It’s been 100 years since this video, story goes this rifle is still greased.

As a shareholder for Aero shell . I appreciate this video and I wish everybody would use at least 1 10 oz tube per upper. Carry on and shoot straight.

The barrel would have gone in much more easily if he would have used some grease.

I operate a grease factory, I would like to partner with you.

from an engineer's stand point, the amount and type of grease are very important. but I'll mention only an example that correlates with a firearm system.In an AR15, the reason you should apply grease on the inside diameter of the end barrel and the upper receiver is to avoid corrosion from dissimilar metals, also known as cold welding. the barrel being any variant of steel and the upper being aluminum(same is true for the barrel nut and threads). A secondary benefit is the ease of removal later on how ever, now the type of grease will become relevant, you want a grease that holds its lubricity, consistency/viscosity and not cook or dry under the extreme temperature fluctuations the barrel creates at the lubricating point, you also do not want lubrication to liquify and enter the detonating chamber or run off along the barrel, and any internal excessive grease will also expand like any other material on earth when put under heat so having excessive grease will cause extreme pressures while it attempts to expand where it isn't supposed to which may cause deformation, cracks or an explosion. Simply put, you only need a dab of your favorite anti-seize on the threads and a smear a small dab along the inside of the upper where you would slide the barrel in, you should feel it, not really see it. and as mention previously, lubrication on threads will greatly alter the required torque, in other words you applied more torque than your indicated 40FT lbs BUT its no where close to the top end limit of your torque window, which is around 90 ftlbs

I have a fever! And the only prescription is more aeroshell!

Aeroshell is also good for your hair, and I even put a little bit in my coffee in the morning. Thanks for the video.

Always make sure any extension put on a torque wrench is 90 degrees out. 180 lengthens the applied force changing the torque value... there is an equation you can use to get the correct torque value but its just quicker to attach extensions at 90 degrees.

You went a little crazy with the grease, lol. Just a dab on the threads will do. I shot my first barrel out back in 2018 and managed to get the barrel off really easily and all I did was used a dab of some random automotive grease I had in the garage back in 2011.

I know this video is 7 years old, but it’s awesome and helpful. After watching you apply the grease, I immediately bought 100,000 shares of Aeroshell. So as a stock holder I want to say thank you for your contributions. My only complaint is that I feel you should have used just slightly more grease. Also don’t forget to tell your friends and family! Dunking the entire upper and barrel may also help this process. This can also aid installation by dunking your hands up to your elbows in grease to achieve the desired effect. We all know there’s no better feeling then lubing her up (the upper receiver) and sliding your rod (the barrel) right in.

Like I mentioned at a few other places, using a reaction rod to install barrel nut may not be ideal because theoretically it might break the notch holding the barrel's index pin. Using a reaction rod would distribute all the pressure on barrel extension after locking in. So it works perfectly on any work done on the barrel, e.g. installing muzzle brake. But for any work done on the receiver (like installing barrel nut), you'll still need to clamp the receiver. Otherwise the receiver will try to rotate under torque which could potentially break the index pin notch.

is it me, or is that WAYYYY too much grease???!!!!! holy moly!!!

To expound on what torque is, T(torque, ft/lbs) = F(force applied, lbs) x D(distance, ft). If you have a 3 ft torque wrench (D = 3 ft) and apply 10 lbs of force (F) at the handle, you have a resultant of 30 ft/lbs. The (D) measurement is from the point of force application (the handle) to the axis of rotation (the centerline of the barrel). If you EXTEND the D measurement by using a tool whose geometry INCREASES the overall length of the moment arm (measurement D), say 2 inches, you now have a D measurement of 3.16 ft (3 ft - 2 in). 3.16 ft x 10 lbs force = 31.6 ft/lbs. IF the geometry of the tool allows you to rotate the tool 90 degrees relative to the torque wrench, the D measurement is restored (shortened) to the original 3 ft. Remember the D measurement is the distance from the point of force application to the axis of rotation. The bottom line is the geometry of the wrench. Obviously, an additional 1.6 ft/lbs isn't going to hurt anything. Most torque wrenches have +/- 5% error. 5% of 30 ft/lbs is 1.5 ft/lbs. However, if the geometry of the wrench increases the moment arm by 6 inches and you are approaching the max 80 ft/lbs, its time to rotate the wrench and make sure you don't exceed the max OR do the math and set your torque wrench to 22.8 ft/lbs. Interestingly, my guess is large AR manufacturers (Colt, Armalite, Ruger etc.) probably install the barrel nut dry (I have never removed a barrel so I don't know for sure). Use of grease or other lubricant greatly decreases the coefficient of friction by design, and anyone who uses a lubricant is probably over-torquing the barrel nut :)

Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for visiting with us this evening. Now I've traveled across half our state to be here and to see about this land. Now I daresay some of you might have heard some of the more extravagant rumors about what my plans are, so I just thought you'd like to hear it from me. This is the face -- it's no great mystery. I'm an grease man, ladies and gentlemen. I have numerous concerns spread across this state. I have many wells flowing at many thousand barrels per days. I like to think of myself as an grease man. And as an grease man I hope that you'll forgive just good old-fashioned plain speaking. Now this work that we do is very much a family enterprise. I -- I work side by side with my wonderful son H.W. I think one or two of you might have met him already. I encourage my men to bring their families as well. Of course it makes for an ever so much more rewarding life for them. Family means children; children means education. So wherever we set up camp, education is a necessity, and we're just so happy to take care of that. So let's build a wonderful school in Little Boston. These children are the future that we strive for and so they should have the very best of things. Now something else, and please don't be insulted if I speak about this: bread. Let's talk about bread. Now to my mind, it's an abomination to consider that any man, woman, or child in this magnificent country of ours should have to look upon a loaf of bread as a luxury. We're going to dig water wells here. Water wells means irrigation; irrigation means cultivation. We're going to raise crops here where before it just simply was impossible. You're going to have more grain than you know what to do with. Bread will be coming right out of your ears, ma'am. New roads, agriculture, employment, education, these are just a few of the things we can offer you, and I assure you ladies and gentlemen, that if we do find grease here, and I think there's a very good chance that we will, this community of yours will not only survive, it will flourish. I'd be happy to answer any questions that you might have.

Probably the most complete install video I've seen. I use a tiny bit less Aeroshell on mine, but it is an identical process for the hundreds of builds I've done. None have ever given me any issues in thousands of rounds in most cases. I've had all of my BCM builds fit just like that and needing some heat gun use and rubber mallet tapping. Thank you for putting this video out since it indicates the exact right way to do this.

NO 2. My truck holds 6 qts of oil but I could put 15 qts in it!!! You could do 20 rifle barrels with that amount of grease!!!!!

You sure seem to love that grease!

sometimes I just watch this for the laughs

FYI- the proper way to use the tq wrench is to have it 90 degrees to the barrel nut tool only then will it be a true tq measurement.

Brother, you need to keep your torque wrench and end adaptor (geissele wrench/crowfoot/extension/etc.) At 90 degrees. Anything other than 90 and you are applying a different torque than what you are setting your wrench to.

Does that upper come with grease fittings?....

I've helped lots of friends complete their ARs.. no need for all that grease- barrel nut and some torque is all that's required.

I just got a BCM upper receiver and the barrel will not go in so I'm going to have to put some heat to it a little Lube probably not as much as you put in and get it in there Sam says you want those tight tolerances for accuracy.

the time lapse jump cut when he first starts greasing this cracks me up

Is that amount of grease necessary? I'm halfway through my build and only used small amounts of gun oil. I'm still early into the build so I can redo it easily.

If you ever have a barrel that tight again, throw it in the freezer for a hour or so before fitting. It helps.

I just want to say thanks for this video, I have seen many videos on barrel installs and this has been the best one yet. This video helped me install my first barrel with the Aeroshell 33MS grease; barrel was a tight fit but with the grease it went in with ease. Had to torque the free float nut to 65 Pounds but at least i know it won't budge lol. thanks again

Easily my favorite channel on KZfaq, plz keep the videos coming

When “seasoning “the barrel. Tightening to 30 ft/lbs foot pounds and above and loosening. When that three times it’s called seasoning. The purpose is to properly distribute the grease everywhere and to loosen up the threads to a point where they are evenly constricting around the barrel when torqued the final time.

Lube will affect torque. You can overtorque things by using lube. Most manufacturers of free float handguards and subsequently their barrel nut require that you use no lube. YHM for instance requires both the nut and the receiver threads be cleaned and dried then torqued. Even in general mechanicing you will see warnings about lubing threads. Best to follow manufacturers recommendations. If they say lube the threads prior to torquing then do so. If not, do not.

Appreciate the reaction rod introduction... I now have one on the way.

Where can I buy a gallon of that aeroshell? I have three barrels to install this weekend.

Man that thing is gonna smoke when hot. Maybe starts on fire? Depends on the grease. If that barrel does ever get hot, thermal expansion will put a lot of stress on the upper. Maybe causing a crack.

My concern is the upper receiver cracking from the expansion and contraction of the barrel heating and cooling.

