3 Problems w/Homebuilt AR-15s

I have never seen a modern ar barrel without divots for the gas block

Amen! James!

The gas block tip is gold. Thanks.

Great video

Hmmm. I never staked my castle nut. Will do. Thanks James!

Seven and a half minutes… but packed with good info. This is the stuff build videos will never teach you. Thanks, James!

Thank you James for sharing your knowledge!
Yep, I see I have some staking to do.

Ya got me my castle nut is not staked.

Love you James, thanks for the info.

Would i be wrong if i just ran an AK? Fewer moving parts, fewer things to break? Love my C39 ten inch. Holosun Red dot. Shitty light though, gotta fix that.

And this is why you watch a lot of these videos before you start building anything

Interesting tip regarding the gas block installation. It seems another potential for issues relates to proper selection of buffer and BCG and compatibility with gas tube length (e.g., mid-length, carbine, pistol, etc.) for optimal cycling? …so many new-fangled bolt carriers these days along with tunable buffers, different sizes, etc.

All I did on mine was assemble the lower. I ain't fucking with an upper on my lonesome. I did locktite the shit out of the castle nut. I haven't had problems yet but Ill stake it this weekend!

I should have been an armorer in the corp…

thanks for the tips, am going to do my gas block.

Good video James.

I appreciate your candor, and would tend to agree. Though, I have the benefit of training by the battalion armorer years ago, and while I'm not the smartest guy in the room, I do have the benefit of 53 years of knowing how to ask him good questions, and learning from the mistakes of others.

In this case, my experience is in building M16A2 rifles, so there was no gas block. Now, I'm building my first with a gas block. Rather than buying a jig or a file, I ordered a dimpled barrel (thanks for the Rocksett tip. Like any other Jarhead, I overbuild the crap out of everything). What are your thoughts on adjustable gas blocks vs non adjustable (YHM, etc) for a fighting rifle?

I'm guilty of the gass block issue on a few of my rifles. My fighting rifles with freedloats have either a cut down A2 sight, or I bought the barrel and block drilled/pinned.

GREAT tip about the "gas block"!
THANKS !

Backwards hammer spring, I'm guilty. light strick and misfires.

All good info!
Overall, I think more people building their own AR's is a good thing….it gives the owner the ability to learn all the internal functions of their weapon and it's parts.
BUT – You MUST Shoot several hundred rounds through your AR while double & Triple checking ALL parts for correct fit & function ! >>> Then, run a few Thousand rounds through it to be Absolutely SURE you have a reliable weapon !!
Otherwise, you've only built a "Model Toy" to look at… that's potentially dangerous.

Great info, thanks James!!