Upper Reciever Honing Tool

http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/rifle-tools/receiver-tools/ar-15-m16-upper-receiver-lapping-tool-prod20220.aspx

Couple questions…
Does hatcher’s have one of these?
If not is it something the group would benefit from having?
Do I need to hone the front end of my upper?
Working on a range build as my first AR, looking for some guidance.

As far as I know we do not. I really don’t think that is something that you need. If it is a true milspec upper, that will take away a lot of variables. Also it doesn’t change your accuracy as much as it does the initial sight in. Your barrel is set to your barrel extension which locks your bolt in.

Figured as much but this being my first build I wanted some input.

I can see how this step could be important if you are trying to make a sub-MOA gun but for standard AR build it should not be an issue. I would skip the step none of the guids I can find seems to mention it.

You couldn’t pay me to use that tool on any build. The description says it is designed to be chucked in a hand drill and spun. IMO, sounds like a great way to do more damage than good. Whats the point of hand lapping at all if you’re just gonna do it that way? I’d think you run the risk of blowing through your specs.

Keep in mind that if you’re building a range gun, inside DFW I don’t know of many (any? please tell me if I’m wrong) ranges that go out past 100 yds. Sub MOA probably won’t make that big of a difference for you at that distance…

Now if you were engaging waves of terrorist hogs at 300 yards…

Then again, if you’re just trying to build a nailer for the purposes of saying you’d done it, I’d start my education with a decent aftermarket Rem. 700 action and blueprint away… There are thousands of choices for that gun.

“Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!”

I think the hand drill issue isn’t too bad because the bore is designed to fit in the BCG tube. I don’t think it relays on anything but lapping compound to remove material so I don’t think you’d hog a whole bunch by accident.

I most likely won’t end up doing this.

I’ll look into the 700.

I’m a member at TDSA in Ferris and they’ve got a 300yrd range.

That tool fits into the upper receiver. The BCG locks into the barrel extension. The tolerances likely doing at home are not likely to exceed the manufacturing tolerances at the factory.

Maybe, if the barrel nut threads were true, but the face was out, there might be some merit, but I doubt most of us could measure well enough to determine that was the case.

But I’m of the opinion it is far easier to do harm than good with something like this.

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The one other place I can see this having some merit is a combination where you can’t get the barrel nut to line up within allowable torque, using this can move that shoulder back, and allow you to move it to where it will line up in torque. But I would rather try a few other barrel nuts first.

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