Punch broke off inside the bolt catch of my AR15. Help please

[Golddiggie]

Use heat.. Get a map gas torch (yellow tank), should be available in plumbing section at Home Dumpster, heat up the receiver and than try to punch it out. As someone else suggested use a punch that will go through the roll pin. Don't try tp punch back in that effed up roll pin at this point. If heat scares you, try some penetrating oil.

Next time use a roll pin punch. They cup the outside of the pin so it doesn't pean over like that.

In other words... "Use the RIGHT tool for the job."

The only AR specific 'tools' I have are the vise blocks and armorers wrench (a combo AR10/15 model from FourRunner). Mostly because I know I'll have uses for the additional punch sizes at some point. In fact, I have used the other punch sizes for other things since getting them (often not even on firearms).

 

[akma]

The AR is aluminum and won't heating it with MAPP melt the receiver since it has a melting point of 1100 degrees?

 

[mac1911]

You dont need heat.....
you need a solid way to hold the reciever.
as noted a punch larger than the pin a a few good solid whacks should drive the the roll pin back in and drift the broken punch piece out. Also would try larger vice grips. "Normal " jaw . Good solid clamp down then hit the vice grips near the jaw end dear pin with hammer or large pin.

how are you holding the reciever?

 

[silversquirrel]

Maybe its the distorted roll pin, but to my eye it looks like the punch was undersized, and is now wedged inside the rollpin, expanding it like a concrete anchor. If thats the case pulling out the broken punch tip is the best bet. Can you grab it with vice grips enough to twist it while pulling?
Pounding the roll pin back in might expand it and crack the receiver.
Good luck.

 

[amm5061]

You dont need heat.....
you need a solid way to hold the reciever.
as noted a punch larger than the pin a a few good solid whacks should drive the the roll pin back in and drift the broken punch piece out. Also would try larger vice grips. "Normal " jaw . Good solid clamp down then hit the vice grips near the jaw end dear pin with hammer or large pin.

how are you holding the reciever?

This would help. Put the receiver in a vise block and then you've got two hands and a solid base to work with.

 

[rep308]

Time to bring it to a gunsmith, as a wise man one said.....

 

[mac1911]

Maybe its the distorted roll pin, but to my eye it looks like the punch was undersized, and is now wedged inside the rollpin, expanding it like a concrete anchor. If thats the case pulling out the broken punch tip is the best bet. Can you grab it with vice grips enough to twist it while pulling?
Pounding the roll pin back in might expand it and crack the receiver.
Good luck.

Good point, hope thats not the case. Does make things more harder if so.
Also that punch looks like it bent before it broke so it might be soft enough to drill out easily....then agian OP you broke the punch so the percentage is high you will bust the drill bit also.
So maybe dont try that.

 

[SJan]

All you had to do was remove the Magpul bad lever thing and you would have reliable lock back again.

 

[42!]

All I know is I'm pretty sure I could get the punch and pin out (I be buying some specific tools). But I, like others here, have years (ok, decades) of experience. And there is only one way to get that experience.
OP, whatever you do, listen to the suggestions, make your own decision, be deliberate in your actions, and don't cut corners or become impatient that's how you got here in the first place.
Oh, and if it all goes south, well you now have more experience, life goes on and no one died.

 

[Dave @ Villen Tactical]

Lots of good suggestions here. But if it was me (and I'm impatient) if nothing else worked, I'd cut (dremel, grind etc) the hinge, thus removing the bolt catch and cutting the pin into two pieces. One or both of the pieces will then come out pretty easily. If only one comes out then you have easy access to remove the other.

If you have a drill press and vise, you could probably drill the hinge and pin without damaging the receiver.

Dave

 

[Uzi2]

The pictures are greatly enlarged and I think some of you are being fooled as to how small this pin actually is. Its only 3/32nds of an inch in diameter.

Now that the pin has been splayed out preventing it from going back in, it needs to be either reshaped back to round, or the flared end cut off so it has less resistance being pushed back into the hole.
I would do this with a thin jeweler's file. As stated, the receiver should be held firmly and a bright light on the work.

