Gas in the face...any suggestions

[bmargolis]

Hello all -

I'm a lefty and I'm wondering if there are solutions that I have not explored. When I shoot my AT with my AAC M4-2000 silencer, the gas that I get in my face is pretty bad. It's more or less unbearable when shooting full-auto, but even in semi, it's pretty bad. Here's some of the things that I've tried:

- A "gas buster" charging handle barely makes any difference.
- I added a bead of silicone caulk to the gap at the back of the charging handle, it makes a small difference.
- A piston upper makes little difference.

I know that I can try a left handed upper, which I want to do, but I already have several different right handed uppers and would prefer a solution that works with them.

If there are any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.


Thanks

[Heidevolk]

If you go the left-hand upper route, lefthandrifles.com is recommended. He will customize orders (such as pinning a flash hider to work with your suppressor on a 14.5 build)

They use the Stag uppers & BCG, but the bolts are tested - unlike standard Stag products.

[Heidevolk]

They will also custom order a switch block

[kartoffel]

The commercial "Gas Buster" handle sucks for lefties because it is intentionally designed to vent gas directly into your face. Yay. :rolleyes:

As a switch-hitter I roll with a Gunfighter CH and hi-temp RTV silicone. Try leaving the handle unlatched about 1/8" when you first add the silicone, then after it has set up for an hour or so, shove it closed and let it cure overnight. End result: you'll have a slightly springy gasket of silicone that compresses and seals the gap a lot better. Don't overdo it though, make sure your CH can still latch shut without tooooo much resistance.

[J_Dub_503]

RetreatHell has a video on YT (http://youtu.be/pPoMCQr7pJE) showing how to make a homemade GasBuster Charging Handle (he uses a BCM Gunfighter, but a standard CH will work just as well.) I believe USMC03 is the one who came up with the idea years ago. Anyway, it's worth a try...if it doesn't work your only out a few bucks and some time to scrape the stuff off.