Gas key adhesive/sealant

[bobke]

What is the appropriate adhesive/sealant for correctly reassembling gas key to BCG? Is red Loctite recommended or is there an aerospace grade adhesive that does a better job? Found a bit of slack when torquing to 40 in/lbs, so am going to pull apart and start fresh. Key mount screws were staked, but barely enough to hold in securely. Hoping this may be source of issues with short stroking and extraction. Thx for any references.

[cbe1962]

You will find what you are looking for in the 4th post in this thread...

http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthread.php?3824-PWS-DI-Bolt-Carrier-MLGS-Hornady-Factory-123gr.-Amax-Yes

[bobke]

Thx-exactly what I was looking for.

[LRRPF52]

I think WMD Guns does this to their carriers. Colt doesn't talk about their assembly protocols with many people, because why give the competition an additional advantage?

Colt has probably forgotten more about how AR15's tick than most of the other big name assemblers combined. The more I study the AR15 design, the more I understand why my military-issued blasters ran so well, and why many civvy guns don't.

Since I run and participate in a lot of high-volume courses throughout the year, many of them in extreme cold weather with high humidity, I see things I never thought that I would. It's interesting to run a suppressed AR15 in -27 Celcius, high-volume, when the air is so thick, it's like a freezing gelatin. You see really quick what parts aren't made to true Mil-spec, like detents, springs, pistol grips, small parts, etc.

I also see AK variants go down more than well-built AR15's, and all the guys who I train with usually have very well-built AR's. We did see one Bushmaster 20" that had a worn gas tube flange from an improperly spec'd carrier key, which slowly chewed it down until there was not a good gas seal, and the gun short-stroked often. The owner had replaced the ejector spring, recoil spring, extractor spring, trouble-shot it extensively, with a puzzled look each time, until the gas tube was looked at closer.

There are a ton of areas that big name manufacturers cut corners on to meet volume demands, at a lower price point. Springs, carrier dimensional specs, steel qualities, aluminum grade, and assembly techniques are the main ones. As more and more people are attending training courses that burn hundreds upon hundreds of rounds, the standards have been set higher inching closer and closer to what a Mil-spec gun is.

[cbe1962]

Glad to help. Coincidentally, I was looking for the same info about an hour before you posted.

[bobke]

Thanks, guys. Found the aviation grade permatex locally and will rebuild carrier/BCG ass'y with same. I threw in a std wt Young's chromed BCG and went to range today. 31.5 CFE and AMax functions 100%, but still have occasional short stroking with 107/29.5 TAC, but it's getting better. Wind gusting into 20's today, so not much to offer other than very consistent chrono data for both of above loads. 28.35 8208 AMax did consistent 2490 range, CFE about 2520 in 20" barrel. 107 Sierra 2610 fps.