what caused this ar-15 gas ring

[mms]

so this is the first time I have ever had a gas ring wear out / get chewed up on an ar-15.... what is usually the cause?

I have a theory but in not sure... it happend after i put my suppresson on my sbr. so im thinking its from being overgassed is that a reasonable theory or is it unrelated

side note i replaced it with a one piece ring, it was only a dollar more and figured what the heck... I know some people consider them a solution to a problem that doesnt exist but my other rings didnt make it why not try them out

 

[dross]

On a side note, I was taught in the Army to place the gas rings so that the gaps aren't aligned. I've since been told that this is a myth. Thoughts?

 

[mms]

I have heard both as well...

I can tell you have shot one of my other ar's and they were lined up no ill effects, on gun funtion or rings

 

[shibumiseeker]

On a side note, I was taught in the Army to place the gas rings so that the gaps aren't aligned. I've since been told that this is a myth. Thoughts?

Not myth, but not critical either, and it increases in importance as they wear.

The gun will function if they are all aligned in a row, but you may get more soot buildup in the action. Also having them aligned can caused uneven wear inside as they exert more pressure to one side.

But really, they rotate under use anyway, so even if they start aligned they most likely won't be that way after a few hundred firing cycles unless the wear in the assembly is keeping them that way.

Having them start out 120 degrees apart mostly appeals to the anal-retentive types and takes little effort

 

[j706]

A AR/M16 will work just fine with just one gas ring. Try it yourself. I am with dross,the Army always said you had to stagger the ring gaps. In armorers school they told us it was BS and then proceeded to show us. Yes it is better to have three but in a pinch one will do the job. IMO that shoots the stagger ring theory out of the water.

 

[Disposable Heart]

On a side note, I was taught in the Army to place the gas rings so that the gaps aren't aligned. I've since been told that this is a myth. Thoughts?

Some of mine with lighter loads (that cycled perfectly with them spaced) would short cycle or hang up a few mm before full bolt closure with all the gaps in a row (plus it scratched the crap out of the carrier in a straight line). Just my experience, your mileage will vary with driving style..

 

[E5RANGER375]

well unless you have shot many thousands of rounds through that AR and just wore out the rings, Id say your break is due to improper (over aggressive) cleaning technique.

 

[E5RANGER375]

A AR/M16 will work just fine with just one gas ring. Try it yourself. I am with dross,the Army always said you had to stagger the ring gaps. In armorers school they told us it was BS and then proceeded to show us. Yes it is better to have three but in a pinch one will do the job. IMO that shoots the stagger ring theory out of the water.

yep they do teach that, and also j706 is right, that they will run with only one ring.

i still stagger the gaps just out of habit

 

[mms]

well unless you have shot many thousands of rounds through that AR and just wore out the rings, Id say your break is due to improper (over aggressive) cleaning technique.

what do you mean by over aggressive cleaning? I think it if was from that i would have seen it on one of my higher round count guns

 

[E5RANGER375]

what do you mean by over aggressive cleaning? I think it if was from that i would have seen it on one of my higher round count guns

im just stating the reasons I have seen it happen before. gas rings breaking is not as common as you would think on low round count guns.


overaggressive would be forcing the brush into the gaps, etc.

those are small parts so could have just been a bad part

i wasnt trying to accuse you really, I was just giving my best guess based on personal experience with many full auto and semi auto M4's and AR's.

the good thing is you found it before the broken pieces caused another problem

 

[mms]

i didnt mean to come across defensive, if i had been doing some thing wrong this hole time i would like to know, thank you for the input

so my over gas from supressor theory is not inline with most people thinking then huh.....

 

[dross]

im just stating the reasons I have seen it happen before. gas rings breaking is not as common as you would think on low round count guns.


overaggressive would be forcing the brush into the gaps, etc.

those are small parts so could have just been a bad part

i wasnt trying to accuse you really, I was just giving my best guess based on personal experience with many full auto and semi auto M4's and AR's.

the good thing is you found it before the broken pieces caused another problem

You remind me of how we had to clean guns to get them past our armorer when I was in the 82nd. We'd come back from a jump at 2AM and we'd do anything to get the damned weapon back so we could go to bed. We didn't give one crap about damage done, we just wanted to get to bed. Our anal-retentive armorer would turn any rifle away if he could make a white patch show black anywhere he stuck it. Stupid. We probably ruined a lot of weapons doing it that way.

 

[E5RANGER375]

i didnt mean to come across defensive, if i had been doing some thing wrong this hole time i would like to know, thank you for the input

so my over gas from supressor theory is not inline with most people thinking then huh.....

nope no problems. on the internet its hard to convey thoughts and sometimes i can come across rude when i dont mean to be. when you posted i realized how i kinda just left what i said about the cleaning hanging where it could be taken as an accusation.

I dont think its over gassed. if your AR is over gassed you would most likely see some brass shavings, or ejection issues. do you have those? too much gas can be covered up by changing the sprng and buffer, or done right by changing the gas block etc.

 

[mammynun]

You remind me of how we had to clean guns to get them past our armorer when I was in the 82nd. We'd come back from a jump at 2AM and we'd do anything to get the damned weapon back so we could go to bed. We didn't give one crap about damage done, we just wanted to get to bed. Our anal-retentive armorer would turn any rifle away if he could make a white patch show black anywhere he stuck it. Stupid. We probably ruined a lot of weapons doing it that way.

Your post brings back memories.

C 2/508 that morphed into 3/504... Flaming Mug ring any bells?

 

[shooter521]

those are small parts so could have just been a bad part

This. I have seen more than one brand-new carbine shred gas rings within the first magazine. Bear in mind that the gas rings are delicate by nature, and production is subbed out to the lowest bidder. Breakage is not uncommon for any number of reasons, and it makes sense to have spares in your parts kit. Don't obsess about the cause too much; replace it and drive on.