How To Remove Crush Washer From Barrel

How to Remove an A2 Muzzle Device

How to Remove an A2 Muzzle Device & How to Install a New Muzzle Device

With a bonus tip on how to fourth dimension them!

As most of you know already, we like to indulge in all things NFA. But when it comes to getting a new silencer for your firearm, there's potentially one more step standing in the way of fulfilling all your suppressed shooting needs, and that'southward how to remove your original muzzle device, and how to install a new one.

Now, yous may have caught the caveat above when we say potentially. Some silencers take your original muzzle device; that data is usually on the manufacturer's website if y'all're questioning whether or non the one you lot take, or the i y'all're interested in, does.

Removing your A2 muzzle device

We're not trying to over-complicate a simple consequence here. Some people may exist thinking that you just unscrew information technology and wham-bam it's washed. Others may exist thinking it's got to exist complicated considering there'southward a full blog post defended to it. Well, we're hither to let yous know it's a lot simpler than you may think. It all depends on how it was put on to the host firearm to brainstorm with though, so we'll touch on each selection below.

First and foremost, it is very important that you secure the barrel before trying to alter or adjust annihilation. We recommend using a butt clamp or reaction rod to prevent whatever angle, shearing, or breaking. Though you lot can (and we have) get away with simply clamping your receiver in a vice. It all depends on how secure the butt is on the device. Merely note that if you lot are not secured in a barrel block or to a reaction rod, you are going to be exerting force on your barrel alphabetize pivot which is non infallible. This is why we recommend torqueing against the butt itself.

Side by side, yous need to determine how the device was secured, and so we'd propose you go in this order based on what we've experienced:

Pin-and-Weld

The get-go thing y'all'll want to look for is markings on the muzzle device itself for a pin-and-weld. This is usually used for barrels where, if the muzzle device is removed, they are shorter than xvi inches, making information technology crave paperwork for being considered a brusque barrel burglarize, or SBR. In this particular case, the muzzle device is usually pivot and welded on to the butt to brand information technology a 16-inches or longer.

Silencer Store Note:

The removal of a pin-and-welded device on an existing burglarize with a barrel shorter than xvi inches constitutes constructing a Short Barrel Burglarize. You need to already have an approved Form 1 before attempting this procedure yourself.

The easiest mode to spot a pin-and-weld job is to observe the circumference of the rear role of the muzzle device toward the shooter. In well-nigh every case, there will be a noticeable three-5mm hole that's filled with a metal pin and welded over. In many cases, that weld is finished, and will be smooth, just notwithstanding noticeable.

Whether yous decide to go to a gunsmith, or you want a DIY task, to remove a pin and weld, cut and sparks will be involved (for safety purposes, we must note that if this is something you're wanting to attack on your own, protective gear is always advised). We'd recommend an angle grinder with a cutting off wheel. You'll want to employ the angle grinder to the top of the weld and to cutting through the weld to betrayal the pin. Recall, y'all just need to cut through the surface weld, NOT the threading on the barrel.

Tightly Screwed On

Once you determine that there are no pin-and-weld markings, might want to endeavor is to employ a wrench to see if it will unscrew on its own. If it seems too difficult to remove, and won't budge with a wrench, Loctite or Rocksett may take been used.

Loctite

Threadlocker

The most common way a muzzle device is secured to a firearm is by Loctite, a compound that breaks down nether heat. If y'all've got one, a blow torch can be used to heat up the threads and loosen the Loctite. Obviously the amount of heat you employ and time it volition take volition depend on your rut source, just the idea here is to go the threads hot only not red hot. Side annotation: Near heat guns (not blow dryers but proper heat guns) volition oestrus metallic upwardly to the 400-500 degrees needed to defeat red thread locker but forced air is not nearly every bit efficient as straight flame in this application. If a heat gun is all you take, information technology will work, yous're but going to be standing in that location for a while.

