Few gun pundits on youtube are as methodical, and thorough as Mr. Bell. Hats off to you sir for taking credible raw data & turning it into useful easy to understand information for all. Saves us novice a lot of time & money ;-)

At 19:30 you can clearly see that the bleed-off had far less gas coming back. The restrictive setting had gas going past his right shoulder in a huge plume of smoke.

I’ve watched this video so many times. I’m getting ready to take my AR10 to the range and set my suplerative arms gas block. I love how well presented this video is.

You are a breath of fresh air. Best videos on KZfaq hands down. Important information presented without ridiculous fluff or ego stocking. Thank you for awesome,.educational and entertaining videos

Great video and the information you provided in it is still true and valid in 2023. I will make one note to the video and that I personally have notice more of a benefit when using this adjustable gas block on SBRs and especially when they are suppressed.

Awesome review, very thorough and professional . Superlative could not have gotten a better reviewer

I've only got five minutes into the video and I respect the hell out of the way that you do this process. Just like some other people have said it's very methodical and thoughtful in regards to different possibilities from changing the gas system. Thanks to you I'm going to purchase this device to go with my new free float handguard I think this company should sponsor you.

I really like how you present your videos. Very professional and very friendly. You have a new subscriber.

6 years later and this video was hugely helpful! Great Job and Thank You!!!

Why do I feel like I just went to gas block college? I'm glad to see someone out there that does the work and shows why he says what he says rather than just giving off the cuff opinions. Good job Sir. Thanks.

I found your channel through this excellent scientific video and just had to see what more you had to offer. Shame it seems your channel never fully caught on and you've moved on to other things, but I hope you are proud of this gem of a channel you have published as an excellent resource for people like me way further into the future than one could reasonably expect from youtube content. I have almost 700 subscriptions and very few have i been compelled to make a similar comment, so thank you.

This was the absolute best video I have seen on the Superlative gas block. Now I know that it will work better than a standard gas block when running my 300 blk suppressed pistol build, AND that it will work even better when I build my first piston operated build. Thank you for this and GREAT job!

Great explanation, I just picked one of these up for my new build...8.5" 300BO w/can. I noticed your rate of fire was slightly faster with restricted gas setting, slight but perceivable.

This is such an awesome video. Thanks for all the work that went into this

i love it when channels use the scientific method to test things.

Really appreciate your thorough and scientific approach to this gas block and its effects on the gun. You and Paul Harrell are exemplary in this regard.

Michael, you have the best and most informative videos I have seen. Thank you for the time you spent on making them. I have 3 Superlative Arms AGB's and love them and this video helped me understand how they work. Cheers!

I have been following this series with much interest. Just received two of these gas blocks today and look forward to installing & start to play with them. Very interesting design. Thanks for all your in depth work on this.

Your results support what I already suspected. Thank you for your thoroughness.

Asked my gunsmith about an adjustable gas block for my AR 15. He said, so you are getting a Suppressor? I said, No. He said, Then you don’t need an adjustable gas block. Of course, If the ATF can no longer tax a suppressor………………

Fantastic video. Love all the info in it and all the test scenarios you performed. Right now I'm shooting a AR in 6ARC with a 24" barrel. I've been testing different powder/bullet combos and thought I had a new load I would be happy with. Now the twist, I've been running a restrictive gas block, I guess we'll see what happens when I switch to the superaltives bleed off gas block. The reason I bought one was I'm having another upper done in 6 ARC and the gunsmith chambering my barrel only uses superlative blocks. (We shoot PRS) 6 ARC is tricky to load for as to getting good velocity AND have temp stability. Last season I ran VV N150 with a velocity of just over 2600 fps. I've been testing other vihtavouri powders and have settled on N540 with a 108gr eld-m bullet that has a mv of 2676 fps. Let's see how much the bleed off system slows it downs. If it's too much I'll stay with restrictive.

I do appreciate your dedication to science, while I watched and re-watched your video I had a few cold beers, and enjoyed both thanks again

Mike, what a great review and channel, I'm glad I found it, and your data is VERY much appreciated. I had very similar results when I got mine adjusted and tuned in at the range. Mine also didn't hold open at five clicks, but did at 6 clicks, however the ejection pattern was in the 4-6 range indicating that it was undergassed, and I found that 14 clicks worked well for my upper in restrictive mode. I wasn't able to shoot as much in bleed-off mode due to a pesky thunderstorm, but will be back out to finish up soon. Seriously, thank you for the detailed review, I subscribed and will be checking out more of your content.

