JP RIFLES | JP-5™ Lock Piece 50°
What an adjustable gas block is to an AR, the lock piece is to the roller-delayed JP-5™ platform. This easily interchangeable component allows you to tune the recoil impulse of your rifle to suit whatever ammo or configuration you want to run. Like every part JP makes, their JP-5™ Lock Pieces are a premium component manufactured from a proprietary steel and finished with a highly lubricious nitride coating for low wear and low friction.
Selecting a Lock Piece For Your JP-5™
Lock pieces for the JP-5™/MP5 pattern operating system are distinguished by the angle of the roller bearing surfaces. Most JP-5™ models will ship with the 80° lock piece. This angle determines how much force is required to open the action. The larger the angle, the easier it is for the action to open. So, systems with higher pressure will take a lower angle of lock piece and vice versa.
If you increase the pressure in your system - e.g., changing to a longer barrel, adding a suppressor, switching to higher pressure ammo - lower-angled lock piece will function better. If you are decreasing the pressure, a higher-angle lock piece might function better.
In general, if your JP-5™ cycles weakly and unreliably, a higher angle of lock piece is recommended. If the bolt is cycling violently with the SCS bottoming out noticeably in the buffer tube, a lower angle of lock piece will help. Be aware that under-delaying the JP-5™ combined with high-pressure ammo can damage the gun.
In JP's standard 14.5" barrels, JP has found the 80° piece to be the best all-around angle to reliably run low-pressure ammo such as Steel Challenge hand loads or the 130 Federal Syntech while also reducing recoil for high-pressure loads.
Competitive shooters looking to optimize for recoil reduction will opt to move down to a lower angle, typically the 70°. The 70° piece will run any standard pressure loads but will be closer to the edge of the operational window with low pressure loads like the 130 or 150 Federal Syntech or similar low-pressure hand loads. When running the 70° lock piece with such loads, we recommend more regular cleanings of your JP-5™. Several of JP's top shooters are running this lock piece successfully.
