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Posted: 6/11/2016 12:29:30 PM EDT
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I am trying to change the end plate on my DD. Would you guys suggest I buy a vise block and vise, or make my own vise block from wood. I live in Houston and thought I would try to get this locally from Plastix Plus.
http://www.pptexas.com/index.php/ar15-products/product/39-vise-block Do you guys think a cleaning stand like this below could take the torque of tightening a castle nut? http://www.pptexas.com/index.php/ar15-products/product/51-cleaning-stand-with-barrel-support-and-parts-tray Thanks. |
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You can get a perfectly good vise block on ebay for $11 shipped
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NO-M-A-R-AR-15-Lower-Receiver-Vise-Block-Armorers-Gunsmith-Bench-Tool-223-556-/272249613594?hash=item3f63576d1a:g:bpYAAOSwu4BV1T0M There are even some cheaper ones but they look kinda crappy. I also use a cheap small vise from Lowes: http://www.lowes.com/pd/IRWIN-4-in-Vise/50168511 which works perfectly for all operations on the lower or even the upper if using the plastixrevolution 2 piece upper vise block set: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NO-M-A-R-AR-15-Upper-Receiver-Vise-Block-Gunsmith-556-223-4-15-Barrel-Nut-Tool-/272249613418?hash=item3f63576c6a:g:ipAAAOSwBLlVclTc |
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You don't need a lower receiver vise block, however you do need a vise and a sturdy work bench.
Contrary to popular belief you can't reach the proper torque spec for tightening a receiver extension or castle nut by holding the lower receiver only with your hands or between your knees. The correct way is to use lined vise jaw caps and clamp the lower receiver itself (close to where the receiver extension threads in) in the vise. Also, don't forget to use moly grease on the threads of the receiver extension or castle nut. Torque spec for rifle receiver extension is 35 to 39 FOOT POUNDS. Torque spec for carbine receiver extension/castle nut is 38 to 42 FOOT POUNDS. |
If you're going to torque the castle nut per specs instead of just getting it "that tight," then you'll need to secure the lower in a vise. Some of us like the idea that they didn't just Bubba the thing together, and some of us are CDO about it. (CDO is like OCD except in alphabetical order, like it should be!  ).*
You can a) hold the receiver extension in a vise with blocks to accommodate the diameter, b) use wooden blocks to pad the sides of the lower in a vise, or c) spend a lot of time and money buying or producing a customized, "perfectly fitted" set of jaws for this purpose. I did that with wood blocks, and it worked, but it turned out to be big time overkill. I'll use scrap 1-by stock to pad the next lower I install a castle nut on. *No complaints, please. Not only did I try hard to make that appear to be the joke I meant it to be, but I'm a mental health professional too. Really. So it's a joke and let's laugh and move on, ok? 
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If you're going to torque the castle nut per specs instead of just getting it "that tight," then you'll need to secure the lower in a vise. Some of us like the idea that they didn't just Bubba the thing together, and some of us are CDO about it. (CDO is like OCD except in alphabetical order, like it should be! ).*
You can a) hold the receiver extension in a vise with blocks to accommodate the diameter, b) use wooden blocks to pad the sides of the lower in a vise, or c) spend a lot of time and money buying or producing a customized, "perfectly fitted" set of jaws for this purpose. I did that with wood blocks, and it worked, but it turned out to be big time overkill. I'll use scrap 1-by stock to pad the next lower I install a castle nut on. *No complaints, please. Not only did I try hard to make that appear to be the joke I meant it to be, but I'm a mental health professional too. Really. So it's a joke and let's laugh and move on, ok? Didn't hurt my feelings and I have a bunch of OCD tics, to include the proper assembly of the AR15. 
