Using winding sticks to index a gas block or a muzzle device

[wolo]

Posting this in case it helps someone in the future.

I was putting together a barrel tonight and wishing I had a tiny metal level that could sit in the flat spot on the bottom of a low profile gas block or a FSC556 muzzle device. But I don't have one. Borrowed a trick from my woodworking playbook and made a pair of winding sticks from some small aluminum C-channel stock that I had lying around.

Easy way to see if two flat surfaces are co-planar or not. Didn't take a picture but found one on the web to show the basic idea. I used the bottom of an m4 upper for one flat surface, and the gas block (or muzzle device) for the other. Worked like a charm. Small aluminum square tube or angle iron also works, anything that is straight and can't easily bend under its own weight (no flat stock).
Make sure you make the same face this guy is making when you do it though, for best results.

 

[Another_David]

Interesting. I have a tiny metal level that I've used on my tech sight installation for my Ruger 10/22. It's really for attaching to a string but worked great on the sights. I had to shim the 10/22 barrel to line up the front and rear sights.

looks like this but older

http://strati-usa.com/product_info.php?products_id=102

 

[mac1911]

Pretty cool same principal used to index m1 garand barrel .

 

[wolo]

Pretty cool same principal used to index m1 garand barrel .

Interesting. Didn't know that, but it makes sense. What do you use (besides the receiver) as a flat spot? The front sight dovetail on the gas block?

 

[Gammon]

Bubble type levels that attach to a rail are available for short $.

 

[bbarer]

That's exactly how I populated the barrel on my AK build. Worked like a charm....No flat spots to work with so I just cut a small V in the bottom of the bars and used them to align the sight and gas block and mark the top of the barrel at the trunion..