pert near
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OK. I hope THR subscribes to the notion that no questions are too stupid & I won’t be stoned to death!
I’ve built (assembled seems more appropriate) several AR-15 lowers with the help of books & YouTube’s. They turned out great, fun & informative. Now I have decided to build my first upper & I have been collecting my needed parts via recent sales & bargains. I have a custom ARP barrel (SIX5 caliber) & an Anderson upper receiver. I intend to square-up the receiver front for the installation. This will mainly be an informal target punching rifle. As in the past, I have been reading articles & watching YouTubes for my armorer’s training.
I bought this handguard with special barrel nut, screws & plate. The plate has a small tab on it(?) This seems to be a first-rate rail. It is supposedly a manufacturer’s over-run so it bears no brand name. The barrel nut is round & smooth with two flats across for tightening. It also has 4 each ½” holes drilled around at 90 deg that could align with the guard. No instructions available.
Here are my questions:
TIA for any help or suggestions!
I’ve built (assembled seems more appropriate) several AR-15 lowers with the help of books & YouTube’s. They turned out great, fun & informative. Now I have decided to build my first upper & I have been collecting my needed parts via recent sales & bargains. I have a custom ARP barrel (SIX5 caliber) & an Anderson upper receiver. I intend to square-up the receiver front for the installation. This will mainly be an informal target punching rifle. As in the past, I have been reading articles & watching YouTubes for my armorer’s training.
I bought this handguard with special barrel nut, screws & plate. The plate has a small tab on it(?) This seems to be a first-rate rail. It is supposedly a manufacturer’s over-run so it bears no brand name. The barrel nut is round & smooth with two flats across for tightening. It also has 4 each ½” holes drilled around at 90 deg that could align with the guard. No instructions available.
Here are my questions:
- Is this barrel nut sufficient for attaching the barrel to the receiver without additional nuts, washers, springs, shims, etc.? Am I missing something here?
- The smooth design using this barrel nut alone means no “clocking” is necessary to align the gas tube with the bolt gas key. What I have been reading states that barrel nut torque is acceptable between 35 & 85 ft/lb. In this situation, what torque is ideal?
- I have a ½” drive torque wrench but I don’t have a 1-1/8” crowsfoot wrench head. It also looks like the nut design may not allow the crowsfoot & drive head to be close enough to fit. So I’d have to add an extension to offset this to get it to work. But I do have a large crescent wrench that fits just fine. Is it possible to tighten with the crescent & somehow estimate the proper torque, especially if it doesn't seem to be so critical across a 50lb range?
TIA for any help or suggestions!
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