Greetings all!

So, I took advantage of Daniel Defense's recent sail on RIS II rail systems.  Then I decided, what the hell, I'll go all in and make this new upper 100% Daniel Defense... bout the RIS II, upper receiver, barrel, and gas tube from them.

Still haven't decided if I'll buy one of their BCGs, but I digress...

Apparently, in order to get the barrel nut and rail holding thingy on the barrel, I have to remove the low profile gas block that came installed on the barrel.

While I've made quite a few lowers over the years (nearly everyone I know now has one that I've made out of the parts they pick), I've never worked with uppers before.  I do have the tools and basic knowledge, but... when you take a gas block off, how do you get it back on and ensure it's aligned properly?  I'm worried about lining up the gas port with the gas block...

Is it keyed a certain way so that it can't be installed incorrectly?  That's what I'm hoping for...

Thanks!

BTW what the hell, Daniel Defense? A plastic ejection port cover? Seriously? I think I'll swap that out before I attach the barrel...

Most of the videos I've found are for airsoft.  The ones dealing with real steel don't address the gas block.

What I usually do is take the gas block off. I then use something to mark the gas block on the top of it. I make a tick mark usually and I make a tick mark where the gas port hole is. When I slide the gas port back on, I like up both tick marks and screw down. From between the rear shoulder of the barrel and the gas block, there should be a little bit of room. I was told about the thickness of your thumbnail.

... It's not rocket science, the gas port hole is purposely made bigger to account for mistakes when lining it up.

Is the block pinned? Ask since you said it came with the barrel

Yes it is

A pinned block will align back to the way it was, so,you should be all set.

This has inspired me to draw a witness mark before I even remove the gas block. Thta way I can just line it up again. Thanks!

Oh will it? That’d certainly be a relief. Is there a groove or something for the pin? The more I look at it, the more I think that may be the case...

Yes. If there weren't, there wouldn't actually be anything holding the block on the barrel.

Cool, that'll make things easier.

I just hope my kitchen table is up to the amount of pounding I suspect it'll take... heh... I dream of one day having a place with room for a workbench...

Yikes, I wouldn't do it on a Kitchen Table. There's always  a chance of denting divets into it.

Go into your backyard or outside against concrete and bang it out. Put pieces of scrap wood or something between the ground and the barrel.

Make sure you drive the taper pin out from the narrow side toward the larger end of the taper. It should be left to right for removal and right to left to install; but, it's always a good idea to verify visually.

You'll need a good solid surface and a block of some kind (bench block, piece of wood or a BEV block). Something for the barrel/block to rest on. If there is any give, it's going to be very difficult to get the pin to break loose. Then just take a taper pin punch or straight punch, hefty ball peen hammer and go to work. On really stubborn pins I've occasionally used a 7/16" piece of round bar stock to break the pin loose (after which it should just tap out relatively easily with an 1/8" straight punch).

Reassembly is pretty foolproof; the pin will take care of aligning the gas port as already mentioned.

I have one of those Brownells front sight blocks that has cutouts and markings for driving pins out or in, as the case may be, and the appropriate punch, already.  Like I said, I have the tools, I've just never actually done this before.

I may take it out back, although we're expecting another week of record heat.  Bah.

Okay, so I was examining the barrel.  Likely going to do this finally over the weekend.



It appears that the pin was only partially inserted from the factory, likely to make it easier to get it out so that I can install the rail system.

However, it also appears that there is a hole for screw, which I do not think is present...



Has anyone else ever used a Daniel Defense barrel with the low profile gas block installed at the factory? Is there supposed to be a set screw in there?

Thanks!

EDIT: Why the hell are the pictures sideways? The originals aren't sideways... bah...

I think the hole is in case you use the gas block on a different barrel. You would have to tap the hole and get a set screw and not use the pin. At least that's what acc told me several years ago when i ask them the same thing about their barrel kits.

I have DD from the factory. Only pin, no set screw or hole for a set screw.

I just have to say this and I know I'm wrong but ... there is a groove in the barrel for the pin right? I mean just because the gas block has a hole for the pin does not necessarily mean that the barrel was drilled for the corresponding groove. And I apologize in advance for doubting you, but better safe than sorry and find out fifteen posts down

I would bet DD has the barrel groove & gas block hole corresponding to the gas port to a certain tolerance.

Not that I wouldn’t double check upon reassembly, but I would expect it to be within a certain tolerance.

& “barrel nut thingy”. That’s awesome. Good thing you didn’t say that in GD, the heaping would be huge.

Don’t ever say that again.