Welcome everyone to the TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article sponsored by Wheeler, Tipton, Caldwell, and Frankford Arsenal, I decided to take a closer look at a cool chunk that I recently installed on my AR15. I of course am talking about the Strike Industries Collar Adjustable Gas Block. Prior to working with this particular adjustable gas block, I had no hands-on experience with them. I finally had a chance to run out to the range the other day and get to know it a little more and I felt it was a good idea to share some initial thoughts and present the product as is. Let’s dive right in!
Other Armorer’s Bench Reading @ TFB:
TFB Armorer’s Bench: Strike Industries Collar Adjustable Gas Block
Welcome to our recurring series of Armorer’s Bench which is made possible and brought to you by Wheeler, Tipton, Caldwell, and Frankford Arsenal who are our sponsors. Here, we at TFB hope to inform, entertain, and even inspire any would-be gunsmith or armorer out there. Ideally, with the information I provide and with the help of our sponsors, you can have some useful knowledge pertaining to the conservation and improvement of firearms technology while at the same time sharing experiences and teaching each other new tips and tricks along the way in the comments. Digging deep into what it is to be an armorer or gunsmith has significance but what is important is what those people do to show they’ve earned that title. I am happy to share my experiences and knowledge and hope it is informative!
Make your personal safety a priority:
- Practice proper gun safety. Always make sure before the firearm hits your bench that it is unloaded and safe to be handled.
- Wear the proper safety equipment. The main one would be safety glasses (decent ones) since parts are often under spring tension and you may work with high RPM tools. Other honorable mentions would be latex gloves or a respirator when working with potentially harmful solvents and oils. Also hearing protection when working with loud machinery or test-firing firearms.
- Modifications, alterations, and customizations will void your firearm’s warranty 9.5 times out of 10. Please take that into consideration before attempting any at-home gunsmithing.
- If you are unsure about proper safety practices, disassembly procedures, or warranty standards, stop, put down the tools, and consult a competent gunsmith.
Brief Overview: Strike Industries Collar Adjustable Gas Block
This gas block was a part of my short assembly set of articles that focused on the AR15. Previously I had disassembled a Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport II in three separate articles. After that those parts sat until Strike Industries came along and were kind enough to help us put it back together with some flare. The adjustable gas block, for me, was more of a curiosity piece. I wanted to know more about it and if I would want to have one on all or most of my AR platform guns.
The Strike Industries Collar Adjustable Gas Block is an adjustable gas block that does not require a tool to adjust it. Most adjustable gas blocks on the market require a long hex key to reach into the handguard and adjust a screw to bleed more or less gas. In this case, the collar aspect is a literal collar that has different-sized holes around it for different amounts of gas. The collar clicks into its position with the aid of a detent and spring. One end of the rotation is wide open and the other end cuts off the gas completely. Installation is easy enough and that was covered in this article here.
For the most part, actual smooth adjustment is made possible with the help of the Gridlok handguard. Since this free float style handguard is removable on the fly that means that the adjustable gas block is accessible whenever needed. The handguard is pretty essential. I feel like someone may be able to manipulate the gas block from the outside with some sort of stick or tool but I do not think that would be reliable or efficient. That all being said these two parts are sort of essential and required to work together in tandem.
Specifications and Highlights: Strike Industries Collar Adjustable Gas Block
The Strike industries Collar Adjustable Gas Block comes in a small plastic bag with a short and quick style manual to give you the basic breakdown. It is a toolless style adjustable gas block. There are a few pieces (gas block housing, gas block rotator collar, clamp screws, spring-loaded detent) that more or less have to be assembled while on the barrel.
- Tool-less adjustment collar
- 6 preset settings for easy adjustments
- Clamp-On mounted
- Fits on all 0.750” gas block journal
- Package includes:
1x gas block housing
1x gas block rotator collar
3x clamp screws
1x spring-loaded detent
1x Warning card - Torque: Recommended value for the 3 clamp screws should be no more than 15 in/lbs
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Traditional adjustable AR gas blocks often require tools to adjust the settings. On top of that, going back to the same settings can be difficult like when switching from suppressed and unsuppressed configurations. Remove the hassle but keep the functionality with Strike Industries’ innovative adjustable gas block. Using 5 pre-sized settings and 1 closed setting, easily return to the exact same level of gas flow for your direct impingement system. The gas block easily switches position by rotating the collar by hand or while it’s inside a hand guard with a bullet or blade.
Closing Thoughts: Strike Industries Collar Adjustable Gas Block
I have only had a few range trips with the Strike industries Collar Adjustable Gas Block and every time I feel unprepared. I either forget a type of ammunition or bring much at all (I usually am multitasking as far as guns go). I have not had a chance to load up any subsonic 5.56 to test the gas block in that aspect. I have however had my suppressor mounted whilst using the gas block and adjusting it and found it really helpful in mitigating the gas that comes back into the action. A noticeable downside has been that my particular suppressor (Banish 30) is soo big that the handguard is not completely removable to get at the gas block while the suppressor is mounted. Hopefully, I pick up that Dead Air Sierra 5 that has been on my list.
Overall, I have really enjoyed the accessibility and ease of use but my final verdict is out on how much I actually need it. What do you folks think of adjustable gas blocks? Is anyone here with a ton of adjustable gas block experience? Any horror stories? See you, folks, next time!
As always, thank you for reading TFB! Be safe out there, have fun while shooting, and we will see you next time for the TFB Armorer’s Bench! Also, let us know what you think in the comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
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