Two minutes of intro just to tell me to unscrew it...

I cannot begin to list all of the vids you have done that have helped me with specific issues. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!

You are very welcome. I didn't think that 3 minutes was very long. I guess some people don't have the patience for even a 3 minute video, but then take 4 minutes to leave comments with a poor attitude. Thanks for having my back :-)

Watching your videos have given me the confidence to dive in headfirst and do the installs myself! Keep up the excellent vids

I’ve watched all your vids. You are one of if not the most knowledgeable guy on KZfaq with ARs. I’ve built over 75 of them and still look to you for info. Thanks for all these vids man. Great job

word of warning: If you camp down on the receiver, when you unscrew the castle nut and the castle nut is very tight, you could very possibly STRIP the buffer tube. This happened to me! Here's how it could be striped: IF the force required to unscrew the castle nut is HIGHER than the force required to strip the indentation on the bottom of the buffer tube WITH the retaining plate, then the little notch on the retaining plate will ABSOLUTELY rip out from the that little indentation on the buffer tube. To avoid this, take the upper completely off and clamp down on the butt stock. You have been warned!

Humm, unscrew the buffer tube (not shown in the video) and ...... Whang!!! out comes that pin that keeps the buffer spring in place with its little spring, and about 90 miles an hour, apparently headed for space. After a half hour search I found both parts. Moral: When unscrewing the buffer tube, hold on to that little black pin.

Awesome awesome info I'm putting on a magpul ubr and didn't know if I'd run into to any issues with my Castle nut this has helped tremendously

Thank you. I worried about this as my AR has a staked castle nut and I'd like to put on a sling mount.

Thanks! You are welcome and thank you for watching!

You may be surprised how easy it is to do a lot of the stuff that gunsmiths get paid to do. Make sure and check out my other videos as well. I show you exactly how to do a lot of things yourself. Thank you for watching!

Thank you for the video 9 years later and it still helped me

Haha, yes indeed they are, but it looks like some of my subs took care of them. As always, thank you for watching.

Quick and to the point. Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for doing a quick, informative video.

Thank you for the very detailed video, you made it a simple task. Along with your staking video, it is now done correctly. Just how it should be.

2 stakes are actually per mil-spec. With a Magpul ASAP, one can only stake once because of the shape.

You are welcome! Thanks for watching!

Thanks for the help. Im new to ARs but not in shooting. I saw my PSA lower has been staked and thought it was going to be a big deal. If anybody is wondering im replacing the stock tube to a anti-tilt tube and a H3 buffer system for my Wolf A1 upper. Its over gassed and rips the brimming right off the shells.

You are the best gun builder in the world. I mean that. I have built two riles following along. THANK YOU!

I would say the reason it busted free easily for him was because the staked material from the end plate was so brittle due to how much material was shaped into the notch that some simple elbow grease was gonna be enough to break it free. Either the end plate or the threads on the buffer tube or castle nut will give up.

There were some other people that mentioned that on arfcom. For learning purposes, can you tell me what went wrong and how you stripped the buffer tube?

I know this was posted years ago, but look into PWS' ratchet lock caatle nut and end plate. Truly innovative engineering.

That was exactly what I needed thanks!

I use a small Dremel tool with the thin grinding disk. As part of my extensive tool collection. LOL. It works really nice and it's a clean look. It also makes re staking a little easier and has a clean look for the next time. 🐢🇺🇸👍

You can take a flat punch and push some of the metal of the end plate back away from the Castle nut notches. And i try to get a new end plate to make it look good. Not all buggered up.

Thank you, sir!

thanks for the quick information!

Just took mine off a brand new DB15 without a vice grip like you've got... had to use a hammer and some Ju Jitsu tactics. Let me say, i'm proud to be American.

If you shoot hundreds of rounds monthly staking the castle nut makes sense. If you don't shoot that much add a drop of Loctite blue, torque to specs and you're good.

Great information I learned something,Great video as well.

I do not see why you would not be able to re-stake and use the same one. Because of my OCD, it would bother me too much to reuse the old one so I got a new one.

