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Wobbly AR barrel.

wolfdog45
I took my Bushmaster AR out yesterday to do some target practice and fired off a couple rounds and man the grouping was terrible. I fired a couple more and they were even worse than the first group. Thats when I noticed that the barrel was wobbly. I didn't fire off any more rounds out of it, I put it back in its case and finished the day shooting my PT99 and Para Ordnance P12.
I have heard that you can shim the AR barrel to make it tight agian but that the shims need to be heat treated. Where can you get heat treated shims and what size should I get?
Thanks.
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • MIKE WISKEY
    I would think trightening the barrel nut is what you would want to do. no 'shims' involved.
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  • dcs shooters
    Is the barrel loose on the upper, or is the whole upper loose on the lower [?] If the barrel is loose on the upper, has someone had it apart [?] Like to put a free float tube on [:0]
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  • quickmajik
    DONT shoot it again until, A) tighten the barrel nut.. Or B) take it to a gunsmith..
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  • Laredo Lefty
    Bushmaster makes good rifles. If it was properly torqued at the factory, it should not shoot loose. If someone has worked on it and removed the barrel for some reason, they may not have properly re-installed the barrel. The torque minimum is 35 ft/lbs if I recall.
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  • wolfdog45
    I bought it used so I don't know if the old owner done anything to the barrel or not.
    I checked the barrel nut and it is tight.
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  • MIKE WISKEY
    "I checked the barrel nut and it is tight."...........IF THE BARREL IS LOOSE ON THE UPPER THE NUT MUST BE TIGHTEND, YOU NEED TO REMOVE THE GAS TUBE (& FRONT SIGHT BASE) FIRST.
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  • nmyers
    Properly assembled, AR's do not "shoot the barrel loose". Either a previous owner assembled it from parts without knowing the correct way, or messed with a factory assembled rifle. Fixing this problem may not be a job for someone without tools & experience.

    If it were mine, I'd cut my losses & take it to a gunsmith.

    Neal
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  • vicg1
    A few basics.

    If it's a pistol caliber upper then there is no gas tube and it is possible for the nut to loosen.

    On rifle caliber uppers with a gas tube there is no way for the nut to loosen up... but it is possible it wasn't torqued properly to begin with and now you're noticing it...
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  • Txs
    quote:Originally posted by dcs shooters
    Is the barrel loose on the upper, or is the whole upper loose on the lower [?]This question needs to be answered before any diagnosis is possible.

    Seperate the upper/lower receiver assemblies, then see if the barrel still appears loose.
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  • mcaso
    wolfdog, you need to see a gun smith.
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