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Thread: The Necessity of Gas Key Staking

  1. #11
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    Yes.

    I've seen several rifles and carbines over the years turned into straight pull repeaters when they would fail to cycle because the gas carrier key came loose.
    Employee of colonialshooting.com

  2. #12
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    I have an old M16 Carrier given to me some years ago. It had the key come loose and was fired that way apparently for some time. It shows very very visible gas erosion of the center of the key machined flat on the Carrier opposite of the ejection side. Every 400 - 600 rounds I have to take it apart , re- 609 loctite it and then tighten and restake it. I know when the loctite gives out as there is a very noticeable amount of powder fouling on the inside of the upper visible through the ejection port. It's the carrier I like to use when bumpfiring as it can't be hurt any further !. And yes it was a former military carrier and recieved it's damage while in service to unc sam.

  3. #13
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    yes, it's necessary. YHM is OK, but i can't see "preferring" it.

    Drive the extra distance to VA Arms, Robb will take care of you.

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by KAC Lover View Post
    I was at a local shop today to pick up some items I had ordered, and spoke with their gunsmith about an AR build I was interested in. One thing I wasn't completely comfortable with was that they preferred YHM and some other less than top rung components, but some of their completed work on display looked like it was assembled with care and precision, so I wanted to inquire further. During the course of the conversation I asked if the BCG's they were using were properly staked, and I was told that staking of the carrier key was unnecessary and that red loctite was sufficient. I asked about the possibility of their gas key coming loose and why chance it, but they remained firm in their belief and I decided not to press the point. This had me baffled, as aside from their use of YHM, and large inventory of Bushmaster et al, they had some nice colts in stock and the young smith seemed to know what he was talking about beyond these issues. This led me to ask, has there been some sort of development in the past few years that I've missed? Is the staking of the key no longer necessary?
    The first clue that something was up, was the preference for YHM. While they are "ok" I would never prefer them for a single thing.

    Can loctite work (alone) for the gas key screws? Yes (especially if you rarely shoot the gun). My guess is that they have no way of staking the gas key so have come up with another "answer" for why they don't do it.


    C4

  5. #15
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    They couldn't even find a center punch laying around the shop?

  6. #16
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    I am not as AR savey as most of the folks who post here but I do know a little about Loctite. Any time I had to remove a Loctited part from my motorcycle, I always applied a little heat from propane torch to loosen it up. I can't say how much heat is generated at the gas key from firing a DI AR but it just seems that is not an ideal place to rely on Loctite.

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by pursuit0226 View Post
    I can't say how much heat is generated at the gas key from firing a DI AR but it just seems that is not an ideal place to rely on Loctite.
    You can cherry or outright orange the length of a gas tube with moderate sustained fire and temps aren't dropping much off that as the gas comes out the tube and into the key.
    Last edited by GTifosi; 05-20-11 at 13:15.

  8. #18
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    Go see Robb. He is a straight shooter and does great work.
    "Real men have always needed to know what time it is so they are at the airfield on time, pumping rounds into savages at the right time, etc. Being able to see such in the dark while light weights were comfy in bed without using a light required luminous material." -Originally Posted by ramairthree

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by usmcvet View Post
    Go see Robb. He is a straight shooter and does great work.
    I'll probably make a trip down there later this month, I've spoken to him once before quite a while ago but he took apart an LMT upper for me that I purchased from there for no charge on the spot, definitely a good guy.

  10. #20
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    I'm semi-curious as to which shop it was, since I'm in the area too. You can PM me if you like.
    I have far more guns than I realistically need, but far less than I want. - NongShim

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