Everything you ever wanted to know about the AR-15 (but were afraid to ask) FEATURING GREG VESS

[coach482]

You want to turn the gas off if you don't plan on using it for a while so it doesn't leak out.

So that's what happened to mine. Thanks for the info.

 

[BangBang]

Usually I just make a small mark on the barrel inline with the gas port and then make one on the gas block and let it ride. I have never had a problem using that method. I make a small mark with a pencil right over the port on the gas block. If you get bad results with that then go to a more acccurate and elaborate method. Use calipers to get it dead center. Then I do the same with the barrel. Measure half the barrel width the calipers and make a small mark on the barrel. Once the gas block is installed just line the two marks up. If you are having a problem lining up the gas ports this would be a sure fire way to align the ports. I just center the gas tube by looking down the barrel and it usually works out for me. I haven't had a problem yet. You have actually have square sides so the measuring should be easy. Every thing looks good. Diameter of the gas block is the same as the barrel block seat. Most people just put to much thought into it. Also you want to check the end of the gas tube in the upper receiver to make sure it's straight. Just in case the tube isn't bent or improperly installed.

There is also a quick and easy method that will net you perfect alignment every time. I use to do this when I first started building. Take a piece of string or heavy fishing line and feed it though the barrel port and out the end of the barrel. Then take the other side of the line and feed it through the port in the gas block and out thought the end of the gas tube in the end of the upper reciever. The heavier the finshing line the better. Then align the two and just tighten it down just enough to see if you can put the line through the barrel, gas block and barrel very easily. One you are confident you have good alignment tight the gas block down. Real heavy salt water fishing line works the best. It's almost the diameter of the ports.

These are just a couple ways of making it easy to do and end up with good alignment every time. Lately I just eyeball it and I haven't had a problem over that last 20 builds or so.

JP has good accessories. Nothing wrong with the I got from them. I mainly order their spring sets but they have a lot of the same products everyone else has. You just have to pick and choose like every where else.

Nothing wrong with a clamp on gas block. They use clamp on style gass blocks on piston guns all the time. The one he go looks like it was built like a tank. I wouldn't think twice about using it. There is more of a chance of two little set screws coming loose that four nice size bolts with a little thread locker on them for peace of mind.

People need to understand there more than one way to skin a cat. Do what you got BangBang. You will be just fine.

I appreciate all the info Greg. The fishing line trick is especially cool. I’ve never heard of anybody doing that before.

At this point I’ve got the gun assembled and my gas block mounted and I’m gonna try to get out to the range this weekend to function check everything and get the gas adjusted.

I don’t have any go/no go gauges, so I hope the headspace is OK. I guess I’ll find out when I pull the trigger!

I’ve got two different brands of ammo and I want to adjust the gas block so that the gun will reliably cycle on the weaker of the two types of ammo, but I don’t know which one that would be.

I’ve got some Tula .308 and some Malaysian surplus 7.62x51

I’m thinking the Malaysian ammo will be weaker.

What do you think?

 

[greg vess]

Usually checking head space is absolutely needed when using a questionable used barrel or BCG. If everything is new head space will be checked at the facility with a BCG that is mil spec. So If your parts are new and of good quality you should have no proboem. As far as ammo I couldn't say one way or another. You can look up load charts on ammo and see which one has the least pressure and use that to adjust you rifle. Military surplus ammo is not going to be the weakest of the bunch. Usually a hunting ammo bragging about accuracy and low recoil will have less pressure than surpluse ammo. Just to be sure look up all the load data charts on all the cartridges you can and that should net you the results you are after. If you are shooting real old ammo I wouldn't use that as a good reference anyway.

 

[BangBang]

Usually checking head space is absolutely needed when using a questionable used barrel or BCG. If everything is new head space will be checked at the facility with a BCG that is mil spec. So If your parts are new and of good quality you should have no proboem. As far as ammo I couldn't say one way or another. You can look up load charts on ammo and see which one has the least pressure and use that to adjust you rifle. Military surplus ammo is not going to be the weakest of the bunch. Usually a hunting ammo bragging about accuracy and low recoil will have less pressure than surpluse ammo. Just to be sure look up all the load data charts on all the cartridges you can and that should net you the results you are after. If you are shooting real old ammo I wouldn't use that as a good reference anyway.

Well Greg, I’m hitting the range tomorrow morning. If you never hear from me again you’ll know that things went very badly while test-firing my AR10

In case I die in a horrible explosion tomorrow morning I just want to say... Thanks for being such a good friend and taking the time to answer all my questions. I couldn’t have done this without you.

You truly are the Bob Ross of the AR platform. You’re an artist.

Here’s the ammo I’m taking...

TULA - .308

MALAYSIAN MILITARY SURPLUS - 7.62x51

WISH ME LUCK!!!

 

[greg vess]

You will be fine my friend. Enjoy yourself.

 

[Radar363]

Well Greg, I’m hitting the range tomorrow morning. If you never hear from me again you’ll know that things went very badly while test-firing my AR10

In case I die in a horrible explosion tomorrow morning I just want to say... Thanks for being such a good friend and taking the time to answer all my questions. I couldn’t have done this without you.

