AR Stock removal

[flydad&son]

My son has an AR and last week for his birthday I got him one of those loop style slings. Kit came with the sling, a wrench and the retaining ring. This ring needs to be mounted at the front of the stock just before the receiver. My son is pretty strong and we could not get the locking nut loose to mount the retainer ring. Any suggestions?

[Dubious]

Tappity Tap Tap with a hammer. When you put it back on make sure you put some grease on that guy. If you have an ar block and a vice it’s a nice sturdy platform to work off of and make assembly and disassembly easy you can get one online pretty cheap.

[Attilathecanuk]

May be staked. Watch this it may help. https://youtu.be/IIEJwPCwmX8

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by Attilathecanuk

May be staked. Watch this it may help. https://youtu.be/IIEJwPCwmX8

Just don't lose the selector detent and spring.

Grizz

[45-70man]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams

Just don't lose the selector detent and spring.

Grizz

The selector spring/detent is under the pistol grip on any AR I’ve worked on.
The buffer detent could be lost when removing the buffer tube but it’s a non critical part. Or the rear pin detent, another non critical part, but nice to have.
I would recommend using a proper vise block but if you want to poor boy it you can use an old mag in a vise and hold onto the pistol grip while torquing on the wrench.

[fordtruckin]

Originally Posted by 45-70man

The selector spring/detent is under the pistol grip on any AR I’ve worked on.
The buffer detent could be lost when removing the buffer tube but it’s a non critical part. Or the rear pin detent, another non critical part, but nice to have.
I would recommend using a proper vise block but if you want to poor boy it you can use an old mag in a vise and hold onto the pistol grip while torquing on the wrench.

I wouldn’t exactly call them non critical. Yes the gun will function without them but they are there for a reason and prefer to have them both on my 556 and 300.

[barsik]

there is a spring held captive under the plate which is held by the receiver extension castle nut and it holds the retaining pin under pressure against the rear takedown pin. after you have bent this little spring once while assembling a stripped lower you will not make the same mistake twice. if you lose either the detent spring or the detent, the takedown pin will not stay in place.

[45-70man]

I guess I’ve always had tight tolerances between the receiver and the take down pin/fixed take down pins.
The big take away should be There’s springs with stored energy wear your safety glasses, have a rag handy to catch the parts and have a spare parts kit for your AR.

[barsik]

Originally Posted by 45-70man

I guess I’ve always had tight tolerances between the receiver and the take down pin/fixed take down pins.
The big take away should be There’s springs with stored energy wear your safety glasses, have a rag handy to catch the parts and have a spare parts kit for your AR.

work in the bathroom with the toilet seat cover down and both the tub and sink drains closed, furnace duct covered. those detent pins are tiny, and until you have one in the palm of your hand you don't know what you are dealing with. super easy to lose and AR parts are getting harder to find. you are right to have a spare LPK in your range bag, hammer pins break occasionally too.

[flydad&son]

Hey gang, thanks for the various ideas and thoughts. Yes definitely will be careful with the springs. I made a mag well block on the table saw and clamped it into the bench vice which made a sturdy platform to work. I am a little concerned on the fit of the wrench as it does not seem to bite well in the slots. I may get a better wrench than the one that came with the sling. Thanks again.

[CaberTosser]

Be careful putting lots of torque on that with the vice block in the mag well, keep in mind that all of the torque applied will be transmitted to the lower through the two pins that mate the upper and lower, as well as the metal they're embedded in. There are clamshell type vice blocks that allow you to put the upper in a vice by itself, which eliminates any possible bending of the upper/lower pin mating points.

Example: https://www.wheelertools.com/gunsmit...4.html#start=1

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

Be careful putting lots of torque on that with the vice block in the mag well, keep in mind that all of the torque applied will be transmitted to the lower through the two pins that mate the upper and lower, as well as the metal they're embedded in. There are clamshell type vice blocks that allow you to put the upper in a vice by itself, which eliminates any possible bending of the upper/lower pin mating points.

Example: https://www.wheelertools.com/gunsmit...4.html#start=1

Never forget you're dealing with aluminum, not steel.

Grizz

[CaberTosser]

Duh, I showed the block for the upper when the buffer tube is attached to the lower. There are similar vice blocks for the lower