Wheeler Lapping Tool

[Keep The Change]

So I have a couple uppers (Vltor - forged; Gibbz - billet) that I want square the face up on.

The Gibbz is really nice and tight and seems to be just about there already when I put the barrel on. I think any lapping on this will be minimal.

The Vltor is a different story. It has more slop in the ID than the Gibbz and the face is definitely not square. The Gibbz will be a target gun and the Vltor will probably be a 14.5 Grendel or so.

So I got the lapping tool last night from Wheeler and red flags went up when I saw it was made in China.

I set the tool down into the Gibbz and held it up against the light and rotated the tool to see if there were gaps. There was the slightest of gaps on one side and as I rotated the through to 180deg the gap would close.

Now if the face of the tool was square with the shaft and consistently square around the entire diameter of the face, the gap should stay the same as you turn the tool in the receiver.

Has anybody had issues with the tools not being square?
If so, did you square it up yourself or let a shop square it up for you?

I don't think I want to roll the dice and send it back and possibly get another defective one.

[am4966]

I have one haven't used it yet, since I'm not ready to put my upper together yet. A few guys have them and I haven't heard anything negative.

[babue]

I got this reply from Gibbz when I ask about their machining.
Sounded good to me.


"The upper is machined from 6061-T6 aluminum.

We machine the bore the threads and all the front end features in the same operation to ensure everything is square to each other. We also have an active probe system to make sure all the other operations are square to the first one.

Thanks,

David at GIBBZ ARMS"

[Keep The Change]

Well I might leave the Gibbz alone, but the Vltor definitely needs a little touch up. I would trust Gibbz over a Wheeler (made in China) tool. Thanks a lot Babue for the info on the correspondence.

[Mesa1978]

I have used the Wheeler tool on 2 Vltors along with blue loctite bedding.

[Keep The Change]

Thanks Mesa. Were you able to confirm if the Wheeler was indeed square?

[Mesa1978]

The one I have is square. I have a friend with a height gauge and the Wheeler I have was +- .005, I was happy with that.

[am4966]

Thanks Mesa. Were you able to confirm if the Wheeler was indeed square?

Use sooner calipers to take measurements to see if it's square.

[NugginFutz]

Use sooner calipers to take measurements to see if it's square.

Mind helping me out here, and tell me what a "sooner caliper" is? (Not at all familiar with that term.)

[ponce]

I have one and used it on a 'keyhole' upper. I was surprised that it was close but the tool did take off a few thousandths and square it up. I think it's worthwhile even though I was assured by a 'smith that it wasn't necessary. (That was before I used it.)

[dmsims21]

If you held the upper and rotated the tool, and the gap changed, the tool isn't right.
I used a wheeler lapping tool on my vltor. The wheeler tool was a bit too soft. The face was slightly off from 90 deg. It had a slight taper. Luckily, I know a guy with a cylinder grinder. He fixed it so I could fix my upper.
The fit of my upper and Lilja barrel is a little loose too.

[Keep The Change]

dmsims21, my vltor upper is a little loose and not square and that is why I got the tool. However, like you said, the gap on one side should stay constant as the tool is rotated. This is not happening with mine, so the tool is out of whack. I'm bringing to a shop to have the tool squared up as my lathe is in re-build mode (ie completely disassembled.)

[baconmaker]

I purchased a lapping tool from brownells and haven't had any issues using it. I have completed 4 uppers with it and noticed a big difference in accuracy since I lapped the face.

[customcutter]

The one I have is square. I have a friend with a height gauge and the Wheeler I have was +- .005, I was happy with that.

.005" over the length of the tool would be acceptable. .005" across the face(where you are trying to square the upper) would not be acceptable.