Gunsmithing Armorer's wrench? Removing surefire brake

[athanasios23]

Hello all,

I have a rifle I purchased that has a surefire muzzle break. These breaks are completely rounded. I'd like to remove it without damaging the brake or rifle threads.

What wrench or tool would be best for this. If it is a armorer's wrench then which one should I be looking at. Would like a quality one that will last forever.

 

[GH41]

A big screwdriver will do it.

 

[KAIFS]

just make sure you use torch to heat both barrel and a brake - many still put loctite and or epoxy when can't time the brake with shims or by having it (threads or brake) altered - so giving it a fair amount of heat will sure help in removal. as far as what to use for it - if you have a second and detached barrel vise - you can certainly use that but have like a leather or cardboard (toilet paper roll) to avoid marring...

 

[want2learn]

i had a surefire muzzle brake on a barrel and used a screw driver to which i wrapped a little bit of painter's tape hoping to protect the muzzle brake...i placed the driver through one of the ports and carefully twisted the unit...the muzzle brake did come off rather easily however it did leave a tiny ding in the muzzle brake port..... the ding does annoy me a bit.

should have used some heat first perhaps...and maybe used a wooden dowel of a more appropriate size for the port?

 

[KAIFS]

i had a surefire muzzle brake on a barrel and used a screw driver to which i wrapped a little bit of painter's tape hoping to protect the muzzle brake...i placed the driver through one of the ports and carefully twisted the unit...the muzzle brake did come off rather easily however it did leave a tiny ding in the muzzle brake port..... the ding does annoy me a bit.

should have used some heat first perhaps...and maybe used a wooden dowel of a more appropriate size for the port?

its a 'catch 22' on some of the brakes installation... you have no idea what torque was used to finish it off. if a metal left a mark - I am sure wooden dowel would of snapped... I literally have removed a brake once that was epoxied to cover the seam (and it was on the threads too) - I can guarantee you, if I did not clamp a barrel and just clamped the action before trying to spin it off - barrel would have came off together with a brake.... it all depends. But I do apply heat now regardless of any visual indicators - generally break metal is NOT as heavy/dense as the brake and as such - little more 'expansion' from the heat of the brake vs same expansion on the barrel would give you a little 'help' aside from breaking down some adhesives and other possible crud 'marriages'.

 

[dski]

Heat!! I use this guy everytime I need to remove those brakes that are stuck on.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004Q04X44/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_n5hxEb26Z5K4J


Really get that sucker hot. I'll hit it with the heat gun and for probably 90-120 seconds and wear thick gloves. Screwdriver if it doesn't have a place for a wrench. If it still requires a lot of effort, applying more heat usually solves it for me.

 

[skatz11]

Surefire brakes do have some thin 3/4” flats on the front. Most armors wrenches, or a regular wrench should do the trick.



I used my magpul armors wrench last time I pulled one. I used a reaction rod to hold the barrel and upper, and hit the wrench with a mallet and the rockset broke with no issues. (I also installed it with just a tiny dab to start with)

 

[LRI]

just make sure you use torch to heat both barrel and a brake - many still put loctite and or epoxy when can't time the brake with shims or by having it (threads or brake) altered - so giving it a fair amount of heat will sure help in removal. as far as what to use for it - if you have a second and detached barrel vise - you can certainly use that but have like a leather or cardboard (toilet paper roll) to avoid marring...

I would NOT use a torch. A hot air gun with some wattage is your safer path. An open flame can cause a whole lot of damage to finishes and the steel if you leave there long enough.

Hot air wont. Itll take longer, but that's the price for being careful. Magnetic induction works even better and is silly fast. That's what I use when confronted with a stubborn part.

Another trick. Boil your shit in antifreeze (yep, engine coolant). Itll break down carbon and wont hurt a thing.

 

[Rubicon Precision]

Are you sure it wasn’t installed with rocksett? If it was, heat is the wrong approach. Soak it in water over night or longer, then try removing it again.

BTW, Surfire brakes come with a little packet of Rocksett, so it’s very possible it was used. That said, the brakes do have a wrench flat between the baffles.

 

[Sixfivesavage]

I swear to god, do not put a screw driver through that thing to remove it. It will be useless to anyone with the older surefire cans after you do that. Ask me how I know.

 

[C.R. Adams]

What about one of the oil filter wrenches that use the rubber strap to grip filter? You may need to create a “filler” by cutting a v into a small chunk of wood and use that for the “filler”

 

[Sixfivesavage]

If it was rockset then boiling water will work just fine. The front end of the brake is flat for an open end box wrench about halfway back the length of the brake. Assuming you remove it without fucking it up and it's a MB556K, I'd buy it. If it's been ceracoated or put on or removed by a toddler, then I'm out.