Split and pry meth for AR-10 Pinned and welded Muzzle Break

[Quarterbore]

To my knowledge there is three general ways to remove these breaks. There is the drill and unscrew method (http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=2&f=27&t=143510) (which I might had done if I had seen that thread before I started tonight), the lathe method (I have the lathe but no live center yet), and the split and pry method. I had seen the split and pry method done on the forums back in the 90's (1997-1998?) and I decided to do that method as I knew I could control the dremel tool pretty well....

Following are the steps:

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-01.jpg
1. Verify your barrel is a pin and welded break... like above.

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-02.jpg
2. Remove the gas tube

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-03.jpg
3. Gas tube gone.

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-04.jpg
4. Mount the barrel in a set of barrel blocks and crank her down with the welded pin up.

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-05.jpg
5. Ready to start cutting

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-06.jpg
6. Lengthwise cut right through the weld.

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-07.jpg
7. Grind down until you start seeing signs of the threads... go SLOW when you get close!

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-08.jpg
8. This was close... I went until I could see a regular pattern in the break indicating the threads were close.

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-09.jpg
9. Rotate the barrel 180-deg and do the top of the barrel next.

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-10.jpg
10. After I got down to the threads again I used a chisel and tried to split the break... didn't work real well

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-11.jpg
11. More spreading...

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-12.jpg
12. Used the anvil portion of the vise and split that bitch off there!

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-13.jpg
13. Once the break was split, she twisted right off the barrel by hand.

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-14.jpg
14. No damage to the threads except for where the pin was located.

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-15.jpg
15. The crown had no damage!

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-16.jpg
16. Gem-Tech TPR-S Bi-Lock mount

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-17.jpg
17. Threading the Bi-Lock onto the barrel

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar10-break-18.jpg
18. My AR-10 is ready for a Gem-Tech TPR-S... too bad I am flat broke and baddly in debt!

Tools Required:

1. Vise
2. Barrel Blocks
3. Dremmel tool with Fiberglas cutting wheels
4. Good Sized hammer
5. A couple chisels

This took about an hour to do.... Hope this helps.... I hope to use the lathe with the removal of my next break!

[THE SENTINEL]

Will this work on DPMS SASS WELD MUZZLE BRAKE?

[twooceanpass]

Thanks for the info on this method. I tried the drill and screw method - not nearly as easy as they make it seem, unless you have a gunsmith's shop with extremely hard and powerful drill bits, which I don't. Eventually, I got out my Dremmel and did it your way. I ended up sawing out a square around the pin, then removing it. But, it still would not unscrew. So I split it like you did. I just barely hit the threads in one spot, but nothing substantial, and my new linear compensator went on smoothly without forcing or trouble. It's a shame we have to mess with silly things like this, like somehow a pinned compensator made the firearm any different. If anything it made it less safe, especially for people's hearing. Politicians are stupid, but of course, we allow them to have the power they weild. So, who is really stupid? I'm looking forward to shooting at the range without grown men crying next to me, not to mention their poor kids, and not to mention maybe keeping a little more of my hearing. Thanks again.

[twooceanpass]

By the way, I did not have or use a vise. I did not remove anything from the rifle. That made it harder to just pry away at the compensator. I just sat on the floor with an old blanket over my lap to protect me from sparks and did it. I had to go slowly and carefully until I could unscrew it with just a simple open ended wrench without much effort. But, it can be be done without a vise, etc. By the time I finished splitting it, it took almost no effort to unscrew it. But, until I split it, unscrewing it without a vise, etc. would have been impossible. This thing is really on there.

[LouBoyd]

I'd have just left the brake on. I'd buy a new barrel before I'd go though that!