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A coworker and I both went to Curt's to buy some AR’s. At the time they were going for $600. They are great guns but have some issues. My coworker came to work one day and told me how his gas block came loose after putting 20rds through, at that time I had already put 100 through mine. Just last Sunday I went shooting and had the same thing happen to me! Easy fix just tighten the 2 set screws but that shouldn’t be happening. My good friend bought his at the gun show as well as his brother from Curt. The first time I put any rounds through mine his buffer detent popped out while cycling and jammed the bolt carrier. After getting that taken care of we continued to put some rounds down range. After shooting last Sunday and fixing my gas block I noticed that my buffer tube rotated back and forth about a 1/8". Has anyone experienced any of these issues with Curt’s guns? Maybe something different? I’m not trying to talk bad about curt or his product and I know that "you get what you pay for" but I feel that these things shouldn’t have happened. I haven’t had the chance to call curt and I will tomorrow just to let him know some of the things that have happened and hopefully he can prevent them from happening.

im a tad upset but more concerned with what can happen next. i thought about taking it back to curt but i will just go through it my self to try and find any thing that can go wrong.
 
There is a very long thread about Curt's in this forum and I have read 0 negative comments about him, his shop or the firearms he sells. I wouldn't hesitate to give him a call or swing by his shop. Maybe he got a run of bad parts or has some other problem that he doesn't know about. Bring it to his attention and give him an opportunity to make it right.
 
You need to drill a detent into the barrel and loctite the screws to get the gas block to stay put. We had the same problem with some of our early uppers using aluminum gas blocks from DPMS. The aluminum expands at a greater/faster rate than the steel barrel. So without a detent "divot" on the barrel it will loosen up and walk about. 5 min fix, but if you just re-tighten the set screws, it will likely happen again. As for the stock, it happens, you can stake the castle nut if it continues to happen.
 
I had the gas block coming loose on my Aero Precision ar15 after the first 30 rds. But I didnt buy it from curts. I used the blue locktight on the 2 set screws holding the gas block in place and it hasnt came off once, ive had 500+ rds through it now.
 
I think the fair and best thing to do is give him an opportunity to make it right before you burn his name on this forum. I have had dealings with Curt's as well as other members on the site. I personally have not bought one of the AR's from him but who knows what the issues are caused from. Give him a chance to explain and try and make things right. As for the gas block, put some lock-tite on the set screws and you should be good. It may be due to a cheap lower parts kit with the other issues. I do recall reading on this forum in the last week that a guy had purchased an AR which had a cheap china made buffer tube which was causing issues. That may be the case also seeings these are a "budget" gun. Good luck with getting these issues handled. Be sure to keep us updated, just give them a chance before you drag them around the forum.
 
If it is not to far for you I would bring the weapon into Curt's shop, from my dealings with him and the rest of his shop I could just about guarantee they will take the firearm into the shop and go over it right then and there. Curt is VERY good at making things right. :s0155:
 
The FSB set screws and castle nut are two items I check on new builds after every few magazines fired. The set screws on the gas block may hold with loc-tite, but may not. The gas block can get hot enough to cause the loc-tite to fail The best thing to use on anything that gets hot is Rocksett, basically a hi-temp loc-tite, at flexbar.com. Torque the castle nut to 40lbft, you can stake it if you feel the need.

Curt may not use loc-tita because so many buyers want to swap out parts right away.
 
like i stated before i dont want to bad mouth curt, i called him today and he said to bring it by and he would fix the problems im having. he also mentioned that this had started to become an issue so he made some changes. of course curt we be closed for the show so we set up for next week which is fine. thanks for your replies and advice.

Anthony
 
I've had several dealings with him, and I can say that if you have a problem with anything you're lucky you got it from him. He takes care of customers better than any gunshop around. I don't know of any other shops that will help you diagnose or fix anything that goes wrong - they just want to send it back to the mfr. and have you wait a few months. (from experience) Also if you buy accessories, barrels, forearms, etc. from him, if time allows he does free installation on the spot. - how cool is that. Way freaking cool. I'm sorry you had issues, and I know how frustrating that can be. - But you should understand that these guns are conglomerations of parts from various mfrs, and somtimes they require a little patience. I've bought big dollar name brand rifles that have required the same patience, but I either had to deal with the problems myself or send them off and play the waiting game. Anyhow, good luck solving everything and I do believe you're in good hands.
 
If you're having problems with the gas block you'll also want to make sure that the castle nut is properly staked too. Otherwise it can loosen up during recoil and a loose buffer tube is not a happy tube. To not stake the carrier keys and castle nut is a manufacturing error, as there's a lot of history showing the screws loosening, causing failure of the AR.

