Get yourself a Magpul enhanced ejection port cover. Don’t have to worry about taking your upper apart, it just snaps into place and is easily removable.
I suggest using a breaker bar or regular socket to loosen the barrel nut. Torque wrenches are finely tuned tools, and using them to loosen nuts can lead to them becoming wrongly calibrated.
A hair dryer or heat gun is a useful tool as well. BCM mills their uppers to be slightly small (to aid in accuracy they say). I'm in the middle of a Grendel build and I'm waiting for it to cool down in Colorado so the barrel will shrink slightly (because it's cold) and the upper will be slightly larger (because I'm going to heat it) so I'm hoping it slides in just as easily as yours. One method one used in the past to line up the gas block is to plug both the muzzle and the chamber and use a duster can. You'll hear it when it's lined up properly.
@@dw3901 if you noticed when I posted that it was November. It was already getting cold in Colorado. Plus I've been building it since July so I'm in no rush. Thanks for the support though.
Thanks for the video. I just picked up my stripped upper yesterday. As a first time builder I would like to mention something to others considering their first build. Unless you know someone who has all the required tools for a build and will lend or rent them to you, don't start your first build thinking it will be your only build. You will be buying some specialized tools.
The Midwest reaction rod will prevent the barrel from clocking in the index slot of the upper receiver, worth every penny. Clam shell holders will put stress on the barrel's index pin and won't prevent barrel clocking... Anti-sieze is not the best, it will harden and can cause problems, use AeroShell Grease 64 as recommended in the TDP specs..Put the grease on the upper barrel threads, in front of the barrel lip and around any shims.. I lap the upper receiver face and bed the barrel in the upper with green loctite.. I dimple the barrel for the set screw type gas block and use a little green loctite around the barrel journal to seal the gas block to the barrel journal.. I use Rocksett for the gas block set screws as even red loctite will fail with heat..Blue loctite is worthless on gas block set screws..Pinning can cause accuracy problems, especially with a .625 barrel journal.. The best adj gas block is the Riflespeed. It has made all other adj gas blocks obsolete..
Been buying firearms for years. Always whole guns. Since I have Hitler jr in Washington state passing an assault weapon ban. I bought enough parts to build 12 rifles. First time ever building my own. Thanks for this video.
I'm new to the AR building game and I'm enjoying your videos, thank you. But I have to say brother, as an old man who has made his living with tools for 50 years, you have to invest in a proper set of roll pin punches, both starter and regular as well as a set of brass punches. Oh, and a proper bench block. Again, thanks for the video, they are very good quality.
I'm not bashing 1st shot because I don't know what checks you performed prior to the video BUT.... Safety is paramount when doing this. What I would say is that the steps to insure the barrel is properly headspaced and examined prior to assembly is very important to show in a build video. After all this is the most critical part of the build in terms of safety. Your audience is looking to you for knowledge as most lack the knowhow to do this safely. It is not a difficult job building an AR but it is important that you show the safety aspect as well. I would not forgive myself if I caused injury or worse to someone as i am sure you probably would not either.
I’m sure I’m not the first person to say this, but you should never use a torque wrench to loosen the barrel nut. That’s a job for a breaker bar. Overall great video!
You should mention headspacing. I headspace all my builds regardless of whether they are ARs or bolt guns. It’s easy to do while the barrel is out but shouldn’t be overlooked.
I like how you torque on then remove then re-torque. MY extra step,and it does make a difference, same as you do but remove the nut and clean the threads THEN do final torque. There WILL be coating and grit in the threads.
Yeah a lot of people don't realize how easy it really is to put an upper together good video by the way I like the colors of the barrel and the receiver curious to see the handguard and all of that once it's finished make that thing super duper light and a cool broken-up color scheme going sorry I'm telling you what to do it's your rifle but I like the color you got me wanting to put one together now good video 👍
@@1stShotTactical it's so insane how easily you can build your own firearm for so ridiculously cheap and it is really well-functioning looks better than 90% of the guns you will see complete at the store and cost a fraction of the price probably more reliable as well because you hand fitted it really if a lot of people weren't just lazy most gun stores would go out of business if they didn't need an FFL for receivers they would literally only make money on optics and ammo but I bet if you had all the pieces and weren't taking the time to explain in a video how to you can probably have one together in 10 to 20 min tops and it would run like a champ I thought my 450 Bushmaster was going to have cycling issues with the standard buffer weight and all the regular 556 parts except the barrel and magazine but the standard milspec buffer weight and spring cycles in like a champ just as well if not better than the complete that I ordered
that torque wrench looks like a harbor freight special so this is a possibility since their quality is questionable. in general, however, untorqueing fastners with a torque wrench is not a problem. in fact, many sensitive mechanical components (ex. engine head studs and the like) have an untorqueing procedure to prevent warping parts that requires using a torque wrench.
