That's because you were using parts that met the TDP spec..When you add parts from multiple different manufacturers that do no meet the TDP tolerances, that's when problems occur..Go on line and you will find endless videos of problem AR rifles..Sort stroking, jammed cases, clocked barrels, won't cycle, etc,etc....If it was as easy as you say, none of those videos would exist..There is a reason certain tools and techniques are used and Caleb is over simplifying that subject IMO..

I never could figure out why you couldn't just clamp the barrel. My first build used two 2x4s and some bolts for clamps. I had my girlfriend stand on the 2x4s to hold them steady. Now, I have all the "proper" tools.

@@09jisaac You can and that is how the military did it for years by using barrel clamps..The problem with that method, the device or the clam shell vice is it still torques the barrel in the upper and if too much torque is applied, it can shear the barrel index pin, damage the upper in the index notch or both..Many upper receivers have more play between the index pin and receiver notch than others and the barrel can clock using these methods..This can cause the bolt to hit the outer receiver extension lugs, damaging both..A receiver rod with a sail like the Mid West ind. or the 2Unioque will limit the movement and takes all the stress off of the barrel index pin and upper receiver notch..Look up sheared index pins or damaged uppers, there are a lot of them..

Well, some of us are building 1 MOA, 1,000 yard rifles... The beauty of the AR platform is you can do that if that is your thing., Now, regarding the barrel nut, clamping force is a product of the torque applied and the size (and thread pitch) of the fastener. The barrel nut is quite large and the torque spec wide, I think 30-80 ft-lbs. For the size of that fastener, both ends of that spec are low values. By comparison a 1/2" wheel stud is usually 100 ft-lbs or a little more. If the barrel nut torque was a spec for maximum clamping force it would be well over 200 ft-lbs. The takeaway is that the required clamping force is low and some of these specs were written just to tell people it has to be kind of tight but don't overdo it. The unfortunate result is some people crying because they torque to 80 ft-lbs and their gas tube is hitting a barrel nut tooth. The real method is you should torque to 30 ft-lbs, then tighten it a bit more to clear the gas tube if you need too. But some people will still be clutching their pearls and then you can say, fine, mark the tooth that is blocking the gas tube and dremel it off. You don't need all of the teeth and that will let you get your precious 80 ft-lbs. Now some people are crying because you said the D-word and you have to lap the receiver more or use barrel nut shims to get the gas tube to align at 80 ft-lbs. No matter where you stop on that journey, the result is the same. I know that but I do some unnecessary things. I prefer an upper receiver block that grabs the picatinny rail of the upper. I just think the upper rail has more material to efficiently transfer barrel nut torque through the receiver to the vice. I don't loosen fasteners with my torque wrench if I have my breaker bar handy. I don't use a 1/2" torque wrench that goes up to 200 ft-lbs to torque a 30 ft-lb barrel nut. Torque wrenches are most accurate in the upper half of their range so I go for an appropriately sized torque wrench that will be accurate around the value I'm shooting for. Lastly, I am going to clamp my barrel when I mess with my muzzle brake. I know it's not required but I might need to use more than 30 ft-lbs to clock my muzzle device on a crush washer, that might twist the barrel under the barrel nut and for that 1 MOA, 1,000 yard rifle, I don't want to mess with that after I have tightened it... With all of that said, I do have a reaction rod (no wing) and one of those Magpul things. I have tried them and I might use a reaction rod in an upper with the barrel extension pin notch wallowed out to keep everything straight (this might also be a reason to dremel a barrel nut tooth and go to 80 ft-lbs) but I usually use nice parts that just don't need anything special. I do like the reaction rod for tightening muzzle devices. It's a balance of putting in a minimal effort over what is absolutely necessary without convincing myself that my way is the only way or that it's better. It is just the way I do it because doing it the same every time helps me avoid stupid mistakes and a method that works on a 1 MOA, 1,000 yard rifle is going to work on a mag-dump in to garbage rifle too.

Well said. ​@@beardoe6874

Seriously though, the ones you need to worry about are the ones that let you know they identify as an indexing pin. They tend to be extra sensitive and easily broken.

You guys crack me up!! 😂😅

Could you recommend a song for assembly?

Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur...

Baby shark is my go-to

I was thinking the same thing.

You get what you pay for, 😂😂😂

It's a qc thing. Most of em are spot on and hold spec for a long time, but every now and again they're waaaaaaaaay off. That's something that's caught in better name brands more often but also why hf is cheaper.

you need a torque wrench for a barrel nut? lmao!

I have a balance bar wrench that I use to check calibration and my Harbor freight torque wrenches are near perfect

Don't forget KZfaq Certified Armorers too.

Honestly, everybody nowadays is becoming incredibly educated. Just a matter of whether or not they are an asshole about their opinion or whether they are willing to be corrected.

@@liggerstuxin1 so true.

You don't know what you're talking about.

You sure about that?

I always imagined the buffer system to be the most vulnerable

@@halogod0298 Just what I'd seen. Also edit OP: just reread the first point, the A4 doesn't have a castle nut, just a one piece extension.

+1. Guys mixing up inch Pounds with Foot Pounds.

That and using extensions lessen the amount of applied torque. Its BS.

@@Ratkill9000 straight extension id say are negligible and wouldn’t even worry about it. Now something like crows foot or dog bone id try my best to get it 90* from the head of the wrench. Because adding length does change torque.

@@Ratkill9000The reason that’s a thing using extensions, especially longer extensions, as well as swivels for that matter, is because they flex and people think that that flex can, will and does alter the torque amount. Which it doesn’t.

