Issue with very tight barrel nut

[gaz]

I didn’t want to make another topic right after the last one but I need help with this.

The stock nylon barrel nut on my hk416 is on rather tight and no amount of force seems to budge it. I’ve used a grip cloths to twist the barrel nut but to no avail. I also tried using a pipe wrench and an adjustable wrench to twist it but the nylon is too smooth to get any grip.
Anyone knows a good solution?

[Sprocketj]

Not that I have one but is there a grub screw? Or is it reverse thread?

[Ryan]

Strange, normally just spin anti-clockwise to undo in my experiences with them…

[gaz]

That’s normally how you undo them but the one I got is absolutely tight.

[gaz]

I ordered a strap wrench. I hope to god it works to untwist the smooth surface of the nut. The wrench will only start shipping on Monday so add that to my anxiety of waiting.
If the strap wrench also fails to loosen the nut, I’m just going to take a wire hand saw and cut the barrel nut off…

[Ryan]

Someone must have been having a bad day when assembling it and thought they might ruin the day of the next person to pull it apart so they loctited the shit out of it.

[Staxel]

I can’t speak to V3.0 416’s but on the 2.5’s I have, the barrel nut is a 3-piece part. The threaded part is made up two clamshell halves, which are held together by a slip-on sleeve.

1. Try turning the left half, the part with the large groove, the right half may just be spinning under your tools
2. If that fails and you still need to cut it, try slicing a fine line over the right-hand half (the sleeve); use a scalpel/craft knife/stanley knife, make a straight, clean cut and go over it repeatedly until the collar splits. That may relieve the nut for you to turn it.

Good luck!

[gaz]

That’s what my modder told me as well lol…

[gaz]

Ok, I’ll try that, I’ve been turning the bottom half part. Didn’t come to mind that it might be two different parts.

Update: Well, it’s also on very tight. My option now is to wait for the strap wrench I ordered to sent here. Then I’ll attempt at twisting the upper part of the barrel nut.

[gaz]

Everything else failed to loosen the nut so I decided to cut it off with a rotary tool :T

Not to worry about the damaged barrel nut & outer barrel. I bought warinterest outer and handguard to replace. That’s the end of my plight.