Gas Key Staking is a pretty simple task, not requiring much skill, and is a task just about anyone can accomplish at home.
The whole purpose behind Gas Key Staking, is to evenly displace metal from the Gas Key into the Gas Key bolts to prevent rotation and loosening under the vibration of firing.
If you have a carrier with a Gas Key that has never been staked before, the first thing you will want to do is ensure that the Gas Key is properly torqued. For this I often refer folks to the ArmaLite Tech Note regarding Gas Key Torque:
www.armalite.com/images/Tech%20Notes/Tech%20Note%2047,%20Increased%20Carrier%20Key%20Torque,%20011125.pdf
Next you’ll want to find a suitable tool to modify into a DIY staking tool. I see lots of suggestions here on the board that a chisel will suffice. If a chisel is used with the standard chisel point you will end up cutting the Gas Key verses displacing the metal.
Now a chisel could be used, if the point is ground flat. Other suggestions I’ve seen mentioned is a flat tip screwdriver, or even a roll pin punch. Any of these will work as long as the tools tip is shaped flat and blunt.
As you can see from the pictures below, my DIY staking tool has been modified with a flat, blunt tip.
After ensuring your Gas Key is properly torqued, place the carrier in a bench vice and adjust the jaws to support the Gas Key on it’s side.
Remove the carrier and place a shop towel over the vice jaws to protect the carrier during the staking process.
Next, place your DIY staking tool in position on the Gas Key and strike it with a hammer. The Gas Key material is not very hard, so it doesn’t take much effort. And if your first staking attempt resulted in a light stake, you can always repeat the process.
Hope this helps.
A big thank you to Quib for the pics and tutorial. Kept me from having to do it my damn self. PropDoc
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Update: 16 Feb 2008
Pictured below is my newest Gas Key Staking Tool.
I needed a screwdriver handle for another gun related project and decided the screwdriver blade would make an excellent replacement for my old Gas Key Staking Tool.
I cut the flared end off that was imbedded in the handle, and dressed it out with a file. I then filed the blade end down from it’s sharp point, to a wider more blunt point that I think would give the perfect sized “stake”. For the final step, I applied G96 Cold Blue and a wipe down with CLP.