Gemtech suppressed bolt carrier, LMT MRP 10.5, SiCo Saker 762 on M16 lower - amazing

[Singlestack Wonder]

Hmm. I take back what I said about the carrier trapping something. The delayed unlocking that reduces the gas-to-face also means more gas is vented through the suppressor and out the front. More heat in the suppressor, which in turn means more heat in the barrel, and leads to a hotter handguard as the heat radiates from the barrel.

But, if you think about it, this is how it should be anyways. If you have excessive back pressure the gun isn't running optimally to begin with.

SBR runs properly without the Gemtech bc. With the H3 buffer, the rear of the buffer shows zero contact with the end of the buffer tube and the recoil difference between the Gemtech and BCM bc's is non-detectable (at least to me on the 11.5"). I would occasionally get gas to the face when shooting 6 or more rounds in quick succession with the standard bc.. I wanted to try to eliminate the occasional gas to face with the Gemtech bc. However, the occasional gas to the face wasn't a target engagement stopper, just a minor irritation every now and then. I'd rather live with that and be able to handle the weapon all day without a glove vs. the overheated situation with the Gemtech bc. YMMV

[Clint]

Doesn't the Gemtech SBC work by venting gas from the piston chamber?

If so, that results in lower piston pressures but more gas flow down the tube, which carries more heat with it.

This could explain the extra heat in the hand guard area.

[Singlestack Wonder]

Doesn't the Gemtech SBC work by venting gas from the piston chamber?

If so, that results in lower piston pressures but more gas flow down the tube, which carries more heat with it.

This could explain the extra heat in the hand guard area.

That's my theory as well. Noise at the right ear is much more as well.

[Slippers]

Does the gas tube alone really have enough thermal mass to radiate a large amount of heat for the handguard to absorb it, and be significantly noticeable over your firing schedule? Honest question. It's not like gas flows through the tube for very long (although slightly longer with a suppressor on the end). It certainly gets hot enough to burn you, but I'm curious if it can contribute that much heat compared to the barrel.

[Singlestack Wonder]

The gas remaining in the barrel longer due the the increased unlock cycle time, could contribute significantly to the heat issue.