BROWNELLS AR-15/M16 Barrel Extension Torque Tool

I bought this tool before the Geissele tool was available I think. Anyway, I've tried to use it with the 1/2" socket extension and its not the way to go. I suggest one of two options. Take a 4" grinder and simply grind flats on each side (works well for me, but you need a very strong vise), or do as another reviewer suggested and buy some half inch square steel stock at the hardware store and make an extension that can be clamped in a vise.



I mainly use the DPMS vice block, but I do use this tool especially for timing muzzle devices against crush washers. And sometimes installing barrel nuts.

Very functional . Works as advertised. Made my 7.62×39 build so easy. Careful though. It is so easy to overtorque the barrel nut. One drawback is that I had to purchase an extra breaker bar for the back end of the torque tool.

Quality product, fast shipping, and as always, fine folks to do business with. Like everything else I have purchased from these guys, Brownell's is def. the place to be!

This socket works great. it locks in easily, won't damage the finish, and is cheaper than the competition, such as the geissele reaction rod. For barrel nuts with a torque spec, this is a better option than the reaction rod, because you can attach the torque wrench right at the axis of the barrel nut, so you don't need to do any offset torque calculations. The only thing I would change would be to add flats on the outside so that it could be clamped in a vise for some barrel nuts that don't require a torque wrench, and it's easier to fix the receiver in place. My solution to this problem was to weld a 1/2" socket drive onto a chunk of angle iron. I clamp the angle iron in the bench vise and set the extension tool on the socket drive.

Used for my first AR build. Worked VERY well. Kept stresses off the aluminum upper receiver and on the steel barrel extension.

I've used this to install 3 barrels already and love that no matter where your torque wrench is placed at the 90 degree location for good torque values is held... Heck! don't even need a vice to install muzzle devices. If you got an extra pair of hands or strong enough you can quickly remove/install a barrel nut to exchange a barrel when traveling or at a match

Initially I will only use this tool for removing and installing muzzle devices by placing it vertically into a vise. Like others I feel the bottom of the tool should have been machined with flats. However, I have found that inserting a 1/2" drive coupler or breaker bar replacement head (Neiko) into the tool was a decent workaround that allowed it to be securely clamped vertically into the vise.. The breaker bar replacement head has more surface area than the coupler and allows for a stronger base in the vise. Otherwise, great tool - maybe some day I'll torque a barrel nut with it.

THIS is the tool Magpul wished it had invented when it came out with the "BEV'!

I tried to fit the Magpul BEV into 7 different barrel extensions and it fit just ONE out of the group. While using a file to hone the lug surfaces in hopes of turning a sow's ear into a silk purse I realized that even if I did make it fit into a barrel extension, the fact that the lug portion is fixed relative to the part that sticks out the bottom means torque transfer could result in the aluminum receiver carrying ALL the load.

With the Brownells tool this cannot happen! First, the tool FITS all of my barrel extensions...so that's a plus, and second, the tool is free to "rotate" by whatever thousandths of an inch it needs too in order to anchor the barrel relative to the barrel nut wrench....AND this took is less expensive!

This thing is made of high quality steel and will last forever.

The this tool fit perfectly and was easy to use. No headache or drama. I highly recommend it.

I've dropped this tool on the floor more times than I'd like and it has never taken a dent or a scratch. It fits precisely, which is what you want, and it solves the biggest problems with assembling any AR to be an accurate shooter.



The best way to use this tool is with a standard barrel nut wrench in a vise as another review has pictured here. Keeping the barrel, nut, and receiver vertical removes gravity's pull from affecting how true your barrel ends up in the receiver, and torquing right on the axis of the nut means you don't have to calculate the offset from the nut to your torque wrench by the barrel nut wrench. Geiselle has come out with a similar tool for 5x the price that has flats for a vise but this is not the best way to torque your barrel nut. Even if you put it in a vise vertically, you still end up torquing off-axis. Geiselle states that this type of tool takes the stress off the "small, easily distorted" barrel extension pin, but it specifically does not. It uses that pin to hold the receiver static as you turn the nut, but this is needed because it's either that or stress the entire receiver itself, and the pin is far stronger.



Tips from my experience:



-Make sure your charging handle is not hiding in the receiver. Happened to me when I was finishing a build late one night and was tired. You will cut a little chamfer into the charging handle trying to spin this tool to get it to seat in the lugs.



-Open the ejection port cover before putting this into the receiver. It doesn't push the door open as easily as a BCG so this just saves a little frustration.



-Secure the whole upper with twine or a bungee cord when it's resting in the wrench on your vise. You are exerting a lot of force on the assembly and it will pop out of the wrench if side-loaded even a little, and fall on the floor muzzle crown-first, which will enrage you.

In my opinion, the best tool to install/remove barrel nut and flash hider. Puts no stress on the upper receiver and eliminates the possibility of scratching the barrel(barrel vice). I used it clamped in a bench vise and torquing the barrel nut with the wrench instead of clamping the wrench and it works perfect, there is enough of the tool out of the upper to clamp it in a vice. The only thing I would do to make this tool better is 2 flats at the end so that it could be clamped more securely in a vice.



