I don’t have the gas block mounted up yet waiting on an slr .750 dimple block . I pulled the gas block up to the front of the handguard in the one pic to show the top clearance and one with it set back that riflespeed height at the top is the problem on most handguards a DD MFR xl 15.0 will work and it’s 4oz lighter the the quad 12” DD rail
Ultimate gas block of choice | update on riflespeed
- Thread starter Bilb0
- Start date
Oh I gotcha; Nice! I was curious what a 15" would look like. If I were to go 15" I'd have to find a quad that is just as beefy as the ris II.
Same set up just pulled the gas block up in the one pic to show top clearance with the rail. I don’t have it set yet waiting on a .750 slr dimpler the riflespeed on the .750 block is at .450 and the factory DD mk12 low pro was at .400 with the DD MFR XL 15.0 handguard is like 4oz lighter the the 12” quad
I use the Riflespeed on a 223 16", a 300 Blackout 8" and just recently, converted my POF Revolution DI over to the Riflespeed gas block. On the 300 blackout, I vary the gas quite a bit between subs and supers. On the others, just depends on the load I'm running and it allows for adjustment for temp and as the gas system gets dirty. I run a pretty wide range of hand loads in all three platforms and absolutely loathe the long hex wrenches and trying to find some small ass orifice to stick it into for adjustment. It's a pain in the ass. The Riflespeed is just far, far easier. I DO think they need to include a set of the plungers with the gas block, not just two. The 223 and 308 do use the included plungers (RS includes two) but the 300 Black out necessitated the purchase of a few more as I didn't know which would work.
My POF Revolution DI did have the adjustment at the end of the hand guard (brilliant!) and it's very easy to adjust with a large "valve" that isn't going to wear out like a smaller valve or at least not nearly as quickly. It leaked quite a bit out the front though and I had to clean out the system twice in its life but I do have a good amount of rounds through it.
The Riflespeed's plunger (needle valve) is beefier than some of the others and generally good for about 20,000 rounds before needing replacement.
Just saw this pop up.
875 size now and ones that work underhand guards coming augustish.
875 size now and ones that work underhand guards coming augustish.
I didn't like how loose the riflespeed fit on a couple barrels I tested fitted it with. I want a thermal or near thermal fit. They could freely spin on each barrel whereas SLR blocks fit very snug. One had to be thermal fit. Ultimately I returned it. Even in a product demo video of theirs from a while back they basically show it freely spinning on the gas block channel. They should tighten it up imo.
Wonder how many returns they get from people saying their gas block doesn't fit from being too tight. As why the majority of the companies don't do thermal fit. Might make too much of a dent in their pocket book. Just a thought
I would say his opinion is worth significantly less than we paid for itMeh… that’s just your opinion and is worth what we all paid for it!
I’ve built my rifles with set screw adjustable gas blocks, SA gas blocks, Guvnah gas blocks and RifleSpeed gas blocks…
The RifleSpeed is by far my favorite. The SA is the best “set it and forget it” for people who don’t like adjustability. The only downside to the RifleSpeed is the cost and they haven’t made one for barrels larger than .750” at the gas journal.
Here’s a handy pic to keep around.
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One critical advantage of the A5 system that’s being missed in that side discussion is that it increases the operating window of the system. This is the main advantage of the A5 systems.
You’ve got a bit more room in the overall stroke of the buffer system. This gives you more adjustability overall. More room for longer/heavier buffers. More spring to work with when tuning and before the buffer starts crashing into the compressed spring.
It’s similar to an off road vehicle and tire size. In most off road situations, a standard sized off road tire will take you where you want to go. But a larger tire gives you small advantages that make a big deal as you get into certain situations.
You get more ground clearance. A larger tire rolls over smaller bumps easier and will reach the hard bottom of a sippy hole. And the larger tire will get you over bigger bumps. The larger tire holds more air and you have more adjustment when it comes to raising/lowering the pressure to meet your needs.
You’ve got a bit more room in the overall stroke of the buffer system. This gives you more adjustability overall. More room for longer/heavier buffers. More spring to work with when tuning and before the buffer starts crashing into the compressed spring.
It’s similar to an off road vehicle and tire size. In most off road situations, a standard sized off road tire will take you where you want to go. But a larger tire gives you small advantages that make a big deal as you get into certain situations.
You get more ground clearance. A larger tire rolls over smaller bumps easier and will reach the hard bottom of a sippy hole. And the larger tire will get you over bigger bumps. The larger tire holds more air and you have more adjustment when it comes to raising/lowering the pressure to meet your needs.
The buffer should never crash into compressed spring coils, which also should not contact each other.
The buffer bumper prevents this, while also reversing the direction of momentum if it bottoms out inside the RET.
Crashing spring coils is a great way to destroy the spring life, but is prevented in the AR-15 system principles if you look at the mechanical engineering side of it.
If you compress a carbine spring and buffer all the way down to the bumper, it will look like it’s just about to coil-contact, but it doesn’t.
The one I do worry about is the A5 in an AR-10 with an AR-15 carbine-length buffer and rifle spring. I need to test that out, as it’s not like an AR-15 rifle buffer/spring/RET set-up.
The buffer bumper prevents this, while also reversing the direction of momentum if it bottoms out inside the RET.
