R3 long with NC shroud issue solved (for now)

Hi All,

Before I begin, be advised that my gun may be one of those odd balls and what I write may not apply to your model. This is my experience with my gun which I would have left alone in stock form but want the quietest gun possible. Hopefully, my journey will end now, but I doubt it :8: .

I wanted my R3 .25 long quiet so I asked Neil Clague to make a replacement shroud as well as a screw-on ldc. After 4 months, I realized that the barrel along with the attached shroud was moving vertically when I placed pressure on the shroud from the top and bottom. I finally figured out why Ed tightens the shit out of his baffle nut. The barrel travels through the spacer via two holes drill into the spacer between the shroud and the breech. The hole in the spacer is larger than the outside diameter of the barrel. Therefore, there is significant play between the difference of the barrel od and the spacer hole. This is why I believe Ed applies a lot force when tightening the baffle nut onto the end of the barrel. Without the tension, the barrel, along with the shroud would move around. Please note that this may only apply to the earliest model of the R3. The model with the steel breech which I own. This is how I fixed the issue which only exists if you have a screw on NC shroud like I do. To my knowledge, Hoot and I are the only people who have such a shroud. Once you see the pics, you will hopefully understand what I am talking about.

First, I needed to find a piece of sheet metal with enough thickness to make up the difference between the barrel od and the spacer hole where the barrel travels through and meets the breech (steel in my case). I cut a piece out from an aluminum coke can to try. Damm, it was a perfect fit. I also use pieces of al cans to shim scopes when necessary.

Next, I rolled the piece to approximate the od of the barrel and placed it in the spacer hole. I also cut out tabs so when I inserted the barrel, I would not force the shim behind the hole which would then be useless.

Then, I inserted the barrel and screwed it onto the breech.

I attached the shroud and thought I was done. Nope. The spacer and barrel still had some up and down movement. When I wiggle the scope up and down, the spacer moved next to the breech. The movement was minimal but noticeable to me. I want zero movement. So I placed an shim on the opposite end of the spacer. This time, I didn’t cut tabs. I just carefully wrapped the shim around the barrel and screwed the barrel onto the breech. The shim is red (coke a cola can).

I secured everything and there is now no movement at all. I’m satisfied. Luckily the thickness of the coke can was perfect or else I might have given up. So if you have an R3 and plan to order an NC shroud, you might experience the same shifting as I did. Remember, this may only apply to the earlier R3 models with the steel breech. I believe the aluminum breech R3’s have a lip on the shroud washer which may address this potential issue.

This is not an issue inherent with the gun itself. This only applies to guns which have been modified like mine. If Ed would have drilled the spacer hole so that the barrel fits somewhat tightly into the hole, than I would not be typing this. However, he may have not deemed it necessary because, I believe, he intended the barrel to be tensioned. Hence, making it a requirement to forcefully torque down the baffle nut. I always wondered why the nut was so tight. This MAY be why. Only Ed knows so please take this as my opinion only. Of course, doing so eliminates any type of vertical or lateral movement.

My gun was accurate before this mod and now I am confident that it will remain accurate without babying it. Before, I worried that if I bumped it, especially the upper receiver, I might have misaligned the scope and barrel alignment.

This is a lot to go through and some may say, “why not just leave it how Ed designed it?” Well, I was looking for a silent gun and it was not before. Now it is because I can attach an ldc to the end. This was not possible in stock form.

Gabe G.