Nice write up.
Very well done sir, thank you.
Of course now the only problem youâre going to have is it seems people usually blow right past the stickyâs on their way to rush and post a new thread 
Very nice and thank you for the write up. May I print this out and take it with me when I pick up my DD V3 next month?? (Not that there will be any problems at all) I just want to make sure and all, and maybe impress the dealer :laugh:.
Thanks again.
Clear and concise. Thank you for taking the time to make this available.
Nothing about handguards. Perhaps there isnât much to check worth mentioning?
Kudos.
In function, no. Worn rings will cause failures but one good ring will function. I do check for stagger before I reassemble now, it will prevent another freak accident. It happened in the shop so I just said âhuh, never seen that beforeâ and got some new rings, in the field that could have left me with a single shot rifle. [/QUOTE]
Sorry, I managed to miss that.
This is what I have come to expect from your terrific postingsâŚ, super informative, and no bullshit:)
If you want me to post or send you some pics of those BCGâs (colt full circle, lmt, and bcm) I featured in the Comparative look at BCGâs thread, your welcome to use them. I think it would be nice to see you break down what is done right and wrong or whatever the case may be. The pics have them captured broken down, assembled, just the bolts, etc.
Guys,
Iâm going to be offline for a bit. If I donât respond youâll know why.
Thanks for this writeup⌠I discovered I needed to tighten a castle nut some more because of it.
Way to go on that stickie!
Even to this day I still pretty much follow the inspection procedure head to toe that Ken outlined in his course which is still taught by Colt.
Funny enough is that Kenâs course at Colt teaches to absolutely stagger the gas rings when replacing them at least both of the times that I attended their particular course. Unless if that has changed in the last couple years or so.
I have purposely run rings lined up and havenât been able to cause an issue however this has been on newer rings. In any event it takes not real effort to stagger them, so I always stagger them at least somewhat. I am not overly cautious but if they line up I offset them slightly. Not that big of a deal to do and IMO if it can stop a one in a million, why not? Doesnât take any real effort on my part to see that they were staggered and at the least it sure doesnât hurt anything. I also replace rings if the carrier collapses under its own weight. Another cheap and easy preventative maintenance issue.
As a matter of fact I changed a guys rings yesterday. One ring was broken and the other two were holding zero weight of the carrier on end and visually were very compressed on their own without tension. Weapon was still running prior to me swapping them out.
When I went to Kenâs last class and when I spoke to him at the shop a few weeks ago we talked about the gas ring thing. He told me the same thing- staggering is urban legend shit.
The âgapâ is almost completely closed when the rings are compressed in the carrier. You can use a pair of pliers to gently squeeze the rings and watch the gap shrink.
Those that worry about the gas ring gap and function would probably freak out if they understood that the other side holding pressure is just a very close fit of the bolt tail to the carrier.
Ya know, when I bought my first AR (RRA) 5 years ago and I remember taking it to Scottsdale Gun Club to test fire it and it was short stroking. I didnât know what do. A range attendant said that they (SGC) can fix that for me for $25. Ultimately they told me it was my gas rings were not staggered and I believed them (didnât know any better). The rifle ran like a champ afterwards until I sold it.
What do you think they fixed?
Great write-up.
having built and worked on performance engines I have a good working understanding of rings an pistons and fully get the design and function on this weapon. I have never been overly concerned about the gas rings but it was how I was classically trained on this platform but questioned the need. So of course since i questioned the need to stagger I lined them up and ran several thousands of rounds this way without issue. I still stagger them perhaps out of habit but it sure doesnât take any extra effort on my part. And yes I understand the boat tail end deal.
I find it ironic but not surprising that he says that yet he taught the exact opposite in the course he developed for a major manufacturer and of about 2-3 years ago they still teach this. So in reality Ken has helped to perpetuate that myth.