I have one of these and I really like it. I'm going to be getting one for my ar10's. About the only thing I could say that I don't like, and arguably it wasn't the tools fault but my own, is that one of the bolt holes got stripped out... again probably my fault. However I'm pretty crafty and I can repair it, problem solved. I feel very confident with this installed when I'm reefing on it to torque the barrel or remove it, that I'm not going to rip the take-down pin ears off. Oh I did smooth some of the sharp corners, that's it. I love it and I suggest that you get one if you're even remotely interested in building/modifying ar's or even just your own.
One thing NCStar could do to make this the perfect upper receiver block is to mill in the barrel extension lugs on the end. Otherwise this isn't a great tool for installing barrels and torquing barrel nuts. While it does hold the receiver firmly, it does nothing to hold the barrel, so when torquing the barrel nut, the anti-rotation pin is taking all the force. That's generally not a good thing. The BEV block is a better tool in that regard since it does have the lugs to take the force.
@@12chuck0351 I realize that, and this is an exceptional case, especially in light of the fact he had to drill it out to fit over the 22LR extension. It still doesn't support the chamber when cranking down on the barrel nut, which is what I am talking about. It's still a useful tool for all AR's (I have one), and I'd probably do the same if I were installing a dedicated 22LR for an upper, but I don't use it for barrel nuts even on center fire uppers because it doesn't engage and hold the the extension. I have a BEV block for that (same as he has), I am just saying if NCStar would mill in the lugs, or deign a removable piece with the lugs, then it would be a better tool and I wouldn't need the BEV as well.
I'm working on my first full build so I've never installed a barrel but how does torquing the barrel nut put stress on the indexing pin? You're not twisting the barrel itself right?
I still prefer the BEV for 5.56 because it secures the receiver as well as the lugs. The Vizm works well for the 22lr barrels because they don't have lugs. I probably could have pointed that out a bit clearer in the video!
The lugs are a suitable place to hold the barrel while installing. That's the reason the reaction rods are so popular, no torque or stress is applied to the receiver body when torquing the barrel nut. This VISM would work sufficiently for barrel installation if done correctly but may be weak if you are removing a factory installed barrel that was over-torqued. Something like a BEV block or an MWI reaction rod would be better.
