Barrel Nut Disadvantages?

[Eagle Six]

An while we are talking about nuts. I have two! Remington and Savage . I personally like the Savage best for looks and it is easier to torque with my calibrated Millwright hammer wrench.

Is that your strong arm?!?!

 

[Old Navy]

Is that your strong arm?!?!

Yes!

 

[jds holler]

An while we are talking about nuts. I have two! Remington and Savage . I personally like the Savage best for looks and it is easier to torque with my calibrated Millwright hammer wrench.

You sound like a man after my own heart. I don't have a calibrated millwright hammer wrench, but instead used my precision weighted hickory torque stick.
jd

 

[DShortt]

There's a REALLY bad joke or 5 in there somewhere.........

 

[jackieschmidt]

One of Issac Newton’s unpublished laws of motion is……..” You can do anything with a big hammer that you can do with a little hammer, but you cannot do everything with a little hammer that you can do with a big hammer.”

 

[Mark W]

An while we are talking about nuts. I have two! Remington and Savage . I personally like the Savage best for looks and it is easier to torque with my calibrated Millwright hammer wrench.

PS: Hammer wrenches are a real tool mostly used by Millwrights a long long time ago.

I saw hammer wrenches a lot in the oilfield. I don’t think most of the wellhead crews owned a torque wrench. Us production facility guys had to torque everything.

 

[Old Navy]

I saw hammer wrenches a lot in the oilfield. I don’t think most of the wellhead crews owned a torque wrench. Us production facility guys had to torque everything.

I did to when I was a working Millwright.

 

[Ksracer]

PS: Hammer wrenches are a real tool mostly used by Millwrights a long long time ago.

I've beat on my share of those things with a 12# sledge. Not that long ago, either. Probably part of the reason I just had a complete knee replacement at 45yrs old.

Hytorc's and bolt heaters are much easier on the body.

 

[AlNyhus]

On display at the Gavins Point hydro electric dam near my home. My size 11 for reference.

Possible barrel nut lash up????

 

[Rat Rifle]

On the Submarine, the kiss of death was the “Porta Power”

 

[jackieschmidt]

Al, here is one of an old set that is probably pre WW-2. We haven’t used them in years.

 

[rwj]

Al, here is one of an old set that is probably pre WW-2. We haven’t used them in years.View attachment 1430810

In my neck of the woods these are called slugging wrenches. We quickly adopted hydraulic tensioners and Super Nuts/Bolts for better preload control and user safety!

 

[Ksracer]

On display at the Gavins Point hydro electric dam near my home. My size 11 for reference.

Possible barrel nut lash up????

I can't tell for sure, but that bolt probably has a 5/8 hole through the middle of it. They are "stretched" by using a long heating element that goes in the hole. An engineer will determine how many thousands of stretch it needs to develop the proper clamping force, then it is installed to a low torque value before it is heated. Once it's hot, the nut is turned an additional number of degrees based on the thread pitch and then it clamps the parts together as it cools.

 

[Bill K]

I swap shouldered barrels all the time. I make sure I chamber them so they headspace properly.

That is great, if you have the equipment to do as you do. But for many of us, without a lathe and all, we can get a pre-fit/barrel nut and have fun with just a good barrel vise and wrench, along with some headspace gauges. Make it so nice.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

That is great, if you have the equipment to do as you do. But for many of us, without a lathe and all, we can get a pre-fit/barrel nut and have fun with just a good barrel vise and wrench, along with some headspace gauges. Make it so nice.

Somebody, somewhere had to chamber either, though. A pre-fit is usually a little cheaper and you may well be able to find what you want on the shelf as a pre fit... but it's not easier to swap than a shouldered bbl. It simply doesn't get any easier than taking one off and putting the other on.

 

[urbanrifleman]

Somebody, somewhere had to chamber either, though. A pre-fit is usually a little cheaper and you may well be able to find what you want on the shelf as a pre fit... but it's not easier to swap than a shouldered bbl. It simply doesn't get any easier than taking one off and putting the other on.

Loctite the nut during the first headspace.

Done. Now it is set to headspace to that action.

And if you change your mind, hit it with a little heat and break the nut loose. Several of my customers do this. I did it a decade ago.

 

[jds holler]

Loctite the nut during the first headspace.

Done. Now it is set to headspace to that action.

And if you change your mind, hit it with a little heat and break the nut loose. Several of my customers do this. I did it a decade ago.

This is obviously a conspiracy to sell more barrel nuts. jd

 

[memilanuk]

In my neck of the woods these are called slugging wrenches. We quickly adopted hydraulic tensioners and Super Nuts/Bolts for better preload control and user safety!

Same here. But the slugging wrenches still get used for disassembly, on the regular.

 

[BoydAllen]

It is very simple, if you never intend on removing the barrel until it is shot out go the shoulder route.
If you intend on removing it to swap barrels or for whatever reason, then you should go the barrel nut.
Me I like my Barrel Nuts.

Exhibit A

Dean View attachment 1227497

If you are talking about swapping around on the same action, you have it exactly backward. One disadvantage to the nut is it not being practical for glued bedding. I have rifles with nuts and those without.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

This nutt likes his nutt barrels and I get the performance I need and that is all that matters. In my world the advantages out outweigh the disadvantages.
happy camper