I was using > these < to clamp the lower in the vise but the rubber had to much give for my liking. Now I'm going to be testing out > these < combined with > these < soon enough. |
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Quoted: You can get a perfectly good vise block on ebay for $11 shipped http://www.ebay.com/itm/NO-M-A-R-AR-15-Lower-Receiver-Vise-Block-Armorers-Gunsmith-Bench-Tool-223-556-/272249613594?hash=item3f63576d1a:g:bpYAAOSwu4BV1T0M There are even some cheaper ones but they look kinda crappy. I also use a cheap small vise from Lowes: http://www.lowes.com/pd/IRWIN-4-in-Vise/50168511 which works perfectly for all operations on the lower or even the upper if using the plastixrevolution 2 piece upper vise block set: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NO-M-A-R-AR-15-Upper-Receiver-Vise-Block-Gunsmith-556-223-4-15-Barrel-Nut-Tool-/272249613418?hash=item3f63576c6a:g:ipAAAOSwBLlVclTc Google the sellers name and find their website, it's cheaper directly through them. |
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You can get a perfectly good vise block on ebay for $11 shipped http://www.ebay.com/itm/NO-M-A-R-AR-15-Lower-Receiver-Vise-Block-Armorers-Gunsmith-Bench-Tool-223-556-/272249613594?hash=item3f63576d1a:g:bpYAAOSwu4BV1T0M There are even some cheaper ones but they look kinda crappy. I also use a cheap small vise from Lowes: http://www.lowes.com/pd/IRWIN-4-in-Vise/50168511 which works perfectly for all operations on the lower or even the upper if using the plastixrevolution 2 piece upper vise block set: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NO-M-A-R-AR-15-Upper-Receiver-Vise-Block-Gunsmith-556-223-4-15-Barrel-Nut-Tool-/272249613418?hash=item3f63576c6a:g:ipAAAOSwBLlVclTc I'm pretty sure that's the same seller I got my blocks from years ago. Mine are white delrin instead of black After looking at those I feel a little dumb as mine are a little thicker and I actually bought a larger vise so they would fit. Now I realize I could have just cut them down a little
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I am trying to change the end plate on my DD. Would you guys suggest I buy a vise block and vise, or make my own vise block from wood. I live in Houston and thought I would try to get this locally from Plastix Plus. http://www.pptexas.com/index.php/ar15-products/product/39-vise-block Do you guys think a cleaning stand like this below could take the torque of tightening a castle nut? http://www.pptexas.com/index.php/ar15-products/product/51-cleaning-stand-with-barrel-support-and-parts-tray Thanks. The cleaning stand is just that... A cleaning stand. As for the magwell vise blocks I personally do not like them for torquing a castle nut as there is a slight chance you can bend your lower (It has happened). Personally I just use the magwell vise blocks to hold the lower when putting in the other lower components (Trigger, Takedown/Pivot Pin, Safety, Grip, Mag Catch. For taking off or putting on a castle nut I suggest putting several layers of duct tape over your vise jaws and clamping down on the receiver extension's rail section (The square part that your stock interlocks with). With my Wilton vise 4-5 layers depending on the quality of duct tape is enough to prevent the knurling of the vise jaw from making any marks in my receiver extension and it hold it very firmly while you torque on the castle nut. Its a free solution (assuming you have duct tape) that works well. As for vise my recommendation falls into 3 suggestions: 1) You're going to use it 1 time for changing a castle nut but have no use for a vise = Buy the most expensive Chinese made crap you can find in store from your local big box hardware store. Mount it, use it and return it. Hint = Anything you find in a Homedepot, Menards, Ect type box stores in the vise section is crap and will break with any serious use, read the reviews and there are dozens of stories of the Jaw Plates Cracking, The ENTIRE Vise splitting in half ect on a regular basis. 