UPDATE AR bolt gas ring removal

[lucas]

I just received my 3 peice gas rings from brownells to replace the McFarland type currently on my JP LMOS set up.My qestion is after installing the reg gas rings, the bolt does not slide in and out as freely.Is this normal untill broken in ?

[TBF]

Lucas,

Yes it is entirely normal.

The test many use for checking gas rings is to see if the bolt will drop free when tilted upside down with the pin removed. If the bolt falls under it's own weight the rings are worn.

I run mine WAY past this point with no problems, and only replace them when absolutely required by function, or that nagging feeling that they are so old they might give up at the worst possible time.

Which is why the guys that shoot at targets that shoot back should probably replace them alot more often than I do.

I gotta ask.

Why do you not like the McFarland rings ?

Travis F.

[stingerjg]

cause the McFarland ring sucks!

[Larry White]

good answer Larry

[Zak Smith]

When I use the JP SS bolt carriers, my bolts are pretty loose, but they always run well.

-z

[lucas]

I'm replacing my rings to try and solve my mystery problems with my LMOS after never having any problems since march of last year, when i received it.with only around a little over 2000 rds though it i'm told it shouldn't be the carrier yet,then i read here that it might be that McFarland rings after broken in can get sticky in alloy carriers from George,and then Kurtm recommended also replacing the rings.It cant hurt.If that doesnt do it then it has to be the carrier regardless.

[lucas]

Back from testing with new rings, shot 62,69,and 75gr fine untill the 100th rd when it failed to lock back on last round.After putting oil on the gas rings everything was fine again.One thing still seems odd to me, and that is the gas rings fit so loose compaired to any of my other AR's.Whats up with that?

[kurtm]

Lucas:

If by "loose" you mean on the bolt itsself, it is because they are new and springy. this is why it has a lot more drag in the carrier as you noted earlier inthis thread. Give it another couple hundred rounds to break in the new rings, if it is still having the short cycle problem it is the carrier, as you would already have known. I did run into one carrier that had an over sized hole for the bolt Tail to go through ( the little pipe behind the gas rings) it neve would run right as alot of the gas escaped out the back. Heres gas in your eye! Like Pat Sweeney sayes alot of things can happen in an AR and sometimes it isn't just, if "A" then "B"

As a side note, I was talking to J.P and mentioned the problems I had had with the McFarland "gas" ring. He ( John Gangle) said that after a lot of detective work he found out that the MGR ( Mc Farland Gas Ring ) Wasn't even a piece made for the firearms industry. It is a crushable locking spacer/washer used in the aircraft industry. It was never intended to be used as a gas ring. AH the stuff we try, this was probably found to fit an AR bolt, kind of the same way that I found out Deet based bug sprays really cut the plastic wad residue out of shotgun barrels. There is an aircraft mechanic/shooter out there somewhere! KURTM

[redmercury2]

I TRIED the Mcfarlands in 3 diff. bolt and carrier combos,including JP SS bolt carriers, Dan Young bolt carriers and Les BAER carriers., all with new charging handles. Got gas face with all combos. MCFARLANDS now live at the city dump.

[lucas]

This stuff is good to know thanks everyone.By the way about the boat tail area in the carrier.That is also the area that wears out on the alloy LMOS according to JP,and their new version of the LMOS is supposed to last longer,but will still have the same reliability concern.