Osprey Gas Piston System for AR-15

[sonofagun1267]

I've had my Colt M4 since May and one of the first upgrades I put on it was the Osprey Gas Piston system. I had fired 100 rounds through my M4 with the old gas tube system and then installed the gas piston, and im in love with how great it performs and how clean it keeps my BCG. Only bad side is its not compatible with all hand guards. But if your looking in increasing your AR's reliablity I suggest you look into an Osprey Gas Piston.

 

[goneshootin88]

hmmm

 

[erwos]

You will find that people here are less than enthusiastic about piston AR-15s. They're cleaner, it's true, but there are some serious trade-offs that come with this: proprietary parts, increased weight, decreased weight, and (generally) some additional wear on the lower due to carrier tilt.

I have an Adams Arms piston upper. It runs great, but I'm not convinced that it's all that much better than DI. I only like it because it's in 5.45x39, and when you're shooting corrosive, cleaner does have a real benefit.

 

[mopar92]

Piston ARs suck. Carrier tilt increased wear on components. And reliability actually suffers. Due to an operating system having to accommodate parts it isn't designed for. Also because you installed it yourself theres always the possibility of having it misaligned. Which could lead to it chewing the sides of the buffer tube. If you want to increase the reliability of an AR-15 (ANY AR-15) the best upgrade is a NiB(Nickle Boron) BCG. And a good lube. That will be a much better upgrade than any fancy pantsy piston system.

 

[Name Taken]

If you had a perfectlly working AR....what exactly did you "upgrade"?

Seems like money could be better spend on ammo or optics or training as opposed to replacing non broke functional parts.

 

[smokey]

they don't run cleaner. They move the piston from inside the bcg to out in front by the handguard. That's where the new fouling will occur. Your bolt will run cooler.....because the hot gasses are vented right up by your handguard instead..u know, near your hand and under your optic's line of sight. They also stick a good amount of reciprocating mass to the barrel(instead of allowing it to float, keeping reciprocating mass in a direct and opposing vector to the bore/projectile). They also generally cause carrier tilt...leading to buffer tube wear/gouging in the upper. It's also INCREASING the complexity of the rifle. It adds a few new parts the gun didn't have before and new failure points(like retaining pins, new key/screws, Lots of force on the pin holding the cylinder to the gas block). They generally increase recoil and don't really do anything reliability wise a properly lubed DI can't do.

 

[sonofagun1267]

Meh haters, I love the upgrade and I got it at a good price. And I do have a nickel boron BCG, which is an awesome upgrade. I just remember all the problems I had with my M4A1 in the corps, and was hooked when I heard of the part from one of my friends.

 

[mopar92]

Not haters. Just pointing out flaws in the system. Are you willing to put up or shut up?

 

[sonofagun1267]

I'll put up, I do appreciate the feedback gents.

 

[mopar92]

I know of a private range. 1000 round torture test. Checked out by one or two gunsmiths afterwards. Most problems in ARs show up around 3-400 rounds. No limit on malfunctions but damage afterwards and general rifle tear down. You in?

 

[sonofagun1267]

Sounds tempting, so bossman im at the 300 round mark with the piston system, what should I look for?

 

[mopar92]

http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=66672
http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=82818&highlight=Carrier+tilt
http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=76744&highlight=Carrier+tilt
http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=73216

 

[sonofagun1267]

Great info thanks, but i think im gonna keep it on my M4 and see how it performs.

 

[Kingjamez]

People love to hate on something they've never used or even seen in most cases. They read threads on the Internet, and then regurgitate what they hear because they think it makes them look cool. The prime example here is the mystical carrier tilt. I couldn't care less about carrier tilt. If it ruins my buffer tube after 10,000 rounds, well I'll go buy another $30.00 buffer tube.

I have an Osprey piston on my M4 clone and I like it a lot. It works everytime, the gun requires far less cleaning and generally makes me feel like I'm more important than everyone else at the range. YMMV.

-Jim

 

[sonofagun1267]

I totally agree Jim.

 

[LineofSight]

People don't like change and something that cost more. Clearly its a great system as its made by many manufacturers and continues to sell.

It's another option...

 

[BradMacc82]

Your only in the hundreds???, rookie...

My abomination is coming up on a few grand thru it, had some early teething issues, and a user-induced issue, but aside from that it's ran far better than I was expecting.

Carrier tilt hasn't been an issue with mine. Cam-pin drag is what got me early, until it removed a clear path on it's own.

Can't say I'm a genuine fan of them currently, even though I own/shoot one - design is one thing, at least with D.I. it's standardized. Balance is off by comparison - muzzle heavy. Recoil impulse isn't as smooth. Among other things.

Has been an interesting ride though. Mopar - I'll gladly put up, I haven't been able to break this thing yet.

Who's supplying ammo though??

 

[mopar92]

Your only in the hundreds???, rookie...

My abomination is coming up on a few grand thru it, had some early teething issues, and a user-induced issue, but aside from that it's ran far better than I was expecting.

Carrier tilt hasn't been an issue with mine. Cam-pin drag is what got me early, until it removed a clear path on it's own.

Can't say I'm a genuine fan of them currently, even though I own/shoot one - design is one thing, at least with D.I. it's standardized. Balance is off by comparison - muzzle heavy. Recoil impulse isn't as smooth. Among other things.

Has been an interesting ride though. Mopar - I'll gladly put up, I haven't been able to break this thing yet.

Who's supplying ammo though??

Well you reload so thanks for volunteering.

 

[BradMacc82]

Well you reload so thanks for volunteering.

Damn..., there goes a couple hours of my time then.


Although that could be a benefit to me, my gun runs at powder charges too low to cycle a D.I. gun, I've tried it out.

 

[sailskidrive]

Talk about stirring up a hornet's nest. ;-)