This event led to the great Aeroshell 33MS shortage of 2015… it was so catastrophic, they started calling it “Aeroshell 64”…

I'm glad its working fine but I'd still be concerned in the long run because I've never seen such a tight fit like that..there should never be a reason to have to hammer a new barrel into a new upper like that.

Great Gobs of Grease! Great video man

ive built 100s of rifles and that is the THE tightest fitting barrel i have ever seen, and ive built match guns, i wonder if that barrel is out of spec, might be why you are having problems

Dude what's up with putting so much grease! A thin coat would have been perfect. Your not packing wheel bearings bro. Plus too much grease is not a good thing either.

you need to heat the receiver so it expands, slide the barrel in and it'll tighten up nice when it cools down. I would avoid pounding anything if i can

im a little later to the party but great vid. a build done right! Ive been lapping my uppers (not needed for good parts but i just cancel all variables. I also do it by hand, no drill!)

Is the tool for the barrel nut placed at a 90 degree angle to the torque wrench or at a straight angle to get the right torque?

Hair dryer or heat gun the thread portion of the receiver. The heat will expand it enough to slide the barrel extension into the receiver.

Would high temp lithium grease work on the threads? Wal-Mart has that stuff.

Is there a reason you used the vise block initially and then switch over to the reaction rod? I'm about to swap hand guards, and therefore barrel nuts, on one of my rifles and only have a reaction rod.

I always come back this video when I need to borrow some grease.

I think I am going to get a rod like that for my upper build. Just more piece of mind when torquing the barrel nut. I really wanted to avoid specialized tools but this thing would be useful even if I don't use it much after the build. I'm pretty sure, however, I'll go with Brownell's version for the price.

Don't put grease on the threads it's not needed. Leave it dry. You will over torque the barrel nut and damage the upper. A lot of scope and mount manufacturers are even moving away from using loctite because of over torque from the slippery substance. I have never had to tap a barrel into an upper receiver.

Thank you for a great video. Just what I was looking for using different blocks for the upper receiver and barrel.

Heat the end of the upper receiver and the barrel will slip right in.

Thats probably a tad too much than what i would use. I ordered a tin of aero grease from classic firearms. Comes in like a large shoe polish can. Grease is needed if you ever want to change out a barrel. Otherwise it will be very very difficult if not impossible to remove it without causing damage.

Only man that has aeroshell as a scheduled reoccurring purchase.

Holy sh1t... Are you repacking axle bearings???

9 years later, that gun is still oozing grease out of different orifices. 🤣

Enough grease to lube a moose!

Greaseaholic alert! This is what happens when your Dad doesn't teach you how to apply the proper amount of grease on threads. 😂

I agree with something being out of spec, that barrel extension should have slid on with little effort. You should NEVER have to pound a receiver onto the barrel, how will you ever get it back off? I bought a receiver honing bar a while back. It trues both the receiver well and the barrel nut threads and smooths out the extension hole, making everything concentric to the bore. I've seen videos of some threads off by up to 30°, canting the barrel. The hone will square up the threads and hone the receiver at the same time (a little goes a long way!). I like the Geissele barrel nut and action tool.

Why would you use a reaction rod for tightening the barrel nut? When you tighten the barrel nut, the upper receiver is what is going to want to turn. Use an upper receiver action block. You use reaction rods when removing/installing muzzle devices to keep the barrel from turning. The barrel doesnt want to turn when tightening a barrel nut, the action does.

Good.... how about a little grease on the front flat of that barrel ring where the nut pushes hard on it?

Why didn't you lap, or square up, the front of the receiver where the shoulder of the barrel takes its final set or position? Maybe the process is far better known now than when this video was made. You mentioned reducing groups 1/4 MOA; I don't know of anything that is so easy to accomplish that adds more benefit.

Aeroshell grease I used a ton of it in the Navy. Come to think about it I never had dry hands.

Brake clean the barrel extension and front of the reciever. Grease the threads and the front side of the flange near the barrel logo. That's all you need.

All that grease is not needed. A little anti seize on the threads is goos. Put the upper in the oven for a few minutes and that barrel should slip right in.

"season's the threads a bit"........aka stretches and weakens them

I would heat the upper receiver it gets hot when you're shooting anyway let it cool down then apply Grease barrel nut I do however light coat of grease on Barrel extension

I've seen people put a bs muzzle device on the threads to be able to tap barrel in without messing up threads or crown. Never done it but seems to be a good idea

The way you have the barrel wrench on the torque wrench actually means you are going over 40 foot lbs. A torque wrench is calibrated at the head/drive, by having the attachment straight out like you did you are actually increasing the lever causing it to torque over what you have it set at.