What a great video. Im a first time watcher and builder. I started looking at complete uppers due to the uncertainty of installing, Im definitely looking forward to it now. Thanks Subscribed keep them coming
If you don't remove the dust cover, you won't be able to get the tool for aligning the gas tube out. The spring loaded pin on the inside of the dust cover hangs up on he tool. I just went through this and after some thought, I aligned the small "C" clip so I could see the two ends of the clip. I used 2 small screwdrivers . One on each of the "ends" and tapped the clip off. It came off like a breeze. Just watch so the clip doesn't decide to take a cruise around the kitchen. I then pulled the rod out of the cover from the rear "stock end". That's it. I have my first ever AR-15 close to being finished. I think I went over my budget but that's okay. Wheeler needs to modify the mold for the plastic pat that holds the gas alignment rod, You can't get it out "IF" you have the dust cover on. The first two flanges toward the front of the tool can't get by the dust cover spring catch on the inside. Then you would have to take the dust cover off. God Bless America. We need Trump back or else we're screwed.
Note that many of Loctite's formulas require using Loctites primer if the metal is coated. Most metals are coated. Loctite needs access to the metal's elemental makeup in order to harden.
Don't drive a point "pick" into the end of a roll pin. The pin is hollow with a slit down the side, so the point will actually expand the roll pin so that it won't fit.
@@1stShotTactical Quite a few viseos on uppers, lowers, gas lengths, twist rates, & 80% lowers later... I like the 80% lower path just because of the middle finger aspect of it. Haha
Well, this young man did a decent job of throwing a barrel on a upper receiver. That’s about all you can say, was it done right? Hardly. Was it worth making a video as a guide for others to follow? No. Too much was taken for garnet that it would be right solely on the premise that they were “ quality” parts. I myself have used from the same manufacturer and they are high quality parts and pieces, but I always check all my tolerances and fitments for my own piece of mind. Saying it was “high quality “ parts after it blows up in your face doesn’t mean much. Parts are parts, how the parts are assembled are key to building a safe and dependable rifle.
What exactly did he do wrong? What checks are you referring to that he should have shown in this video to meet your standards? You were vague. My guess is you are the usual “internet gun expert”. Just posting to make yourself feel special.
Use Aeroshell 33 on the barrel and receiver not anti seize. I'll also jump on the bandwagon about the torque wrench use. Read the instructions that come with your tools before you use them the wrong way. Enjoyed the video.
Note to all whatever the torque spec when torquing if you use any type of lubricant reduce the applied torque to 70%. If you use full torque and lubricant you are over torquing
Great video. However, torque wrench gears are not designed to loosen bolts that are tightened. That lever is in case you need to switch directions to get the gears inside the head unstuck.
Those Wheeler clamshell vise mounts are actually pretty "risky" to use, as they transfer all the torque from the barrel nut into the _receiver_ which can cause your receiver to CRACK!😬 Instead you want to use a "reaction rod" tool, they're a long bar/rod that slides inside the receiver and has splines which mate inside the barrel against the bolt lugs, that means all the torque is applied to the barrel instead. You can typically find one for around $45-100 bucks.
I like the Handguard itself but that barrel nut star style to tighten it down is ridiculous. I sheered off some of the teeth off the barrel but only going to 45lbs. Now I can’t take the barrel but off and the gas tube slightly touches the barrel nut. They didn’t have to change the style of torquing it down it’s pretty dumb. Nice vid though
To all you would be gunsmiths,I would advise you to at least watch a few vids from reputable gun builders before you build your first firearm. It may save you some headaches throughout the process
Very informative video and well explained. I like the idea of tighten and loosen the barrel nut. This will season the threads and give a much better barrel seat. Great job. How does the completed rifle shoot.
The hardest part I’ve experienced when rebuilding an M4 when I did small arms repair in Afghanistan, was those damn spring pins for the gas tube and block. 😂
What he used is anti-seize, which allows something threaded together to more easily unthread in the future. It doesn’t become deactivated by heat. His brand of anti-seize just happened to be Locktite.
-- uh --- first, he used anti seize (Loctite brand) on the barrel nut. THEN he used thread locker (Loctite brand) for the gas block screws. This guy is a beginner and has received a lot of great advice (from the above comments) as a result of having posted this video. It is OK to cut him a little slack.
