kobraken wrote:Hey Hoot, glad to hear from you. Current load consists of 300 grn hornady xtpmag bullets,and 14 grns of Trail Boss, Rem 7 1/2 primers. Light "LeGendre" crimp. Current velocities are running about 990-1030 fps, action is not even trying to open. Thinking of adding an adjustable gas block, any suggestions?
I've used two adjustable gas blocks and in both cases, I went for two features. They had to be steel so that they expanded and contracted at something approaching the same rate as the barrel when their temperature changed. Preferable Stainless Steel either in the white or blackened with some treatment. They had to be cheap. In the case of the first one I got, that' meant blocks that were not possessing some of the more useful properties like at a minimum, a set screw to lock the gas adjustment screw. My first one did not have that and that meant needing to utilize some thread locker to keep it where it was set. Not a good idea if you are going to be messing with different loads. There are not so cheap designs now that have either a detente that provides a tactile click every certain number of degrees of rotation. That can be a plus when documenting how far you turned it open, past closed, for a given load you intend to use again. Another feature that comes with a price, but is useful is one that has a lever or knob you can turn without a tool which you will at some point forget to take with you to the range. Lastly is a block that has its surfaces treated with a finish that either discourages carbon buildup or at the minimum cleans easier than just being parkerized. The second block I bought had a set screw and a melonited finish and it does clean up after prolonged use a lot easier. If you are using a handguard that is so long that it covers the gas block, you will be relegated to buying a low profile gas block. Your choice of value added features goes down if you are constrained to low profile, but do get one where the gas adjustment is accessible from the end facing the muzzle so you don't have to remove the handguard to adjust it.
That's all that comes to mind. One last point.
Good looks doesn't always mean good cookin'. Don't fall for eye candy, cool logo types where the manufacturer put more of the cost into presentation than performance.
Hoot