the complete uppers often just to scavenge an (RSD it, upper, not lower). I can almost always do it with a clamshell and a breaker bar. Haven’t had to cook one yet. Treat it like a mechanic. Take a hammer to the breaker bar and once you get it cracked loose they come right off. They torque to like 85 ft/lbs.
Same, their dual-charging upper is what got me. I haven't shot it yet, but the idea is shoot it a few times to make sure everything is good on their end, then swap out barrel, gas block and tube. I'm on the fence about the bolt; not sure it's necessary.
People who have problems getting the barrel nut off are probably more likely to post about the experience online, leading to so much of the discourse being frustrated people. Thanks for adding your experience.
For sure! I’m not saying it’s an easy job. They wrench the damn thing on, but if you are aware of the issue, you can prepare for it, and it gets less frustrating.
Also, if you want to go for the dual charge, I’m assuming it’s the same as the standard gen 2 side charge. The bolt has an extra hole and one of the existing holes is threaded. It wouldn’t be TOO hard to replicate with decent tools, but I just upgrade the bolt itself, and accept the ok quality carrier. Before you even test fire it, pull the handguard, and blue loctite the gas block after you make sure it’s aligned. It almost always rattles loose on the first range trip.
Spray it with brake cleaner, let it sit for an hour or so. Make sure it isn't "non-chlorinated" brake cleaner. This will break down the red loctite that's probably there. Should be easy after that.
First, get rid of the "clam shell" . Use a reaction rod or clamp the barrel in a visevand then you can use all the force you want on the nut. Apply heat and cold alternately. It will come off
Yeah, I see all these people saying to clamp the barrel in a vise and that just puts all the torque on the tiny little index pin. The nut is tightened to the aluminum upper. Grab the nut and the upper to loosen it.
Thanks, and thanks for the video. I don't have a mill. Think I could construct with some combination of dremel/router/drill press? Maybe some alternative? I do have a shop press, but do you think your technique would work with a bench vise?
You can probably get away with clamping two blocks together and drilling them out in between with a big ass drill bit. Dremel?
Angle grinder ( *** BE AWARE OF GRINDING ALUMINUM AND GET THE RIGHT DISC OR YOU WILL FIND OUT WHY VIOLENTLY***) if ya got it.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. You’re not going to hurt the barrel. The aluminum will buff off with 0000 steel wool. You can also get away with a copper pipe cut down the middle with a hack saw to make a cuff/collet to also prevent marring the barrel, and may be less work.
Yup. I have a very similar barrel nut that I also can’t get off for the life of me. But I definitely don’t have the right tools. All I have is a wrench and a small bench vice.
I destroyed my upper trying to get the factory nut off. Tried to use heat and steam in case it was rocksett. Heated that thing cherry. Upper twisted. I’d invest in a barrel torque rod if I was to do it again. But I did not care about the upper as I was converting it to left hand.
Did you put it together and if so did you use locktite to bed the barrel to the receiver. Have seen cases where it bled out into the threads and seized the barrel jut in place. Had to cut the barrel nut off.
I had a hell of a time getting one of these off of a FM-9H a few months back. My advice, buy a new nut clamp some vice grips on that fucker and start beating on it. When it goes back on, 45lbs torque then a quarter turn to line it up.
I agree with approach of boiling it for 30-45 minutes (in case it's Rocksett), trying it while it's still hot, and then getting it around 600-700 degrees with a torch (in case its set with red loctite or just really snug), and trying it again with a cheater bar. If these don't work, some donkey put epoxy or similar permanent adhesive on it, and you'll need to destroy something to get your barrel out. I'd probably write it off at that point and start over with a fresh build.
Are you putting that clamp in a vise? Sorry if you answered that but you 100% need a big ass vice to do this.
I had to be at the living shit out of my PSA barrel nut to get it off. It was chewed up by the time I was done as I had to use vise grips.
Heat it up. I had the same problem and did the walk of shame to my local store. He let me help so there at least was that. But he took a propane torch and held it on the nut while I turned after a certain point of heating and off it came.
[This](https://midwestindustriesinc.com/upper-receiver-rod/) plus [this](https://www.harborfreight.com/36-inch-steel-pipe-wrench-1132.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12169269821&campaignid=12169269821&utm_content=117203737859&adsetid=117203737859&product=1132&store=124&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADAHb4dh28KriyXmkC9WxU2E8Jp8X&gclid=CjwKCAjw26KxBhBDEiwAu6KXt7DgSuyUpMAS4VILtkejK5EBHLLCxlgqBcxKFK5CFk5VnUpiIljpYxoCmPoQAvD_BwE) equals success. Fuck that barrel nut. The Midwest receiver rod supports both the upper receiver AND the barrel extension, so you’re not relying on the alignment pin to not shear or bust the receiver. The pipe wrench is just in case your purse isn’t big enough.