Crashing spring coils is a great way to destroy the spring life, but is prevented in the AR-15 system principles if you look at the mechanical engineering side of it.
If you compress a carbine spring and buffer all the way down to the bumper, it will look like it’s just about to coil-contact, but it doesn’t.
The one I do worry about is the A5 in an AR-10 with an AR-15 carbine-length buffer and rifle spring. I need to test that out, as it’s not like an AR-15 rifle buffer/spring/RET set-up.
what happens is the internal weights destroy the roll pin holding in the bumper on the buffer, I only know this because of a buddy who is a bit.... special.
I don't think the A5 buffer system adds anything to the "stroke" of the system. The advantage of the system is being able to use a spring with a spring rate that MAY result in less perceived recoil and the longer buffer means more tuning overhead.
I respectfully disagree with some of what you said. It was definitely not designed with “perceived recoil” in mind. That’s a subjective thing, subject to the millions of different perspectives from millions of shooters.
Guessing when you’re designing an integral part for the “engine” of a firearm that citizens and military personnel count on to defend their lives is not how the world works.
The A5 system is an intermediate length buffer system. It is physically longer than a carbine buffer and physically shorter than a rifle length buffer system.
It allows for a collapsible stock while also allowing a rifle length spring to be used. It adds to the overall travel and adjustability options of the system as a whole.
I agree with you about the increased tuning overhead, which is another way of saying exactly what I said when talking about how it allows for an increased operating window (range) for the bcg to do its thing. It allows for more flexibility and adjustment options for the buffers and the springs. A longer A5 buffer can be adjusted more so than a shorter carbine buffer.
I’m not really sure how your opinion on that is different than mine, so I’m not sure I follow why you feel that’s a different take than what I’ve included in this thread.
I think it’s very important not to spread misinformation. It’s confusing and dangerous. If you have a dissenting view on something, you should research it yourself and make sure that whatever you were told was, in fact, true. Especially if you’re going to state it as fact in a public forum where people are using the information to build a firearm that they may have to use to defend themselves or their loved ones.
I’ve attached a picture of the 3 buffer systems.
I’m also including a link to a YouTube video where Mike from SOLGW explains it. I hope this helps clear up any confusion.
Also, I hope that if I’ve shared something that is factually incorrect, that someone will let me know and explain it with facts, so I can learn and adjust my understanding.
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The primary advantage, and IP, of the Vltor A5 system is the spring loaded buffer counter weights. The rest of the "A5" system is just off the shelf parts to make the longer buffer work.
The best part about the A5 system is that any time someone references “increased travel distance,” you can basically ignore anything they have to say on the whole AR15 subject.
I also forgot to mention in my previous reply that besides just having the roll pin holding the bumper on the buffer get mangled, if you use a buffer/spring that is too short in an A5 you will also seriously damage the gas key on the carrier.
it's a good addition to the world of ARs, but like all 'non-milspec' or 'non-standard' parts, it can cause problems when used blindly by the uninformed
it's a good addition to the world of ARs, but like all 'non-milspec' or 'non-standard' parts, it can cause problems when used blindly by the uninformed
So you have any experience with the KAK "A5-style" buffers? Did they effectively, fully copy VLTORs product?
I just ordered and it seems to mimic the same results as the Vltor. I don't even notice a difference, just was more affordable when I ordered it
Wow, I posted two sentences. All I said was that the A5 system does not add anything to the stroke of the bolt carrier. It physically can't. There ain't no room for it.
The A5 system was touted as being some magical thing that would slow cyclic rate and reduce felt recoil. In the real world, I've found the A5 to be just another way to skin a cat. If your rig is so overgassed that going to an H3 isn't enough, an A5H4 might be the ticket. That or an adjustable gas block. If you have a rig that is gassed just right for a standard buffer and spring, adding an A5 system might just turn it into a non working setup.
If you already have a built rifle with a standard carbine tube on it, odds are that switching to an A5 won't get you much, if anything. If you're freshly building a rifle, go with either, so long as the gas port will drive the equivalent of the weight of an H buffer, which most will.
What I really like about the A5 is that little extra length of pull you get. Its handy to let you stretch out a bit on short barreled setups.
I also just put together an 8" 300BO rig. I just threw on an Aero AGB to run it and man, that got old quick going from supers to subs. Which handguard, knob and pin did you wind up going with? I'm mostly wondering about the pin size.
On mine, shooting suppressed with subs, I had to go to a standard buffer and spring, with the gas block wide open to get lock back on subs. I think I'm gonna puch the gas port out another .006" so I can run an H2 buffer and springco white hot spring.
I don't know about this. I kind of question the wisdom of a tight or thermal fitted gas block. One one hand, I wonder if this could cause a high spot in the bore due to the squeezing of the barrel, but on the other hand, it's sort of the equivalent of a clamp on gas block, which no one has had problems with.
I think way too much though goes into this. Riflespeed sizes their gas blocks the way they do because this is a case of too loose being better than too tight. I have four riflespeeds. They were all "loose" enough to spin on the journal and they all sealed up nicely. I just had to do a barrel replacement on my main setup and getting the gas block off was a little bit of a chore due to the carbon buildup. It was pretty well sealed up.
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