MAGPUL BEV Block

[olde sarge]

Thoughts on the new Magpul BEV Block. Any advantage to this new tool? Disadvantages? Thank you.

[LRRPF52]

Guys are pulling their barrels from their barrel extensions. I wonder how I made it all these years with just an armorer's wrench and an upper receiver vice block?

[am4966]

If you don't have a reciever block then this is a good option, I'm getting one since I moved and lost all my AR blocks. You can also use it to work on lower since it'll fit in Magwell when you flip it upside down.

[olde sarge]

LRRPF52, being new to this building, I am having trouble envisioning how they are doing that. Is it happening when they remove the barrel nut or flash hider? Since I have billet upper I guess you are saying that a couple of pieces of butcher board and sandwich sideways is best. I am just worried about putting too much pressure and bending the upper with this type of set up.

[aclark]

The stories I've read are people using these and the reaction rods to work on the flash hiders and are turning out the barrel extensions. I don't think you can harm the extension with this tool if you are cranking on the barrel nut. Problem is people are looking for a way not to put torque on the receiver when working on the muzzle and this isn't the answer, clamping the barrel in the vise is.

Anyways, I'll stick to my clamshell.

[olde sarge]

Thanks aclark, I was thinking of one of these for assembly, and a Vee block, that I already have, for muzzle work. If I can get it together and it is accurate and reliable I don't foresee ever removing anything.

[LRRPF52]

Yup. Doing muzzle device work with the receiver clamped, rather than the barrel. One guy wrapped his gas tube around the barrel trying to take off a Rocksetted flash hider, as the barrel threaded out of the extension.

[keystone183]

Looks like a good tool to me. Cheaper than the reaction rod, and i dislike the brownells tool because you can't clamp it into the vice.

I don't have a barrel vice, and recently had some trouble removing a flash hider i had rocksett'ed on. I tried all the BS you hear about how to get the rocksett to let go, and none of it worked. Finally i decided it was just time to put the oomph to it. I was worried about turning the extension, so i made an indexing mark. Using the torque wrench it finally broke off at something around 80 lbs. And that is a damn lot of torque. But, no movement.

That brings me to my next point. I have read a lot, and it seems to make sense, that over torquing muzzle devices can diminish accuracy. I believe 20lbs is recommended. So, as long as you're not getting all bruce banner on it, i think its a great tool.

[am4966]

It service a purpose and it does that very well. I'm sure Magpul and Geissele didn't intend on people rocksetting FH on and using there tool to remove them. They probably need to add a warning the packaging.

[olde sarge]

Thanks guys, for all of the replies. I'll have to get out all of the upper parts and study what is happening when torque is applied but am on the verge of ordering the BEV block. Already have a barrel clamping set that I bought some time ago for work on bolt actions so would naturally use it for any barrel work. A little expensive this first time but will be low expense for any others that I build, if all the tools turn out to be as tough as I thought they were when I carefully selected them.