DI or Piston?

[Spartan040]

Looking to build an AR for myself, can't decide if I want direct impingement or piston. Piston runs cleaner and cooler and (I've heard) can generally take more abuse and less lube before it begins to fail, and if there are minimal reductions in accuracy and a tiny bit more felt recoil, I don't really mind. But, I've heard there are certain mechanical issues associated with piston AR's. I wanted to know what they are, and if there's anything that can be done to fix them in a custom build. I've also heard availability and interchangeability of parts is another factor. Are the advantages of the GP system worth the trade-offs?

[Iraqgunz]

I'll bet if you use the Google search feature, you will find plenty to read and pick apart.

[Leaveammoforme]

[vicious_cb]

Retrofitting a piston on an AR is stupid. Anything more on the subject is a waste of time.

[Wake27]

Looking to build an AR for myself, can't decide if I want direct impingement or piston. Piston runs cleaner and cooler and (I've heard) can generally take more abuse and less lube before it begins to fail, and if there are minimal reductions in accuracy and a tiny bit more felt recoil, I don't really mind. But, I've heard there are certain mechanical issues associated with piston AR's. I wanted to know what they are, and if there's anything that can be done to fix them in a custom build. I've also heard availability and interchangeability of parts is another factor. Are the advantages of the GP system worth the trade-offs?

Nope. I almost fell into that shit with my first AR. So glad that I didn't. Get a good DI and then let this thread die.

[Leuthas]

If you want a piston AR, get a good one. LMT. The operating rod will break around 60k rounds. Mine did. When it does, or when you want a different setup, you'll still have a sturdy upper receiver to work with.

That's all I'll say in lieu of MistWolf's rebuttal.

[Butch]

A piston AR is ridiculous. Solution looking for a problem.

[MistWolf]

If you want a piston AR, get a good one. LMT. The operating rod will break around 60k rounds. Mine did. When it does, or when you want a different setup, you'll still have a sturdy upper receiver to work with.

That's all I'll say in lieu of MistWolf's rebuttal.

You know me all to well

Spartan, all ARs have a piston. It's just a matter of having the piston in the carrier as Eugene Stoner designed it, or having the piston in the gas block. No matter where the piston is located, the ammunition still generates just as much heat, just as much fouling and just as much recoil.

When the piston is in the gas block, the piston is a smaller diameter and is subject to more heat and at least as much fouling as a piston in the carrier. The advantage to having the piston in the carrier is that it can be lubed which helps to keep the fouling soft and easier to clean and the gas has cooled significantly passing through the gas tube.

I don't have any experience with ARs with gas block pistons but I do with FALs which is similar. I find a conventional AR easier to clean and maintain. When talking to shooters who do have experience with gas block piston ARs, most agree that the HK is the way to go

[JC5188]

You know me all to well

Spartan, all ARs have a piston. It's just a matter of having the piston in the carrier as Eugene Stoner designed it, or having the piston in the gas block. No matter where the piston is located, the ammunition still generates just as much heat, just as much fouling and just as much recoil.

When the piston is in the gas block, the piston is a smaller diameter and is subject to more heat and at least as much fouling as a piston in the carrier. The advantage to having the piston in the carrier is that it can be lubed which helps to keep the fouling soft and easier to clean and the gas has cooled significantly passing through the gas tube.

I don't have any experience with ARs with gas block pistons but I do with FALs which is similar. I find a conventional AR easier to clean and maintain. When talking to shooters who do have experience with gas block piston ARs, most agree that the HK is the way to go

Piston AR's are a lot of things, but harder to clean isn't one of them. I suppose it could come down to which type of piston, I only have exp with the short-stroke. At worst, I find they are equal in cleaning effort required.

The bcg is cleaner. But, that's about where the "benefits" end. Since cleaning a gun is enjoyable to some, subjectively it may or may not be a benefit. Since a conventional AR can be kept running without cleaning, by just keeping it lubed...objectively it really isn't a benefit at all.

I do own both, and while my piston AR has worked great since day one, it does so with more weight (P-I-G), more recoil, and more expense. Considerably more of each.

I can see where if someone shoots the majority of the time suppressed, it could be a benefit.

Personally, if I could do it over, I'd buy an SR-15 for the money.

I damned sure wouldn't BUILD a piston AR.

ETA...

all references to "piston" are for the purposes of distinguishing between the two types. I agree that the original Stoner design is also a piston.


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[tom12.7]

Needing extra energy provided for the band aid that adds more deflections and what normally would be excess stresses and strains with result of reduced consistency of many things isn't really a good solution in my book.