Thank you Brownells for a great tool at a great price!

If you think you might work on just one AR15 barrel in your lifetime, buy this tool. The drawback is that you will never experience the frustration of a AR barrel removal or install with this tool. Very easy to use and yet eliminates 75% of the work and possibility of damaging the upper. In combination with a good torque wrench, a professional barrel removal and install is easy with this tool.

Used for 300blk barrel install.

Absolutely no stress put on receiver as nut was torqued to 50#.

Thank you Brownells.

This has to be a much better method of tightening a barrel nut, because with this, there is 0 stress put on the skinny little aluminum upper reciever.
There is another tool similar to this that cost's a lot more money, but it simply couldn't work any better. Thanks for offering this one, Brownell's!

took about 5 minutes to install the compensator AND barrel nut. GET THIS!!

I used this yesterday to remove the barrel nut off my Colt upper. The fit into the receiver and barrel extension was perfect.

I'm planning on getting a 1/2" x 1/2" bar so I can use it to torque down muzzle devices as well.

I am very happy with this purchase and I am glad I went with this over the more expensive alternatives.

Works well; avoids damaged/crushed/twisted/marred receivers. Several approaches to using. those wanting flats on tool....try using a short length of 1/2" bar stock inserted into torque tool 1/2" square recess. Clamp bar stock in vise jaws or use desired 1/2" wrench on 1/2" bar stock. Torque tool OD is snug/could bind in some uppers. Be sure inside of receiver is spotlessly clean with light lubricant in receiver and on subject torque tool length to avoid binding/erroneous torque readings.

The basic idea is great. This tool holds the barrel extension while you rotate the barrel nut or vice versa. No unnecessary pressure on the upper receiver.

Following the Brownells video, I put my YHM forearm wrench into my vice and then lowered the barrel vertically through the wrench with the "torque tool" already inside the upper receiver. My torque wrench already has a 1/2" drive so this was a perfect setup with the torque applied directly to the axis of the barrel.

I don't understand the other reviewers wanting flats on the tool itself. It is much more stable with the weight of the barrel below your forearm/armorers wrench and the upper with this tool above.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that the fit was VERY tight in the receiver. Sanding the tool with 400 grit paper followed by 600 grit took off the finish but allowed the tool to barely fit. LOTS of CLP made it possible to use the tool. (LRB upper receiver for reference)

I've used this to build up 3 complete uppers from scratch. The last one utilized an VLTOR MUR-4 upper and the first two were RRA uppers. By using this tool, I'm never worried about torquing the upper. Apply some lube to the tool to reduce binding. I usually clamp a barrel nut tool in my vise, then use a torque wrench on this tool. That way, the torque is accurately applied on the same axis as the barrel/lock nut.

An excellent idea, but some lessons learned could be applied to the directions. First, the tool is a VERY close fit in the DS Arms upper, which is the only one I've used it on so far. Close attention to cleaning both the tool and and the upper, plus very carefully checking the boltway in the upper for burrs and putting a very thin coat of lube on both will pay off. Inserting the business end with its teeth into the upper without creating more burrs requires some care, too. Second, the clamping method in the supplied directions does need three hands at times and can lead to the action hitting the sides of the vise jaws. There's a better solution that doesn't require grinding flats on the tool and/or damaging it by clamping it in the vise. Clamp a cheap 1/2" drive extension, a 1/2-inch drive breaker bar or a two-inch long piece of 1/2-inch square stock vertically in the vise with the square end projecting up from the vise jaws. Place the tool on the projecting square drive. Slip the upper down over the tool, apply your barrel nut wrench or free float tube wrench to the barrel nut and torque just as you would when using action blocks to hold the upper.

[...] it doesn't fit into my Bushmaster receiver. OD measures 1.001"-1.003" through the length. Need to turn OD down to .998" for a proper fit. Blueing will be lost.

Agree w/ previous review and wish the tool had flats to grip in a vice. It extends about 2 1/2"-3" beyond the upper so it is easy to clamp onto or modify if you want to grind flats onto it. It does have 1/2" socket so you'll need to make a t-bar or use your socket wrench w/ a vice. This tool puts zero pressure on the upper and is better than the vice blocks. It should work easily w/ any AR caliber due to the way it locks into the barrel. It is stout and fits tight into the action so you'll want to lube it so you can extract it from the upper when you're done.

I'd have given it 4 stars if it didn't require a 3rd hand to setup in the vice, but it is a great value compared to the standard plastic blocks.

This is much better than putting the receiver in a block or in the vise flats. I wish this had been available years ago. Pretty easy to figure out how it works. Now if they'd make one for the AR-10/DPMS family

Made installing a free float handguard very easy. The description of how it works didn't seem clear until I used it. Much better solution than clamping barrel in vice jaws and just using a barrel nut wrench. If it had flats on the sides of the tool you could also clamp this tool in a vice and tighten the barrel nut with a bbl nut wrench rather than putting the barrel wrench in the vice and turning the whole assembly. Well worth the price.