M14 Castle Nut Removal: HELP!!!

Q

Q-Man

New member
OK. I got a shim set coming in the mail for my M1A's gas system. I bought a castle nut plier (WRENCH-7790493 RIFLE M14) which has already arrived. I have a little hex-wrench at the ready. So I'm thinking I'm good to go to take off the flash suppressor and get it all ready to put the shim on when it arrives.

So, I take out the little hex screw that secures the castle nut on the flash suppressor. Next I use the WRENCH-7790493 RIFLE M14 to try and turn the castle nut, but this thing won't budge. So I try with a little more elbow grease and now I'm left with a bent out of shape WRENCH-7790493 RIFLE M14. These wrench/pliers might as well be made out of play dough for all the good they are doing me.

All of this leaves me with some questions:
1) This thing is right hand threaded, right?
2) Are these pliers meant to be so flimsy? They look to be real military surplus. If they were made out of the same type of steel as the M14 parts, they should be able to survive a nuclear holocaust.
3) Is there a source for superior quality M14 castle nut pliers that don’t bend under pressure? Perhaps pliers that are made out of tool steel?-
4) Is there a special technique or magic word that I can use to get this confounded thing off?
5) Am I missing some other thing that is holding on the nut other than that little hex screw?
 
I have yet to remove a flash hider that didn't require the use of a vise. Clamp the nut in the vise and try to turn the barrel instead.

Make up a barrel wrench by drilling a hole in a block of wood them same diameter of the barrel.
Cut the block in half, making sure to cut through the center of the hole.
Using a heavy-duty bar clamp, clamp the two pieces of block over the barrel - TIGHT!! I mean use a pair of channel-locks to tighten the clamp to the point where you're crushing the wood.
Then, slowly bump the long end of the bar clamp to try to loosen the nut.

You may go through more than one block of wood, but keep at it. Don't be suprised if you have to use the same technique to loosen the flash hider.


Before you do this, this a preban M1A, right? If not, it could be welded, soldered, or pinned onto the threads.
 
It's a recent post-ban. I don't see any welding or solder showing from the outside, nor do I see a pin. That seems like a stupid thing for Springfield to do. It’s not their responsibility to make sure you comply with the law anyway.

How can I find out if it has been welded or soldered? Will it be obvious?

Thanks for the great block of wood technique!

Do I need to put the nut on that tight when I put it back together?

When you say I may need to use the same technique to loosen the flash hider, do you mean to pull it off the end of the barrel? From what I can see, it looks like it fits into grooves in the barrel just like the gas system.
 
Wait a minute

Greetings,

Is this the first time you've removed this nut? Maybe it's a little stuck if you've been firing the gun a lot without removing the nut for cleaning.

It shouldn't be that hard. Do you have a gas cylinder wrench to aid in removal? It is shaped to fit around the figure 8 shaped gas cylinder. It could help you.

Where did you get those pliers? Mine are from Springfield and they show no deformation after five or six rifle take-downs. You must be sure they are seated properly, which can be tricky. I find it easier to place the handles of the castle nut pliers below the barrel.

I also have a recent post-ban M1A. The suppressor and nut are not pinned. Only the small hex screww holds the castle nut stationary. If you are looking down the bore of the rifle, turn the castle nut counter clockwise to remove. Sounds like you need a new wrench now. Might as well order a new castle nut too in case, well, the worst happens.

Regards.
 
I've had about 1,000 rounds through the rifle (I bought it brand new). I have never removed the flash hider before. As far as I know, removing the flash hider is a task reserved for second echelon armors and not part of the cleaning process.

I have a gas cylinder wrench and I used it with the castle nut pliers to help provide some opposing force.

The pliers I have I got from http://www.model1sales.com/ and they appear to be USGI from the WRENCH-7790493 RIFLE M14 marking. They are shaped like the ones in the diagram in the government manual that comes with the rifle. They bend before the nut even budges. Apparently they aren't made from very high carbon steel.

The handles of the pliers don't fit around the front sight very well, so I have been using them with the handles below the barrel.

I dont know if I'll need a new plier. I stuck my bent one in a vice and bent it back into shape with my hands.
 
One last thing to try

Soak some penetrating oil into it.

By the way, you're right most people probably don't remove the flash suppressor for cleaning. I do it to remove lead and carbon from the inside and to take care of the crown when I run a bore brush through. When you reassemble it, it is tricky to get the suppressor lined up exactly right with the bore. There is, of course, a tool called the flash suppressor alignment tool.

Good luck.
 
Listen to Ledbetter - sounds like he's got a gun in the same configuration as yours.

I'd still try the barrel-wrench trick if the nut still gives you trouble. A lot of expansion and contraction goes on in 1000rds, and, unfortunately, some metals have a tendancy to contract in a different place than where it started. That sucker might be stuck good (as if I had to tell you :D ).

Oh, and BTW, it is Springfield's job to make sure you're legal whne they turn out a non-LEO weapon. I suspect it's not a flash-hider at all, but it may be a muzzle-brake or fakey.


Dang I wish I had the duckets for an M1A.:(
 
I didn't have a problem getting mine off, but my shooting partner had a really tight castle nut---like your rifle. We soaked it with some penetrating oil overnight. That wasn't enough. We then iced about the last six inches of the barrel for roughly an hour. We took a hot air gun and heated the castle nut quickly. It loosened easily at that point.
 
Cold barel, hot nut. Now that's a cool... err... good idea. I might try that--couldn't hurt anything.

Do you just put a zip-lock bag full of ice on the last 6 inches of the barrel, or do you stick the end of the barrel in a bucket of ice water and hope it doesn't rust?
 
We just used a bucket of icewater in the corner of the room, with the walls supporting the inverted rifle. After removing the original flash suppressor we dried the rifle, applied some Breakfree, and installed the new PC muzzle brake. No problems with corrosion.
 
I got it off, but...

Well, I couldn't get the ice water/heat gun trick to work. I ended up using a hammer and a punch like someone suggested at the M14 collector's forum. I really had to slam it too. I thought I was going to have to cut it off before it finally gave in.

I going to need a new castle nut. This thing got a little beat up.

Thanks for the help.
 
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