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Noveske NSR, SMOS use a true crowsfoot wrench against cylinder shaped barrel nuts, with a section of hexagon flats lengthwise. These use a barrel wrench design consisting of an open socket wrench stubby with 1/2 drive. You could literally just grab an open socket wrench in your car repair toolbox and wing it on the torque.
MI has a beefy flat plate barrel nut wrench that works as 3 teeth into the face of the barrel nut.
Fwiw, many rail systems without GI barrel nuts have barrel wrenches included with 1/2" socket drive.
Here's a suggestion for a very simple install. I got word of the Midwest Industries rails looking at weight for airlight builds. I have a few MI gen 3s and MI Combat Rails now, and those come with a barrel wrench for a non timed barrel nut at moderate torque, @45 ft/lbs. On the combat rail, It's literally easy as shimming the rail clamp with a plastic weapons pic at bottom dead center, a wood chopstick will suffice, slide rail on barrel nut, remove pick/chopstick to allow the rail to clamp and then fasten hardware. Wheeler fat wrench tool works wonders here with hex head fasteners.
Gen3s are best set straight by a carry handle before loosening the pic all the way which helps align the antirotation bracket hardware, plus the rail clamp/barrel nut adhesive applied in advance to degreased surfaces. The old Gen 2s needing timing which is a pain without barrel nut shims.
Havent seen deformed MI barrel nuts, either titanium ones or steel, but I've seen BCMs KMR barrel nuts get smudged up with little torque, and when perfect, those need a mallot and some to seat.
Some use antirotation pins that seats a dowel between a deep dimple in the upper vs a deep dimple in the rail - NSR and SMOS and V7 do this. Not every upper has this feature, and Adco charges $55 plus ship.
The NSR and SMOS and many others need a timed barrel nut against increasing torque to set location of fastener hole position in barrel nut to holes in the rail. Some barrel nuts, well like NSR, have threading at both ends in case one side doesnt time well.
MI has a beefy flat plate barrel nut wrench that works as 3 teeth into the face of the barrel nut.
Fwiw, many rail systems without GI barrel nuts have barrel wrenches included with 1/2" socket drive.
Here's a suggestion for a very simple install. I got word of the Midwest Industries rails looking at weight for airlight builds. I have a few MI gen 3s and MI Combat Rails now, and those come with a barrel wrench for a non timed barrel nut at moderate torque, @45 ft/lbs. On the combat rail, It's literally easy as shimming the rail clamp with a plastic weapons pic at bottom dead center, a wood chopstick will suffice, slide rail on barrel nut, remove pick/chopstick to allow the rail to clamp and then fasten hardware. Wheeler fat wrench tool works wonders here with hex head fasteners.
Gen3s are best set straight by a carry handle before loosening the pic all the way which helps align the antirotation bracket hardware, plus the rail clamp/barrel nut adhesive applied in advance to degreased surfaces. The old Gen 2s needing timing which is a pain without barrel nut shims.
Havent seen deformed MI barrel nuts, either titanium ones or steel, but I've seen BCMs KMR barrel nuts get smudged up with little torque, and when perfect, those need a mallot and some to seat.
Some use antirotation pins that seats a dowel between a deep dimple in the upper vs a deep dimple in the rail - NSR and SMOS and V7 do this. Not every upper has this feature, and Adco charges $55 plus ship.
The NSR and SMOS and many others need a timed barrel nut against increasing torque to set location of fastener hole position in barrel nut to holes in the rail. Some barrel nuts, well like NSR, have threading at both ends in case one side doesnt time well.
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