Thank you, Mike! Your methodology is excellent. I (personally) would put your videos on a par with Paul Harrell's videos. A lot of watchers out there would say this is high praise indeed! You, sir have gained another subscriber in myself now that I have had a chance to watch some of your vids.

A very thorough study with real life conclusions. Thanks for your hard work. Your study led me to buying this gas block for my .308 build.

Your video has helped me decide to get this gas block because of the bleed off feature. I'm running a 10.5 in barrel and want to mitigate the added pressure towards the rear of the rifle since the gas block is closer to the chamber. Thanks again.

Mike you should be very happy about this work. I'm very impressed. You have helped out tens of thousands on understanding the rifle and the gas block. Sup has a great product. I think this gb will be very useful with a carbine length sbr or pistol both sup and non sup. My only gripe is my settings will be different at 20 degrees vs 90 degrees. I'll have to hold a few numbers in my head. Cheers.

I had to watch this several times to see that you covered all the bases. Good job. I bought the SA titanium. Haven't even tried it yet.

Awesome informative video, I've had my gas block for a year. I didnt completely understand how to adjust it so it bleeds the most suppressed, I only had 27 turns on it and I wasnt happy but didnt know it could get better. I cant wait to start at 40 and adjust from there.

Good objective and un-biased review. A shame about the little problems with some of the gear that were encountered on the day of filming. Consistency when doing tests is so important. Your comments about the 'erosion' claim were also spot-on i felt. Certainly some of those promotional claims could be considered overstatement, or a healthy does or artistic license ! Thanks for your time in putting the video together. Cheers, Dean.

Thank you for this information. As someone who loads a large variety of calibers I could see the difference in velocity being extremely important for someone who wants to shoot PRS or ELR, as a difference of as much as 70 FPS could lead to an impact point changing several feet in one direction or the other when shooting long distances.

A hidden gem of a review. I'm just now discovering this. This block is on my Spikes Roadhouse and I didn't know it. I will definitely tune my .308 down away from the 2'clock ejection. Man the recoil is violent. I have no desire to use the by pass. Thanks a lot!

Just a quick hello from Denmark in Europe, and thank you sir for a great eksplanation of this gas block system.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. You just taught me all I've wanted to know about gas blocks. Something that I've been dreading and avoiding to learn for years!

I got my first upper for my first ar15. It has a 16 in barrel with a carbine length gas system and 15 in mlok free floating handguard. From what I have been learning, I assume it will be overgassed. I think an adjustable gas block may help it. Could return the upper and get the exact one with a mid length gas system is my second option. Thank you for the EXCELLENT video!

That high ping from the piston is something else, like polishing steel with sandpaper

If you like what you see please consider supporting my channel by making a small pledge on my Patreon page at www.patreon.com/mbell556

I do love some good numbers. The tools involved probably cost as much as the gun itself, so thank you for doing this. If Green Mountain sold that finned barrel in a a wider variety... I'd have less money. You're the only demonstrator I've seen on youtube yet using that barrel, so bravo.

A lot of people have thanked you but your videos have been so incredibly informative and helpful. I've learned a lot from you and am so happy I found these! thank you again!

Got my sub. Absolutely love the the thorough testing & explanation. I think the only thing this video could use is chapters; but I see that this video was uploaded quite a long time ago. Great job, sir. 👍👍👍

I noticed the exhaust gas in the restricted was blowing in your and past your face, in the bleed-off it was almost going straight up out of the ejection port. Watch your video you'll see what I'm saying. Nice review. I just purchased one. Quite & cleaner.

Really great review without any silly "bro" talk.

The best breakdown I’ve ever seen. Thank you for your time and diligence!

A trick I've used in the past to cut bolt bounce with a light buffer is to just remove the buffer retaining pin. Allows the buffer to maintain constant pressure against the back of the BCG. Just makes field stripping a pain.

Well done, very educational! I am new to the "short and quiet" world. After my first quiet round I realized that the gas blowback was a new issue for me. When I opened it up for cleaning I discovered my second issue. :) It was obvious that excess gas and particulate was being dumped back into the action and into my face. There are cute "shields" for the charging handle and DIY "fixes" fixing the problem at the source is the obvious and correct answer. However, as a reloader, this adds another factor to the "recipe". Guess I'll have to do more research at the range!! :)

This was the only company that made a block for my fulton armory m110 than you for the amazing info definitely made my purchase easy

6 years ago? Wow this guy is great. He just needs a brand.

