thermal fit upper assembly question.
- Thread starter din
- Start date
Heat gun or low flame torch on the receiver snout. Stick barrel in. Done.
I use a 1200 W heat gun on high for about 60-90 seconds then slide it in dry.
I mount the upper in one of these while Im heating the threads:
Wheeler Upper Vice Block (# 156888) ($32)
To remove the barrel I mount it the same, heat the threads for about 90 secs with heat gun on high and then whack the barrel out with
- 1”x12” Wooden Dial Rod ($10)
- 16oz Rubber Mallet ($12)
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Dry makes sense to me for sure... the goal is to have the barrel and extension act like a single piece of metal, why add something between them?
If you warm the throat enough there's enough room (unless the barrel extension somehow is super-oversized) to do it dry.
A "security blanket" thin coat of any petro based lube will probably cook off once the rifle is put to use, if it isn't squished/forced out during the slip fit. But the metal/metal join around the clockface is what you want, and the lube really isn't helping that. So it isn't a great "security blanket."
A "security blanket" thin coat of any petro based lube will probably cook off once the rifle is put to use, if it isn't squished/forced out during the slip fit. But the metal/metal join around the clockface is what you want, and the lube really isn't helping that. So it isn't a great "security blanket."
I do use a grease. I use a very thin coating of CMC Silaramac brake caliper grease, which won't burn off, and slide the barrel in.
I use SS shim stock (.001 or .0015 depending on the tolerances), and thermal fit every upper/barrel I have. So many of the uppers I prefer aren't undersized, so shim stock takes care of that.
In my case, I use an Odin Works vice block and a heat gun. I prefer to have at least .0015" extra room in the upper before I slide the shimmed barrel in. The barrel extension is one helluva heat sink and you don't have much time.
As far as removing a thermal fit barrel, that thin coat of Silaramic grease, the vice block in my vice, and an old broom handle I cut off provides all of the muscle needed without any heat. I hold onto the barrel, use a dead blow hammer, and don't go full caveman....
I use SS shim stock (.001 or .0015 depending on the tolerances), and thermal fit every upper/barrel I have. So many of the uppers I prefer aren't undersized, so shim stock takes care of that.
In my case, I use an Odin Works vice block and a heat gun. I prefer to have at least .0015" extra room in the upper before I slide the shimmed barrel in. The barrel extension is one helluva heat sink and you don't have much time.
As far as removing a thermal fit barrel, that thin coat of Silaramic grease, the vice block in my vice, and an old broom handle I cut off provides all of the muscle needed without any heat. I hold onto the barrel, use a dead blow hammer, and don't go full caveman....
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