How to Install Ar-rifle Gas Blocks
The year: 1977. I was a young Cav trooper serving in Jimmy Carter’s Army. We lined up in front of the armorer’s cage with our weapons cards and traded them for a rifle, 5.56MM M16A1. Grab your gear and mount your vehicle. Our weapons were produced by well-known defense contractors: H&R, Colt, and GM. We had faith in our small arms, and they were generally reliable. Some, like the 1911 pistol, M3 SMG and M2 .50 cal. Machinegun, had been proven in multiple conflicts. The gas tubes on those M16A1s were pinned into a front sight housing, which served as a gas block/front sight/bayonet mount. The design was simple and robust, as military weapons should be. This front sight was considered part of the barrel assembly and it was not removed for any reason. Fast forward 40 years, and the rifles we have today, although based on the original Stoner design, offer a dizzying array of options to the casual observer. Barrels are available in rifle, carbine and pistol lengths in various weights an...