Phenomenally thorough work. Outstanding. I'm so glad sir I found this video as I was contemplating (now sure) this exact gas block for my suppressed build. Tip of the hat to you and dinner's on me if you ever get up my way. Bravo Zulu!

Great Video my friend. Answered a lot of questions. I want max velocity so I'm definitely going restricted.

Thanks for the in-depth video. I'm putting together a 10.5-11.5" SBR together and trying to figure out the best way to keep it reliable both suppressed and unsupressed. Seems like an adjustable gas block is the way to go rather than having to mess around with buffer weights.

You and School of American Rifle are the zMost Imformative Channel@ THANK YOU

The only place the bleed off could potentially provide some benefit is if you’re going from suppressed to unsuppressed or from subs to supers. Even then I’m doubtful it would actually change the overall amount of gas getting to the bolt carrier. I think all you would see is a proportional increase in both gas going to the BCG and gas being vented. The key to remember here is that no matter what, there is a minimum amount of gas that HAS to get to the BCG for the gun to function. Nothing can change that. The real question is whether the bleed off disproportionally allows more gas to vent when you add a suppressor or switch to supers, while still only allowing the appropriate amount to go to the BCG. Based on the velocity numbers it’s not really clear, as you would need to test suppressed vs unsuppressed on the same settings. Or subs vs supers at the same settings to compare. Either way, no reason to even consider using the bleed off feature unless you are changing from suppressed to unsuppressed or subs/supers.

Wow! Do u know how long it took me to find this type of explanation? 🎉thank you (7 years later).

Great job explaning how they work. Subbed! 100% not ever close to how I figured it worked. I had no idea that on bleed off, you basically have a direct hole from the gas port to the bleed off hole. 🤨 I figured the gas pressurized the system, THEN it bleed off.

I love guns. I love science. I love analytics. You sir, have a new subscriber. Thanks for all of your work. Great job. And I am totally jealous that you have a rdias. Marriage has precluded that particular purchase for me hahahahaha.

When the video is slowed downed, it looks to me as if the barrel is a little more "bouncy" in the restricted mode than it is in the bleed off mode. That stands to reason. This video is the first one I've seen that has shown the effect bleeding off the gasses has on recoil. Thanks for the great video.

Hey there, any chance you will come back to making videos? I thoroughly enjoy your presentations and often refer back to them due to how thorough and comprehensive they are.

You earned my subscription. Awesome work. It was nice to see that many freedom seeds being sent. Maybe one day the ammo price will go back down.

Thank you for the in-depth review!!! Helped me make an informed decision.

Thanks for this video!

Thank you for sharing.

Very informative, also very straight forward, professional and thorough. Thank you for taking the time to do this!

Great video! Detail oriented and informative. I'm a simple man, I want .936 Adj GBs and reliable Piston conversion kits for AR-10 style projects. Not asking for an end to world hunger.

I had this gas block in mind for my ar10 308 pistol build after seeing this video and a couple other like it. While I just finally received my silencer, I had previously noticed with the SA in bleed off that it feels like there is much less gas directly in my face and eyes. I’d imagine that will be more pronounced with a suppressor mounted. I never used my SA gas block in restriction but compared to my stock lowpro gas block I can perceive less recoil and less gas directly in my face. Also my stock gas block was over gassed from the manufacturer and I always gas a nose full of gas and eyes watering after dumping a full mag.

One of the things I noticed was the ejection angle of the spent casings. It moved from 4 o'clock (muzzle being 12 o'clock) to 2 o'clock towards the end of the mag dump. Maybe from the heat expansion of the internal parts allowing for slightly more gas flow. Meaning, going from and under gassed to slightly over gassed. I have been thinking about adding this gas block to my rifle to control muzzle rise and to get a faster follow-up shot. In your opinion, do you think this is a viable option?

How do you not have more subscribers? You give a way more detailed breakdown of the stuff you cover than most popular channels AND have a full auto lower!

Great and very useful video sir! Saved me a lot of time and questioning regarding this gas block system.

In bleed off gas goes three ways. towards the receiver, towards the bleed port, towards the muzzle. Bleed off only takes out a portion of the gas headed to the muzzle. It's not a complete subtraction of muzzle gas from the system. Only some fraction. As you said. But bleed off helps to cut some decibels from the muzzle.

I know this is a old video but it is a great knowledge very well done Sir, on the subject of the CAN I believe the reason for the dB level increased because the chambers in the CAN was already full if you will imagine, the rate of gas being put in was to much for the baffling to effectively reduce so some was ejected forward without being routed through the baffling.

