Aero Precision customer service sucks

elwarpo · Dec 15, 2021

I bought a Atlas S-1 handguard. Go to install it and it does not fit over my superlative gas block (gas block groove too narrow on the atlas). Well during the install it got scratched due to it not fitting so I can not return it to the retailer. The superlative is a low profile gas block. Nowhere on the Aero Precision webpage does it say it won't fit. So I called them up and the guy tells me it will not fit and there is nothing he can do and tells me to sell it on ebay or armslist at a loss.

You would think they would support their product and try to keep a customer happy. I asked if they would take this one back and send me a regular handguard. The atlas costs more so this would be to their advantage as they could sell it as a blem for the same money the enhanced handguard costs.

Buyer Beware the atlas will not fit all gas blocks.

alamo5000 · Dec 15, 2021

In their defense there are a bunch of hand guards that won't work with certain gas blocks. It's not just Aero. As a builder this is one of the things you need to check on prior to ordering parts.

whatsupdoc · Dec 15, 2021

Aero Web Site tells you the ID

Front and rear picatinny rail
Eliminated center of top rail for weight reduction
Indexing grooves in 12:00 position for positive grip control
Quick disconnect sling socket at the 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions
Compatible with low profile gas blocks
1.3" Inside diameter
1.5" Outside diameter

alamo5000 · Dec 15, 2021

Another thing to be aware of is that not all gas blocks work well with M Lok either, at least not if you want to install things right under the block. With some hand guards when you put an accessory directly under the gas block the screws will protrude enough to make contact with the gas block.

akmike47 · Dec 15, 2021

I’ll give you $40 and drive to you if you’re within 50 miles...

alamo5000 · Dec 15, 2021

Another valid point to make is "if it doesn't fit don't force it". Very few parts on any firearm require "forcing it".

akmike47 · Dec 15, 2021

alamo5000 said:
Another valid point to make is "if it doesn't fit don't force it". Very few parts on any firearm require "forcing it".

I see you arent the proud owner of a BCM KMR, I have multiple and you have to fight them all lol

gixxer822 · Dec 15, 2021

Sell the gas block and get a smaller one.

Clean up the scratch and send it back if your within the return time frame.

alamo5000 · Dec 15, 2021

akmike47 said:
I see you arent the proud owner of a BCM KMR, I have multiple and you have to fight them all lol

You just need a bigger ball peen hammer.

gixxer822 · Dec 15, 2021

I cut sections out of hand guards alll the time to accommodate JP gas blocks.

Milf Dots · Dec 15, 2021

OP, you learned a valuable lesson the hard way unfortunately, but by posting the problem you've helped remind all of us to always confirm things will fit and function properly. Thank you for that.

akmike47 · Dec 15, 2021

I waited 3-4 months for an SA gas block, it doesn’t seem to work any better thana normal one on my 10.5. Talk about disappointment.

I’d like to try their piston system still, because I’m stupid apparently

akmike47 · Dec 15, 2021

gixxer822 said:
I cut sections out of hand guards alll the time to accommodate JP gas blocks.

It’s taller than the ID you’d have a c channel instead of a tube pretty much, not really but you’d take half the wall thickness out which wouldn’t be stupid.

akmike47 · Dec 15, 2021

alamo5000 said:
You just need a bigger ball peen hammer.

My first one is beat to shit from letting someone else assemble it because I was lazy. They hit it on the front edge with a hammer. Luckily I got it half price or I’d been pissed. Just makes you less worried about dinging it shooting.

akmike47 · Dec 15, 2021

alamo5000 said:
Another thing to be aware of is that not all gas blocks work well with M Lok either, at least not if you want to install things right under the block. With some hand guards when you put an accessory directly under the gas block the screws will protrude enough to make contact with the gas block.

You just trim the screw.

alamo5000 · Dec 15, 2021

akmike47 said:
You just trim the screw.

It might work in some situations but not all. I've had a couple that I even tried to shave down the M Lok screw and nut both. It's definitely not an ideal fix.

akmike47 · Dec 15, 2021

alamo5000 said:
It might work in some situations but not all. I've had a couple that I even tried to shave down the M Lok screw and nut both. It's definitely not an ideal fix.