2) You want a vise that will hold up well to continued use over years of home enthusiast projects and should last the average handyman wrench turner a lifetime buy a decent quality vise. The best vise I have ever found under $300 is the Wilton 21400 Mechanics Vise. You can buy one for $185 w/ free shipping on cpooutlets.com. Its pretty much the only vise I know of in its price point that is made of quality 30,000psi ductile iron and it comes with a lifetime warranty so unless you are doing heavy/daily use will never need to cash in on. (Because is not Chinese crap) 3) You need a vise that will last a lifetime and you are actually using your tools for a living (Heavy and or Daily Use). Buy something like a Wilton USA Billet 500S or something of comparable quality. They can be found for about $900 but its the last vise you will ever buy. DONT BELIEVE ME ON VISES? There are forums larger than most gun forums dedicated to vises. Do some homework and you will quickly find out I am right...... And for the record I put my money where my mouth is. I bought a Wilton 21400 Mechanics Vise because I wanted something that will last and love it. Only reason I didnt buy a Wilton 500S is because I am inheriting my Machinist Fathers pre World War 2 Vise that is built like a tank and weighs over 100lbs. |
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The cleaning stand is just that... A cleaning stand. As for the magwell vise blocks I personally do not like them for torquing a castle nut as there is a slight chance you can bend your lower (It has happened). Personally I just use the magwell vise blocks to hold the lower when putting in the other lower components (Trigger, Takedown/Pivot Pin, Safety, Grip, Mag Catch. For taking off or putting on a castle nut I suggest putting several layers of duct tape over your vise jaws and clamping down on the receiver extension's rail section (The square part that your stock interlocks with). With my Wilton vise 4-5 layers depending on the quality of duct tape is enough to prevent the knurling of the vise jaw from making any marks in my receiver extension and it hold it very firmly while you torque on the castle nut. Its a free solution (assuming you have duct tape) that works well. As for vise my recommendation falls into 3 suggestions: 1) You're going to use it 1 time for changing a castle nut but have no use for a vise = Buy the most expensive Chinese made crap you can find in store from your local big box hardware store. Mount it, use it and return it. Hint = Anything you find in a Homedepot, Menards, Ect type box stores in the vise section is crap and will break with any serious use, read the reviews and there are dozens of stories of the Jaw Plates Cracking, The ENTIRE Vise splitting in half ect on a regular basis. 2) You want a vise that will hold up well to continued use over years of home enthusiast projects and should last the average handyman wrench turner a lifetime buy a decent quality vise. The best vise I have ever found under $300 is the Wilton 21400 Mechanics Vise. You can buy one for $185 w/ free shipping on . Its pretty much the only vise I know of in its price point that is made of quality 30,000psi ductile iron and it comes with a lifetime warranty so unless you are doing heavy/daily use will never need to cash in on. (Because is not Chinese crap) 3) You need a vise that will last a lifetime and you are actually using your tools for a living (Heavy and or Daily Use). Buy something like a Wilton USA Billet 500S or something of comparable quality. They can be found for about $900 but its the last vise you will ever buy. DONT BELIEVE ME ON VISES? There are forums larger than most gun forums dedicated to vises. Do some homework and you will quickly find out I am right...... And for the record I put my money where my mouth is. I bought a Wilton 21400 Mechanics Vise because I wanted something that will last and love it. Only reason I didnt buy a Wilton 500S is because I am inheriting my Machinist Fathers pre World War 2 Vise that is built like a tank and weighs over 100lbs. Quoted:
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I am trying to change the end plate on my DD. Would you guys suggest I buy a vise block and vise, or make my own vise block from wood. I live in Houston and thought I would try to get this locally from Plastix Plus. http://www.pptexas.com/index.php/ar15-products/product/39-vise-block Do you guys think a cleaning stand like this below could take the torque of tightening a castle nut? http://www.pptexas.com/index.php/ar15-products/product/51-cleaning-stand-with-barrel-support-and-parts-tray Thanks. The cleaning stand is just that... A cleaning stand. As for the magwell vise blocks I personally do not like them for torquing a castle nut as there is a slight chance you can bend your lower (It has happened). Personally I just use the magwell vise blocks to hold the lower when putting in the other lower components (Trigger, Takedown/Pivot Pin, Safety, Grip, Mag Catch. For taking off or putting on a castle nut I suggest putting several layers of duct tape over your vise jaws and clamping down on the receiver extension's rail section (The