Barrett MRAD 308 Muzzle Brake Removal
- Thread starter roberthu526
- Start date
OK ... an older version. All the barrel kits I've gotten over the last several years have all had the timed muzzle brake with the two pieces. Sorry ... I won't be very helpful. That said, really tough muzzle brakes on other rifles have come off for me with a combination of a really good barrel vise (with leather inserts), and variation of heat and cold ... basically burn it and freeze it until you can get it to move. My only dismal failure ... not a muzzle brake ... was unscrewing the factory barrel from a Tikka T3x TAC A1 which refused to budge no matter what I did. Had to send it to LRI and let the pro's get it off for me (which they did for a reasonable price).
Thank you! I will give the cold method a shot. This is the first brake in my 10-year shooting life that I can’t get off…
Felt the same annoyance with my Tikka barrel. Decided that at the factory, they tightened it with giant levers pulled by a team of elephants chasing a dump truck full of peanuts, after soaking threads with a half gallon of Rocksett. Posted for help with that one, and everyone agreed that TIkka is the "worst" about over-tightening their barrels. Good luck ... let me know if the burn-freeze-repeat thing works.
They use red loctite. Torque it down in your barrel vise. Apply crow foot with breaker bar and cheater pipe if necessary.
Update: tried the torch and ice combo and it still won't budge. Buying my first barrel vise now...
Try soaking in boiling water. Could be Rock-Set adhesive.
I figured you’d say something like that. Don't do that; you’re basically bracing the barrel against the locating pin and the receiver thereby sending all the torques into those instead of the barrel when you’re yanking on the muzzle device.
Or at least that’s this white collar man’s understanding.
I was also able to get my muzzle device off with little to no fanfare.
As a data point, my 17 inch .308 barrel DID have red loctite on it. Not a lot but enough to notice it. I hit the muzzle device with a torch to soften the loctite prior to removal.
Easy day.
As a data point, my 17 inch .308 barrel DID have red loctite on it. Not a lot but enough to notice it. I hit the muzzle device with a torch to soften the loctite prior to removal.
Easy day.
Yeah ... the leather inserts fitted to the opening make a huge difference, and holds tight without scratching the barrel or having to do goofy things like wrapping the barrel in index cards. The only barrel I've ever "not" been able to deal with is my Tikka factory tightened (feels like "welded") threads.
Tikka is next on my list... Have a Tac A1 and will probably need a barrel change in the next 2-3 years...
Exactly what I have ... a T3x TAC A1 in 6.5-CM. God himself couldn't remove the barrel ... had to send it to LRI and they got it off.
