M&P 15-22 Forend Removal

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rhassick1

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I bought an M&P 15-22 a few weeks ago and have had good luck with it. After reading some of the reports about it on the web I was a little afraid to fire it or have my son fire it as well. To this point it has given me no problems at all. I have been using mostly Federal bulk and have fire at least 400 rounds to this point with maybe one FTF.

I did have a question regarding disassembly. The instruction manual does not give any information on removing the forend. Does it come off easily so you can get to the barrel for cleaning? If not, what is the best way to maintain the barrel underneath? This is my first AR type rifle so any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
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This rifle does not use a standard AR type barrel nut. It uses a four recess castle nut and S&W provides no information how to disassemble past the point in the manual where they stop.

There are currently two "premade" options for barrel wrenches, you can get one from Tacticool (member of the forums) from his web site at MP15-22.com - M&P15-22 Parts, Tools, and Accessories

Or from Randy here on the forums (Nickname Shooboy) not sure if Randy is in production mode yet, but he will be soon.

The third option is to make your own tool, some have used PVC pipe with success, I myself have a wealth of friends who are all machinists and I drew up a blueprint and gave it to my co-worker and he machined me one out of EMT tubing that is available at Lowes.

Here is the blueprint:

barrelnuttool.jpg



Here is what my Barrel tool and the barrel nut looks like:

barreltool001.jpg


barreltool012.jpg


There is no published "spec" for how tight to make the barrel, most have to to the conclusion that 15-20 Lbs/Ft is tight enough. There is no need to over torque the nut, it's going through plastic after all.


And lastly...

Welcome Aboard, Welcome to the insanity! :D
 
It's a rimfire so there really isn't a need to ever remove the barrel unless you are having something like a the barrel threaded. More damage is done cleaning rimfires than from ever shooting them. For cleaning you can pop the bolt out of the back of the receiver and clean with a rod or just use a bore snake.
 
I think the OP was asking about how to remove the fore-end...or is barrel removal required in order to remove the fore-end?
 
Yes the barrel nut pinches the forarm and upper reciever together..
 
Thanks for the information. My interest in removing the forend is just to be able to wipe down the outside of the barrel. I would think over time that it may start to rust if oil is not applied especially if it get wet from being in the weather. Is the round plastic insert at the front of the forend removed by pushing in the small tabs, rotating it and then pulling it towards the muzzle?

Thanks to all for all the great information on this site.
 
Hey Brett, What's with that looong handled hammer on the end of your workbench ? That ain't no Shooboy Gunsmithing Hammer !!! LOL !
Now seriously. I am in the process of making 6 ShooWrenches up today and hope to have them finished today. I think they are all already spoken for from guys that PM'ed me. I'll have to try and get more into the works in the next week or two.....busy, busy, busy.......Shoo
Production "ShooWrench" 15-22 barrel nut wrench, first one on the way to Fondis Firearms:
(Not shown in pictures is a plastic insert in the wrench that keeps the end you turn with an open end wrench centered and prevents scratching the barrel. I'd recommend someone wrapping a piece of notebook paper or whatever around their barrel to also prevent scratches when removing the barrel nut with any style of wrench)
001-2.jpg

003-2.jpg
 
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Hello Shooboy. That is a nice looking tool. I'm new to this forum but I came across this thread after looking for others who are working on their MP1522's. Our company is into making gears and shafts for 4x4 transfer cases. I've got a similar tool to yours that also uses polyurethane bushings to keep the barrel from being scratched. I can post a photo if anyone would like to see it.
 
Hey guys, nice work. One question. Everyone connected with the project of barrel wrenches warn not to hold the upper, lower receives, but to use a barrel vice. Most of the tools I've seen are 18 inches long while the barrel on the 15-22 is 16 inches long. Thus, no room for a barrel vice. If the wrench is shortened, how do you torque the nut? Can you give some tips on how you folks do this. Thanks. I'm looking forward to making/buying a wrench but need that question answered.
 
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kcmitch said:
Hey guys, nice work. One question. Everyone connected with the project of barrel wrenches warn not to hold the upper, lower receives, but to use a barrel vice. Most of the tools I've seen are 18 inches long while the barrel on the 15-22 is 16 inches long. Thus, no room for a barrel vice. If the wrench is shortened, how do you torque the nut? Can you give some tips on how you folks do this. Thanks. I'm looking forward to making/buying a wrench but need that question answered.
Click to expand...

I've seen people JB Weld in a socket in the end of the tube, and that allows them to attached a torque wrench to it.
 
I made mine about 20 inches long and drilled a hole through both sides. I stick a long #2 Philips screwdriver through the hole and torque away.
 
kcmitch said:
Hey guys, nice work. One question. Everyone connected with the project of barrel wrenches warn not to hold the upper, lower receives, but to use a barrel vice. Most of the tools I've seen are 18 inches long while the barrel on the 15-22 is 16 inches long. Thus, no room for a barrel vice. If the wrench is shortened, how do you torque the nut? Can you give some tips on how you folks do this. Thanks. I'm looking forward to making/buying a wrench but need that question answered.
Click to expand...

If you are using a vise to hold the barrel, then you would use a pipe wrench or crow foot wrench to torque the barrel nut. There is a stainless steel sleeve molded into the upper. The barrel nut and the larger part of the barrel, where the feed ramp and ejector are, trap that sleeve.
By holding onto the barrel, all the torque is metal to metal, with the plastic not really being affected.
 
lomaxgear said:
Hello Shooboy. That is a nice looking tool. I'm new to this forum but I came across this thread after looking for others who are working on their MP1522's. Our company is into making gears and shafts for 4x4 transfer cases. I've got a similar tool to yours that also uses polyurethane bushings to keep the barrel from being scratched. I can post a photo if anyone would like to see it.
Click to expand...

can you show a picture?
 
Barrel Nut Tool

Sorry it took so long to get this up. The tool is black oxide coated so cleaning solvent won't effect it. The protective bushing is split so that if you run a free float foregrip, you don't have to remove the suppressor to tighten or remove the nut. Some local guys here run free float tubes.
 

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Barrel nut tool installed

The polyurethane bushing is larger than the tube so the wrench can't slip off and scratch the barrel. I machined it with a full hex for easy wrench positioning. Tool is steel.
 

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