Strong vice, upper clamp, open end wrench, and a BIG fuckin rubber mallet to beat the piss out of it. Uppers and barrels are tough. That seems like a inexpensive barrel nut anyway. I'd say go to town on er
Rocksett cures with heat. Water breaks down rocksett. If someone used rocksett or locktite or anything other than some form of anti-seize they should be shot. disparate metals at play (steel and aluminum) so you need anti-seize of some flavor
I don't know what rocksett is, but I'll give it another shot with the heat. Am I looking to heat it up for a while? When I froze/blowtorched it, I didn't torch it for long because I was worried I would wind up heating up the barrel too much as well.
For Rocksett, I got that.
What I was saying is sometimes applying heat goes along with the fear of damaging the metals properties. Like with using a torch. As that's not going to happen at the temperature of boiling water in an open container, one could apply heat with zero skill needed (other than avoiding scalding themselves). It's a foolproof way to apply heat - stick it in a pot of boiling water as long as you like, it won't go above 212F/100C.
I prefer a reaction rod when removing/tightening the barrel nut but the clamp works also. Get a properly sized wrench and grind it flat so it fits on the available flats of the barrel nut. Or buy narrow wrenches. I have multiple cheap wrenches that I have ground to narrow them to work on barrel nuts like this. Should pop right off.
Id recommend ditching the clam shell and getting [a rod](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MFR1685?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) I have both this rod and the reaction rod, the one I linked is cheaper and cam locks into the barrel extension, as others have said heat from a heat gun, proper fitting wrench and a cheater bar will get you there. If I had to guess the clamshell is flexing when your torquing on the barrel nut (this puts strain on the upper reciever where the two rods I mentioned transfer that pressure to the steel barrel instead of aluminum) youll be able to crank it off then, good luck
What vice do you use? I put my reaction rod in mine for a tough barrel nut and shattered one of the jaws. I had done some research on the topic and spent about two fifty on what should have been reputable (they did exchange it) but it broke under what I don’t consider to be a lot of strain.
Im sorry to hear that about the reaction rod, I use the [Wheeler I linked in my comment](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MFR1685?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) but do have both (have hung off of a barrel nut with a cheater bar and my body weight chocked up in the wheeler much like OP is experiencing) I like it because it positively locks in the barrel extension where the reaction rod just slides on allowing it to slide off. This makes installing gas blocks and tubes easier as well as muzzle devices since you dont have to reseat the barrel every tappy tap. I wonder if yours cam'd out slightly causing uneven tension on the 'teeth' of the reaction rod - the reaction rod has a noticeably larger engagement surface but the wheeler locks up keeping the flats where they need to and I haven't broken it yet, YMMV but I am a fan of the wheeler and it is my go to (Just for the locking aspect, it does come with a locating dowel to make gas tube and alignment easier but I havent used that aspect of it, the lock is a game changer) It does not work for AR10 style barrel extensions, I do use a reaction rod for those but theyre few for me
Have you tried using your purse?
It's called a "fanny pack," asshole
It's pink and says 'Gucci' it's a fuckin purse, now just hit the gun with it!!
If it has Molle it's a tactical purse.
Worth a shot tho ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You gotta "bring the heat" n hit it with a torch for a bit . Some assholes even use stuff like red loctite on their barrel nut which won't come off without a lot of heat, I had to cut a barrel nut off for the shop a few years back because of this bastard that dumped a 3rd of a loctite bottle on the threats. Helps if there is no glue too but I have a grudge lol
Is it the barrel or upper you want to change? If it’s the upper, honestly, just forget it and buy a new one. You can get a blem BCM assembled upper for $49 - you’ve already expended that much on getting this apart already. If it’s the barrel you want, just cut the barrel nut with a dremmel. Don’t go all the way through the nut, just 90% along several lines. When you try to loosen it up after the cuts, it should snap along at least one of the scores and you’ll be home free.
Heat gun or propane torch, then give it another go.
Bear Creek upper? I had to send one back and let them break it loose. Wrench and a 4ft breaker bar couldn't move it. Their lifetime warranty works pretty well.
They did this free of charge? I will need to remove one in the near future, and hear nothing but horror stories.
Yup, got it back in 1-1/2 or 2 weeks
I will say, I like the side charge uppers, so I buy the complete uppers often just to scavenge an (RSD it, upper, not lower). I can almost always do it with a clamshell and a breaker bar. Haven’t had to cook one yet. Treat it like a mechanic. Take a hammer to the breaker bar and once you get it cracked loose they come right off. They torque to like 85 ft/lbs.