A lot of big name brand companies were leaving that step out until just the last few years, when companies like BCM, DD, Spikes Tactical came out with theirs properly staked and for about the same price and in some cases, even lower. That was a good thing, as the ratio of those ARs vs name brand having failures was really low and people were getting more knowledgeable about the platform and complaining, essentially forcing those big names to start staking as standard practice, among other things. Hopefully Curt will adopt it as well for all of his builds, as from this thread, it looks like he has pretty loyal customers.
 
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Curt assembles AR's using different manufacturers parts. SAA receivers, DPMS LPK's, MOE parts, and you have a choice of many of the other parts, hand guards and grips, things like that.

That's too bad, was going to have him do some AR gunsmithing for me. But if he doesn't know how to correctly install a castle nut (torque and stake) or the right way to install a GB (dimple barrel and rocksett screws and use a non-Al GB) then I think I'll pass. I read a lot of people having "good deals" with him. But how many people have had first hand experience with his gunsmithing or purchased his AR's he built other then the OP. Hopefully he fix's those issues going forward.
 
You get what you pay for. I'm sure Curt does a fine job but if you are buying a rifle that is pieced together for the lowest possible price then you are basically getting a hobby-grade rifle.
If you want one that is built up correctly, you need to pony up some more dough and go with something along the lines of BCM, Spikes, LMT etc.

Again, I'm sure Curt does a fine job but just let it be known that a $600 AR15 is not going to be as accurate, durable or reliable as some of the other makers I've already mentioned.
 
Curt was quick to pony up and fix the issue, from what i have gathered the issues were with the parts themselves. im sure curt is a great gunsmith and aside from him putting ar's together from different vendors like mine, he does offer other name brand rifles and accesories. i will still recommend curt to my friends and family in fact one of my friends is looking at getting one when i go to take mine for adjusting. curts a cool guy and i will continue to deal with him.
 
You get what you pay for. I'm sure Curt does a fine job but if you are buying a rifle that is pieced together for the lowest possible price then you are basically getting a hobby-grade rifle.
If you want one that is built up correctly, you need to pony up some more dough and go with something along the lines of BCM, Spikes, LMT etc.

Again, I'm sure Curt does a fine job but just let it be known that a $600 AR15 is not going to be as accurate, durable or reliable as some of the other makers I've already mentioned.
i understand this as i mentioned it before. what i originally planned on doing was stripping and anodizing it some olive drab color or something.
 
I have personal knowledge from hightly placed sources that Curt is the one vampire that Abraham Lincoln missed! "Gas block failure? Rounds dipped in Holy Water won't cycle? Welcome to the children of the night!!!"

Seriously, while I have had limited dealings with Curt, but he seems like a stand up guy. Glad to hear he fixed you up.
 
It has been my experience that gas blocks come loose. If you have not staked your castle nut, it will come loose.
It has also been my experience that anything Curt sell's pretty much comes with a lifetime (Curt's lifetime anyway) free labor warranty, not written, but certainly done.

It would be a good idea to have a few tools in your range bag. Maybe a few allen wrench's, oil, cleaning supplies, and an AR tool. Things that your AR may need during break in period. I know mine does.
Sights can come loose, gas blocks from time to time, etc... depends on how hard you are on them.
New builds have a period of time that these things happen. After you get the little kinks worked out, they should be good to go.
If you really want a flawless always perfect battle ready rifle, get your checkbook out. If you want a lower cost rifle, be ready to learn about how to deal with it.
Just my opinion.....
 
It has been my experience that gas blocks come loose. If you have not staked your castle nut, it will come loose.
It has also been my experience that anything Curt sell's pretty much comes with a lifetime (Curt's lifetime anyway) free labor warranty, not written, but certainly done.

It would be a good idea to have a few tools in your range bag. Maybe a few allen wrench's, oil, cleaning supplies, and an AR tool. Things that your AR may need during break in period. I know mine does.
Sights can come loose, gas blocks from time to time, etc... depends on how hard you are on them.
New builds have a period of time that these things happen. After you get the little kinks worked out, they should be good to go.
If you really want a flawless always perfect battle ready rifle, get your checkbook out. If you want a lower cost rifle, be ready to learn about how to deal with it.
Just my opinion.....

I'm only missing the ar tool, I bought a bushmaster 5 years ago and has never once failed me. I bought curts budget gun as a project. Newbie question of the day: what is "staking the castle nut" sounds like my favorite childhood pass time :D
 

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