The AR-15 platform is arguably one of the most dependable shoulder-fired weapon platforms on the planet. While that’s a great motivation to own this rifle, it has plenty more going for it! In fact, there’s another key reason why home defenders, shooting sports enthusiasts, soldiers, and LEAs alike love this weapon—its sheer modularity. I.e., it can be heavily customized for just about every conceivable mission.
Apart from its near-endless customization possibilities, the AR platform is also justifiably famous for its legendary reliability. This is mostly thanks to its gas block. Sure, it’s possible to install a veritable plethora of aftermarket accessories such as lasers, LPVO/RDS combos, and even an all-new LPK and match-grade trigger system. But all this would only be worthwhile if your gas block performs adequately, especially if you are using both low- and high-grain rounds in your build.
The true connoisseurs of this platform tend to consider the AR’s gas block as the most important component responsible for the seamless reliability of your weapon. However, little attention is paid to this otherwise crucial part.
How Does Your Adjustable Gas Block Work?
An AR’s gas block operates on a very simple premise. It bleeds just enough gasses into your weapon’s action to cycle the AR rapidly and reliably. If your gas block works the way it should, you will be able to squeeze off shot after shot without any malfunctions. On the other hand, a gas block that’s out of sync can over-pressure or under-pressure your rifle. This can lead to failure to extract, failure to cycle, and even case rupturing issues.
It connects the barrel and the gas tube and holds the latter firmly in place. It also channels the rapidly expanding gasses straight back toward the bolt carrier group.
Your conventional gas block has a fixed-sized hole that will only vent a certain amount of gas through the tube. The Odin Works adjustable gas block acts as both a valve as well as a connector. You can either narrow or widen the aperture via the provided screw to control the amount of gas flowing through the tube.
The OW Gas Block: The Best Enhancement for Your Rifle!
This means you can shoot anything and everything—from light 55-grain loads all the way to heavy 75-grainers. Instead of fiddling around with the buffer weights of your rifle, you can run anything you like just by fine-tuning the valve mechanism of your OW gas block.
The weight of your buffer won’t matter, your gun will run smoothly, and you won’t have to chamber a round manually after every shot. Just figure out the sweet spot on your gas block setting, and you’ll be good for as many shots as you want.
Furthermore, your OW gas block will also help tame runaway recoil since the excess gasses are simply bled away.
If you are looking for the ideal component for a reliable AR build, the Odin Works Adjustable Gas Block is just what you need!