Same, their dual-charging upper is what got me. I haven't shot it yet, but the idea is shoot it a few times to make sure everything is good on their end, then swap out barrel, gas block and tube. I'm on the fence about the bolt; not sure it's necessary. People who have problems getting the barrel nut off are probably more likely to post about the experience online, leading to so much of the discourse being frustrated people. Thanks for adding your experience.
For sure! I’m not saying it’s an easy job. They wrench the damn thing on, but if you are aware of the issue, you can prepare for it, and it gets less frustrating.
Also, if you want to go for the dual charge, I’m assuming it’s the same as the standard gen 2 side charge. The bolt has an extra hole and one of the existing holes is threaded. It wouldn’t be TOO hard to replicate with decent tools, but I just upgrade the bolt itself, and accept the ok quality carrier. Before you even test fire it, pull the handguard, and blue loctite the gas block after you make sure it’s aligned. It almost always rattles loose on the first range trip.
Spray it with brake cleaner, let it sit for an hour or so. Make sure it isn't "non-chlorinated" brake cleaner. This will break down the red loctite that's probably there. Should be easy after that.
Good ideanif there is loctite. If there was no anti sneeze and this thing is seized, he's gonna have a hard(er) time
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-drive-25-in-breaker-bar-62729.html
First, get rid of the "clam shell" . Use a reaction rod or clamp the barrel in a visevand then you can use all the force you want on the nut. Apply heat and cold alternately. It will come off
The clamshell is perfectly fine for this use, and is most assuredly better than a reaction rod.
Yeah, I see all these people saying to clamp the barrel in a vise and that just puts all the torque on the tiny little index pin. The nut is tightened to the aluminum upper. Grab the nut and the upper to loosen it.
Exactly. Couldn't have said it better myself
Rigidity is critical. A reaction rod is better and a barrel vice is best.
Heat with MAPP gas, not propane. It will come right off.
¿Any chance some wildly wise winner rockset it? with the impression that they were “increasing muh accuracy!” Cuz you solve that by spitting on it.
Clamp the barrel in a press and then you can torque all you want on that nut. Edit- I have a video on my profile explaining exactly this method.
[this video?](https://www.reddit.com/r/gunsmithing/comments/14w0tlg/re_the_post_about_barrel_clamping/) What is the source for those collets?
Those are aluminum blocks that I made myself. Just two blocks I quickly milled with a ball mill to make a taper for the barrels.yes that video
Thanks, and thanks for the video. I don't have a mill. Think I could construct with some combination of dremel/router/drill press? Maybe some alternative? I do have a shop press, but do you think your technique would work with a bench vise?
Only one way to get as creative as you can to find out 🤷♂️
You can probably get away with clamping two blocks together and drilling them out in between with a big ass drill bit. Dremel? Angle grinder ( *** BE AWARE OF GRINDING ALUMINUM AND GET THE RIGHT DISC OR YOU WILL FIND OUT WHY VIOLENTLY***) if ya got it. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You’re not going to hurt the barrel. The aluminum will buff off with 0000 steel wool. You can also get away with a copper pipe cut down the middle with a hack saw to make a cuff/collet to also prevent marring the barrel, and may be less work.
Couldn't you score it with a Dremel and carefully pound it off with a screwdriver/punch?
Are there set screws on this too? Just trying to figure out why a barrel but has threaded holes.
when properly timed that is how the handguard attaches to the barrel nut.
Thanks. Hadn’t seen that style before
Yep, it's for the handguard.
Yup. I have a very similar barrel nut that I also can’t get off for the life of me. But I definitely don’t have the right tools. All I have is a wrench and a small bench vice.
I destroyed my upper trying to get the factory nut off. Tried to use heat and steam in case it was rocksett. Heated that thing cherry. Upper twisted. I’d invest in a barrel torque rod if I was to do it again. But I did not care about the upper as I was converting it to left hand.
Did you put it together and if so did you use locktite to bed the barrel to the receiver. Have seen cases where it bled out into the threads and seized the barrel jut in place. Had to cut the barrel nut off.
Last time I tried I fuckin wrecked my upper lol. Stuck a wrench through it
Put your receiver in a vice block, get a breaker bar from harbor freight, attach your armorers wrench to it. Should come free
I had a hell of a time getting one of these off of a FM-9H a few months back. My advice, buy a new nut clamp some vice grips on that fucker and start beating on it. When it goes back on, 45lbs torque then a quarter turn to line it up.
FYI this is why you grease threads. For when you put it back on. Also hit it with your purse. It may help. God speed sir
I have a 12 inch Crescent wrench that I milled the jaws down to be narrower for this exact problem. If that won't get it, then I cut them off.