Well you specifically said the screws.

hlee · Dec 16, 2021

SLR gas blocks are low profile, but only with respect to gas blocks intentionally designed not to fit under hand guards. They are huge by comparison to an actual low-pro gas block.

powdahound76 · Dec 16, 2021

Hahahahahaa

“I screwed up and you suck for not eating the cost of my own mistake!!!”

@akmike47 - if you follow the directions on the BCM MCMR they are pretty easy to install.
At least the few I have done.
Or I have Magic Hands like that one lady said…..

akmike47 · Dec 16, 2021

powdahound76 said:
Hahahahahaa

“I screwed up and you suck for not eating the cost of my own mistake!!!”

@akmike47 - if you follow the directions on the BCM MCMR they are pretty easy to install.
At least the few I have done.
Or I have Magic Hands like that one lady said…..

I followed them they were just tight as hell. Also the wrench grooves on the nuts strip really easy. Had to file off the high spots.

elwarpo · Dec 18, 2021

The issue is the gas block groove. It is not radiuses but has sharp edges. Paint doesn not stick well to sharp edges (I challenge anyone on that since I have been inventing paint for 35 years). I did not force it on, but the gas block touched the edges and scratched the paint. I could have just returned it but I knew I was scratched, and that is dishonest. The problem is my gas block fits the height of the rail, it is the gas block groove is not wide enough. You can not measure that since there groove steps down in the middle of the rail.

elwarpo · Dec 18, 2021

powdahound76 said:
Hahahahahaa

“I screwed up and you suck for not eating the cost of my own mistake!!!”

@akmike47 - if you follow the directions on the BCM MCMR they are pretty easy to install.
At least the few I have done.
Or I have Magic Hands like that one lady said…..

How did I screw up, when I ordered it, everything they said on their website showed my gas block will fit. Maybe you are just a trolling dick.

elwarpo · Dec 18, 2021

whatsupdoc said:
Aero Web Site tells you the ID

Front and rear picatinny rail

Eliminated center of top rail for weight reduction

Indexing grooves in 12:00 position for positive grip control

Quick disconnect sling socket at the 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions

Compatible with low profile gas blocks

1.3" Inside diameter

1.5" Outside diameter

My gas block met those measurements, the issue is the groove they cut for the gas block is too narrow and not angled, and that they do not list on their website.

roostercogburn98 · Dec 18, 2021

This thread looks like a blem sale and wtb add that had a baby

Zak Smith · Dec 18, 2021

This thread is definitely MOA

elwarpo · Dec 20, 2021

roostercogburn98 said:
This thread looks like a blem sale and wtb add that had a baby

Please show me where I offered something for sell or WTB? The Hand guard in question was donated to a fellow vet who could not afford one, nowhere did I try to sell it. I just was pissed off with poor customer service.

chevy_man · Dec 20, 2021

akmike47 said:
I waited 3-4 months for an SA gas block, it doesn’t seem to work any better thana normal one on my 10.5. Talk about disappointment.

I’d like to try their piston system still, because I’m stupid apparently

They work great, if you want to run minimal gas and use a can.

My 10" 300 will run nicely with the can and subs, or hammer the buffer with supers. I can take the gas down for supers so it's not trying to smash the buffer into a pancake.

I'm not running a fighting rifle, it's a fun gun. I enjoy dialing the gas back and not getting a cloud of gas with the can on.

akmike47 · Dec 20, 2021

chevy_man said:
They work great, if you want to run minimal gas and use a can.

My 10" 300 will run nicely with the can and subs, or hammer the buffer with supers. I can take the gas down for supers so it's not trying to smash the buffer into a pancake.

I'm not running a fighting rifle, it's a fun gun. I enjoy dialing the gas back and not getting a cloud of gas with the can on.

No matter what I did it was way over gassed. Eventually I’m replacing the crap barrel on it so I’ll try again later.

Forget who made it but at 25yd on a rest it was shooting 5” groups lol. I got it at some crazy low sale price and quickly figured out why.

chevy_man · Dec 20, 2021

akmike47 said:
No matter what I did it was way over gassed. Eventually I’m replacing the crap barrel on it so I’ll try again later.

Forget who made it but at 25yd on a rest it was shooting 5” groups lol. I got it at some crazy low sale price and quickly figured out why.

