Christensen muzzle brake help

3TOE

3TOE

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I just bought a new Christensen Ridgeline FFT & I cannot remove the muzzle brake. I have exhausted all efforts to this point. My last attempt involved heating the brake with a torch & a pipe wrench. I got it to budge maybe half of a turn before it stopped. So far I have successfully trashed the brake which is no big deal because I was putting a can on it anyway.
Has anyone else had an issue with this?
I texted a Christensen rep, but since it’s the weekend I doubt I will hear from him & will probably end up calling them come Monday.

Before anyone asks… yes it is supposed to be removable. Lol
 
3TOE said:
I just bought a new Christensen Ridgeline FFT & I cannot remove the muzzle brake. I have exhausted all efforts to this point. My last attempt involved heating the brake with a torch & a pipe wrench. I got it to budge maybe half of a turn before it stopped. So far I have successfully trashed the brake which is no big deal because I was putting a can on it anyway.
Has anyone else had an issue with this?
I texted a Christensen rep, but since it’s the weekend I doubt I will hear from him & will probably end up calling them come Monday.

Before anyone asks… yes it is supposed to be removable. Lol
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Just took one off a few days ago to put a can on. I ended up threading a thick screwdriver through the brake and got it off but it was on there tight. Used a barrel vice and a pipe wrench to get off a really tough brake off an AR this year as well, brake will be trashed with the pipe wrench just fyi ( know your is already just a disclaimer)
 
That doesn’t sound to good. I would assume they applied a bunch of thread sealer or loctite but the heat should’ve helped with that.
I’d apply some Kroil to the threads and use a little heat again. Use a screwdriver or rod like stated above through the ports and see if you can get it to turn. Might want to reverse it a little turn and then start again also.
 
Thanks guys! I hate to have to purchase a barrel vise with it being carbon fiber. I was flexing the barrel pretty good & scared that I’m going to damage the gun. I can’t believe it would be that freakin’ hard to remove.
Unbelievable!!!
The brake is officially trash now. I have to get it off.
I tried reversing the thread back & forth several times & it gets to a point that it just seizes. I get the feeling that the threads were damaged on the barrel or brake itself.
 
3TOE said:
Thanks guys! I hate to have to purchase a barrel vise with it being carbon fiber. I was flexing the barrel pretty good & scared that I’m going to damage the gun. I can’t believe it would be that freakin’ hard to remove.
Unbelievable!!!
The brake is officially trash now. I have to get it off.
I tried reversing the thread back & forth several times & it gets to a point that it just seizes. I get the feeling that the threads were damaged on the barrel or brake itself.
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I was thinking the treads might be galled or damaged also. I would probably wait until Monday and see what Christensen has to say. At this point the brake may need to be relief cut and removed anyway.
 
Cahunter805 said:
I was thinking the treads might be galled or damaged also. I would probably wait until Monday and see what Christensen has to say. At this point the brake may need to be relief cut and removed anyway.
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This is likely what's going on. Since the brake is trash, don't be afraid to heat the piss out of it if you try again.
 
nfh said:
Did they use red loc-tite? Which will involve heating it up
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I haven’t gotten it broke far enough to see any residual loctite. What I believe I can see appears to be dark gray. I’m going to say JB Weld at this point. Lol
 
I ordered a barrel vice yesterday & it’s supposed to be delivered for round 3 today. 💪🏼
 
Well… I tried Homers recommendation of lefty loosy with the barrel vice, penetrating fluid with a 1 hour soak & heat… it still won’t budge.
This thing is on there!!!
I will be contacting Christensen tomorrow.
 
To be honest when you are selling a rifle with a 20” barrel do you not expect guys to take the brake off and put on a can?! The whole reason I bought the rifle was since it was so light and compact my suppressor would keep the package that way. Like come on CA don’t jb weld the damn brake on!
 
If you use heat, get a wet rag around the carbon barrel.

That's crazy that you have to destroy a brake (and maybe a barrel:mad:) in order to get it off.

I'll be interested in knowing where you place the barrel vice on the carbon barrel so as to not damage the finish etc.

Heat, pipe wrench, bigger hammer and rattle can of spray paint might be your new best friends. :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
I just heard back from a Christensen customer service rep. He said that he had never heard of this issue before. He said that only a crush washer is used & no type of loctite is applied to the threads at all. As mentioned above, I’m going with thread damage to the barrel or brake & now it’s gaulded. I won’t get to ship the gun back until next Saturday, because I had to travel for work today. I will provide an update when I have one.
 
