Staked castle nut

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creitzel

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Ok, so whoever came up with this idea, ought to be shot!

This :cuss: nut will not come off, and now I've screwed up my finish on my buffer tube. :banghead:

sorry, just needed to vent I guess.
 
How did this come to be? In theory the only thing which could be scratched would be a few small threads.
 
WTH... Did someone loctite it AND stake it?

I've never had an issue with one before.
 
Revoliver said:
Grab a punch and try to punch some of it back in?
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I was trying to do, apparently it's not working, cause I still can't turn the nut.

NeuseRvrRat said:
most folks don't have a problem with it.

maybe the problem lies elsewhere

like

with you
Click to expand...

Heh, yep, probably all my fault. I'm a total newb to this stuff, guess I should just give it up and find a freakin gunsmith.

dvdcrr said:
How did this come to be? In theory the only thing which could be scratched would be a few small threads.
Click to expand...

On my last try, I was applying quite a bit of force, and the wrench slipped off, and I now have a nice long gouge in the finish, on the buffer tube.
 
Sorry you are having problems, I have heard of them being a problem, but mine came off with no issues, might as well just been snugged up alone.
 
The only thing worse than staked nuts is staked nuts with loctite. By the way, why do you want of remove your nuts and doesn't that hurt? I would think the staking is painful enough.

A little make up will help your buffer tube look better. Does your buffer tube still function normally? Will your wife/girlfriend be aghast at the ruined finish?

Sorry, just needed a laugh I guess.
 
The first scratch on a gun... is often the most painful.

But, like a scratch on a truck.. it adds character.
 
get one of those hammerhead wrenches....they can't slip off. New receiver extensions are pretty cheap too... $15-$40

I knew my gun wasn't going to see hard use, so I didn't bother to stake it. 1400 rounds through it and it is still as snug as the day I tightened it down. If I were going to use it hard, I would stake it though.
 
Creitzl, tell us about your rifle. Who built it, how long have you had it? Did it come staked from the factory or did you do it yourself? If it's taking this much work, it sounds like your castle nut may have been loc-tited.
 
A RE, when torqued to the recommend 40lbft, does not come loose.:eek:

Staking is for mil-spec nit-pickers.:neener:

A quality RE wrench makes removing a staked RE much easier. Brownells sells the CAR-15 wrench, spendy, but it well remove any castle nut with ease.

If you are NEVER going to change the butt stock then go ahead, take a punch to your nuts.:rolleyes:
 
If it makes you feel any better, I was taking one off once (and clearly my mind was elsewhere), and the single-point sling attachment was stuck to it. I felt resistance, but kept turning. I boogered up the threads something awful. Fortunately, I was replacing it with a tube for a fixed stock, so it wasn't the end of the world.

I still have a CHEAP buffer tube if anyone's interested. :D
 
candr44 said:
The only thing worse than staked nuts is staked nuts with loctite...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the humor, I was definitely in need of it yesterday lol

MrCleanOK said:
Creitzl, tell us about your rifle. Who built it, how long have you had it? Did it come staked from the factory or did you do it yourself? If it's taking this much work, it sounds like your castle nut may have been loc-tited.
Click to expand...

It's a Smith and Wesson M&P 15 ORM. I bought it new, about a year ago. There hasn't been any other work done to it since it leaving the factory, so I assume that it was staked at the factory. I did some reading on the smith and wesson forums and everyone on there was stating that they weren't loc-tited, and that the staking was all you had to deal with.

carbine85 said:
Are you using the proper receiver blocks in a vise?
Click to expand...

No, didn't know a vice was necessary. I don't have access to one even if I wanted to use one either.

I'm just trying to install a single point sling adapter. This is my first time doing anything on an AR, and from all the stuff I read, and watched on the internet, it looked like this might be doable even for me (I'm a software engineer here, and working with my hands doesn't come naturally to me lol). I guess I should have just taken it to a gunsmith.

I basically was just using the carpeted floor to hold the lower and keep it from moving, while I used the wrench to attempt to remove the nut.
 
Don't forget - Righty-tighty, Lefty-loosey...:neener:

Hehe.... If you don't have a vice, try sitting on the lower and see if that will give you enough leverage.

It really shouldn't be that hard to get the castle nut off unless S&W was quite fanatical in the staking. Also, an armorer's type wrench will give you at least twice as much leverage as a simple buffer tube wrench due to the length.
 
What type of wrench are you using.

A castle nut wrench should be used for this job. My castle nut wrench fits into the grooves of the nut for the necessary leverage.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
 
Krusty783 said:
Don't forget - Righty-tighty, Lefty-loosey...

Hehe.... If you don't have a vice, try sitting on the lower and see if that will give you enough leverage. ...
Click to expand...

Heh, yeah, that was the first thing I checked, I've been known to screw that whole right left thing up in the past lol.

Sitting on the lower is basically what I'm doing. I have it wedged between my leg, and the floor.

browneu said:
What type of wrench are you using.
Click to expand...

This is the wrench I bought.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002E6X44C/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Are there different kinds or something?
 
creitzl said:
No, didn't know a vice was necessary. I don't have access to one even if I wanted to use one either.
Click to expand...

This is your problem. Doing any work on anything without the right tools is asking for trouble, especially if you have an aversion to putting scratches on what you're working on.

To remove your castle nut, you need a way to secure your lower. This plus a bench vise is the "right" way to do it. You can also fake the funk with clamps and your kitchen table if you're desperate enough.
 
Actually, you don't need an action block. Its a better idea to secure the receiver extension itself in a vise, rather than the receiver itself to prevent stressing or breaking the lower. 40 lbft doesn't sound like alot, but torsional stress isn't something the lower was designed to withstand.

As far as the wrench you are using, I'd ditch it. Tapco isn't exactly the greatest ever, but the tool you have should work as long as it's in spec. and has a provision for a ratchet at the end. Use one hand on the breaker bar or ratchet and one hand on the tool to prevent slippage. When reinstalling, use a torque wrench. I believe the spec is 40lbft, but check up on me. You can get away without torquing, but it'll give you the best results. Also watch out for the detent spring.
 
+1 on the hammerhead wrench. best wrench I have ever used.
 
Have you tried taking a punch and peening the staking back to lessen the amount of resistance against the cattle nut?
 
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