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Gunsmithing AR15 Bolt Carrier Key

Re: AR15 Bolt Carrier Key

He probably means "stake"
Midway sells a tool for staking the key, I've never used it. I Made a punch that works great. Vice+punch+hammer= properly staked gas key.
 
Re: AR15 Bolt Carrier Key

Make sure whatever method you use, you do it well. If the key comes loose, your rifle is a single shot at best. When they come loose, its a total mess.
 
Re: AR15 Bolt Carrier Key

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: FlySolo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">He probably means "stake"</div></div>

and you probably mean "vise," unless your technique varies greatly from mine...
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To the OP, if you're doing it from scratch, the Colt manual says to torque to 35-40 in. pounds. I've used the Brownell's staker and it works nicely, but if you dont want to spend the money, a sharp punch placed on the edge between the screw head and the key works just as well. Give it a couple of good hits with a hammer -- all you really need to do is displace some metal from each to keep the screw from turning on its own. I usually do it at two points, 180 degrees apart, on each screw if I'm using this method.

As said above, good key staking is important, as you do not want those screws to come loose.
 
Re: AR15 Bolt Carrier Key

May sound odd, but I used a dull small chisel with the bolt carrier in a vise (softsides). So far they have not worked loose.