One of the reasons the shop I work at stopped selling Christensen arms, because we were sending more back than we were selling. Hope they fix it all up for free and throw in a couple free stickers and a hate for the trouble.
 
Too bad that a guy buys a new semi-custom rifle and has that kind of issue. Not cool!
I did meet a guy out shooting on my range Saturday who just bought a new Christensen rifle and won the CA accuracy lottery.
He shot a couple .25" groups! That's cool!
 
Zeke said:
Too bad that a guy buys a new semi-custom rifle and has that kind of issue. Not cool!
I did meet a guy out shooting on my range Saturday who just bought a new Christensen rifle and won the CA accuracy lottery.
He shot a couple .25" groups! That's cool!
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I have another Christensen in 300WSM that shoots 1/2 MOA. Pretty disappointed to have such a silly problem with a new rifle. I bought the new gun for an upcoming elk hunt here in NV.
 
MountainSqwabler said:
One of the reasons the shop I work at stopped selling Christensen arms, because we were sending more back than we were selling. Hope they fix it all up for free and throw in a couple free stickers and a hate for the trouble.
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Thanks! I hope so… I was putting enough torque on the barrel to twist it. I hope I didn’t screw it up.
I will be happy if they simply get the brake off. & it still shoots decent. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
 
3TOE said:
fiber. I was flexing the barrel pretty good
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That sounds like a really bad idea. Especially on a carbon barrel, there is barely any steel inside that wrap and they already have memory problems. This is why there’s gun smiths for this stuff. I bet it would have cost you all of 30 bucks to have a guy with the right tools twist it off for you
 
JPickett said:
That sounds like a really bad idea. Especially on a carbon barrel, there is barely any steel inside that wrap and they already have memory problems. This is why there’s gun smiths for this stuff. I bet it would have cost you all of 30 bucks to have a guy with the right tools twist it off for you
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I do agree with being cautious especially when dealing with the CF barrel.
It’s a shame he even would have to consider taking it to a gunsmith. A new rifle that brake should thread right off. I’m betting it was stripped onto the barrel and or galled from the factory. Christensen and their QC aren’t the greatest.
 
Cahunter805 said:
I do agree with being cautious especially when dealing with the CF barrel.
It’s a shame he even would have to consider taking it to a gunsmith. A new rifle that brake should thread right off. I’m betting it was stripped onto the barrel and or galled from the factory. Christensen and their QC aren’t the greatest.
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lol...nothing about them is the greatest....
 
Cahunter805 said:
I do agree with being cautious especially when dealing with the CF barrel.
It’s a shame he even would have to consider taking it to a gunsmith. A new rifle that brake should thread right off. I’m betting it was stripped onto the barrel and or galled from the factory. Christensen and their QC aren’t the greatest.
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If it’s a titanium break those things can stick pretty hard too. I have one rifle built with a CA barrel from back in the day when their quality was better but even then I wouldn’t build another one with it or any carbon barrel. It’s a gimmick
 
JPickett said:
That sounds like a really bad idea. Especially on a carbon barrel, there is barely any steel inside that wrap and they already have memory problems. This is why there’s gun smiths for this stuff. I bet it would have cost you all of 30 bucks to have a guy with the right tools twist it off for you
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I agree 100%…. But in the moment when frustration & persistence kicks in, you hit a point of no return. I have always done my own work in my rifles & one would think that removing a muzzle brake shouldn’t be a very big deal.
 
JPickett said:
That sounds like a really bad idea. Especially on a carbon barrel, there is barely any steel inside that wrap and they already have memory problems. This is why there’s gun smiths for this stuff. I bet it would have cost you all of 30 bucks to have a guy with the right tools twist it off for you
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I agree 100%…. But in the moment when frustration & persistence kicks in, you hit a point of no return. I have always done my own work in my rifles & one would think that removing a muzzle brake shouldn’t be a very big deal.
 
Carbon fiber barrels "might" be a gimmick but I have a stable of them and mine are fantastically accurate.
No brag, just fact.

I've personally never had a bad CF but they do make a flop-barrel from time to time. Everyone does, I suppose

The worst barrel I've ever had was a steel (not CF) Bartlein so everyone make a lemon from time to time.

Zeke
 
Zeke said:
Carbon fiber barrels "might" be a gimmick but I have a stable of them and mine are fantastically accurate.
No brag, just fact.

I've personally never had a bad CF but they do make a flop-barrel from time to time. Everyone does, I suppose

The worst barrel I've ever had was a steel (not CF) Bartlein so everyone make a lemon from time to time.