square part that your stock interlocks with). With my Wilton vise 4-5 layers depending on the quality of duct tape is enough to prevent the knurling of the vise jaw from making any marks in my receiver extension and it hold it very firmly while you torque on the castle nut. Its a free solution (assuming you have duct tape) that works well. As for vise my recommendation falls into 3 suggestions: 1) You're going to use it 1 time for changing a castle nut but have no use for a vise = Buy the most expensive Chinese made crap you can find in store from your local big box hardware store. Mount it, use it and return it. Hint = Anything you find in a Homedepot, Menards, Ect type box stores in the vise section is crap and will break with any serious use, read the reviews and there are dozens of stories of the Jaw Plates Cracking, The ENTIRE Vise splitting in half ect on a regular basis. 2) You want a vise that will hold up well to continued use over years of home enthusiast projects and should last the average handyman wrench turner a lifetime buy a decent quality vise. The best vise I have ever found under $300 is the Wilton 21400 Mechanics Vise. You can buy one for $185 w/ free shipping on . Its pretty much the only vise I know of in its price point that is made of quality 30,000psi ductile iron and it comes with a lifetime warranty so unless you are doing heavy/daily use will never need to cash in on. (Because is not Chinese crap) 3) You need a vise that will last a lifetime and you are actually using your tools for a living (Heavy and or Daily Use). Buy something like a Wilton USA Billet 500S or something of comparable quality. They can be found for about $900 but its the last vise you will ever buy. DONT BELIEVE ME ON VISES? There are forums larger than most gun forums dedicated to vises. Do some homework and you will quickly find out I am right...... And for the record I put my money where my mouth is. I bought a Wilton 21400 Mechanics Vise because I wanted something that will last and love it. Only reason I didnt buy a Wilton 500S is because I am inheriting my Machinist Fathers pre World War 2 Vise that is built like a tank and weighs over 100lbs. In red above. While I own this exact vise and it is very nice I hate to rain on your parade as it is Chi-Com made for Wilton, said so right on the box. It's a hell of a vise though for the money and I doubt you will ever break it, I got mine for $100 off craigslist new in box. |
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I am trying to change the end plate on my DD. Would you guys suggest I buy a vise block and vise, or make my own vise block from wood. I live in Houston and thought I would try to get this locally from Plastix Plus. http://www.pptexas.com/index.php/ar15-products/product/39-vise-block Do you guys think a cleaning stand like this below could take the torque of tightening a castle nut? http://www.pptexas.com/index.php/ar15-products/product/51-cleaning-stand-with-barrel-support-and-parts-tray Thanks. After reading all the replies I think you should plan on a vise and some sort of lower block. Any of them will work for your purpose, whether made or bought. Don't use a cleaning stand, it's not secure enough and doesn't hold where you need it. And welcome to the world of many opinions about which vise and which block. Wait until you start to explore options for upper blocks!! |
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I got a magpul BEV locally. Seems to work just fine and the reviews I found before purchasing seemed good. How do I torque a castle nut properly with my RRA wrench? http://www.brownells.com/aspx/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=16882 You can't, that wrench sucks. Get this one. > Link. Or this one. > Link. Or this one. > Link. Or this one. > Link. I would not attempt to torque to spec with only a magwell vise block as you can warp and possibly crack a lower by doing so. |
| I spent just under a hundred bucks on my 6" bench vise at Lowes and when I took it out of the Box to mount, on the bottom of the Vise, it says Wilton, Made in China, so Wilton has China make some of their vises, just as any other company these days, use Chinese companies. |
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Or try some of this company's products. You still need a bench vise though.
https://www.plastixrevolution.net/ |
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I have this Wilton machinist vise. > http://www.wiltontools.com/us/en/p/machinist-4-jaw-round-channel-vise-with-swivel-base/10016
It's made in the USA... Not cheap either.
