Barrel rotated when trying to remove flash suppresser

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jstroupe

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When I tried to remove the flash suppresser from my new 15-22, the barrel rotated slightly in a counter clockwise direction. When I did this, I had a firm grip on the barrel but the upper was sitting on the counter. The overall barrel rotation was minuscule, rotating about a millimeter, and I was unsuccessful at removing the flash suppresser. I definitely don't feel comfortable shooting it now that the extractor and the ramp are no longer in the same position. I am going to take it to my local gin shop with my new barrel wrench and see if they can complete the removal.

In the meantime, I would like someone to put my mind at ease. Is this rotation normal, and can it be simply rotated back when the barrel is loosened from the nut? I am not that strong so I don't think I broke anything.
 
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sorry, no its not good, you need proper tools. There is a nut holding on the barrel. You need to clamp the barrel in a vice, with something softer like nylon or aluminum.
Probably no permanent damage is done have your gunsmith check it over. Make sure the feed ramp and ejector are properly aligned.
 
Yea, next time heat up the supressor with a torch, metal expanse, and it will come off. But you should place in a vice using wooden block as to not scratch the barrel. It will need to be looked at.. Good luck next time.
 
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Hopefully there was no damage and the tabs just snapped out of the grooves and didn't remove any material. The tabs will have to snap back in place for everything to work right. If the upper is toast, you can get a new one from S&W with some coaxing. AKA Beg, plead, cry.
ALWAYS use a set of barrel vise jaws when removing flash hiders, other end of barrel devices and when tightening or loosening the barrel nut.
I hope your rifle is ok.
 
Not a compliant model is it. Saw an AR that came from somewhere it was pressed on with splines. Just make sure.
 
I don't think any of the flash hiders on the 15-22 are pinned. The dumb Federal AWB expired years ago and the 15-22 came out after that debacle.
 
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Just wondering why the OP was trying to remove the flash suppressor? Was there a problem with the original setup?
 
clamp the BARREL in a grip, with wood/cloth inbetween;
use a little gas blow-lamp to heat the flash-hider;
slip a wrench over the fitting and tap it loose.

tada.

if you clamp the upper/lower receiver, you most likely tore the polymer "teeth" where the barrel fits into the upper receiver.
the fact that the barrel moved, indicates the teeth got hurt/bent,
if i were you, i'd strip it completely with the right tools.... and LOOK.

if you're really lucky, only the slack got taken up... before the "teeth" started bending. but, i'd personally still check to make sure :)
 
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I have learned from the get-go, NEVER EVER try to work on the uper without the proper tools and know how! Just my 2 cents;)
 
Barrel vice is best. That said, putting a wrench on it and giving the wrench a sharp smack with a hammer will usually crack it loose without any harm to the gun. What you want to avoid is trying to muscle it off... that will result in twisting the barrel in the receiver. I swap around muzzle devices between .22s quite a bit and just hand tighten.
 
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