You truly are the Bob Ross of the AR platform. You’re an artist.

Here’s the ammo I’m taking...

TULA - .308
View attachment 1571541 View attachment 1571546 View attachment 1571548

MALAYSIAN MILITARY SURPLUS - 7.62x51
View attachment 1571557 View attachment 1571544 View attachment 1571542

WISH ME LUCK!!!

...If you don't make it back I call dibs on the crazy eyed felon...

 

[greg vess]

After you get some rounds through her to function test do one thing in the near future. Go out and buy some Federal Premium Gold Medal Match Sierra 168 gr. OTM. That ammo will give you a absolute idea on how accurate your build is going to be. It will get a little more accurate with a little time but that ammo always yields the best result from a off the shelf ammo.
I know there is a lot of opinions on barrel break in but I would at least run a cleaning patch down it a couple times after every 5 to 10 rounds. It would be great if you had copper cleaner but if not just pull the grit and carbon out of it after so many rounds or so with a solvent patch and then run a clean patch with a little oil on it. I had a great barrel maker told me one time to run solvent cloth down the barrel after every 5 rounds until you get two twenty. You will still be sighting it the gun so a few minutes won't be so bad. Then run a patch through the barrel every ten rounds and do that 3 times. According to him that should be sufficient to smooth out the surfaces of the lands.
Seeing that you are running Tulammo I would definitely clean out the barrel ever handful of or so rounds. That crap is dirty and I wouldn't want to take any chances with a new barrel that has never been shot. Shooting it is ok just be vigilant with your cleaning sessions between sets. You don't have to scrub the hell out of it just a solvent patch and then follow it up with a couple of clean patches. Then just run one oiled patch down it to let the oil catch any left over carbon.

 

[Old_School]

Membership is not bad. It's 900 bucks initial payment. Then 300 bucks a years. That's for a 100,200,300 and 600 yard ranges. A 22 plinking range you can shoot what you want except glass. A complete wester town front with pistol ranges behind all eight swinging doors. ( it's where they hold the national six gun competition every year. ) They also have timed action pistol ranges. Have places to shoot steel plates and steel shaped bowlin pins to drop. The they have shotgun hill to do skeet and trap. Also have clay throwers in the woods for life like hunting situations. Pretty much everything a shooter would want. Also full archery range.

If that is not enough they have rimfire matches all the time, 3 gun tournaments plus shooting events I can't even remember them all. You can even take a camper up their and set it up and stay a couple days if you want. Also they have a full kitchen Recreation center open to every member. All you have to do is clean up after yourself. That includes a pavilion attached to it. There is more but it's basically 450 acres of shooting fun. Compared to what you spend around here it's a steal.

I love that place! A buddy invites me up there every couple of months. I’ve been meaning to join, but it’s an hour for me to get there.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[greg vess]

I love that place! A buddy invites me up there every couple of months. I’ve been meaning to join, but it’s an hour for me to get there.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yes it is such a nice place. It's surrounded by all wooded areas so it doesn't look industrial. I was shooing on day out there and bear ran across the range. Talking about brave. All that racket and he just strolled right on across there. Of course everybody stopped shooting immediately and just enjoyed the view. I have seen turkeys on range and deer everywhere. I usually go through the week when it's all to my self. I love it then. Of course there is always one or two rim fire guys shooting setups that cost more than the car the drove in with but they keep to their self mostly. It's just a nice place to get lost for a few hours.

 

[Old_School]

Usually I just make a small mark on the barrel inline with the gas port and then make one on the gas block and let it ride. I have never had a problem using that method. I make a small mark with a pencil right over the port on the gas block. If you get bad results with that then go to a more acccurate and elaborate method. Use calipers to get it dead center. Then I do the same with the barrel. Measure half the barrel width the calipers and make a small mark on the barrel. Once the gas block is installed just line the two marks up. If you are having a problem lining up the gas ports this would be a sure fire way to align the ports. I just center the gas tube by looking down the barrel and it usually works out for me. I haven't had a problem yet. You have actually have square sides so the measuring should be easy. Every thing looks good. Diameter of the gas block is the same as the barrel block seat. Most people just put to much thought into it. Also you want to check the end of the gas tube in the upper receiver to make sure it's straight. Just in case the tube isn't bent or improperly installed.

There is also a quick and easy method that will net you perfect alignment every time. I use to do this when I first started building. Take a piece of string or heavy fishing line and feed it though the barrel port and out the end of the barrel. Then take the other side of the line and feed it through the port in the gas block and out thought the end of the gas tube in the end of the upper reciever. The heavier the finshing line the better. Then align the two and just tighten it down just enough to see if you can put the line through the barrel, gas block and barrel very easily. One you are confident you have good alignment tight the gas block down. Real heavy salt water fishing line works the best. It's almost the diameter of the ports.

These are just a couple ways of making it easy to do and end up with good alignment every time. Lately I just eyeball it and I haven't had a problem over that last 20 builds or so.

There’s another method I’ve used. Plug both ends of the barrel with a cork stopper. Punch a hole in one stopper that’s big enough for a straw from a compressed air can. While blowing air into the plugged barrel, rotate/adjust the gas block for maximum volume and lock it down.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk