Okay, so I've got a build I'm working on and I've run into a problem I've not run into before. I was installing the bolt catch lever and ran into trouble with the roll pin. It started normally and as I tried to further set the pin, it seems to have hit a brick wall and wouldn't go in any further. I tried tapping a little harder and only managed to flare the head of the pin.
I didn't have any spare pins, so I ordered a few online and got them today. I then went to remove the other pin, and that's where I really ran into a problem. As this is my first time trying to push that pin out, I came to realize that I couldn't get a straight punch into the hole coming from the mag well direction because of the flare in the lower on the side of the mag well.
So, I tried a few things - I tried using a small allen wrench that I could get in there, but couldn't get enough force on it without damaging the wrench itself. When that didn't work, I tried a small nail that I had filed the point off of, but that didn't work either. Next, I used a vise grip and grabbed the roll pin and then tapped the side of the vise grip with a hammer to try and work it out, but just as I thought I was making some headway, the pin snapped in two. Now I've got a partial pin firmly lodged in place and almost nothing to grab on to. My last attempt was to try and drill it, but the only bit I had that was long enough to let me get a straight shot (the drill chuck is too wide to get right up next to the lower, so any bit has to be longer than the lower), snapped the minute I started the motor. All this is starting to scuff up the finish and I want to put myself on hold before I do any serious damage.
So, I'm open for suggestions on how to get this partial, very stuck, roll pin out. I am pretty well equipped with various tools, I'm just running out of ideas that won't cause potential damage to the lower. I have a feeling one of the brilliant minds at NWFA will have a good solution for this problem.
Here are two photos - one from each side:
I didn't have any spare pins, so I ordered a few online and got them today. I then went to remove the other pin, and that's where I really ran into a problem. As this is my first time trying to push that pin out, I came to realize that I couldn't get a straight punch into the hole coming from the mag well direction because of the flare in the lower on the side of the mag well.
So, I tried a few things - I tried using a small allen wrench that I could get in there, but couldn't get enough force on it without damaging the wrench itself. When that didn't work, I tried a small nail that I had filed the point off of, but that didn't work either. Next, I used a vise grip and grabbed the roll pin and then tapped the side of the vise grip with a hammer to try and work it out, but just as I thought I was making some headway, the pin snapped in two. Now I've got a partial pin firmly lodged in place and almost nothing to grab on to. My last attempt was to try and drill it, but the only bit I had that was long enough to let me get a straight shot (the drill chuck is too wide to get right up next to the lower, so any bit has to be longer than the lower), snapped the minute I started the motor. All this is starting to scuff up the finish and I want to put myself on hold before I do any serious damage.
So, I'm open for suggestions on how to get this partial, very stuck, roll pin out. I am pretty well equipped with various tools, I'm just running out of ideas that won't cause potential damage to the lower. I have a feeling one of the brilliant minds at NWFA will have a good solution for this problem.
Here are two photos - one from each side: