POF's got a slick 9-position DI gas block

The Patriot Ordnance Factory has released the newest direct impingement gas block, the Dictator. The Dictator is an easy-to-use adjustable drop-in gas block with nine positions to control gas flow for your AR rifles.

The Dictator can be adjusted in three ways, with the included “dictation” tool as well as with a flat screwdriver or 3/32 hex wrench. Right now POF offers two Dictator options, with your choice of a straight mid-length or carbine-length gas tube. Both are designed for barrels with .750 gas block journals.

Adjustable gas systems increase reliability by limiting the amount of gas used to cycle the action to the minimum needed without going over. Over-gassed systems will usually cycle fine — only at the extreme end of the gas spectrum do problems begin to accumulate — but they run hotter and are faster to build up carbon fouling, both of which can directly negatively affect reliability.

This is particularly true when running suppressed. The majority of suppressors on the market increase back pressure in the system dramatically. The Dictator can be tuned to allow the right amount of gas needed to cycle without putting additional stress on the bolt carrier group.

You don’t have to shoot suppressed to benefit from an adjustable gas system. Target shooters, competition shooters and even recreational shooters can appreciate the lessened recoil and improved reliability over a one-size-fits-all gas block. With the Dictator you don’t have to resort to trying different buffer weights to tune a rifle’s action, all that can be done at the gas block.

POF lists the Dictator at $179 which makes it one of the more expensive gas blocks on the market, although right in the middle of the pack for click-adjustable gas blocks that can be tuned on the fly. The big knob on the Dictator is sized right to adjust with ease through the side or from the front of a free-floating handguard.

The Dictator requires a .5-inch channel inside the handguard so it will fit under most tube-style rails. It’s on sale and available now through the POF web store.