Just received my Hellion. Very happy. Tried to remove the flash hider. No luck. Sent to Gun Smith. $87. So 1 of the main features listed for this gun is the 2 settings for the gas port Suppressed and Unsuppressed. The issue is not unique to this rifle, several of the recent rifle acquisitions have the flash hider torqued on to about 2000lbs. I know there are lots of folks that provide advice and videos, but I suggest not risking the damage to your rifle and take it to a gunsmith.
Hellion Flash hider removal
- Thread starter TX_Tim
- Start date
KillerFord1977
SAINT
Usually, its all about the proper tools
TEXASforLIFE
SAINT
AND a little heat to go with it. Hopefully not pinned/welded.
Good advice as some rifle types can come pinned & welded to meet a restrictive state requirement.
I had the same issue and agree that heat is your friend. I had tried just gripping the body and using an armorer wrench, nothing even with some heat. I ended up heating up the flash hider with a propane torch for a minute, clamping the barrel between the gas block and flash hider in a vice with a nice thick layer of fabric around the barrel and it popped right off.
I ran a function check to make sure nothing got tweaked before I realized that the flash hider had been torqued on by a Croatian body builder. With these polymer framed rifles, is there any significant risk of damage trying before putting it in the vice? Anything else I should check other than the standard rifle function check?
I ran a function check to make sure nothing got tweaked before I realized that the flash hider had been torqued on by a Croatian body builder. With these polymer framed rifles, is there any significant risk of damage trying before putting it in the vice? Anything else I should check other than the standard rifle function check?
The Pantologist
Alpha
I've removed a lot of muzzle devices from ARs, but this one wouldn't budge. My homemade wooden barrel clamp could not keep the barrel from spinning. I contacted Springfield to see if there was any red Loctite or Rocksett. No answer. You'd think Springfield would be able to answer such a simple question. I applied penetrating oil twice and let it work for a day (I don't know if this did any good). I put the barrel in a Wheeler Barrel Clamp ($40) and really tightened the assembly in a large bench vise. I used a 16" adjustable wrench and tried to break it loose but failed. Then I heated the flash hider for about a minute with a heat gun and tried it again. This time success. There was no evidence of a threadlocker, only a crush washer. In my opinion, there's no need for the manufacturer to torque the device on that hard.
The Pantologist
The Pantologist
Michael J Gunderson
Alpha
I spent a couple of hours rigging my barrel in a vice and after applying heat (propane in a small torch) the flash hider came off with very little effort. Clearly completely heating the area which threads onto the barrel was key with the majority of my time spent struggling with no effect.
SimonRL
Hellcat
I like a nice set of Knipex pliers. They’re pricey, but they lock and won’t mar whatever you’re trying to get off. You’ll probably still have to bring the heat but you wont have to worry about these slipping.
www.knipex-tools.com
Jaw Protectors for 10" Pliers Wrench
Replaces a full set of inch and metric open end wrenches up to 2" (52 mm), Smooth jaws for damage free installation of plated fittings - working directly on chrome...