AR FRONT SIGHT

[MN_Rez]

Is it possible to remove the front sight attached to the barrel to put on a flip up rail sight.

[Hmac]

Sure. Just drive the pins out, drive the gas tube pin out, and slide the FSB off (it's harder than it sounds...they are taper pins mounting it to the barrel and usually take some serious whacking, and a special jig helps). Note that a) you will have visible holes in your barrel where the FSB was pinned and b) that FSB also acts as the gas block, so you'll have to put on a new gas block.

What most people do, and is actually simpler, is just cut the upper part of the FSB off and use its base as the gas block with your new rail covering it up - should be low profile enough that the old rail will slip off fine and the new one slip on. Then mount your flip-up sight. There are a number of articles and videos on how to do this.

[Pat]

Sure. Just drive the pins out, drive the gas tube pin out, and slide the FSB off (it's harder than it sounds...they are taper pins mounting it to the barrel and usually take some serious whacking, and a special jig helps). Note that a) you will have visible holes in your barrel where the FSB was pinned and b) that FSB also acts as the gas block, so you'll have to put on a new gas block.

What most people do, and is actually simpler, is just cut the upper part of the FSB off and use its base as the gas block with your new rail covering it up - should be low profile enough that the old rail will slip off fine and the new one slip on. Then mount your flip-up sight. There are a number of articles and videos on how to do this.

I have seen this done. The result looked quite nice.

[TTS]

Sure. Just drive the pins out, drive the gas tube pin out, and slide the FSB off (it's harder than it sounds...they are taper pins mounting it to the barrel and usually take some serious whacking, and a special jig helps). Note that a) you will have visible holes in your barrel where the FSB was pinned and b) that FSB also acts as the gas block, so you'll have to put on a new gas block.

What most people do, and is actually simpler, is just cut the upper part of the FSB off and use its base as the gas block with your new rail covering it up - should be low profile enough that the old rail will slip off fine and the new one slip on. Then mount your flip-up sight. There are a number of articles and videos on how to do this.

Agreed, you are never going to get a aftermarket clamp on gas block to fit like the original. Cut it and buy a longer rail...

ETA:
Half way down the page are DIY instructions...
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_4/226782_.html

[MN_Rez]

Nice, Thanks Y'all. I AM looking to put at least a 10" rail on so i hope that that will cover that. Any idea where to look for these videos or articles. Not finding a whole lot on youtube.

[TTS]

Did you see my post above with a tutorial link?

How about this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5rPPyYdFUs&feature=player_detailpage

[Hmac]

Nice, Thanks Y'all. I AM looking to put at least a 10" rail on so i hope that that will cover that. Any idea where to look for these videos or articles. Not finding a whole lot on youtube.

?

http://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+c ... ent=safari

[UnaStamus]

This one by SSDSurf is the best one. He's a cop out in Hawaii and does a lot of these. Just don't use the Aluminum black. You need to use Super Blue or similar, because the gas block is steel, not aluminum.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5rPPyYdFUs

[smokintone]

I have 2 AR's that have had the FSB cut off and shaped into a LOW PRO gas block. I have a 10" rail on one and a 12" on the other. I don't think I'll ever go back to the standard FSB. Couldn't be happier!

[codilly]

On my first AR I cut the front sight post off and ground it down real smooth with scotch pads and then painted. On my build I used a low pro clamp on and some people have problems with them but I love mine so far. On both builds I covered the gas block with a rail.

[antx]

Yeah I want to gain more information regarding AR 15. I have some information of Ar 15 lower receiver kits that it usually consist of 30 parts excluding stock assembly, the receiver and the pistol grip.
IP address range banned and user name banned for spam.

[Hmac]

On my first AR I cut the front sight post off and ground it down real smooth with scotch pads and then painted. On my build I used a low pro clamp on and some people have problems with them but I love mine so far. On both builds I covered the gas block with a rail.

