Extremely ignorant question here:
Either my powers of search are not very good or this has not specifically been addressed on the forum.
I took of my first barrel this evening. Easy.
The barrel nut stayed on the barrel because I used an action wrench to hold everything while I loosened the nut.
So....
before I do something stupid, I need to ask, "Which way should I unscrew the barrel nut from the barrel? Toward the muzzle or toward the breech?
Or can it come off either way?
(standard shank, Stevens 200 sporter contour barrel)
I ask because I am going to have to apply a large amount of force to get it off and I don't want to "assume" anything and make a hash out of it all.

Thanks very much in advance for your assistance.