AR bolt gas rings question

[Letitrip]

How do you know when the bolt gas rings are done or in need of replacement? According to the youtube video attached to the end of this post, when you put the bolt and carrier with the bolt on the bottom, and it falls on its own, the rings are done. Is this test accurate?

Also, what are everyone'e opinion on three rings versus single type ring?

Keep an eye at about the 1:25 mark:

[glockster]

How do you know when the bolt gas rings are done or in need of replacement? According to the youtube video attached to the end of this post, when you put the bolt and carrier with the bolt on the bottom, and it falls on its own, the rings are done. Is this test accurate?

Also, what are everyone'e opinion on three rings versus single type ring?

Yes, insert the bolt assembly into the bolt carrier and do not insert the cam pin. Hold the bolt vertically by the lugs and the bolt rings should hold the bolt in the carrier. If the bolt and carrier separate then it's time to replace the bolt rings. It's a manufacturer-approved method.

I have no experience with the single-type bolt ring so I can't help you out there.

[Elarski]

I've had good reliability using a one-piece ring set-up. A cool guy from arf.com suggested it to me years ago. That guy really knew AR's in and out. Too bad he disappeared from arf.com after getting tired of all the know-it-alls flaming him on the site.

[ar15barrels]

I've had good reliability using a one-piece ring set-up. A cool guy from arf.com suggested it to me years ago. That guy really knew AR's in and out. Too bad he disappeared from arf.com after getting tired of all the know-it-alls flaming him on the site.

Who, me?

[ar15barrels]

when you put the bolt and carrier with the bolt on the bottom, and it falls on its own, the rings are done.
Is this test accurate?

Yes.

[Fuzzy5]

Crap, I thought the BCG on the used upper I bought was just ultra smooth from being chromed and broken in. Tilting the upper backward would allow the BCG to rotate the bolt and the whole BCG would fall out of the receiver. My new CMMG BCGs seemed way too stiff in comparison, but they passed the above tests easily and the used bolt failed. Now I need to find who's got gas rings in stock.

[glockster]

Crap, I thought the BCG on the used upper I bought was just ultra smooth from being chromed and broken in. Tilting the upper backward would allow the BCG to rotate the bolt and the whole BCG would fall out of the receiver. My new CMMG BCGs seemed way too stiff in comparison, but they passed the above tests easily and the used bolt failed. Now I need to find who's got gas rings in stock.

Pm me your address and I'll get some out to you.

[ar15barrels]

Crap, I thought the BCG on the used upper I bought was just ultra smooth from being chromed and broken in. Tilting the upper backward would allow the BCG to rotate the bolt and the whole BCG would fall out of the receiver. My new CMMG BCGs seemed way too stiff in comparison, but they passed the above tests easily and the used bolt failed. Now I need to find who's got gas rings in stock.

The test is not done with the bolt carrier in the upper.
The test is done with the bolt carrier in your hand.

[Fuzzy5]

Yup, I did the test both ways (BCG standing on bolt on table and also suspended by bolt) with the BCG out of the receiver. I was just saying that having the used BCG accidentally slide out of the receiver a few times was how I noticed how much more "smooth" the used one was. Being the AR noob that I am, I figured this was a good thing .

Glockster, thank you VERY much for the offer. I'll take you up on it if you let me compensate you accordingly. Sending PM.

[ar15barrels]

I never watched the video.
NOW I did though.

The test in the video is wrong.

The correct test is if the bolt falls forward from the carrier under the BOLT's weight, then the rings need to be replaced.
A set of gas rings could fail the test in the video, but still be fine.

[Letitrip]

^ Thanks for all the feedback fellas. I'm going to try to get me one of those single type bolt gas rings soon. Only problem is that supply is limited everywhere.

Ar15Barrels- So are you saying that the test in the video should have been done upside down? With the bolt carrier on the table, the bolt in the air? If the bolt stay up it okay, but if it slides down into the carrier, its bad? Im jsut trying to visualize this.

[ar15barrels]

are you saying that the test in the video should have been done upside down? With the bolt carrier on the table, the bolt in the air? If the bolt stay up it okay, but if it slides down into the carrier, its bad? Im jsut trying to visualize this.

The way the army maintanence manual says to do it is to push the bolt into the carrier and flip the carrier over.
If the bolt falls out, the rings are worn out.
If the bolt stays in, rings are fine.

http://www.ar15.com/content/manuals/TM9-1005-319-23.pdf

page 43

[Letitrip]

Got it! Thanks for the info.