King Arms M4 Barrel Nut Removal

[hot_shot under fire]

Hey everyone,

I recently purchased a LaRue 7.0" handguard for my stock KA M4. After receiving it and a few other parts in the mail earlier today I removed the original handguard/front sight post/mock gas tube/flash hider and went to install the LaRue handguard. I noticed that I had to remove the D-ring and barrel nut in order to accomplish this, but I ran into some problems.

After attempting to twist the barrel nut off for a good hour or so I gave up and cut off the D-ring. I am now wondering how to go about cutting off the barrel nut as I see no other "safe" way to remove the barrel nut without cracking my upper receiver.



There is a picture of the barrel nut on the KA M4.

So, how should I go about removing the barrel nut without destroying the threads on the receiver? Can anybody advise me of where I should cut, and what to look for so I don't screw up the underlying threads?

Thanks to any help that can be offered in advance,

Jake

[Stealth]

Get an AR armourer's wrench and do it the right way. You'll need a bench vice to clamp the receiver down.

[hot_shot under fire]

I picked one up a while ago and I attempted to use it with no luck. I do have a bench vice clamp and used that too. I attempted to heat the barrel nut with a hair dryer (As this worked with the glued flash hider) but no luck there either...

I even had at it like I would with a jar of stubborn pickles... Wrapped a rubber band around it and twisted with all my might! Ha haaa!

[Stealth]

Originally Posted by hot_shot under fire

I picked one up a while ago and I attempted to use it with no luck. I do have a bench vice clamp and used that too. I attempted to heat the barrel nut with a hair dryer (As this worked with the glued flash hider) but no luck there either...

I even had at it like I would with a jar of stubborn pickles... Wrapped a rubber band around it and twisted with all my might! Ha haaa!

Well if it helps I had to put over 50ft-lbs of torque to get the nut off, so maybe put some more leverage on the wrench, it may also react to a hammering action on the wrench vs. straight torque. Just be careful how you clamp the receiver to avoid damage.

There isn't any chemical locking compound on the threads, if you want to go the heat route, you may want to use something more heavy-duty than a hair dryer....

[lurkingknight]

would some penetrating oil be any help in cases like this? say.. some pbblaster?

[hot_shot under fire]

Alright, I got it off. I said goodbye to the conventional tools and had at it with the hair dryer and a pair of vice grips with the M4 on a chair with my knee holding it in place. I smacked the vice grips with a hammer a few times and it loosened up fairly quickly. Worked like a charm.

Surprisingly the vice grips didn't do much in terms of damage to the barrel nut...

Anyway, thanks for the help guys, really appreciate it!