That is some overkill on the grease, I'm guessing you get a commission on the grease bought from your buddy if they mention your name.

In my experience most barrels don’t have a barrel but that needs indexing. Thank god.

I can’t stop laughing damn that’s 15$ in lube now days

I did put anti seize on my threads..but nowhere as much as you used.. I have not fired the weapon yet ..should I take it apart and ad more thread anti seize ?

Put the barrel nut/adapter wrench at 90 degrees to the torque wrench for accurate torque.

A little grease on the pressure side of the rim would have been nice. All pressure surfaces should be lubed to get a true torque reading. CHEERS

IF the barrel extension has a touch of play, what do you recommend in tightening it up? Ive heard of people shimming or loctiting or both.

33MS! No way! haha, I've never seen this used outside of work. Good stuff :)

N00b here, thanks for the videos! I've built other (mechanical) things in the past, but never a fire arm. I think I will give it a go. These make it much easier!

Hey I have a question, since everyone is talking about grease.. did a lot of searching but cant find a definite answer. On my Ar builds I just used gunslick lube on the threads when installing the barrel nut, I am assuming its just like any other gun oil. I did order some aeroshell but I am wondering if I should take all my rifles apart and use it? Or will they be fine how they are? Is the only concern not being able to get the barrel but off, or will it do some other kind of damage?

What do you think of barrel nut shims? Like the ones they sell on eBay? Gimmick?

Never hit it with a hammer. If it is too tight , it's not MIL SPEC. However for tight tolerances just put the receiver in the freezer for a few hours , and warm up the barrel to 200°F max and it will slide right in. Do use anti seize grease.

love your channel but have a question so I'm doing a build and can't seem to pick between 3 barrels Rainier Arms, wilson combat, and Noveske what would you prefer? going with 18" barrel and sbr build. please anything would help thanks man appreciate it.

maybe a dumb question, but doe the barrel nut come with the barrel, the hand guard or is it a separate purchase?

I hope to do my first AR build this summer. Do you have a video covering the basic tools needed and tools that would be nice to have? I would find a video like that invaluable.

I've occationally seen a post here and there about the reaction rod breaking index pins on barrels. How did the reaction rod work for you and do you think people should be worried about it?

You are using the torque wrench incorrectly and over torquing. You should correct that or explain that you are torquing to a higher level because of the angle you have the barrel nut adapter at.

Why Aero shell and not any other type of grease?

Is lapping the receiver and/or using loctite 609 really necessary? Under what circumstances of the barrel install would you recommend doing either of that?

He used the grease to grease the grease!

Put your barrel in the freezer if it's a tight fit.Then it will side in easy.

DAMN IT the manual I used said to NOT add any lube or grease to the barrel threads or barrel channel during install. YAY galvanization!

Have you noticed any deformation of the upper index pin slot? All the torque goes on that little pin.

love the channel. anyway you could direct me to your pistol build parts list. I want to do a similar build like yours using 10.5 inch barrel and a free float m lok rail with a comp similar to yours..keeping it as short as I can and as clean looking.

There is so much wrong info in this video. Good thing the AR platform is forgiving and has wide tolerances.

Those specialized tools really jack up the cost of the installation!

It would have been funny if your intro/outro was that grease lighting song.... “Go grease lighting you’re burning up the quarter mile...”

i notices my barrel wabbles a few mm back and forth after i installed my noveske free flouter any ready why any does this matter ?

The whole point of seasoning the threads is defeated when you use that much grease.

OMFG,..... You could of greased about 10-15 guns with that much grease!! I Bet the 7 years since this video its still caked with grease and dirt that it drew in! LOL MY GOD i have never seen someone use so much grease!

Got a question for you regarding the grease amount, on my build i put about the same amount of aeroshell 33ms on my castle nut and receiver extension (which they changed the name to aeroshell 64, because people were getting confused, if u didnt already know) , and grease/lube has been creeping out from between it, not the grey good stuff, just a visible coating of oiliness, do you have that same thing happening around your barrel nut/barrel/upper receiver? im trying to find a good reason why i should stop huffing this stuff everytime i shoulder my rifle, im worried i might get addicted. Thanks. -D

I'm glad you used enough grease for both of us because I forgot! But seriously I didn't know grease on barrel threads was a thing

When using a crow's foot wrench on a torque wrench, the crows foot is ALWAYS kept at 90 degrees! You just torqued that nut to 40, 1 foot 3 inches pounds... about 47ftlbs...