Black Friday resulted in quite a few firearms-related purchases for
me. I'd be lying if I said otherwise. Sometimes, though, what seemed
like a great deal in the moment turns out to be a little less awesome
when it arrives courtesy of your friendly common carrier.
So
it was in the case of a complete AR bolt carrier group that I
purchased. While the price induced me to buy, when it arrived it became
quickly apparent that the staking for the carrier gas key lacked
something. And by something, I mean correct execution. To illustrate,
below is a side by side of the gas key that I bought on Black Friday on
the left, and a Colt factory gas key on the right:
Clearly,
the amount of material displaced in the staking process varies greatly
between the two. Having been through an AR armorer course, I can tell
you that the Colt BCG illustrates the correct staking. So what to do?
Obviously, I desired to correct the issue, because having your gas key
come loose while shooting sits pretty high on the list of "crappy things
that result in weapon failure."
Enter the
Brownells AR-15/M16 Carrier Key Staking Tool,
available for $69.99 from Brownells, incidentally where I have
purchased almost every AR armorer tool I possess. The tool embodies
simplicity. It consists of a body with five hardened screws. Four of
these screws provide the staking capability, and the other stabilizes
the carrier during the process.
You simply insert the carrier as seen here:
Adjust
the tension on the front screw (I kept it just past hand tight), then
turn each of the staking screws 1/2 turn at a time until you achieve
your desired results. Once you feel that the screws are properly
staked, back them out, release the tensioning screw, and remove your
carrier. You should achieve results similar to this:
Now,
I realize that $69.99 tips the scale on the pricey side for those of
you who build ARs as a hobby. But for an armorer who conducts periodic
inspections and repairs, this tool will take the guesswork out of
staking repaired keys. It really works just as simply as I described. I
couldn't even figure out how to stretch this article any further - it
only took me five minutes to stake the key, and it was my first time
using it!
Even though the staking screws are hardened,
breakage always remains a possibility. If you were to break a screw,
fear not, Brownells covers you with four packs of replacement screws for
$9.99.
So if you serve as an armorer, or just want the ability to stake your hobby guns, check it out on Brownells
site. You won't be disappointed.
No comments:
Post a Comment