I've got a new carrier and key that needs to be staked.  I've got Colt, Oly and Bushy's, and all of them appear to be staked differently.

My search on Ar15.com was unhelpful.  This seems simple, but I thought I'd ask, as I'm using it in my new shorty M16 barrel.

I guess I'll Locktite it, then punch the outside area? not the screws themselves?

Opinions, better yet correct procedure is?

The Marines don't use Loctite and neither should you!

Stake in 3 places equally spaced around the screw.  Use a sharp punch and deform key material into the edge of the screw head.  When staking, lay the bolt on something hard - vise, railroad rail, hunk of steel on concrete floor - you get the idea.

Torque on the screw is important.  The stake is a failsafe, not a be-all end-all retention method.  Proper torque establishes STRETCH of the screw which is the primary retention force.


As for the staking methods on other carriers, some may be OK, some not.  Poor stakes on good guns are pretty common!

Go here:  M16 Tech Manual.  Go to chapter 3, page 17 and see how a repaired gas key is staked.

Don't need locktite, just the staking.


download the manual - www.ar15.com/content/manuals/TM9-1005-319-23.pdf

page 141

Quoted: Don't need locktite, just the staking. download the manual - www.ar15.com/content/manuals/TM9-1005-319-23.pdf page 141

Ya, that, a few pages further than I went.  More comprehensive.