Re: AR gas piston retrofit
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: cj1026</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ok guys not try to be a dick but I thought with the piston system you would 1. stay cleaner and 2. stay cooler.
Both of which translate to better performace and longer life of the weapon. Am I wrong?
Please feel free to school me on this. The worst thats going to happen is I'm going to learn something and save $400+. </div></div>
Ideally, you are not wrong. The 416 that I have runs cleaner and cooler and is one of the finest AR's I have every laid hands on. But I still have the standard spare parts just like any AR. That being said,
Everyone and their dog is trying to cash in on the piston craze created by the HK 416. Not to take anything away from the 416, which is a great piece of gear, but no civilian or LEO needs a 416.
Too many people think the piston on their AR will mean little or no maintenance and increased reliability. This is a very dangerous assumption. In fact, you are are removing 1 tube installed to factory specs, and adding other small, drop-in springs and moving parts. This just sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. And like I said earlier, I have seen range reports where the piston units affect accuracy.
I have run DI AR's in patrol rifle courses in wet, dirty, hot, cold, dusty, windy, icy conditions. As long as you have a forward assist, dust cover, good mags, and a PROPERLY maintained gun, a DI AR is good enough for any condition here in the states.
Again, I'm assuming you will be shooting in a controlled manner with a semi-auto AR. If you are serious about using it as the tool it is meant to be, an old school DI AR is just the thing for 99% of us. My test for any AR I have used or built is to run a full chest rig/RR bag, which is 8 total mags, all w/ 30 rounds in controlled groups of 2-3 rounds with occasional 5-8 rounds of hammer drill. I have yet to see a Tier 1 AR accomplish this.
Your $400 would be better spent on something like an LMT or Colt bolt, spare parts, and good mags. And don't skimp on the cleaning supplies either.
