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Old January 16, 2019, 10:33 PM   #1
Geezerbiker
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Bolt stop roll pin

Is there a trick to installing this pin without marring the lower receiver? I managed to get it installed on my first lower receiver but I put 3 tiny scuffs in the finish.

I'm planning to leave the other receiver in the package until I've finished the first rifle but I'd like to know well before I start the next one...

Tony
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Old January 16, 2019, 10:59 PM   #2
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A long punch. ...Or suitable substitute. I often use a roll pin starter punch to hold the (greased and deburred) pin, with a standard punch stuck in the opposite end of the starter punch.
Once the pin is in far enough to set the bolt catch, I switch to a 10" x 1/8" punch and drive it home.

I did my first one with the redneck method of electrical tape on large vise grip pliers. It worked, but seemed hokey and risky.
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Old January 16, 2019, 11:51 PM   #3
ed308
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Use tape to protect the lower on both sides. It's almost impossible not to mar the lower when trying to hammer in the pen. Many lower now come with a small allen screw instead of a roll pin. Much easier installation.
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Old January 17, 2019, 12:13 AM   #4
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Wheeler Engineering Bolt Catch Install Tool Kit
Flat sided, and rubber overmolded.
https://www.amazon.com/Wheeler-71090...roll+pin+punch
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Old January 17, 2019, 02:08 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheapshooter View Post
Wheeler Engineering Bolt Catch Install Tool Kit
Flat sided, and rubber overmolded.
https://www.amazon.com/Wheeler-71090...roll+pin+punch
That's it. I'll get one before I start my next build... I ended up holding the pin with a needle-nose pliers and tapping it in to start with a small wood mallet. Once I got to that point I finished with a steel pin punch.

I can see how putting down a layer of tape over the surface to catch stray bumps and abrasions would be worth doing...

Tony
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Old January 17, 2019, 07:18 AM   #6
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FWIW
There's a BIG diff between "roll pins" and "spring pins". Most of the pins in the LPK on the market are "spring pins" and may be tough to install. An actual "roll pin" is made of thin spring steel "rolled" into pin form and is far easier to install, remove, and plenty strong enough for the applications.

Using a couple of strips of electricians tape on the side of the lower is good insurance. If your "hammer skills" are lacking, make sure you also protect the back of the receiver where the buffer tube screws in.
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Old January 17, 2019, 08:23 PM   #7
Emerson Biggies
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Yoe Mobuck, I thought the two names were the same pin. What is the difference? Do you have pictures?
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Old January 17, 2019, 10:22 PM   #8
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"Yoe Mobuck, I thought the two names were the same pin. What is the difference? Do you have pictures?"

I don't do "pics".
Seen end on, a spring pin looks like an almost closed C. A real "roll pin" looks like a spiral.
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Old January 18, 2019, 01:25 AM   #9
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Chicks dig scars.

I get about half of them in without a mark--and the other half maybe a small scuff. It's nothing compared to what's going to happen to the gun once I start shooting it or jamming it into the safe. I don't resell or put my guns on display, so I don't really care.
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Old January 18, 2019, 07:10 AM   #10
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In the world of self retaining pins a spring pin has much more shear strength BUT is far more difficult to install/remove. Considering the actual shear strength required for an AR bolt catch, forward assist, gas tube, or trigger guard, a "roll(ed) pin" is sufficient and is easier to install/remove.
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Old January 18, 2019, 03:05 PM   #11
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After doing a few the sketchy way (even with tape) I purchased a KAK bolt catch install tool (walt's tool). It was like seven or eight bucks from primary so I tacked it on an order. It makes that task a lot easier although I still apply a few layers of masking tape.
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Old January 18, 2019, 04:12 PM   #12
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The website I went to for assembly instructions was pretty good except for using pliers to squeeze in the roll pin. I taped up the pliers but still had no luck getting the pin in. This is the point where I made the 2 tiny marks in the black phosphate.

Later I held the pin in alignment with needle nose pliers and got the pin started with a small wooden mallet. I tapped it home with a pin punch but I got a slight rub mark from the side of the punch.

I was a motorcycle mechanic for way too many years and I'm pretty good a putting things together. I like the idea of a tiny Alan head screw for the bolt stop but I don't see a way to do the work so next time, I'll at least have the right tool for the job and the experience from doing it once the hard way...

Tony
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Old January 18, 2019, 07:32 PM   #13
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https://www.primaryarms.com/KAK-PUNCH

Used mine today. Works great.
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Last edited by kymasabe; January 19, 2019 at 07:17 PM.
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Old January 19, 2019, 07:05 AM   #14
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My Son-in-Law has an AR pin pusher. No idea how many pins are scattered in/under/around his work area because the pin popped out while starting.
I use a pair of small needle nose ViseGrips to hold and slightly compress the spring pins until they're started. This isn't for everyone as it often requires 3 hands or being really handy with your hammer.
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Old January 19, 2019, 05:10 PM   #15
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I use a pair of knipex pliers wrench. Start the pin then use pliers to press the pin in place. Place tape on the jaws and you will have a mar free finish.


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Old January 19, 2019, 06:34 PM   #16
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Quote:
"Yoe Mobuck, I thought the two names were the same pin. What is the difference? Do you have pictures?"
Quote:
I don't do "pics".
Seen end on, a spring pin looks like an almost closed C. A real "roll pin" looks like a spiral.
You had better straighten these people out. They seem to think that they are both just different kinds of the same thing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_pin
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Old January 20, 2019, 01:39 PM   #17
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I put tape down on the lower, start the pin with a roll punch and mallet, and then use a padded set of channel lock pliers to push it in. Works like a charm.
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Old January 21, 2019, 07:20 AM   #18
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You had better straighten these people out. They seem to think that they are both just different kinds of the same thing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_pin

That is a better explanation than I can provide as "they" don't seem to be listening to what I'm telling them.
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Old January 21, 2019, 07:39 AM   #19
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They're great--until you bend one a bit. Try getting them suckers out of a sight post pinned to a barrel. Hate em then.
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Old January 21, 2019, 04:57 PM   #20
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Lots of tape to mask the lower always works for me.
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Old January 22, 2019, 12:00 PM   #21
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Quote:
That is a better explanation than I can provide as "they" don't seem to be listening to what I'm telling them.
I think "they" understand exactly what you said.
It just doesn't really matter for this specific topic. (Not to mention that the types of pins you're trying to differentiate between are just variations of the same idea. They're BOTH types of spring pins.)

Pin goes in hole. Pin stays in hole.
That's all that matters.

I've also never seen an LPK that didn't have a split spring pin.

The point you're trying to make is about as important and clear as a Camaro guy walking into a Mustang car meet and going on for two hours about how the wheel bolt pattern is all wrong on '67 Mustangs, because it never would have been used on a '67 Camaro...
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Old January 22, 2019, 08:06 PM   #22
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"I've also never seen an LPK that didn't have a split spring pin."

Well, I HAVE and it makes assembling the lower so much easier. When I buy spares, I get the coiled pins and the price difference is insignificant.
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