nope,nope, and yep...
not hard to fix..
and barrels are really easy to change if'n you ain't happy witt da one you's got...

Don't get me wrong, I eat and breathe ARs, I'm just particular is all.

Sometimes folks can get all tied up in the issues, rather than the results. Not that you are wrong to be picky, but picky doesn't always make it right.

I tend to try and avoid doing my own QC work. If it works it works, and you'll still find some off brand stuff in my shop cause it hasn't failed me yet. But when it comes time to buy new gear I go with stuff I have a better chance of actually liking.

You lined up to buy factory take off barrels looking for the one that shoots?

gotta go to work at this hour ! got to get a load in on the freeze....

no, not set up, but i do own more than the fingers on 2 hands of ar's.. including the "new and improved" piston system in a 10.5" sbr..

just sayin, instead of ditching the whole gun, buy another barrel, or have one made if that's what floats your boat. have one made, and reuse the barrel extension if you don't have a spare. iirc, it's only 140 lbs of torque to snug it up.

or even buy complete uppers. the ar platform is such a wonderful thing, it's kinda like having a different wife every day of the week if you want ! play with one set up for a bit, then change uppers, buttstock and pistol grip, and you have a different wife..

have a great day, i'm off to the jicarilla apache reservation today, to move some equiptment in for a drilling rig before the ground thaws...

According to the -23P barrel nut torque spec is between 30 and 80 ft/lbs.

the barrel extension, not the barrel nut...

Barrel extensions are typically installed on AR barrel assemblies by the manufacturer as they control the headspace. They are also generally non-removable due to the pressed in index pin. IMHO, it's not worth the hassles for a 20-30 dollar new barrel extension. Headspacing is controlled by how far the barrel extension threads on to the barrel and the depth the chamber reamer has been run in. The placement of the index pin is done after the installation of the barrel extension. The gas port hole is drilled after the barrel extension has been installed. I just can't see the casual AR builder ever having to install their own barrel extension unless they are a full fledged machinist/gunsmith beginning with an unturned or rough turned barrel blank. Conversely, since the index pin is pressed in, I cannot see any reason why one would try to remove and save an old 20-30 dollar barrel extension.

neither can i, but there are a lot of do it youselfer's here, and it is just an option.

as i said reuse if you have no spare, it's doable, maybe not recommended for the challenged, but doable if no spare.

just buy a factory barrel or upper and be done with it..
this isn't a gunsmithing forum, and no need getting into what it takes to make a barrel, put the barrel extension on, headspace it,,, etc....

it was just an option...

Thanks, I know which forum it is and there is a lot of gunsmithing info posted on it for the DIY'ers here. Lots of knowledgeable folks here along with not-so-knowledgeable. Correct info and a good picture of the task allow the novice to understand what they're about to get involved in. Generalizations and over simplification lead to disappointed folks who just found out they ruined their barrel assembly and cannot just screw the parts back together.