@@AmesArsenal I saw a video where they tested the difference with a crows foot, and in regards to barrel nuts, the amount were not high enough to be any meaningful difference, as the torque specs are so wide that its not really an issue. For other things it might be more important.

Yup. Well said. People spend ots on a barrel and then can't afford ammo.

When you run a business, you try to keep costs down and profits up. You can’t do that by misusing and breaking your tools, it will put you out of business.

You're absolutely right.I still have my dad's torque range from 50 years, and it works fine. And I used it for another forty years working on transmissions But that's the way I store it. Take the pressure off the spring, all of them.

I just installed one and because of the geniuses online I used a compressor to test it. You’re supposed to go to the shoulder on Milspec barrels but It doesn’t really matter because it’s huge. I went all the way to the shoulder. It’s only for barrels made for hand guards. JP Enterprises actually has it in their instructions. They make excellent gas blocks

As oppose to under thinking it??

If it disassembles at the range, you might need to improve your process.

You mean like these guys are? People recommending the URR (and similar), aren't the ones overthinking the interaction of the tools and parts.

Now this is some good data! Leaves me with a question, how many people check calibration?

Now I'm a professional mechanic for a multi billion dollar corporation, so I understand we may not be the norm, but, our torque wrenches are calibrated 4 times a year. Again, probably for liability, but they get shipped off very 3 months and we get new ones in return (well, recalibrated ones).

It's not that you shouldn't ever loosen fasteners with a torque wrench. That's not the issue. The issue is when you go over the max torque spec for that specific tool. Most have a reverse gear for left handed fasteners. But if you use it as a breaker bar and go over the max rating, it can damage the spring and cause calibration issues. But they neglected to say that part. Instead, they make it sound like you can just loosen anything without concern. Which simply isn't true.

I was quoted as saying the opposite at 6:05 lol

@@CalebSavant I know that 😝 That device you demonstrated is interesting. However, I have the reaction rods and will continue using them. Especially for installing and removing muzzle devices because they secure the barrel itself, not the receiver the barrel is attached to. I “get” your point that if the torque needed to remove a muzzle device is enough to damage the receiver we have bigger problems.

Send them back, 100% satisfaction guarantee!

But they look nice hanging on your shop wall.🔧

So you're a felon?

More likely a resident of Kalifornia.

@@72polara Close, Peoples Republic of Washington, semi-auto ban.

@@didamnesia3575 wow, just wow.

THIS!!!!

There is a lot of broken and sheared barrel extension pins if you cared to look..Must be a lot imagination going around lol..

Just my 2 cents: I'd install an adjustable gas block "just in case", as in better to have it.... If you want to add a suppressor, it'd be good to have that adjustment capability.

Lol I started building my ars with the plastic clamp around one build like 5 with it don't use it anymore but it's with all my other gun tools just on case , it worked fine for the 1st ones I build years ago

Those are fine, just a bit dated.

Yep. Agree with previous commentor.... I have at least 2 that I've put together that wat with over 2 k rounds... no issue whatsoever. That said, I did "ding" a brass deflector with the vise jaw due to inattention using those..... but completely my fault. I like the magpul bev block. As it's easier to set up in my opinion. About $30 when on sale. And again, that rod they showed is easier to set up and clamp down, not necessarily superior for quality of build.

Still a useful tool to keep in your tool box, but it’ll most likely not fit billet or other uniquely shaped upper receivers.

@@Artie760 interesting. Didn't realize that, thanks!

I have that plastic clamp style with the tube, the only thing i dont like about it is it will leave a mark on the finish.

It is not a myth and he proved nothing..The reaction rod with a sail prevents the barrel from clocking in the upper unlike other methods..This is how we fix clocked barrels..

I always back the torch regulators off when I'm done too. Really aggravates the next guy, lol.

True, good practice to tune them down. I should probably start doing that for the work ones.

You can..

I’m curious, what AR has a barrel nut torqued to 120 ftlbs?

@@TheArmamentShop Ones the customer red loctited the threads because some nimrod on the internet told him to do it..

@@TheArmamentShop FAL Imbel kit with the receiver stub still on the barrel. I don’t know what torque specs Imbel used but I have had to use a cut off wheel, hammer and chisel to split the receiver stub to get it off. Steel receivers with threaded barrels sometimes require high torque to time the barrel within specs, without shaving the barrel shoulder.

I checked last week, there was only black, stainless, and parkerizing gray I believe

@@msquared9605 I'm checking every other day. Amazon has odg, tan, black, dk grey and clear. I need coyote or dk earth so I can do my build.

What people??

It's called a thermal fit..

Yes. Just heat it slightly with a heat gun or propane torch. It will be fine. Some manufacturers do this on purpose. BCM specifically.

You can exceed 35 ft-lbs on the barrel nut if more torque is needed to properly index to the gas tube and/or handguard. The spec is a minimum of 30 ft-lbs and a maximum of 80 ft-lbs. Shims may be needed to get close to the proper indexing and torque.

@@paullinkins8121 good to know. Thank you. It was already tight as fudge, and I THINK I didn’t need any shims. Hopefully I’m OK. I did it at 35. It is Areo upper but the barrel is a $350 criterion CHF CMV Crome lined “core”...WYLDE… And I think that checks every freaking box that exists for a barrel. But anyway, it’s a high-quality barrel and it fits extremely tight. I didn’t need to heat up the upper or anything like that, but I certainly could not find any wiggle room. A little bit difficult to fit, but the grease helped. I guess I’ll find out if I have any accuracy issues. It’s 13.9 anyway so I don’t know what kind of MOA to expect.