Straighten a Canted Gas Block
Welcome to the first ever tutorial to fixing Cant. Ok before we begin, I have to give a disclaimer; this tutorial is based on a "theory" on how to do it. Other people have followed this method and it works, but I personally have never done this before. So if some thing goes wrong don't blame me.

The first thing you want to do is completely unload and field strip your rifle and remove the cleaning rod. If you don't know how to do this view the "Field Stripping" tutorial on the menu to the right.

Now you must also remove the upper hand guard from the rifle. If you don't know how to do this view the first 3 steps of the Furniture Removal Tutorial found on the menu to the right.

You will also need the following tools and parts:

Bare minimum:
A Pin Punch of some kind (an old drill bit that is slightly smaller then the pins we are going to tap out will work fine)
A Hammer
Some one or some thing to hold the rifle
A lubricant of some kind, CLP works well
A can of "Break Free" is optional, but if a part is really hard to move this will help
A Drill

Recommended Extras:
A Vise
A Drill Press with a number of drill bits
A Dremel

Parts Needed:
1/8th diameter wooden/steel dowel rod (any length over a foot will do fine, yes wood works fine for the gas block, its ok to use steel also)
1/8th drill bit


Now we are ready to begin. First view the bottom portion of the Gas block; you should see two pins as circled in the picture. If your pins cannot be seen because they have been welded over you must file or dremel the weld away. We need to knock these out before we readjust the Gas block
Most of the time these pins need to be knocked out left to right as shown by the arrow in the picture. With the right side being the ejection port side.
Take your pin punch and hammer and lay the rifle down on its right side with left side facing up, it's a good idea to get some one to hold the rifle, or if you have a vise, rap a towel around the rifle a secure it. Start taping on the pins with a little force, not to much at first. Slowly increase how hard you hit it until they start to come out.

If it doesn't budge at all I recommend covering both pins and the Gas block in break free and let it sit for a few hours. Knocking out the pins is the hardest part, so it might take a little while. If after both hammering away and soaking in break free you still cannot get them to budge try the follow.

1. Insert a steel rod into a drill press that is the same diameter as the punch and press them out.


2. Use a plumber's torch or a cigarette lighter to heat the area and then knock them out.


3. As a last resort use a drill bit of the same diameter and drill them out.

With the pins out, wrap a towel around theGas block and lightly tap the Gas block left and right with a hammer until it breaks free and moves, be careful, you don't want to bend it. If it doesn't loosen up and break free do the following:


1. Soak the front sight Block in Break Free for a few hours


2. Use a plumber's torch or a cigarette lighter to heat the area then knock them out.

When the Gas Block is loose enough to be moved left or right set it to the position you want, obviously if it is canted you want to set it straight. When you have it where you want it, lay the rifle on either side and get some one or some thing to hold the Gas block exactly where you wanted it.

Take your drill and install the 1/8th drill bit. Drill out the two original holes to 1/8th.


 

Now take your 1/8th diameter rodl and cut off two pieces .50 inches in length. Put a tiny bit lubricant down the re-drilled holes. Grab your hammer and lightly tap the piece into the drilled holes. Once they get close enough to the bottom of the rifle base use your pin punch to finish the job.
And that's it, Reassemble your rifle and your ready to go.
 
fortnight-latitude <