I wouldn't ever use a clamp-on gas block (or FSB), they have a distinct tendency to loosen. Usually the first notice of this is that the gun won't cycle once the gas ports become misaligned or it leaks too much at the barrel interface. Re-tightening it often requires removing the rail. Every rifle I've ever built has either used a BCM FSB or a VLTOR low-pro gas block, and I've sent them off to either Rainier or ADCO to get them pinned (I've heard that AR15barrels.com also does a good job). If you're building an AR yourself, note that it's usually wise to make sure the barrel nut is slid onto the barrel before pinning the gas block. Otherwise you'll just have to unpin it and remove it in order to get the barrel nut on, which can often be a PITA. So I always send the barrel nut for the particular rail system I'm using along with the barrel and gas block when I get them pinned.

There are gas blocks that use set screws - they're not any better than a clamp-on. Better yet would be to have the barrel dimpled for those set screws along with some RockSett (most barrels you buy from quality mfgrs these days are pre-dimpled), best would be to actually have the gas block pinned to the barrel (about a $25 job from a gunsmith). Note that if you're going to use set screws or a clamp-on gas block, you need to use some kind of loc-tite type compound to try to secure the screws. It has to be a high-temp compound like RockSett. Red Loc-Tite or similar won't do it - the extreme heat will loosen it after about 30 rounds. Rocksett can be a major PITA to deal with if you ever want to disassemble.

The way one secures the gas block is reflective of the reliability that one expects from the rifle. That kind of reliability being a hallmark of a quality firearm, it would be almost impossible to buy a quality AR15 that didn't come with either a pinned FSB or a pinned gas block.

[codilly]

On my first AR I cut the front sight post off and ground it down real smooth with scotch pads and then painted. On my build I used a low pro clamp on and some people have problems with them but I love mine so far. On both builds I covered the gas block with a rail.

I wouldn't ever use a clamp-on gas block (or FSB), they have a distinct tendency to loosen. Usually the first notice of this is that the gun won't cycle once the gas ports become misaligned or it leaks too much at the barrel interface. Re-tightening it often requires removing the rail. Every rifle I've ever built has either used a BCM FSB or a VLTOR low-pro gas block, and I've sent them off to either Rainier or ADCO to get them pinned (I've heard that AR15barrels.com also does a good job). If you're building an AR yourself, note that it's usually wise to make sure the barrel nut is slid onto the barrel before pinning the gas block. Otherwise you'll just have to unpin it and remove it in order to get the barrel nut on, which can often be a PITA. So I always send the barrel nut for the particular rail system I'm using along with the barrel and gas block when I get them pinned.

There are gas blocks that use set screws - they're not any better than a clamp-on. Better yet would be to have the barrel dimpled for those set screws along with some RockSett (most barrels you buy from quality mfgrs these days are pre-dimpled), best would be to actually have the gas block pinned to the barrel (about a $25 job from a gunsmith). Note that if you're going to use set screws or a clamp-on gas block, you need to use some kind of loc-tite type compound to try to secure the screws. It has to be a high-temp compound like RockSett. Red Loc-Tite or similar won't do it - the extreme heat will loosen it after about 30 rounds. Rocksett can be a major PITA to deal with if you ever want to disassemble.

The way one secures the gas block is reflective of the reliability that one expects from the rifle. That kind of reliability being a hallmark of a quality firearm, it would be almost impossible to buy a quality AR15 that didn't come with either a pinned FSB or a pinned gas block.

I'm gonna have to respectivley disagree on the part about the clamp on gas blocks coming lose. I used red Loctite and tightend the **** out of it and after 1500 rounds and the rifle smoking hot the block hasn't moved a bit and I have had zero problems at all. I have a buddy who used the same YHM clamp on block I used and is well into the 5,000 rnd mark without any issues.

[Hmac]

I'm gonna have to respectivley disagree on the part about the clamp on gas blocks coming lose. I used red Loctite and tightend the **** out of it and after 1500 rounds and the rifle smoking hot the block hasn't moved a bit and I have had zero problems at all. I have a buddy who used the same YHM clamp on block I used and is well into the 5,000 rnd mark without any issues.

I hope it continues to work well for you and your buddy.

[codilly]

I know some people do have problems with this, but I myself haven't actually seen any, only read about it.