FRB6.5 Wrote:The Brownells tool works "backwards" from the others. The torque wrench goes into the rear of it and you are to put your barrel nut wrench in the vise. I find it difficult to keep everything in place. The vise they use in their video is quite different in design than most people have access to so the wrench isn't going to lay flat and be supported like they show.
You can kludge it into sort of a reaction rod style with some 1/2" square bar stock, but ideally they would need welded together to be truly stable.
I see what you mean, they do have a weird design of vise in their video. I have a typical 4" bench vise and have used the Brownells no-frills rod on several types of handguard/barrel nuts without issue.
Barrel nuts with flats like the SLR Solo get held barrel-down with the flats in the jaws in the vise. This is the simplest method and you don't need an Armourers wrench. Or you can use it on traditional 'teeth' barrel nuts like in the first photo. Or you can mimic a Geiselle rod by clamping a socket driver in the vise and hold the rod upright. For use with brand-specific handguard wrenches like the three examples in the second photo.
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Never tried it, but a fourth method would be to clamp the torque wrench in the vise with the bar upright and use the Armourers wrench to apply the torque. If a socket wrench clamped in the vise works then a torque wrench will also work.
'Backwards', forwards, it makes no difference - just choose the best method for the job.
(Disclosure: I don't work for Brownells or have any conflict of interest in this advice. just can't see the point of paying twice as much for a torque rod).