Zeke
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mines great too. ive proven it on paper and game out to 1000 yards and its very repeatable. im just saying they do not do anything steel doesn't do for nearly 3 times the cost. and actually i think steel does some things better, but thats another conversation. they sure look cool, and i think thats kinda the whole point of them.
 
I heard from the Christensen rep today that I had texted last weekend. He was at a show or event for Christensen over the weekend. Anyway… I told him what all I had done to try to remove the brake & he agreed that something was obviously wrong. I’m feeling a bit better after talking to him because he assured me that if any issue is found with the barrel at all that it would be replaced.
I’m still out of town for work, but I plan to get it on its way back by Saturday. I will follow up when I know more.
 
If I can credit them with anything. The one that I had to send back was back at my door within a couple days.
 
I submitted my warranty request when I got back to Vegas. Unfortunately Christensen never sent the shipping documents before the end of the day. So…. It will be at least next Friday before I can ship it out.

I took the extra time to add an Arca rail & do a little extra coloring on the stock. I will be happy to get this thing built & out to shoot so I can see what it can do.
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Until today, work got in the way of my priorities. I just dropped the Christensen off at my FFL to return it back to the shop. Hopefully they can turn it around fairly quick.
 
I to have a new ridge line in 300 win. and it came in the box without the brake on the barrel . I have shot it a bit and did the 50 round brake in, so i just checked to see if I could get it off and it came of by hand real easy, hope you get it resolved. the gun shoots straight and I cant wait to use it, doesn't seem to be much that can go wrong with the gun and it does work,
 
wildfin said:
I to have a new ridge line in 300 win. and it came in the box without the brake on the barrel . I have shot it a bit and did the 50 round brake in, so i just checked to see if I could get it off and it came of by hand real easy, hope you get it resolved. the gun shoots straight and I cant wait to use it, doesn't seem to be much that can go wrong with the gun and it does work,
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I contacted my customer service rep today to get an ETA on approximate turnaround time. He originally said 2-3 weeks, but after I told him that I had bought the rifle for an upcoming hunt he updated the status to “yellow” I assume that means they will try to turn it around a little faster.
I have another Christensen that I’m very happy with, I don’t know what happened with this one. Just a run of bad luck I suppose.
 
Just a quick update… I received an email notification from Christensen with an update on my rifle & a UPS shipping notification to my FFL.
They replaced the barrel & recoil lug, adjusted the headspace due to a “tight” engagement when closing the bolt. New bedding job & test fired the rifle. They sent an electronic copy of the grouping that shows 0.60 MOA. Oh & a new muzzle brake since I F’d the original one up with a pipe wrench. 😂
I’m pumped that they turned the gun around so quick.
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Homer said:
new barrel because you twisted so fricking hard your rifling went from 1-8 to 1-6.....lol

no charge at all?
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I’m not going to lie, I put a heavy twist on it. 😂
That being said… I was completely forthcoming with Christensen when I contacted them.

No sir! No charge at all, not even to cover shipping to or from.
 
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nfh said:
That's pretty impressive service. Most gun makers could have gone another route.
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I have to agree. The customer service rep that I dealt with was over the top accommodating. He was very prompt with replies to questions that I had through email & returned a call that I had made. In addition to all of that, I communicated that I had specifically purchased this rifle for a hunt this fall & he saw to it that my rifle was turned around as quickly as possible.
I’m impressed to say the least….
 
Fantastic numbers in the test report - Hornady Precision Hunter, 212grain ELDX. Average MV: 2843fps. ES: 13. SD: 7

Powder weight: 10 grains?!?! LOL

What is Hornady putting in their loaded ammo and where can I get some? Must be Superformance Super Duper Magnum :D
 
BroadHead said:
Fantastic numbers in the test report - Hornady Precision Hunter, 212grain ELDX. Average MV: 2843fps. ES: 13. SD: 7

Powder weight: 10 grains?!?! LOL

What is Hornady putting in their loaded ammo and where can I get some? Must be Superformance Super Duper Magnum :D
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I saw that “10 grains” too 🤔. Lol

I know the PRC is supposed to shine with the heavier bullets due to the high BC & twist rates on the barrel, but I’m going to first try the Hornady Outfitter 190 gr CX all copper rounds.

Curious to know if anyone has ever done barrel lapping (polishing)? I plan to “break in” the barrel with repeated cleaning after every shot, then spacing out the cleaning between every 2-3 rounds. Etc…I have done it with my last 2 rifle purchases & have been super happy with the accuracy. I have been researching barrel lapping a little & thought I might try it if time allows before heading out to shoot it for the first time.
 
