Two of the three have the normal size gap. One is huge. I tried to take a pic but I couldnt get it to come out good. The dark area on the top ring is how wide the gap in the ring is. I have never seen one like this. It is my first stime cleaning this rifle after firing it for the first time today. I have sent a message to the manufacturer as he is one of the site sponsors I dont want to mention his name yet. Please tell me if this is a big deal. The rifle worked flawlesly all day. I noticed the issue with the ring when cleaning after coming home.

NOT RIGHT AT ALL !!!!

That top ring has a section missing.  It was probably cracked when it was being assembled, and at some point in time, the cracked section fell out.

An AR probably will function with with just one ring.  So, your AR has two functioning rings.  Yea, it will most likely function flawlessly for a long time to come.  However, the smart thing to do would be to replace that one ring.  I would even recommend replacing ALL THREE rings because, at this point, I would question the state of the remaing two "good" rings.

By the way - Yes, it is safe to operate the AR in this condintion.  The gun will not blow-up on you.  But, the reliability of the weapon is questionable with regards to cycling.

Thanks you for the reply. It's nice to get a straight answer. I will do just what you said one Monday!

Gas rings are cheap, why not do as I and many others do, just order a bunch to keep on hand?

You will see that most of the small parts are quite inexpensive.  What eats up your money on this stuff is shipping.  Just go on and invest $50-$75 and buy yourself a stash of spare parts once and be done with it.

And don't just order 3 gas rings.  Gee, you have to replace them now.  Go on and get 3 SETS, 9 rings.  Or consider the McFarland one-piece spiral ring.

Other parts to consider stocking, firing pin, firing pin retainer (aka cotter pin), extractor, its spring and pin, hammer and trigger springs, hammer/trigger pin, disconnector and spring, various detents and springs.

I will do that. Luckily here in the Phoenix area there are a bunch of vendors/manufacturers so I dont have to worry about the shipping. It just shouldnt happen on a brand new rifle thats all.

They are now offering a new one piece gas ring now,I saw them advertised in the new shot gun news for like $8.00.

Quoted: They are now offering a new one piece gas ring now,I saw them advertised in the new shot gun news for like $8.00.

Just go to a gun show, they sell them for about a $1 a piece. Buy a bunch, you never know when you'll need one and they should be replaced after a year of shooting anyway.  

I used a Mac Farlane ring in one of my NRA Service Rifles for a bit. After half a season, the bolt would slip back into the carrier of its own weight , and I put GI rings in it from then on.  I did not have any problems, it was just saying it was worn out.

Later on in the season, I watched a space gun progressively go from fine to severely short stroking in one tens shot string. It was a previously reliable Scott Medesha space gun, so we doubted inherent problems. Open it up, clean everything, oil it, and shoot it, and within a couple strings it would do this oddball thing where the bolt would stroke shoter on each shot and the ejection pattern would swing from  4 o'clock towards 1 o'clock more with each shot until it would just stuff the fired round back in the chamber. After much fussing, the owner, out of desperation if nothing else, pulled the Mac Farlane ring he had installed a thousand rounds back and installed three GI rings, and it shot flawlessly after that.  

I would just stay with GI rings, keep spares handy, and when the bolt can slide into the carrier of its own  weight, change rings.

Billski