Question for the guy's who've built AR's

[Big Frank]

I didn't want the front sight sticking up in front of my scope so I lopped off the top with a hacksaw. After I filed and sanded it I used some cold bluing on it. Now it looks like it was made that way.

[Badgersmilk]

I'll be the very first to admit I'm no expert of the minute details that make AR's work.  Or as is more often the case, not work.  

For as many people that will sing the praises of AR's I was just looking for more insight like "the right way to do it is...".  Looks like what Jumbo has done is the best answer.  Bushmaster even does it as a manufacturing practice.  

Just shocked nobody here (Jumbo, & M25 aside) has looked into this simple modification more.  







Nobody ever said the internet lacked posers.

[Combat Diver]

Suggest that you mount your scope first and see if the front sight is a hinderance first.  On my ACOG (mounted on flat top)equipped M4 this is what you see.

(sorry for the lousy photo, taken with my cell phone, and holding the rifle on a ceder fence post on a mule deer)

If you have a fixed carrying handle and mount the scope on top of that you will clear the front sight.

CD

[Badgersmilk]

That's actually an excellent photo!  Thanks.  Reflects the "ghost image" of the front sight really well.  I've got a flat top, and ordered "tall" rings, so yeah, I agree that's an effect I could deal with to.  Just a waiting game now to see how everything "fits up".

Why I started the thread is that nearly all aftermarket gas blocks I see that are just "clamp on", and more and more firearm manufactures are using them.  Then people hang ALL KINDS of stuff off them.  It left me thinking.  "What am I not seeing that keeps these things from being a serious liability?".  Looks like the answer is "nothing".  They are a liability.  And the source that said "only an amateur would use one" sure seems to know whats up! 

[billt]

Pinning a front sight / gas block isn't difficult, it just requires good, solid fixturing, and care when doing it. This is the reason you see so many Century, Romanian WASR 10 AK-47 builds with canted front sights. It was done "quick and dirty". The fixtures they use are most likely not the best either. Put all of it in the hands of a relatively unskilled, low paid worker, and you would be amazed at how badly they can screw things up! This is yet another result of a manufacturer operating on the principal that, "You can train anyone to do anything!"   Bill T.

[Sponsor]

[Badgersmilk]

Well...  I caved.  Actually I got in the rings I want to use, and the scope, and the cross hairs of the scope were below the front iron sight.  I don't want to give up using a pinned block.  And with the barrel already having been drilled through for this block...

This is the result.



It took about half an hour with a hack saw, grinder, and belt sander.  Unlike the pins used on Russian rifles, those used by DPMS tap right out!  Quite easily in fact!  I've bent punches on AK and SKS pins!  These took about three taps each to pop out.  It was such an easy process I'm actually gonna take it of and do some fine tuning on it with a file, remove the sling hoops on the bottom, and maybe even the bayonet lug. 

If anybody's thinking about doing this, just do it!  It's WAY, WAY easy.  Part come right apart. Nothing like surplus guns! 

[tombogan03884]

 I'd keep the Bayonet lug for 3 reasons, it's subtle "up Your's" to the Anti's and , Hey, you never know, you MIGHT actually need to bayonet some thing with it.
It would also make a workable skewer for cooking what you just killed 

[m25operator]

I wish I was better at the picture thing, I have a WOA aluminum forend  that I milled flat for the last 3" and put a 3" piece of picattiny for a folding front sight, looks like you could do the same BM. The WOA forend go's  well forward of the gas manifold.

[cjwise5]

You would have to bang the hell out of the thing to get it to spin I would think.  even if it did it wouldn't turn far because the gas tube would keep it roughly in place.  If it turned hard enough to shear the gas tube then you have a single shot gun like you said.  Never seen or heard of this happening before.. been armoring the AR type rifle for some time.  my two cents.

[carlosrod]

I always go with a quad rail gas block because I put a Burris fast fire sight on the inside rail. I have one on the side of my ps90, my ar15 in 223 and I will put one on my 6.5 Grendel AR when I complete it. Scope on top and back up iron sights. Make sure those gas blocks are locked down tight.