I got to bring it up an poke some fun being a few videos you mentioned keeping it mil-spec. But your rail isn't, your trigger isn't, your pistol grip isn't, your bolt an carrier isn't. Lol she's a pretty sweet safe queen but slightly mil-spec really if any besides a couple staked things. Great videos. Just couldn't help but to point that out

How do you stake it again after removal? Won’t there be no metal left to stake?

I hear you about the OCD thing. Weird things fire me up like that.

After I remove my staked castle nut and change my buffer tube for a new stock can I re-stake the old end plate and castle nut?? Thanks

What type of vise block you using to keep the lower static?

nice work brother. God Bless.

now that u have "broken" the old stake, can you re-stake using the same end plate? if so do u have any ideas on how much the plate has been weakened by staking the same piece twice?

If you reuse your castle but and the original stakes don’t line up is there any harm in staking a completely new spot?

can you please tell me what brand your wrench is. thanks for the vid keep um coming

Good video Nate!

Not too keen on just wrenching it, especially when more than one position is staked. Using a small SHARP chisel with the flat side towards the receiver you can CAREFULLY cut away most of the stake without damaging the surrounding parts. Then using a wrench for that final bit. TRY IT, and if you find it works for you too, might consider redoing this video.

It is indeed a Spike's Tactical, but it has already been reserved for MrAK47Master if I decide to sell it.

Any tips if the hand pressure and hammer doesn’t work? I have a Delton 316H and can’t get the castle nut off to save my life.

You are one of the ppl that i watched a lot of when i started building ARs.... around the time when u made this video, 9 yrs ago. Thanks 🫡

Just bought a stock Colt LE6920. I am trying to remove the castle nut, but my question before I do is: is my rifle or any AR staked from the manufacturer? Can I just remove the castle nut with the wrench and mallet?

Try that on a DPMS lower and destroy your buffer tube and castle nut.... There are companies that stake in castle nuts so deep that it is close to impossible to get them off properly w/o hurting parts on the weapon.

Heads up unless you got a heat gun I would not the loctite the castle nut.You'll end up needing a new tube, end plate and possibly a castle nut. I tried to remove my castle nut that was installed with blue loctite and by the time it budged the buffer tube thread was gouged underneath. Because it was so bonded on that it turned with the castle nut and overode the end plate area that interfaces with under the tube! A heat gun helps loosen up the loctite before you remove. A mistake I learned the hard way. Hand tightened with a armorer wrench is good enough as snug as you can get without stripping castle nut . And if your keen on using blue loctite a tiny bit goes a long way literally 3-4 small drops where the castle nut is gonna be on the tube your welcome 👍🏼.

Are there different size castle nute on Ar-15's? or ar-10's? i ordered a castle nut wrench,i got it today and it is too small to fit my castle nut?

Thank you, trees!

How did you clamp your lower on the vise. Did you use a jig or something?

May i ask what castle wrench that is? Trying to get one that isnt to expensive but actually works haha

Much appreciated the video! Thank you sir.

Usually that works, but one time I had to use a pin punch to push the material back in the other way because it was just stuck that bad.

So once you remove it, can you reuse the staked piece ? Or you have to use a new one and restake it?

Did you skip the part where you did something to the stake? It looked like some damage was done to it. Or can I just use wrench pressure and the stack will break?

Great video dude! Okay, but then is that buffer plate useless after that? In other words, is it true that after you stake an end plate it is only good for that one use and no more builds or applications? Thanks!

Do you have to use a new piece to restake the castle nut now after removing

Can you then re-use / re-stake that same end plate? Thanks!

Will removing a staked castle nut damage the buffer tube?

Sorry if this was asked already, what are you using to hold the lower receiver?

Most solid as fu** factory stake jobs aren't going to come off without that wrench either stripping/slipping off the grooves or bending the wrench for most of these individuals. And if that happens they're going to gouge up their buffer tube, or worse... Either dremel it down or use a drill bit to grind some of the stake out of the castle nut groove. Then just replace the castle nut and end plate after. They're cheap parts to replace.. . No point in risking damage to the rest of the rifle.

So basically. Staking a castle nut keeps the gun from coming apart on its own, but it can still be removed by the user for maintenance reasons

Yeah, My BCM wouldn't nudge, even with a hammer to the wrench. Had to dremel it. Installed a PWS buffer, no stake required as it "ratchets" on.

