Most modern AR-15 rifles have a carbine sized buffer in them. For this reason, I usually prefer AR15 buffer weights in the H2-H3 range and I also find them more comfortable to shoot quickly and accurately.

Get your ejection pattern just right and you’ll get more enjoyment out of shooting. Most military firearms tend to be a bit overgassed so that they will be sure to function in dirty combat environments where frequent cleaning and maintenance may not be possible.Įven still, an overgassed gun where the BCG cycles too fast is no fun and will wear out faster. As such, you need just the right BCG velocity to make sure the gun reliably cycles, but not so much that it’s violently slamming back. But, too much BCG velocity will also cause problems such as premature parts wear, excessive recoil and damage to the firearm and malfunctions. The velocity of the BCG matters because if its moving too slow, it won’t have enough inertia to properly cycle and lock open when the magazine is empty. If the cases land past 4 or the gun won’t lock open on empty or cycle then it under gassed and you need a lighter buffer. Getting a heavier buffer is the easiest way to fix an overgassed AR15. If the cases are in the 1-2:59 range, your gun is overgassed. When you fire the gun, the spent cases should fly out at an angle between 3-4 o’clock. Directly in front of you at the target is 12 o’clock, straight behind you is 6 o’clock, and directly to your right hand side is 3 o’clock. If you imagine that you’re standing on a clock face aiming your rifle downrange.

The velocity at which the bolt carrier group (BCG) cycles back to unload the spent cartridge and load a fresh cartridge influences the angle that the spent case leaves the ejection port. The pattern in which spent cartridges eject from the firearm can tell you a lot about what’s going on inside the gun. The pattern that ejected/spent cases follow is important. These heavier buffers are named H1, H2 and H3 to denote how many tungsten weights they have. Switching to a heavier buffer is the easiest way to solve an “overgassed AR15”. However, there are situations where some or all of those steel weights are swapped out in favor of heavier tungsten weights. This mass helps counteract the rearward motion of the bolt carrier group as the firearm cycles. Standard-weight carbine buffers have 3 steel weights inside them.

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