I believe the chart first came from m4carbine site, and was reprinted here and ar15.com. I didn't know it was also published in SWAT, but it still doesn't make it right.
Last year I tried nicely to offer some corrections to the Stag Arms column, only to have the ar15 barrels guy jump down my throat telling me I didn't know what I was talking about, and was wrong about the barrels being parked under the fsb (etc) and how he was a Stag Arms dealer and he should know and what the hell do I know. So, I gave up. I didn't talk to Rich, I'll admit, but I have offered him the info, this isn't my job to correct these things.
For the record, I invite anyone who has a Stag Arms barrel to pop their FSB and tell me if it's parked under there or not (cause it is). He was wrong, and ignorant about it to boot. (I do see they corrected that one since though).
The 'possibly out of spec' note on Front Sight Base is also BS. Stag DID have their FSB drill jig go out of spec for a half a days production in late 2006 without catching it, they re-called the small number that made it out before the problem was caught, then built a new type of jig making it impossible to happen again. But, 'the chart' will forever more say there are 'reports they might be out of spec'. They are not, and CMT continues to produce the F marked FSBs for about 3/4 of the other manufacturers on the chart, whose FSBs apparently ARE ok. So
The 'correctly staked gas key bolt', could at best be called, a differently staked gas key bolt. From Stag Arms, the top stake is normal and acceptable for many industries they produce precision components for, and works 100%. Ned Christiansson of Michiguns, who makes the MOAKS key carrier staker, and knows a thing or two about AR15s, posted online that he likes the top stake that Stag uses, and that it not only firmly stakes the screws, but unlike the side stake, serves as a visual reference should a bolt ever come loose. Ned doesn't have a brand to push though. In response to that statement, the internet dealer who sells another brand posted that he's 'had to' restake "hundreds" of Stag Arms bolts because they were loose due to the "improper staking". He doesn't sell them, but apparently hundreds of customers who purchased from other shops then sent him their bolts when they break? I call BS. As I recall, Ned replied, 'Ill take your word for it'.
I asked the CEO of Stag Arms and he told me they have no reports of any increased failure rate on their gas keys due to staking method they use. They do it this way because it WORKS.
We've sold hundreds of bolt carriers, and how many have come back with loose gas keys?
0 (<-zero). Why do we now do the side stake with the MOAKS (making them DOUBLE staked)? Because of the internet (and doing it because of this gives me red-arse, as you may be able to tell
).
Believing that 'the chart' is A: accurate or B: contains real issues for civilian shooters, has guys on other forums telling new shooters that they need to get their Stag gas key re-staked because it will of course, fail, and possibly should be done before they even hit the range for the first time.
How do they know this is a problem? They read it on the internet.
Potential problems with loose carrier keys come with brands that don't stake the key at all, or use 'soft' stakes that don't reach into the allen bolt area, this issue does exist, but this is not the case with Stag Arms.
Lot's of AMAZING Factual info available on the internet. But lot's of bad (or irrelevant) info too. Everyone has a stake (!) one way or another, me too, but I do try to only chime in on things I've confirmed from the SOURCE, and try not to state my assumptions as facts. If I'm writing BS, I expect someone to call me on it!, (and I'll do the same).
That way we all might get somewhere with our knowledge, rather than just swimming in circles arguing over dreamed-up issues.
Best Regards,
DT
PS: I might say, this wasn't supposed to be a features chart anyway, it was supposed to show 'milspecs', not 'features'. A 1/7 barrel isn't a feature if you want a 1/9, and vice versa. A 4150 chrome lined barrel isn't a feature if you want a Stainless Match barrel, and so on.
