Wooo Boy Howdy….The entire gas system, including the buffer weights and spring, gets you into a magical Newtonian physics realm that could end up throwing you and your platform down the rabbit hole. Bottom line: If you’re brass is piling up at between 4 and 5:30, leave it alone. Now, that’s for a 223/5.56 that everyone plays with. The AR platform is essentially meant to be “overgassed.” The question is: does overgassing affect anything on your platform (with normal use)? Does it affect internal/external ballistics/accuracy directly or indirectly?
Now, for heavier pills, like up to the 150gr range (think 7.62×39 and 6.5s and to some extent ACCs), changing your **unlock time** can make a significant difference in a lot of things, including accuracy. Do you have soot all over the brass, or does the brass have the soot focused on the shoulder (like a bolt gun)? There’s an interesting thread of very very complex issues/interactions discussed starting here at the sniperhide forum…https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/any-downside-to-a-heavy-buffer.6980933/. That discussion gives some indirect clues on a lot of issues, including the gas port and the various length tubes to the bolt and beyond to your buffer. Enjoy the discussion…it’s interesting as all get out.
This article is filed under the category(s) AR-15s and was published October 20th, 2021 by Herschel Smith.
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On October 21, 2021 at 2:36 pm, Russell G. said:
Wooo Boy Howdy….The entire gas system, including the buffer weights and spring, gets you into a magical Newtonian physics realm that could end up throwing you and your platform down the rabbit hole. Bottom line: If you’re brass is piling up at between 4 and 5:30, leave it alone. Now, that’s for a 223/5.56 that everyone plays with. The AR platform is essentially meant to be “overgassed.” The question is: does overgassing affect anything on your platform (with normal use)? Does it affect internal/external ballistics/accuracy directly or indirectly?
Now, for heavier pills, like up to the 150gr range (think 7.62×39 and 6.5s and to some extent ACCs), changing your **unlock time** can make a significant difference in a lot of things, including accuracy. Do you have soot all over the brass, or does the brass have the soot focused on the shoulder (like a bolt gun)? There’s an interesting thread of very very complex issues/interactions discussed starting here at the sniperhide forum…https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/any-downside-to-a-heavy-buffer.6980933/. That discussion gives some indirect clues on a lot of issues, including the gas port and the various length tubes to the bolt and beyond to your buffer. Enjoy the discussion…it’s interesting as all get out.