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I have this Wilton machinist vise. > http://www.wiltontools.com/us/en/p/machinist-4-jaw-round-channel-vise-with-swivel-base/10016 It's made in the USA... Not cheap either. +1. Nice choice for a bench vise. |
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+1. Nice choice for a bench vise. Quoted:
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I have this Wilton machinist vise. > http://www.wiltontools.com/us/en/p/machinist-4-jaw-round-channel-vise-with-swivel-base/10016 It's made in the USA... Not cheap either. +1. Nice choice for a bench vise. It sure is, I went with the 4 inch model because it works perfect with most of my AR vise blocks. I would have got the 5 inch model but it cost so much more and I really didn't need the extra inch. The 4 inch model cost me $569.00 |
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I got a magpul BEV locally. Seems to work just fine and the reviews I found before purchasing seemed good. How do I torque a castle nut properly with my RRA wrench? http://www.brownells.com/aspx/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=16882 You can't, that wrench sucks. Get this one. > Link. Or this one. > Link. Or this one. > Link. Or this one. > Link. I would not attempt to torque to spec with only a magwell vise block as you can warp and possibly crack a lower by doing so. I have the Spike's wrench (the first link above) and it's excellent. I agree about mounting a lower on a magwell block - it's not a good idea. Like I've said, wooden blocks on the sides of the lower (I carved out spots for the selector and selector stops) is the way to go. |
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I got a magpul BEV locally. Seems to work just fine and the reviews I found before purchasing seemed good. How do I torque a castle nut properly with my RRA wrench? http://www.brownells.com/aspx/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=16882 You can't, that wrench sucks. Get this one. > Link. Or this one. > Link. Or this one. > Link. Or this one. > Link. I would not attempt to torque to spec with only a magwell vise block as you can warp and possibly crack a lower by doing so. I will return mine to brownells and get this one: http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/rifle-tools/wrenches/car-15-m4-buttstock-wrench-prod27454.aspx Or the hammerhead, plus a torque wrench. Is Tekton an alright brand for torque wrench? Lowes has a 10-150 ft-lbs for $41. |
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I will return mine to brownells and get this one: http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/rifle-tools/wrenches/car-15-m4-buttstock-wrench-prod27454.aspx Or the hammerhead, plus a torque wrench. Is Tekton an alright brand for torque wrench? Lowes has a 10-150 ft-lbs for $41. Quoted:
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I got a magpul BEV locally. Seems to work just fine and the reviews I found before purchasing seemed good. How do I torque a castle nut properly with my RRA wrench? http://www.brownells.com/aspx/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=16882 You can't, that wrench sucks. Get this one. > Link. Or this one. > Link. Or this one. > Link. Or this one. > Link. I would not attempt to torque to spec with only a magwell vise block as you can warp and possibly crack a lower by doing so. I will return mine to brownells and get this one: http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/rifle-tools/wrenches/car-15-m4-buttstock-wrench-prod27454.aspx Or the hammerhead, plus a torque wrench. Is Tekton an alright brand for torque wrench? Lowes has a 10-150 ft-lbs for $41. Your torque wrench goes in the square hole, IN LINE with the wrench. Simply turn the castle nut until you get the proper torque, which is 40 ±2 foot-pounds. Or you could watch the video on the Brownell's web page for that wrench. It's on the "Learn" tab... |
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For a vice on the cheap watch shop sales for used ones.
I used one of dad's vices, he has had a tractor shop for 30 years. No idea what brand they are but it didn't blink at torquing my barrel nut. Featherweight work compared to what they have seen for the last three decades. No torch or impact required. Guys retiring/selling out will be getting rid if this kind of thing. Mine has an A2 stock (and so will my next one) so I have never dealt with it but now you have me wondering, has anyone actually hurt a magwell by using a vice block to torque the castle nut? |
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