New look from BTE

[Deleted]

Here is a picture of a new micro adjustable gas block. The machine work is perfect. This model is made of 416 stainless, and looks like it is part of the barrel. This one is on a 6X68 and ready to test fire. I am using these on all of my builds that have gas block access.

[dr69er]

We just ordered two of them and they seem very well made...we
were going to order the longer railed version but decided the
Stainless micro version was better and matched the thermal
expansion of the BHW barrels much better than the Aluminum
alloy version.

[Deleted]

Mar 5, 2013 15:38:35 GMT -8 dr69er said:

We just ordered two of them and they seem very well made...we
were going to order the longer railed version but decided the
Stainless micro version was better and matched the thermal
expansion of the BHW barrels much better than the Aluminum
alloy version.

Sorry to burst your bubble but the Aluminum railed blocks work just as well as the stainless version. Greg and myself have been using these for a while. We acquired the first railed .937 adjustable gas blocks BTE produced. We have had great success with them and the barrel to block seal is perfect with no leakage. The finish they use on them is the same high quality as their machine work.

[GLSHOOTER]

I have had great luck with the aluminum BTE blocks. I don't know much about aluminum/steel expansion ratios but what I wonder is aren't the AR receivers aluminum and wouldn't you see the same thing with the steel barrels that we use?

I liked BTE's stuff so well that I have done two retrofits on previous builds. I can't wait to try their charging handle and FF tubes.

Greg

[dr69er]

Mar 5, 2013 16:45:41 GMT -8 @rjohnson said:

Mar 5, 2013 15:38:35 GMT -8 dr69er said:

We just ordered two of them and they seem very well made...we
were going to order the longer railed version but decided the
Stainless micro version was better and matched the thermal
expansion of the BHW barrels much better than the Aluminum
alloy version.

Sorry to burst your bubble but the Aluminum railed blocks work just as well as the stainless version. Greg and myself have been using these for a while. We acquired the first railed .937 adjustable gas blocks BTE produced. We have had great success with them and the barrel to block seal is perfect with no leakage. The finish they use on them is the same high quality as their machine work.

I didn't say there was anything wrong with them or that they didn't work...just was pointing out that that it is better to have both barrel and block of similar or like material for better thermal expansion dynamics, that's all.

[GLSHOOTER]

Mar 5, 2013 21:01:30 GMT -8 dr69er said:

Mar 5, 2013 16:45:41 GMT -8 @rjohnson said:

I didn't say there was anything wrong with them or that they didn't work...just was pointing out that that it is better to have both barrel and block of similar or like material for better thermal expansion dynamics, that's all.

Can you explain what the benefit is in real world application is in this instance? If they both work why would it matter other than the pursuit of applied minutia?

Greg

[djmfl]

You guys are killing my check book with all these toys. I just got the. 750 for my 264lbc Ltr rifle.

[skeeter3200]

I got lost in the thermal expansion dynamics. All I know these blocks really work. I will say I have not had my barrel glowing cherry red to see if it really makes a difference. Will post results after trial run

[dr69er]

Mar 6, 2013 22:30:49 GMT -8 skeeter3200 said:

I got lost in the thermal expansion dynamics. All I know these blocks really work. I will say I have not had my barrel glowing cherry red to see if it really makes a difference. Will post results after trial run

Just to clarify:

Because BTE adjustable gas blocks are well made & well
designed there is very little chance something will go
wrong (this is especially true w/ the clamp-on styles)
with them regardless of which material it is made from.

Where there can be Issues is when used in competition
like 3 gun, where there are many rounds going thru it in
rapid high temp fire etc. This is where Issues can develop
as a few competitions shooters have had Issues develop
like loosening of the block from the high heat transfer and
recoil thrust, as well as full auto fire, etc. with the Aluminum
gas blocks. This has not happened (as far as I know w/
the clamp-on styles) though.

[GLSHOOTER]

Mar 7, 2013 2:18:47 GMT -8 dr69er said:

Mar 6, 2013 22:30:49 GMT -8 skeeter3200 said:

I got lost in the thermal expansion dynamics. All I know these blocks really work. I will say I have not had my barrel glowing cherry red to see if it really makes a difference. Will post results after trial run

Just to clarify:

Because BTE adjustable gas blocks are well made & well
designed there is very little chance something will go
wrong (this is especially true w/ the clamp-on styles)
with them regardless of which material it is made from.

Where there can be Issues is when used in competition
like 3 gun, where there are many rounds going thru it in
rapid high temp fire etc. This is where Issues can develop
as a few competitions shooters have had Issues develop
like loosening of the block from the high heat transfer and
recoil thrust, as well as full auto fire, etc. with the Aluminum
gas blocks. This has not happened (as far as I know w/
the clamp-on styles) though.

