Quick Tip: AR-15 Gas Block Alignment

Brownells Gun Tech™ Caleb Savant shares some nuggets of wisdom about AR-15 gas block alignment. A misaligned gas block is one of the most common causes of malfunctions on AR-15 rifles, but there's good news. It's not difficult to get that gas block properly aligned. With the aid of a cutaway, Caleb explains how the gas port is drilled into the gas block. The gas port in the barrel is actually smaller than the one in the gas block, so a little misalignment between the two isn't a problem. This also means the gas block can be pushed all the way to the barrel shoulder OR left with a smidge of space between it and the shoulder to account for the space normally taken up by the handguard end cap. Either way is fine. The dimpling for the gas block setscrews on the outside of the barrel should always be drilled exactly opposite from the gas port. Are you planning to drill the dimples yourself? Caleb has a valuable tip for you!