Rocksett

A less likely, but still potential securement of a muzzle device is using Rocksett. Rocksett is an interesting material and at that place is a considerable amount of misinformation out at that place on this substance. We'll start by saying that – in most instances – Rocksett can exist defeated by simply applying torque. It is a ceramic cement that is intended to secure threads from vibrating loose under temperatures upwardly to 2000 degrees. Past definition, this ceramic is a h2o-soluble compound, meaning it breaks down when wet. If you are experiencing whatsoever trouble torqueing off a device that was secured with Rocksett, you lot'll need to soak the muzzle side of the barrel in warm water for a few hours at to the lowest degree. Before doing and then, it'due south highly recommended that you spray WD-40 down the barrel to prevent whatsoever rusting or damage to it.

Side note: There will be someone who tells you lot that they got their Rocksett off by applying rut. This person is non incorrect. They did apply heat and the device did come loose. Just the device would have come up off without heat anyhow. See in a higher place regarding heat rating of Rocksett.

Out with the onetime, in with the new

Any y'all decide to do with your removed A2 muzzle device, take the crush washer that was put on the firearm and put it wherever that original device is going. Nosotros repeat – DO NOT re-use the original beat out washer. You'll need to apply the new shims that near likely came with your new muzzle device.

How to Install a new Cage Device

At this point, y'all're in the home stretch. If y'all've perused our site, yous may have already seen that there are more than a few muzzle device options out there, so installing one depends on what type yous purchased, or what might have come with your silencer. About manufacturers volition provide you with a torque specification that they recommend for installing their devices. In most cases information technology is somewhere betwixt 25 and 35 foot pounds. If your device did not have a recommendation, 30ft lb has ever done well for us and not caused usa any issues with the crown or shoulder.

To install a flash hider or omnidirectional cage device

If the muzzle device is a wink hider (like an AAC 51T], for example), or omnidirectional (similar this Q Cherry Bomb), simply screw it on with the appropriately-sized wrench (a torque wrench is preferred and so you know how many pes-pounds you're tightening it) or ratchet depending on the mount.

To install a muzzle device that needs to exist timed

If you're installing a cage brake (like a Rugged brake [https://www.silencershop.com/rugged-muzzle-brakes.html]), or your new device has an indexing notch and you want to fourth dimension it (like this Dead Air device [https://www.silencershop.com/dead-air-wink-hider.html]), y'all'll need to time information technology using shims. Shims almost likely came with the device when you bought information technology.

Smart hack for timing a muzzle device

The easiest style to time your device is to spiral information technology all the way onto the barrel until information technology bottoms out. You practise not need to tighten it, merely get to the point where you lot can't rotate it anymore with your hands. Then, un-thread the muzzle device until it is in proper alignment. Use your shims past sliding them into the gap created betwixt the shoulder of the butt and the muzzle device. Stack and suit your shims until you are able to fill the gap created with your shim combination. Dorsum the muzzle device off all the way and place the shim(southward) over the threads on the barrel. So reinstall your cage device.

Typically, when you tighten your new device by hand, it should fall betwixt xv to 25 degrees brusk of aligned. A torque wrench should put you into proper alignment, but in that location will exist some guess work involved to fully align it. At the cease of the twenty-four hours, if information technology's 34 foot-pounds (the measure of rotational torque) to get it properly aligned, it's okay as long as it is properly aligned.

Final thoughts

Keep in listen that if your butt is shorter than xvi inches when your pivot and welded muzzle device is removed, you lot'll either need to re-pivot and weld the new muzzle device on to it, or you'll need to Form 1 information technology to register the burglarize as a SBR. Unless you're a hardcore DIY-er, we recommend taking information technology to your trusted gunsmith to pin and weld your new device on to your rifle; they'll take the correct tools, and it's adequately inexpensive and quick. We've covered a lot of data and got into the weeds with some stuff. Every bit ever, if you accept any boosted questions, contact us! Additionally, if you want to read a little more most muzzle devices, we become in to the nitty gritty with them hither.