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I think you'd be crazy to lap it. Good barrels are good from the get go and will only get worse with at home bubba attempts to make them better. Crap barrels will always be crap regardless and aren't worth your time to mess with lapping.
 
Weiserbucks said:
I think you'd be crazy to lap it. Good barrels are good from the get go and will only get worse with at home bubba attempts to make them better. Crap barrels will always be crap regardless and aren't worth your time to mess with lapping.
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Point taken… all lapping does is remove tooling marks & supposed to improve accuracy by the reduction of fouling.

I have polished my shotgun barrels for turkey hunting for years. Obviously not apples to apples, but it does work.
 
I know exactly what lapping does and every high quality barrel manufacturer laps their barrels in house before shipping to the customer. Low quality manufacturers don't lap in an attempt to lower price and look more appealing to potential customers.

If your barrel has tool marks in it its f'n junk, from a f'n junk manufacturer, straight up. Go ahead and lap it, it's not gonna make it any worse. There's people who lap barrels for a living, we aren't them and will likely do a poor job in comparison.
 
3TOE said:
I saw that “10 grains” too 🤔. Lol

I know the PRC is supposed to shine with the heavier bullets due to the high BC & twist rates on the barrel, but I’m going to first try the Hornady Outfitter 190 gr CX all copper rounds.

Curious to know if anyone has ever done barrel lapping (polishing)? I plan to “break in” the barrel with repeated cleaning after every shot, then spacing out the cleaning between every 2-3 rounds. Etc…I have done it with my last 2 rifle purchases & have been super happy with the accuracy. I have been researching barrel lapping a little & thought I might try it if time allows before heading out to shoot it for the first time.
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Shoot and clean for the first 5 rounds and then clean only when accuracy falls off.
Most people clean their barrels way to much and more damage is done.
With custom barrels I’ve gone hundreds of rounds between cleaning.
 
Cahunter805 said:
Shoot and clean for the first 5 rounds and then clean only when accuracy falls off.
Most people clean their barrels way to much and more damage is done.
With custom barrels I’ve gone hundreds of rounds between cleaning.
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To say I've done a little bit of testing might just be an understatement.

After cleaning, "most" of my barrels require at least 3 shots to shoot to their potential for accuracy and speed. Yes, most seasoned (fouled) barrels of mine will shoot faster too! Not by a ton but enough to pull it out of the 10 ring (whatever that is) at distance.

Clean correctly and when needed. Don't lap. That's only another opinion.

My 2 cents for free,
Zeke
 
Weiserbucks said:
I know exactly what lapping does and every high quality barrel manufacturer laps their barrels in house before shipping to the customer. Low quality manufacturers don't lap in an attempt to lower price and look more appealing to potential customers.

If your barrel has tool marks in it its f'n junk, from a f'n junk manufacturer, straight up. Go ahead and lap it, it's not gonna make it any worse. There's people who lap barrels for a living, we aren't them and will likely do a poor job in comparison.
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Every barrel has tooling marks in it, regardless of the manufacturer, custom or not. I agree with most of what you said & you are right, I probably won’t do as good of a job as someone that does it for a living.
 
Cahunter805 said:
Shoot and clean for the first 5 rounds and then clean only when accuracy falls off.
Most people clean their barrels way to much and more damage is done.
With custom barrels I’ve gone hundreds of rounds between cleaning.
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I have done the seasoning trick a few times & believe that it definitively helps especially with the reduction of fouling between shots.
 
Zeke said:
To say I've done a little bit of testing might just be an understatement.

After cleaning, "most" of my barrels require at least 3 shots to shoot to their potential for accuracy and speed. Yes, most seasoned (fouled) barrels of mine will shoot faster too! Not by a ton but enough to pull it out of the 10 ring (whatever that is) at distance.

Clean correctly and when needed. Don't lap. That's only another opinion.

My 2 cents for free,
Zeke
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I found the same thing that you have. I will actually leave the barrel fouled after my last range day before a hunt.

Thanks for everyone’s comments & guidance.
 
Homer said:
I am a pretty mechanical guy. Do a lot of my own auto repair. Have even rebuilt engines.....I hack on my own guns.....of course....they shoot like shitt....lmao
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I’m in the same boat as yourself. I do industrial maintenance on the road for a living, so I believe I can do pretty much anything mechanically. That & most stuff I just prefer to do myself, because I’m anal.