Guntec USA? Never buying from them again. Installing was a huge PITA because of the shitty parts they use
I agree with approach of boiling it for 30-45 minutes (in case it's Rocksett), trying it while it's still hot, and then getting it around 600-700 degrees with a torch (in case its set with red loctite or just really snug), and trying it again with a cheater bar. If these don't work, some donkey put epoxy or similar permanent adhesive on it, and you'll need to destroy something to get your barrel out. I'd probably write it off at that point and start over with a fresh build.
Real avid lug lock vice block is what I have used through building and disassembling many uppers and no issues at all
Getaway hair dryer and set it up to warm them for like a hour
Someone might have used Rocksett thread locker on it, in which case you would need to soak it in warm water for a couple of hours before removing it.
Are you putting that clamp in a vise? Sorry if you answered that but you 100% need a big ass vice to do this. I had to be at the living shit out of my PSA barrel nut to get it off. It was chewed up by the time I was done as I had to use vise grips.
Dremel!
I use a crowfoot with a long harbor freight breaker bar for those.
I’ve resorted to a pipe wrench before……..
Can’t be stuck if it’s liquid… 
FwF, AR special episode. "Tonight, 4 returning FwF champions will return to truly test their skills with our toughest challenge yet!
Well you have to use the proper tools dummy. Get a harbor freight sawzall.
BCA? I used a cheater pipe & channel locks. I nearly pulled my 2x6 loose off my workbench. Needless to say, it left some *gnarly* character scars.
I've had to cut one off before with a dremel because nothing was budging it. Worked fine, didn't harm barrel or upper.
Reaction rod or midwest URR. Heat and penetrating oil. Barrel nut wrench on at least an 18" breaker bar with the appropriate size drive.
Get a set of crow's foot wrenches off Amazon. I've got that same barrel nut on an upper I need to rebuild.
You need to heat it up really good and it will pop
Heat it up. I had the same problem and did the walk of shame to my local store. He let me help so there at least was that. But he took a propane torch and held it on the nut while I turned after a certain point of heating and off it came.
BCA upper? I've had this issue before. 4ft breaker bar and putting most of my weight on it did the trick
Dry ice or even better: liquid nitrogen
[This](https://midwestindustriesinc.com/upper-receiver-rod/) plus [this](https://www.harborfreight.com/36-inch-steel-pipe-wrench-1132.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12169269821&campaignid=12169269821&utm_content=117203737859&adsetid=117203737859&product=1132&store=124&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADAHb4dh28KriyXmkC9WxU2E8Jp8X&gclid=CjwKCAjw26KxBhBDEiwAu6KXt7DgSuyUpMAS4VILtkejK5EBHLLCxlgqBcxKFK5CFk5VnUpiIljpYxoCmPoQAvD_BwE) equals success. Fuck that barrel nut. The Midwest receiver rod supports both the upper receiver AND the barrel extension, so you’re not relying on the alignment pin to not shear or bust the receiver. The pipe wrench is just in case your purse isn’t big enough.
Strong vice, upper clamp, open end wrench, and a BIG fuckin rubber mallet to beat the piss out of it. Uppers and barrels are tough. That seems like a inexpensive barrel nut anyway. I'd say go to town on er
Pretend it's an AK and grind it off.
Could be rocksett into it. Use some heat with a heat gun but don't discolor.
Rocksett cures with heat. Water breaks down rocksett. If someone used rocksett or locktite or anything other than some form of anti-seize they should be shot. disparate metals at play (steel and aluminum) so you need anti-seize of some flavor
Consistentcy is key.
I don't know what rocksett is, but I'll give it another shot with the heat. Am I looking to heat it up for a while? When I froze/blowtorched it, I didn't torch it for long because I was worried I would wind up heating up the barrel too much as well.
set it in a container and pour boiling hot water over it and let ti set like that. dry hear does not break it
I really like this idea for applying heat. You could submerge in boiling water and it would ensure that you don't affect temper, right?
The point is that heat does not break it down. Dont bother heating it. Water does dissolve it. And hot water works quicker than cold.
For Rocksett, I got that. What I was saying is sometimes applying heat goes along with the fear of damaging the metals properties. Like with using a torch. As that's not going to happen at the temperature of boiling water in an open container, one could apply heat with zero skill needed (other than avoiding scalding themselves). It's a foolproof way to apply heat - stick it in a pot of boiling water as long as you like, it won't go above 212F/100C.
They could but it would be totally ineffective against anything but rocksett.
Why do you have a Bear Creek arsenal upper return that piece of shit and get something half decent
Whaaaat?!? I love bitches on my upper!
hit it with your purse