Anyone quit shooting DI and switch fully to piston AR's?

[ForestGnome]

I like to keep the guns operating as they were designed. So DI for AR-15 for me.

Armalite did make the AR-18, a fully piston designed rifle with folding stock. The US military should have gone with that.

" The AR-18 was designed at ArmaLite in California byArthur Miller, George Sullivan, and Charles Dorchester in 1963 as an improved alternative to the AR-15 design, which had just been selected by the U.S. military as the M16."

If the AR-18 was made 1 year earlier, we would all be having AR-18s instead of AR-15s. And life would be good since it is a much better design.

In fact, Eugene Stoner did make the AR-16, which was a piston design firing 7.62x51, and highly influenced the later AR-18.


So I think Eugene Stoner was probably as disappointed as a lot of other people about the DI system, considering all his other designs. But that being said, the AR-15 was not designed for piston operation.

 

[NWSharpshooter]

^^I was thinking pistol caliber too for the blow back.


I was about to start this same thread a day or two ago... I have all DI rifles at the moment, but have a SPECWAR coming, so I'm maybe interested in a piston system. Or maybe just the WAR upper. Both are about the same cost.

I think I'm going to have to shoot it and see how bad I get gassed. Based on that, I might justify the cost of the upgrade.

Get yourself a PRI gusbuster charging handle and the excess gas won't matter unless you are a lefty.

 

[dial1911]

Get yourself a PRI gusbuster charging handle and the excess gas won't matter unless you are a lefty.

Good point... that's probably the best place to start. I've shot a couple of suppressed ARs before and one would really sting my nose. The other had some RTV or other sealant on the charging handle- not nearly as bad, but still not great. I'll have to look into the PRI.

 

[user 71]

I have an oversized BCM handle on mine and the gas to the face is much less severe now.

 

[NWSharpshooter]

Good point... that's probably the best place to start. I've shot a couple of suppressed ARs before and one would really sting my nose. The other had some RTV or other sealant on the charging handle- not nearly as bad, but still not great. I'll have to look into the PRI.

You can actually drill two small holes in your charging handle and achieve the same results. Drill two small holes, apply a bit of RTV and say bye bye to gas in the face. Maybe that is a good project for today.....

 

[DTK Supply]

You can actually drill two small holes in your charging handle and achieve the same results. Drill two small holes, apply a bit of RTV and say bye bye to gas in the face. Maybe that is a good project for today.....

You HAVE GOT to post directions to this!!!

I've never heard of it before. I'm planning to order a pistol kit for a pistol that wears a can and I'm tired of a speckled face.

 

[NWSharpshooter]

You HAVE GOT to post directions to this!!!

I've never heard of it before. I'm planning to order a pistol kit for a pistol that wears a can and I'm tired of a speckled face.

Two small holes that meet in the middle divert gas out right side of charging handle just like the PRI gas buster.

RTV seals up the rear of the charging handle keeping gas out of your face.

 

[user 71]

very cool...

 

[Sneakypete]

I shoot both

 

[TacticalTaco]

Pistons are pointless. The BCG in a DI setup is the piston.