Good video about how to loosen the castle nut but what else I would like to see is how to properly hold your firearm while you are wrenching on it. What to do, what not to do,,,, I have an AR15/.45 that takes Glock 21 mags and I havn't been able to find anything on KZfaq a bout this kind of set-up

Just out of curiosity... How do you RE stake the nut once it has that little dent there? Awesome video...wish I had known about the castle nut b4 my DPMS came unraveled. I carried the M16A2 in the Army but it was full stock so I wasn't even aware of the possibility of misfeeding through castle nut backing...oh well..

That is a nice extension. Same type I'm looking at. I hate polymer

I've taken them off it wasn't to bad.I had a commercial tube staked on and changed it to a mill spec .

Agreed.

Is that old grey tube a Spikes? If so how much you want for it? Thanks

Is that a lmt buffer tube? And do you still have it?

I just put the wrench on the castle nut and started to turn and the buffer tube and the nut turned together. So the key in the plate ended up striping the keyway grove on the buffer tube. I have no idea how it happened but it was a very costly mistake. I don't know why the mil-spec key and keyway are much smaller than a commercial one...you would think it would be better having a larger key on the plat and a larger keyway on the tube.

Can you re-stake it ?

Most impressive part is the detent spring didn’t fly across the room

My Colt is staked 3 times from the factory (3 notches).... have you run into that? And do you use the same method... or is there another way to address multiple stakes?

very helpful. thank you.

I was going to remove one on my ar to include a qd plate but found a ratcheting castlenut with a qd plate included.

Man I have an armorers wrench to remove my castle nut on my colt ar 15 so I can install a magpul asap sling attachment anf I can't get my castle nut to budge but I also don't have a vise is there a way to do it with out a vise?

TLDR: Loosen the nut, and it will unstake it automatically via hand pressure There saved you from watching a 3 minute video for that

LWRC has no staking on the castle nut.

I'm more interested in the Full auto trigger :)

Try unstaking a spikes tactical castle nut on a lower they assembled.

can you remove the castle nut without that wrench?

I think they make a fixture to hold the lower in a vice wo marring it up

I purposefully decided NOT to stake my castle nut simply because I want to be able to easily change my stock in the future. Tightened to 40 lbs and a little loctite makes me sleep well at night.

THANKS MAN!!!! IT WORKED!

That gray dry film lube comes off with chlorinated brake clean

Would the gun still shoot without it on the back ?

Cool man. I have a few of those grey ones and in my experience the CTR is the only stock that really fits it tight. I actually just ordered a tube kit with the Elusive ST-T2 buffer in it. That with a middy system with a battle comp turns your AR into a real pussy cat.

Nice!

I would not recommend trying it without a vise...

And to think, I was going to pay the local gunsmith $25 to unstake my BCM lowers castle nut. Only thing I gotta do is get me one of those nifty wrenches and put some elbow grease into it.

What buffer spring is that?

Did you use a bev block?

My castle nut continues to get loose even though I continue to tighten with more torque. It was never been staked, and uses a .22 upper exclusively. I don't want to use Locktite, so I will try staking.

It is Parkerizing on the Buffer tube.

Not sure why you staked the nut then, just because or ?

My AR's are for recreational, hunting and training purposes. Not for combat duty. When training, I bring my tools with me.

That staking was weak, and fragmented already. My properly staked AR's are well bulged into the grooves, and not broken anywhere. I bought one as a complete carbine from LMT, but the other one I did is even better. Plus I staked 3 spots. The bulge going into the grooves is nice and thick. It even partially formed to the shape of the groove. Not that I want to take it off, but I was hoping to see how a properly staked castle nut could be taken off. It already has the Vltor tube, but JIC I wanted to go with a rifle tube I was interested in this video. I'm pretty sure I am stuck (literal pun) with this configuration, and would just go with a different lower, configured the way I want it. Also I was interested because I was thinking about a different end plate for a sling. I'll hafta go the ten dollars more and go for the troy that fits over the castle nut. I really don't think the thing is ever coming off without destroying the tube, or cutting the castle nut off with a dremel.

I mean at least how i steak mine I would need to prep it with a hacksaw just at the edge of the backplate and the castle nut before I let loose in it