Every atty I touch has the top cap removed via my homemade puller that threads on to every 510. If I feel any weirdness the atty gets re-threaded.
Your connection issue is your REO. I spaced all of the rogues at 4.6- 4.7mm. A reo in good condition will accomodate 3.9- 4.9mm with the old connector. I haven't worked with the new connector but I'm told it will accomodate 3.5 to almost 6mm.
This is a common issue with the old connector and one have dealt with repeatedly. If increase protrusion to say 5mm bushings start failing. Realistically I should space them at 4.4-4.5 like most authentics but there are a lot of REOs that are long overdue for rebuild with owners that just don't understand how fragile the old connector is. If you have 3 attys that won't connect, that could be a sign. Time for a rebuild. The age of a Reo has no bearing on need for rebuild. If you crank an atty with too much protrusion all the way down you can destroy a brand new reo in minutes with the old connector. That is why when you buy a new reo they used to come with 10mm o-rings. The o-ring was supposed to be used as a spacer between the atty and the reo. Rob has spent a ton of money trying to correct this issue with the Hoople resistant ss connector.