Purchased two of these gas blocks after watching this video, thx doc, and of course, liked and subscribed.

Thanks for this. Great info. I’m thinking about switching to an adjustable for my new build and you’ve greatly helped me think about how to approach testing it.

Really well done, very informative. It answered a bunch of questions I had, and some I didnt.

I have 2 of these gas blocks and still haven't been able to tune it correctly. Lol. Hopefully I can use this video for reference next time I'm at the range to help me out. Thanks brother

First video of yours I have found. Vital content with great presentation and data. Thank you so much! I think I'm sold on this gas block too. Just one thing, MY EARS @15:00

Thank you for using your time for this, excellent work!

you did a great video very thorough

Very good analysis. Logical and clear. I'm a subscriber! Thanks! This convinced me to get the Superlative Arms instead of the Seekins Adjustable Gas Block.

Great video. Love the way you break it down and make things very clear.

Great video with a ton of info. It may just be me but it seems like the cycle rate was faster with the restrictive mode than the bleed off mode when doing the side by side at 24:05

seems like the cycle rate is faster with the restrictive settings vs the bleeding off settings. That may be because of the heavier buffer change but it is interesting.

Video before asked what point noise was being tested . Inagree. & shootersmis only one that matters. Good job.

One stop education right here. I got all the info I needed. Thank you.

Awesome testing, very impressive with how you did everything with your tests.

All your videos have been super informative, going to share on my Facebook!

Sorry Mr. Bell, this is a longer question. In your experience what has been the best combination with buffers and springs (in combination with adjustable gas DI) to create the best light smooth recoil impulse? I've studied constant recoil designs in other systems and I'm torn. Ideally the buffer would have just enough push to reach the rear of the receiver extension without a lot of "thump" at the end of the stroke- that's pretty much a given. Part of me thinks a lighter buffer (maybe cut aluminium rod filled carbine buffer. bolt bounce sucks) with slight heavier spring. But, seeing as velocity is exponential in the kinetic energy equation I can also see a heavy buffer with a reduced recoil spring like a tubbs flatwound (more even force over distance) I know that is a clusterfrick of a question- but I have a feeling that you have analyzed some or all if that problem. What have you found in your experience?

Fantastic video! This video helped me determine what gas block to get and how to adjust it. Thanks!

This is a great, and in depth video. That being said... this seems like a lot of work just to get gas to work...

Majestic Mike!

"I'm just not sure that I trust my instrumentation and my techniques completely" Gave me chills.

Maybe you answered it in the video I just don't have time to watch it all. How many rounds have you got using these? Any issues? Thinking of putting one on my bull barrel build.

Thanks for doing this, I haven't been able to find any info on this thing at all.

Good to know running a restricted gas block setting on any gas block will aid velocity on an overgassed rifle. Thanks for info.

One thing that i didnt hear accounted for...do you use the lightest buffer and buffer combo in order to utilize the full advantage of the adjustable gas block?

Nicely done. When you take great numbers like these, you should follow up with some basic CHI-SQUARE tests to figure out if the differences in velocity are "statistically" significant.

Sick as beats man like the intro!

Quarter turn per click. Four and half total turns for the restriction settings. That's 18 total clicks of adjustment range in the restriction phase.

I would have loved to have seen a comparison, with actual numbers, of rate of fire between restrictive/bleed off with and without the silencer. I think that's going to be the best indicator of the ability for the SA to bleed off enough gas to make it effective long term when it comes to reliability vs something like a flow-through suppressor.

@28:23 So sounds like you're saying that the difference between restrictive and bleed off are minimal. Especially if you aren't suppressing. Thanks for the great video! I couldn't understand the point of bleed off and it doesn't seem like it's going to add anything to my non- suppressed 308 AR-10!

So you are saying that with the gas block closed (off or like having no gas port) you gain 70 fps in a 223? I'd seen other tests of gas closed vs gas block open the the velocity was only 28 fps difference.

Mr. Bell, thanks for producing such great content. I’ve built a 10.5 inch, .556 suppressor host with a superlative arms adjustable gas block. Do you think it’s worth it to upgrade to the superlative arms gas piston system? I’ll be running this build suppressed 95% of the time. The only benefit of this upgrade I can think of is that it’d keep the system cleaner. Am I missing anything? Have you noticed any difference in noise between the two systems? Thanks in advance.