It's been years since I shot my AR.  It is in need of a little TLC.  Among some aging springs, I decided to replace the gas rings.  I got into my replacement parts and realized the rings I removed from my bolt look different than the rings I have in my parts box.  I have a dozen replacement rings, only 2 of the 12 look normal.  Here is what I have:


Can anybody explain why the ring on the left looks like it does?  I have never seen rings like this.  10 of the 12 rings I have look like the rings on the left.  I don't even have a complete set of the normal looking rings on the right.

THANKS!
--Dan

Nothing unusual about the ring on the left - looks perfectly normal to me.  I don't ever recall seeing the ring on the right.

I don't recall ever seeing any rings like the one on the left. I'm almost certain all the rings I've replaced in my Colt BCGs were like the ring on the right; all my spare ring sets are also like the ring on the right (spares are all Colt). Not sure what are in my Toolcraft/WMD BCGs as I haven't needed to replace them yet. Not very helpful, I know; just my don't remember seeing any like that.

Toss them in... if they work, then it's all moot.

Stuff like this I buy from Bravo Company. Top quaility parts, fast shipping.

I wish I could remember where I sourced the parts. It's been many years.  The rings on the left seem to work fine. They are tight, but that's probably normal for a new set of rings. This is the first set of gas rings I've installed.

I was worried the people here would say "oh man don't use those rings they'll ruin your BC!" Or something along those lines.

Last night I ordered a Geiselle ssa-e trigger to replace my Jewell, a Tubb extractor/ejector CS spring kit, an ejector removal block and a .060 punch from Brownells. Owning this gun, and having it NOT perform flawlessly is a crime!

--Dan

Ruin it? Nah, most likely not. About the worst I'd expect is for them not to be in spec; either too large to fit into the carrier or too small to form a proper seal. Tight is fine, long as it doesn't bind. It'll slowly loosen up the more you shoot it. Good excuse to go try your new SSA-E... "I'm not wasting ammo, I am breaking in my new gas rings!"

I'm sure you'll enjoy the SSA-E if you haven't used one before... they are great triggers. Not sure if you have installed them before, but there is an excellent install video from Bill Geissele on youtube with some helpful hints (getting the hammer in can be a bit of a bear sometimes). I find getting the pin in just enough to hold the hammer in place and then using an 1/8" punch to align it makes the install pretty quick and easy.