I'd guess they drilled a far over-sized gas port and you just couldn't vent enough.

akmike47 · Dec 20, 2021

chevy_man said:
I'd guess they drilled a far over-sized gas port and you just couldn't vent enough.

Yeah that’s my thoughts. If I ever run across a cheap comb .22 conversion I don’t need I’ll build a .22 lr upper with it. That way it’ll have a good reason to shoot like shit lol

Would be fun though I guess, I have a m&p-15/22 I shoot the hell out of.

Clayman · Dec 21, 2021

akmike47 said:
I waited 3-4 months for an SA gas block, it doesn’t seem to work any better thana normal one on my 10.5. Talk about disappointment.

I’d like to try their piston system still, because I’m stupid apparently

You tried it in bleed off and restricted?

akmike47 · Dec 21, 2021

Clayman said:
You tried it in bleed off and restricted?

Yeah, I gave up on it. Been a few years ago I just remembered I had one.

Probably sent me a junk one, I had to call them over a few months to get them to ever ship it. It was in stock when I ordered it too.

metroplex · Oct 27, 2024

The R One that came on my 10.5 upper clears clears carbine length gas block. However, their S One 12.7" will not clear a carbine length gas block due to the narrow gas tube channel. It won't clear their own Aero low profile set screw gas block. It has to be a mid or rifle length gas block so it sits about 2 mlok slots behind the front of the HG.

Ironically the superlative clears the 12.7 Aero Atlas better than their own low profile gas block. I have to pull the barrel quite a bit towards the right side for it to contact.

I have yet to find any handguard manufacturer consistently creating enough clearance inside the HGs to clear all types of gas blocks.

I am going to see if I can get a thin ball endmill and grind off some material.

metroplex · Oct 27, 2024

akmike47 said:
Yeah, I gave up on it. Been a few years ago I just remembered I had one.

Probably sent me a junk one, I had to call them over a few months to get them to ever ship it. It was in stock when I ordered it too.

You need to experiment with the buffer weight. When I ran the Super 42 H3 with my SA AGB, I had to run it in restrict mode 2 clicks. Talked to Superlativr and tried the Carbine buffer. Was able to vent it at 24 clicks unsuppressed and 42 clicks suppressed. They suggested I try H1 next but never got around to it. Will experiment with H2 and H1

Silver4.6 · Nov 5, 2024

If you're looking for options... i run the SLR under an Atlas R-one and it clears with decent room to spare.

metroplex · Nov 5, 2024

The Atlas only clears the gas block if the gas block sits in the front 2 inches of the Atlas handguard where there is room. So if you run a 12"-13" or greater length Atlas on a carbine-length gas system, there won't be enough clearance. My Aero 10.5" upper came with a 9" Atlas R-One and it clears a carbine length gas block just fine because it sits within that 2" pocket of the front of the handguard.

The Midwest Industries Gen 4 / Combat Rail will clear the SA AGB without any problems regardless of length. The Aero design is stupid in general, along with the taper nut/clamp system. My Atlas always shifts around regardless of the torque applied to those taper nuts.

Silver4.6 · Nov 5, 2024

The atlas r-one and the s-one mloks both list the same 1.3” ID.

Mine is just a shortly…300bo with 8.0” barrel and 7.3” handguard… but you can see where the SLR block falls for reference.

metroplex · Nov 5, 2024

That is a very unique case but yeah that SLR is inside that extra clearance pocket.

The 1.3" ID measurement by itself is 110% meaningless. A lot of handguard manufacturers cite 1.3" but the clearance needed at the gas block is specific to the top and bottom of the gas block as well as the corners where the gas tube meets the gas block.

My 10.5" w/ carbine-length gas block clears the Atlas 9" because the gas block sits in the pocket. My 16" carbine-length gas block does NOT clear the Atlas 12"-13" where the pocket is at the very end (more like rifle/mid-length gas). Nothing clears it with that 16" carbine-length gas system, not even Aero's own low-pro gas block.

Silver4.6 · Nov 5, 2024

metroplex said:
That is a very unique case but yeah that SLR is inside that extra clearance pocket.

The 1.3" ID measurement by itself is 110% meaningless. A lot of handguard manufacturers cite 1.3" but the clearance needed at the gas block is specific to the top and bottom of the gas block as well as the corners where the gas tube meets the gas block.

