Home AR-15 Quick Tip: How To Align a Gas Block on an AR-15 Barrel

Quick Tip: How To Align a Gas Block on an AR-15 Barrel

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Brownells Gun Tech™ Caleb Savant has a really helpful tip for anybody installing a low-profile gas block on an AR-15. Two questions: (1) Are there setscrews on the underside of your gas block to anchor it to the barrel? (2) Does your barrel have a “dimple” on it 180-degrees opposite the gas port? If your answer is “yes” to both questions, Caleb’s tip is for you. (Hint: Gas block manufacturers use that rear setscrew hole to align the drill that makes the hole in gas block for sending gas from the barrel to the gas tube.) When you see how easy this makes installing a perfectly aligned AR-15 gas block, you’ll smile so much YOUR dimples will show!

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26 COMMENTS

  1. You're a Gunsmith Caleb and you don't mention the one sure fire method to make sure you have perfect alignment after installing your gas?? I always check one I build by corking the breech end (some electrical tape around an old spent cassing shoved into the chamber with firm pressure works pretty darn good )of the barrel and using a tapered rubber tip on a blowgun on the air compressor I blow air into the barrel from the muzzle end (don't get carried away and blow your improvised breech plug out) and feel for air coming out of the end of the gas tube to make sure it has a good full blast of air coming thru it,,,,,this does 2 things for you,,,it blows out any micro debris you may have had in the gas block and tube and it verifies you have good gas flow thru the workings before you get it all the way together and find out that you didn't get things as linned up as you thought you did,,,anyhow just my little hopefully helpfull input on the subject,,,if you don't have a compressor handy you can use those little cans of air you use to blow dust out of your computer, and in a real pinch and you want to be sure a little elcheapo WD40 sprayed down the gas tube and watching for it to come out of the end of the barrel works also,,,,just to make damn sure if you get my drift,,,I'm one of those obssesive compulsive types so I need to know for absolutely possititve or I loose sleep at night LOL.

  2. I went to middle school with a dude in Walker, La named Chris Savant. It’s been years since but Caleb reminds me of him. Curious if they’re related.

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