Newbie Question

[Jim123_321]

I keep reading about a gas key that has been properly staked,

Stupid question I know, but Im curious, What should I be looking for, Is there a wrong way to stake the gas key,

Or do some rifle's skip this step all together, and another stupid question where on the rifle should I be looking....lol,

I bought a M&P this year and for giggles bought a DPMS, I know I should have read more before buying the DPMS, But it does shoot just fine, Just takes a beating on the boards

I was gonna ask on the M4 carbine board but was afraid of getting my head took off beacuse Im new to the AR world, they get down right serious over there, Could someone please help out the new guy....

thanks Jim

[Kimio]

The gas key is located the Bolt Carier Group (BCG)

here is a video that talks about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tYWjQPbwS0

I recommend that you watch take down/dissassembly of the AR15 or look up manuals that go over the internal workings of your AR15, it helps to know what may cause a malfunction :)

Cheers and grats on your first AR

[10-96]

Look at the bottom picture in this link, and it'll show you what a good staking looks like. http://bisonarmory.com/bolts-bolt-carriers-and-bcgs/

Don't worry about what folks say on the innerwebs about your DPMS- they are good rifles- mine has been running fine for 10yrs or so now. Folks just get all bent out of whack and ruffled of feather when they hear of someone who doesn't have what they have. Same with my Olympic arms... according to the webs, it should have blown up much akin to a low grage nuclear esplosion years ago too.

[Jim123_321]

Thanks for taking the time to post those for a newbie..

I was really curious on what everyone was talking about, I do appreciate it

Now I know where to look, It seems you either know nothing about AR's or there an expert, lol...Its funny the DPMS runs great for me,

I dont know if I would ship out overseas with the thing, but for plinking and home defense it would be just fine, Im not rolling in the dirt with the thing but it goes bang every time I pull the trigger,

Im starting to put the extra's on both rifle's, and reading alot more then before, I was just curious about the gas key, didn't know where to look and what I sould be looking for..

thank you Jim

[10-96]

I certainly haven't deployed with mine, but I haven't babied the thing either- up and down windmill towers, in and out of trucks, crawling around draws, canyons, and such. It's been plenty dirt filled more than a few times and has never failed to fire.

[Quentin2]

DPMS is an adequate low-end AR. Corners are cut to reach a certain price point and often proper gas key staking is one of them.

In defense of M4Carbine, members tend to jump on DPMS enthusiasts who claim it is "as good as..."

[Jim123_321]

I dont claim anything myself on the DPMS other than it shoots fine,
Granted Im not rolling on the ground with it, or jumping into water,

Im also not running 1,000 rounds all at once either,

Another question, I watched the video on stakeing the gas key, and I pulled my DPMS out yesterday and mine has the same marks thats in the video,

On both screws there are two marks right beside the screws, Does this mean that mine has been properly staked,

If that dosent work maybe I can post a pic of the bolt to let everyone else see it,

Jim

[Dfariswheel]

Pictures are always good.

The idea of gas key staking it to prevent the screws from loosening under use and allowing the key to come loose. This could wreck the rifle.

As long as the staking intrudes onto the screw heads enough to positively prevent them from loosening, it's good to go.
These days you do see rifles without staking, or with quick, shoddy, poorly done staking that doesn't do what is needed.

[Marquezj16]

Jim - here are some great info from AR15.com
Scroll down to the bottom of the page about firearms guide.

http://www.ar15.com/index.html

I think both your rifles are fine rifles.

[Jim123_321]

Thanks for the info everyone, Been looking and reading as much as time
will allow, Making progress with the learning


thanks again Jim