My 10.5" w/ carbine-length gas block clears the Atlas 9" because the gas block sits in the pocket. My 16" carbine-length gas block does NOT clear the Atlas 12"-13" where the pocket is at the very end (more like rifle/mid-length gas). Nothing clears it with that 16" carbine-length gas system, not even Aero's own low-pro gas block.

I do realize you can't base it off the 1.3" - its all about channel at the top. What i wanted to communicate is that i believe the internal diam or profile is the same between the two models.

I don't mean to argue it - I'm just trying to be helpful for the OP to understand his options... but my gas block is not in front in the clearance pocket where you're describing it. I took a few photos, and tried backlighting it to illustrate. Again this is an SLR gas block, not an SA.

I'm glad you commented, because looking at it tonight again....it fits alot closer than I would like. I was definitely wrong thinking "decent room to spare". I'll likely try to clearance it a little. In hindsight, i would have chosen a different rail. Cheers.

n2ishun · Nov 5, 2024

Y'all do realize that diameter means dick all....right ?

whatsupdoc said:
Aero Web Site tells you the ID

Front and rear picatinny rail

Eliminated center of top rail for weight reduction

Indexing grooves in 12:00 position for positive grip control

Quick disconnect sling socket at the 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions

Compatible with low profile gas blocks

1.3" Inside diameter

1.5" Outside diameter

Note how nicely the dead center is marked out...
That is what you measure from because the centerline of the device is not a true centerline.
The top and bottom are offset from it as is the adjustment lever....thingie ?

Measure from dead center,
Always.

metroplex · Nov 6, 2024

Silver4.6 said:
I do realize you can't base it off the 1.3" - its all about channel at the top. What i wanted to communicate is that i believe the internal diam or profile is the same between the two models.

I don't mean to argue it - I'm just trying to be helpful for the OP to understand his options... but my gas block is not in front in the clearance pocket where you're describing it. I took a few photos, and tried backlighting it to illustrate. Again this is an SLR gas block, not an SA.

I'm glad you commented, because looking at it tonight again....it fits alot closer than I would like. I was definitely wrong thinking "decent room to spare". I'll likely try to clearance it a little. In hindsight, i would have chosen a different rail. Cheers.

I'm not trying to argue either. The SA AGB is about the same profile as your generic low-profile set-screw gas block, it is quite svelte with only a few mm extra meat on one corner of the gas tube area and less mm in the other side. Hard to explain in words, however that few mm makes a big difference inside a tight rail channel.

In your photo, that gas block has insufficient clearance for proper free-floating. I had the same issue running the carbine-length SA AGB under the 12.7" Atlas (R/S-One) since it did not fit into that pocket I described earlier. McMillan stocks has said you need 0.050" of clearance around the barrel to prevent interference during barrel whip/harmonics. The thickness of a medium zip-tie is about 0.048"-0.050" so I just run the zip tie and prod it around the tight spots to ensure everything clears. I bet if you gently bent your barrel against the rail you might get contact, but then again you have a very short 300BLK setup so it may not be as prevalent. But from your photos it looks to be too tight, same issue I had with the 12.7" Atlas. On my 16" Criterion w/ SA AGB or Aero low-pro Non-Adj carbine-length gas blocks and the 12.7" Atlas, I didn't have to bend the barrel much at all and I could hear the click of the gas block against the HG.

My carbine-length SA AGB fits perfectly with the 9" Atlas R-One because that rail has a bigger pocket to clear the gas block and it is about 2 M-LOK width from the front of the rail. I observed the same "pocket" on my 12.7" Atlas. I suspect this was by design for whatever benchmark they were trying to meet.

I suspect the aluminum barrel nut and/or the Atlas HG itself is very flexy. My Midwest Industries Combat Rail is much stiffer. I can barely see any barrel movement with the 13.375" Combat Rail and the same Criterion 16" barrel , but the Combat Rail has more than enough clearance throughout the entire handguard length (it's the same throughout). They make a whole bunch of different length Combat Rails and they use a steel barrel nut. I am not shilling for Midwest Industries, but I've used them since Gen 2 and its been decent. I am sure there are better HG options out there but I've always been concerned about the gas block clearance.

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