Appreciate man! And glad I could help! I actually have some videos up on my channel unboxing every part I used for this build! I believe it was a 750 low profile gas black and a mid length gas tube🤔 I forget lol😅
That vise block and the vise itself are pretty sketchy. I use a reaction rod and a properly mounted vise to install the barrel and torque down the barrel nut
They are called "roll pins" and there are punches called "starter pin punch" and "roll pin punch". Good to also have other proper equipment like a bench mount vise, pin block and better to have the proper barrel rod which will stabilize the barrel when torquing the nut down. Yes, I have done barrels without the proper tools in the past. But I didn't post a "how to" video.
@@DannyThecorniestI mean to be fair, guns aren't something you want to half ass. Would you not tighten your vehicles lug nuts to spec? If so, I don't want to be near you on the freeway. Lol. I'm actually not going to be building my own upper due to not wanting it to blow up in my face because I didn't tighten a part correctly. I'd rather err on the side of caution with this shit.
@@BatbumAndRobinUthen you're a pussy. I don't sit there and torque every single one of my lug nuts, neither do tire shops 🤦♂️🤣 for the most part he used a torque wrench. The only thing i'd be really worried about is him not using a reaction rod to torque down the barrel nut properly. A 2k sig mcx can blow up in your face. Just don't use shit ammo and watch for squibs.
@@BatbumAndRobinU that’s fair. I triple/quadruple check every time I install a barrel/gas block/etc, but I’m about to start buying them completed. Don’t want a KB type incident.
To the people that watch this and don’t have all the tools to build you AR get the Real Avid armorer’s master kit it has everything but the breaker bar, the vise and the mat
The barrel block notch being pre-drilled is only a good thing if you’re using a matched gas block. Gas blocks vary a lot between different manufacturers.
Just coming across this series, man they are great! I have an Aero builders kit that can now actually be built thanks to you! The no bullshit solid teaching is what I love!
Good day, thank you for the great content. I am a new builder and was wondering what brand of barrel you used in this video? What model number? Thanks in advance.
You absolutely should loosen in between torque increases . You are mating steel to aluminum. The aluminum receiver is clearly weaker than the steel barrel nut and the receiver needs to acclimate to the stress put on it from the barrel nut. This is all per Colt: Torque to 30ft lb then remove, torque to 40ft lb then remove, finally torque to 50-80 ft lb depending on needed alignment. A ton of people see the barrel torque specs of 30-80 and just go for it.
I'm confused why you are torqueing down to 55ft-lbs, then loosening, then tightening to 65ft-lbs. Why not just do it once to 65ft-lbs the first time? "To make sure those threads all seat together" doesn't make any sense. Aero's own video on barrel install makes no mention of this tighten-loosen-tighten method you are referring to...
Minimum barrel torque spec is 35 foot pounds..Colt had problems with barrel nuts loosening and they started to do the tighten and loose the barrel nut three times to condition the barrel nut threads. This stopped the barrel nuts from loosening..
USMC tech manual says torque it to 31-35 ft lbs and do it 3 times. Maximum is 80 ft lbs and if you torque it to 65 or higher to begin with, it's easy to exceed 80 when you have to go past it to align the gas tube with the slot.
You absolutely should loosen in between torque increases . You are mating steel to aluminum. The aluminum receiver is clearly weaker than the steel barrel nut and the receiver needs to acclimate to the stress put on it from the barrel nut. This is all per Colt: Torque to 30ft lb then remove, torque to 40ft lb then remove, finally torque to 50-80 ft lb depending on needed alignment. A ton of people see the barrel torque specs of 30-80 and just go for it.
Did you use enough anti seize? But if you are really concerned about the heat there is high heat nickel anti seize. Also that stuff gets everywhere so its better to not touch it
As a mechanic I cringe at liberal use of anti seize, it will thin out with heat and act as liquid metal shavings. I never use it on spark plugs bc of that, plus it throws off torque settings.
That's way too much ant seize. That crap will be all over every tool there plus your wife/ girlfriend and the neighbors down the street. Ease up on anti seize.
If you have an ar-15 barrel that isn’t headspaced correctly, it needs to be sent back to the manufacturer. Bad headspace means the barrel extension is set wrong, which then means the gas port is drilled in the wrong place.
Depends. Figure out what way your headspacing is out. If the bolt won't close on a go guage, you can sand the boltface back a little bit. Not much, and is dependent on HOW much it is out of tolerance. If the no go guage fits, then there isn't much you can do other than sending the parts back to the manufacturer. If a field guage closes, you might have to form 1 the gun as a destructive device because it's close to a hand grenade at that point.
Where can I buy that barrel in black with same exact set up as your video has? gas block everything. Need an online source that will ship to California
