Jump to content
Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!

Tight barrel/receiver fit? Or Loc-Tite? Or doesn't Matter?


nheiny13

Recommended Posts

I just got a Rainier Arms forged upper with a barrel extension opening that is 1.004" and a Stretch 16 fluted melonite barrel with a barrel extension of .995". I know that some use loc-tite to snug up the loose fit. I was wondering if using loc-tite is as good as getting an upper to barrel fit that is a tight fit to begin with? Are there any forged uppers that are know to have a tighter barrel fit than others? Thanks for the help

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At the suggestion of Jim Lambert of Firebird Precision, on loose barrel / upper recievers I used copper RTV on them. I'd prefer a better mechanical fit, but tolerance stack up does exist.

I purchased 2 Rainier uppers that did not have the forward assist, and they were not oversize like that. A 1.0000 gage was snug in the bore. The Black Hole Weaponry barrel extension was not sloppy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is .009 difference in your parts.what I do is buy a piece of shim stock and cut to fit around the extension then freese the the barrel and heat the upper. Wrap the shim stock around the extension and slide the parts together. You can use a little bit of anti seize on the parts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I had the same issue with a 2A armament upper receiver and voodo0 barrel. Had to use some .001 or .002 shim stock to fill the gap. Seemed like it would be easier to service than a bedding compound or locktite.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dang, that is a LOT of clearance. The Mil-Spec print for barrel extensions calls out a MINIMUM diameter of .9985. We manufactured them for a while during one of the shortages. That is WAY out of spec on BOTH parts. If they were my parts I would have returned them, if possible. Shimming is possible, but that is ridiculous.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dang, that is a LOT of clearance. The Mil-Spec print for barrel extensions calls out a MINIMUM diameter of .9985. We manufactured them for a while during one of the shortages. That is WAY out of spec on BOTH parts. If they were my parts I would have returned them, if possible. Shimming is possible, but that is ridiculous.

Tom, there are a lot of billet receiver sets that were pushed out the door during the last panic. Quality control was not very high on the list of the people with the CNC's.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dang, that is a LOT of clearance. The Mil-Spec print for barrel extensions calls out a MINIMUM diameter of .9985. We manufactured them for a while during one of the shortages. That is WAY out of spec on BOTH parts. If they were my parts I would have returned them, if possible. Shimming is possible, but that is ridiculous.

What he said....... .995" is way small on a part (barrel extension) that is suposed to be a "precision part"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I tried strip of .003 & .004 shim wrapped around the extension but I couldn't get either to fit into the upper and I didnt feel like going back to Grainger for thinner shims. so I applied 640 loctite and torqued the barrel nut down pretty good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

what sschultz said.

I used the wife's hair dryer on my Aero upper when I set the BHW into it, surprised by the amount of heat it put out just put snout of dryer on threads (muzzle to muzzle ?) on low fan high heat for a few mins. and then while heating exterior of upper gently slid the barrel in until it seated then torqued the barrel nut or if you have grille gloves a warm oven would do but id just set oven to warm for a few minutes wouldn't want to overcook an upper :surprise:

if you are already "stuck" the Upper will expand with a little heat before the steel barrel catches up so all is not lost and hammering isn't something I usually do during an assembly process disassembly on the other hand I have a nice collection of hammers etc.

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds like Nate got his issue resolved, so I will thread drift slightly.

I have the exact opposite problem. I have a very tight barrel fit. Is it ok to use a soft face hammer to get the last quarter inch of the extension into the reciever?

As long as the crown is protected by a muzzle device of some kind (flash hider, etc), tapping it in the last 1/4 in or so with a dead-blow is perfectly acceptable

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

You guys rock! Armed with .0005, .001 and .002 shim I went to install my 18" 308 JP barrel on an Aero upper. The sloppy hand fit pointed me to this thread.

I tried .001 first and there still was play, .002 didn't go. Put the barrel in the freezer and heated up the receiver with the wife's blow dryer. tiniest bit of grease on the receiver and the barrel slipped right in. 5 Minutes later I couldn't pull the barrel for the life of me. Thanks!!!

post-6746-0-68696500-1453645395_thumb.jp

post-6746-0-31891200-1453645463_thumb.jp

post-6746-0-09910100-1453645515_thumb.jp

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did the same thing last week using a .001 shim on my new build. Don't know if it will help but I should not hurt. We shall see. I had not even considered such a thing until reading this thread.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...