Carrier tilt is a wear issue that can arise in some gas piston-based

firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...

operating systems. High pressure gas pushes the gas piston back hitting the

bolt carrier A bolt is the part of a repeating, breechloading firearm that blocks the rear opening (breech) of the barrel chamber while the propellant burns, and moves back and forward to facilitate loading/unloading of cartridges from the magazine. The fir ...

. This force pushes the bolt carrier down into the buffer tube wall. This can lead to increased wear, shaved and/or chipped metal. This in turn can lead to a loss of accuracy.

Solutions

Colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

says that by allowing the operating rod to wiggle the downward force is alleviated and shifted rearward instead. Conversely, Adams Arms cites loose or sloppy tolerances inside the receiver as root source of the problem and thus utilizes a single-piece carrier to solve the problem. Other companies solve this issue modifying the carrier length. Black Rifle Arms utilizing a shorted carrier to accommodate a polymer based buffer and Patriot Ordnance Factory using a lengthened carrier, sporting an extended lower lip.

References

{{reflist, colwidth=30em Firearms Firearm terminology