I'm not sure what crowd you commiserate with but I can tell you from my actual hands on,range time proven experience that that is bull Duky. I have not experienced any issues. I have shot both clamp on and set screw type aluminum blocks for over two decades and I've not seen this.

The use of the set screw type and material in commercial sales and settings, as in the DPMS blocks and similar ones used by a multitude of builders, would seem to give an anecdotal vote of confidence for the material and even the design.

I spent an hour or two with the company owner and he discussed attempts to ruin his own blocks using full auto fire. It found that the aluminum held up far and away better than the urban myth implies provided you use the proper aluminum alloy to manufacture the block.

If the equipment comes loose it is the builders problem not the parts. A shade tree mechanic does not do well in building Formula racing cars for a reason. This is translatable to the AR15 platform in actual usage.

The BTE is a clamp on type not a set screw version. Where does this discussion of non-BTE design come into play in this instance?

Greg

[dr69er]

As mentioned earlier and clarified previously, this does not relate to
any BTE product (or any other for that matter) that is a clamp-on style
gas block regardless of material used.

I was only mentioning that fact that the two different materials such
as the Aluminum and Steel alloys used to make the gas blocks have
different heat expansion ratio's and that given a choice I went
with the Stainless Steel version to match the S.S. BHW barrel material,
that's It.

So in closing, this problem is mostly with set screw type Aluminum gas
blocks in both adjustable and non adjustable versions. It is also more
problematic with Pistol and Carbine gas positions as the heat transfer
is more rapid and sustained etc.

This problem happened with competition shooter Zak Smith as well as
some others, below is a article by him on the Issue:

"This stage was very hard on gear. Many pistols malfunctioned or broke, and several AR15s broke. One Glock lost its Trijicon front sight and the rear sight drifted side to side. A couple people with aluminum gas blocks held on with set screws had them expand under the extreme heat and slip forward rendering their rifle single-shot. It was common to see stainless barrels come back from this stage an ugly shade of blue/purple. Knowing that I had another precision stage to shoot the next day, and not wanting to ruin my CTR barrel any more than I had to, I used water from my camelback to cool the gas block and barrel four times during this stage: once after the drive-by and then once after each platform. The ROs were amused, but it seemed to work. I haven't yet tested my barrel to see how bad its accuracy was damaged.

We racked up 1026 points on this stage."

[GLSHOOTER]

If you managed to discolor a steel GB from heat then you have certainly abused the barrel. I guess if you run your equipment to the ragged edge of common sense things happen. My contention is that if the guys had their set screw blocks come loose they used the wrong Loctite!!

For the rate of fire for the common competitive shooter, like I am, it will never be an issue. The Iron Man up North will stress the snot out of things but no matter how you cut it the best things on the market will come through under normal circumstance.

You can tell yourself expansion rates matter but I defy any normal guy to see it short of ruining your equipment. Once again I challenge you to do some of this hands on your self. Don't drag out an end user or some example of a worse scene scenario for equipment usage that you have not experienced.

Until you see the elephant it is hard to describe one.

Greg

[melbakid]

Based on what I saw in this post, I looked at the BTE gas block. I just received two of the black micro adjustable ones today. Took about a week to get them. They are very nicely machined and look great too. It will look good on my brand new 24" 264LBC barrel that came today after 17 weeks of waiting. The barrel and the gas block were the last things I needed to complete my build and they both arrived at the same time!!! ;D ;D ;D It looks great!

[Deleted]

I have been using BTE's gas blocks for a long time since he started to make them and selling them in Ebay and I always get super tight nicely cut product.
Now he cannot cut them fast enough.
Nice upgrades to them are:
1- Top shelf stainless bolts from ACE store. Georges bolts are nice but the ACE bolts are harder and make it an all SS. block.
2- Got a spring charged adjustable block that I do actually tune between milder soft primer loads and hot hard primer NATO pressures type of loads. 1/4 to 1/2 turn makes a difference.

[melbakid]

I went out and shot my new .264 LBC BHW with a BTE adjustable gas block (I bought two) three weeks ago. Everything performed flawlessly! Gas block functioned perfect and the barrel shot beyond my expectations. It took three shots to get my 100 yard zero and then I shot my first five shot group. First four shots were all touching in a nice little arc, fifth shot went above the arc. I was fighting 20 to 30 MPH gusts at the range, we are not far from the coast. The group was just over 3/4". Not bad for a new rifle and high winds. Needless to say I am very happy! I will be taking it to Idaho for the 4th of July to hunt rock chucks with my uncle who also has a 6.5 Grendel.