Gas Piston for .300Blk

[robrob]

I am not aware of piston systems being cleaner on suppressed weapons.

Exactly. There's so much blow-back into the breach with suppressed weapons that it's a waste to run a piston system. Just stick with the standard AR direct impingement bolt and have fun. You'll never have to worry about sourcing nonstandard parts again.

[nolwark76]

Good to know. If this is the case, why is there so much push to pistons? This issue goes round and round. I'm not trying to start that thread here. It just seems like the piston guys claim theirs is the better design and the DI guys claim the same.

I guess I'll be looking for a DI SBR since the primary reason I'm going for an SBR is to run it suppressed. Thanks for the help.

I bet PWS, which is the lower I bought and am getting registered, would claim the piston is better. Weird though, that they now make a DI 'Wraith' 3 gun rifle...hmmm.

[regroovable]

Owning both, I can say that depending on the use, the piston can be slightly advantageous - however it is not necessary to convert all your rifles now that it is available, as the DI has proven itself over 50+ years.

If you shoot a lot of rounds at a high rate of fire, the piston will allow your action to stay cooler which may (not proven) lower the risk of heat causing metal to lose its strength. It does take longer for the carbon soot to cover the carrier and internal receiver so it keeps it cleaner longer in the upper receiver and BCG area. Some piston systems offer adjustable gas settings (like the Adams) which can help reliability or if you are over-gassed allow for less pounding on your rifle during regular operation.

You do need to keep the piston and sleeve clean so it doesn't gum up and you should still lube the rifle and the BCG.

If you aren't shooting several hundred rounds rapid fire, it probably won't ever be an issue, but the "what-ifs" and latest and greatest compel people to opt for the piston. It works, but so does the DI, so it is really personal preference. On the 300 BLK, I find no advantage since I shoot suppressed and it gets dirty anyway and I don't own a registered full-auto receiver to justify rapid fire mag dumps.

[Bugg77]

Owning both, I can say that depending on the use, the piston can be slightly advantageous - however it is not necessary to convert all your rifles now that it is available, as the DI has proven itself over 50+ years.

If you shoot a lot of rounds at a high rate of fire, the piston will allow your action to stay cooler which may (not proven) lower the risk of heat causing metal to lose its strength. It does take longer for the carbon soot to cover the carrier and internal receiver so it keeps it cleaner longer in the upper receiver and BCG area. Some piston systems offer adjustable gas settings (like the Adams) which can help reliability or if you are over-gassed allow for less pounding on your rifle during regular operation.

You do need to keep the piston and sleeve clean so it doesn't gum up and you should still lube the rifle and the BCG.

If you aren't shooting several hundred rounds rapid fire, it probably won't ever be an issue, but the "what-ifs" and latest and greatest compel people to opt for the piston. It works, but so does the DI, so it is really personal preference. On the 300 BLK, I find no advantage since I shoot suppressed and it gets dirty anyway and I don't own a registered full-auto receiver to justify rapid fire mag dumps.

That is an excellent response. When I started building my 6.8 SBR and my 300blk SBR, I looked real hard into pistons and came to the same conclusions. Even with high volume shooting (which I seldom do) the advantages didn't seem large enough to justify the cost and proprietary parts. While the piston mau keep it "cleaner", it isn't like the piston AR will be spotless while the DI system will be so dirty that it will malfunction.

[nolwark76]

My only experiance is with DI guns and I am sold on my RRA 5.56 rifle. Those who say the DI isn't as reliable are just drinking the internet koolaid. Glad to hear there really isn't much of a difference. I'll stick with a DI and spend the rest on optics, ammo, or anything else I want!