That being said…. I have gotten in over my head many times where I had wished I would have just paid someone to do it for me. The number one thing is plumbing related crap for me personally. By all appearances it is as simple as it gets. I believe I overthink stuff because 4 times out of 5 I have to make 3 separate trips to Home Depot, my Tourette’s Syndrome shows itself & im usually bleeding by the end of the job. What should have been a 30 minute task turns into an entire weekend of aggravation 😂
 
I have the same model. I was a little worried since I had heard some CA horror stories, but I have to say after finally sighting in, it was shooting nice little .75 moa groups at 100 yards with factory eld-X. Can’t be upset with that
 
HntHrdr said:
I have the same model. I was a little worried since I had heard some CA horror stories, but I have to say after finally sighting in, it was shooting nice little .75 moa groups at 100 yards with factory eld-X. Can’t be upset with that
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Heck no! I will be ecstatic with that if mine can shoot .750 MOA with factory rounds. This entire build has been a bit of a pain, but now all of that is behind me now.
 
3TOE said:
Thanks guys! I hate to have to purchase a barrel vise with it being carbon fiber. I was flexing the barrel pretty good & scared that I’m going to damage the gun. I can’t believe it would be that freakin’ hard to remove.
Unbelievable!!!
The brake is officially trash now. I have to get it off.
I tried reversing the thread back & forth several times & it gets to a point that it just seizes. I get the feeling that the threads were damaged on the barrel or brake itself.
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I just bought one and am having same issue.. kinda sucks
 
HntHrdr said:
You get that shooting iron zeroed?
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Yes sir! I took it out last weekend and put just over a box through it. I was mostly just breaking in the barrel, but I did zero at 200 yards. It’s shooting MOA at 200 with right at a 2” group.
I wasn’t exactly shooting for accuracy but that’s what I was getting with the 212 gr Hornady ELD- X rounds.
 
I just picked one of these up in 6.5 prc for a very good price. The weight is what sold me. Took it straight to my smith for bedding and removing/reattaching the brake. No issues at all with the brake. Will take it to the range next weekend for break in. Hopefully its a shooter.
 
JB1975 said:
I just picked one of these up in 6.5 prc for a very good price. The weight is what sold me. Took it straight to my smith for bedding and removing/reattaching the brake. No issues at all with the brake. Will take it to the range next weekend for break in. Hopefully its a shooter.
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Good deal man! Yeah, the lightweight on these rifles is crazy.
I have a 6.5 PRC also & it is a freakin’ tack driver.
 
Dipped my toes in the CA pool again. I ended up getting a smoking deal on a .308 bolt “pistol” with a 12.5 barrel, going to swap it for 16.25. Throw a stock on the chassis and a can on the front end. Should be a really fun little gun to pack around. I’ll have to throw a picture up once I get the new barrel and stock on, should be right under 6lbs scoped!
 
HntHrdr said:
Dipped my toes in the CA pool again. I ended up getting a smoking deal on a .308 bolt “pistol” with a 12.5 barrel, going to swap it for 16.25. Throw a stock on the chassis and a can on the front end. Should be a really fun little gun to pack around. I’ll have to throw a picture up once I get the new barrel and stock on, should be right under 6lbs scoped!
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Please do! That sounds like a fun project. 👍🏻
 
Will look like this but a little more put together… and it will be legal… silly rules. wearing a trij credo 3-9 on it and a dead air nomad titanium

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3TOE said:
Looks great!!! I’m sorry, but I had to laugh at the muzzle brake comment. 😂 I hope you can remove the damn thing yourself.
BAD BAD memories… lol So freakin’ aggravating. 😂
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Right haha I’m gonna take the easy road and take it back to my smith
 
HntHrdr said:
Right haha I’m gonna take the easy road and take it back to my smith
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I don’t blame you at all. That’s aggravating as heck. Let us know how it shoots. I have been looking at the Sig Cross for awhile chambered in .308 & it’s almost identical to your build. I was a bit surprised at some of the positive reviews on it for its accuracy with a 16” barrel. Pretty impressive!
 
3TOE said:
I don’t blame you at all. That’s aggravating as heck. Let us know how it shoots. I have been looking at the Sig Cross for awhile chambered in .308 & it’s almost identical to your build. I was a bit surprised at some of the positive reviews on it for its accuracy with a 16” barrel. Pretty impressive!
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Yeah I’ll let you know how it shoots. It is basically just a bastard sig cross. All in it was a little more expensive with smith putting new barrel on but not much more
 

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