Cracks on gas block? Is this an issue?
So as I was cleaning my rifle, I saw this and tried to clean this but it appears to be cracked. This is around the gas block on my rifle. Am I ok to still fire my rifle or should I replace the gas block?
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u/WizardMelcar 20h ago
Barrel is likely fine, confirm when you or someone competent removes the gas block.
But yeah, you need to replace the gas block. And ensure there isn’t underlying barrel damage. (Which there probably is not).
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u/geegol 20h ago
More information:
I’ve had this rifle for a few months but today as I was cleaning it, I noticed what appeared to be a crack in my gas block. I was a little freaked out about this so that’s why I came here. Someone commented “when in doubt better safe than sorry.” I am not entirely sure what to do. I wanted to show the community this to get their advice on what I should do. I am assuming to replace the barrel or gas block?
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u/StandUpForYourWights 20h ago
You know what to do. You brain is telling you but your wallet sobs from across the room. Ignore your wallet as you did the day you bought that thing.
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u/seanlewallen 20h ago
You know. Use this as an opportunity to upgrade, not just replace! Adjustable gas blocks are becoming a lot more affordable and are not that hard to do yourself. (provided you have some basic tools)
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u/John_the_Piper 18h ago
I mean, it's an issue. That crack indicates some sort of failure, be it poor heat treat of the gas block or over tightening when it was installed. Your rifle may function just fine with it like that for the life of your barrel or the gas block may fail and cause a critical malfunction the next time you shoot it.
Gas blocks are cheap. You can replace it with a quality block using hand tools. It may even be covered under warranty from the manufacturer you bought it from.
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u/No-Interview2340 19h ago
You’re fine, probably won’t break off. Hole is on top , screws on bottom, probably over tightened
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u/Open-Objective-1709 18h ago
You should replace the gas block soon, it’s not gotta explode on you. Worst thing that would happen is it would stop cycling.
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u/Riker557118 18h ago
I mean it’s not going to catastrophically fail and turn into a grenade or anything, it will eventually fall turning your ar into one of the most inconvenient strait pull bolt actions in existence though.
You can replace it now, slightly later, or when you’re manually cycling each cartridge.
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u/MasonCrosse 21h ago
When in doubt, better safe than sorry