Superlative arms adjustable gas block: worth it or just messy?

[greyling22]

I bought a SA bleed off gas block for a blackout build a while back. Shot it exclusively suppressed.

Now I'm building a 300 ham'r. I was going to cannibalize the blackout build for the gas block, and when I did so, I saw that there is a tremendous amount of mess all over the barrel. Carbon, powder, it even discolored the nitride barrel some. Not a big deal on a black barrel, but My hamr barrel is a pretty stainless.

I run an adjustable block on all my ar uppers and they're great. I tried the bleed off just because I got it for about the same price as any other click adjustable block. But after using it a while, my feeling was that it is just messy. I was wondering if there was a real purpose to it, or if I should send it down the road and just get another cheap set it and forget it adjustable gas block.

 

[Varminterror]

I’m fundamentally opposed to wasting energy I paid to put into a case for no purpose. From an engineering standpoint, the bleed-off thing is a completely unsupported gimmick. Not a fan, and won’t waste my money on them.

 

[BreechFace]

I have a buddy that runs one, but not shot a lot yet.

I've landed on SLR Rifleworks adjustable gas blocks for all my builds that I desire to adjust gas on which seemingly becomes more and more these days.

I feel the same as @Varminterror with regards to bleed off.

 

[The Glockodile]

You can run it as a bleed - off...

...er, gimmick,...

...or in the usual restrictive manner.

 

[Chuck R.]

Another SLR fan here.

I agree with above, better remedy to bleeding off, is just preventing it from going there in the 1st place.

 

[Demi-human]

I like my Superlative Arms adjustable gas blocks, but I run them in the restricted form, not as bleed-off. Like Varmint said, wasted gas energy.
Seemed quieter with my suppressed Blackout with it closed instead of bleed-off, but I am sure it was just placebo. I am convinced it was a great sale pitch.( It worked on me!)

Anything exhausting from the gas block should clean off the outside of the barrel just as the inside would. I also get fouling from piston systems on their barrels at the op-rod port. This, too, cleans off as a barrel bore would.

 

[Txhillbilly]

I have 7 of them, and don't use the bleed off option. I just close the gas until the bolt fails to lock back on empty, and turn it 1 or 2 clicks back on. I use them on both AR15's and AR10 style firearms. Superlative is the best adjustable gas block made, IMO.

 

[Gtscotty]

They aren't a gimmick if you're using a suppressor, and I prefer SA bleed off blocks to the restriction blocks I've used because I can usually set up the former to run well suppressed or unsuppressed.

Todd Magee, the lead engineer at Dead Air talks about the benefit of bleed off in the post below backed up by meter testing they've conducted:

https://www.ar15.com/forums/Armory/Adj-gas-block-lowering-at-ear-dB-/20-502210/#i5164459

 

[taliv]

check out riflespeed.com

 

[GBExpat]

check out riflespeed.com

Niiiiiiice! ... but 'spensive!

 

[taliv]

yeah, it's a little spendy. a long time friend of mine designed it and brought it to market. it's only been out a month or two. i like it so much i want to build a gun just to use it lol but i can't decide what kind of gun i want to build.