Looking for opinions. Steel or Aluminum gas block?

[mattmcg]

Hey all,

I'm putting together a new upper build and need to make a decision on either a steel or aluminum gas block. Which one should I get and why?

Both will be low profile and installed on a 16" middy gas or 18" rifle length gas barrel. This is semi-auto as well.

Opinions?

[SwatDawg15]

Get either the Vltor or Larue. I would recommend sending to to ADCO to have it pined to the barrel also. You can use the set screws and it will work, but being pinned is the cats meow of reliability.

[mattmcg]

Get either the Vltor or Larue. I would recommend sending to to ADCO to have it pined to the barrel also. You can use the set screws and it will work, but being pinned is the cats meow of reliability.

I'm sorry but i wasn't actually looking to get specific about brands at this point (albeit I will need to at some point). I'm more looking at the choice between aluminum vs. steel gas blocks at this point. Once I can get that down, I'll figure brands at that point. Thanks for the advice though! :D

[SwatDawg15]

You are making this into way more than what it is. Those two o profile gas blocks are used in most of the high end rifles. I gave you brands so you could go to there websites and read about them, and compare. There is not alot of lo profile gas blocks for sale because they are so inexpensive.

[carbinero]

If you search m4carbine a bit, you'll find a thread on this, and the consensus is for steel, since aluminum will heat and cool at a much different rate than your barrel. The concern being (if I understood it correctly) any movement or leakage from the gas port. In any case, having it pinned, or at least rockset was deemed a requirement by the posters on that thread.

In my searching on this topic, I also came across this report, although I don't recall if it was aluminum:

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16277