 

[Snora]

Lots of good suggestions here. But if it was me (and I'm impatient) if nothing else worked, I'd cut (dremel, grind etc) the hinge, thus removing the bolt catch and cutting the pin into two pieces. One or both of the pieces will then come out pretty easily. If only one comes out then you have easy access to remove the other.

If you have a drill press and vise, you could probably drill the hinge and pin without damaging the receiver.

Dave

Other than paying a professional at this point this is what I'd recommend as well. Would be low risk to the receiver and put OP in a good position to remove each half of the roll pin.

 

[Mother Deuce]

I think I would put the entire piece in the oven at about 150 till it reached temperature and get some liquid nitrogen and carefully apply a couple drops to punch end with the visible end down, wait a couple seconds and pull it.

 

[Jbarila]

I usually clamp a vice grip on then tap it with a hammer. Never had a roll pin problem on a lower before.

Home Made

 

[Mother Deuce]

Even better.

 

[Mother Deuce]

I usually clamp a vice grip on then tap it with a hammer. Never had a roll pin problem on a lower before.

Home Made

I am building on of those, be pretty damn handy

 

[radioman]

Buy your punches right the first time and you’ll have them for life.
Buy a 10 dollar set of punches get 10 dollars worth of quality.
How much did you pay for the punch set you used for that job?

 

[dont shoot your eye out]

Update:

 

[dont shoot your eye out]

I got the broken punch and the roll pin out. I soaked the lower in PB blast then I heated up the lower with a heat gun and used small flat nosed vise grips while hitting them with a hammer and it came out. Thank you all very much for you help and advice

 

[silversquirrel]

I spent part of my teen years working in a bicycle repair shop.
I learned many lessons working on old rusty, french 10 speed bikes, from one of the old timers...
"Dont use force... get a bigger hammer"
We had lots of hammers and vice grips, and went thru wd40 by the case. I still hate the smell of it to this day.

 

[mothybee]

Damn! This was better than "Days of our lives." I love a happy ending.

 

[Uzi2]

Great! Glad you got it out.

 

[Dave @ Villen Tactical]

Personally, I like the “character marks” you left on the receiver.

Dave

 

[Uzi2]

Personally, I like the “character marks” you left on the receiver.

Dave

Me too. Its a battle rifle, not a Rembrandt.

 

[citoriguy]

Glad you got it out.

I have both the Tekton and Starrett set of punches. Yes, there’s duplication, but they’ve both been very helpful, not only with a few of the lowers I’ve built out, but surprisingly, woodworking.

 

[mac1911]

Personally, I like the “character marks” you left on the receiver.

Dave

theres people who pay to have that look created and or painted on.
Now shoot it!

 

[Nessy]

This is why you get an Aero Precision M4E1 lower receiver. Built in large trigger guard and threaded bolt catch, you just screw it in and out with an Allen wrench. No roll pins used at all! I'll never go back to regular lowers lol.

 

[enbloc]

No disrespect meant, but that is overkill... ^

 

[not new guy]

Buy your punches right the first time and you’ll have them for life.
Buy a 10 dollar set of punches get 10 dollars worth of quality.
How much did you pay for the punch set you used for that job?

View attachment 301308 View attachment 301307

I’ll take PB Swiss and a lifetime guarantee for the money.

 

[Nessy]

No disrespect meant, but that is overkill... ^

I completely disagree. Upgrading my bolt catch from a milspec to a POF enhanced one took 2 minutes with zero risk of scratching my lower.

I have built out quite a few AR lowers, and building out an M4E1 is a different experience. I regularly get them on sale from the Aero Precision website (blems especially - yet to find an actual blemish) for $55 -$69 shipped. Comes stock with a flared magwell, upper tension screw to eliminate slop, etc. Anything where you routinely get idiot marks has been replaced with something easier (to include a set screw that keeps the takedown spring from shooting out when the end plate is off) and it is just a night and day build difference.

Check out this video (lower receiver starts at 1:09) for a run down:
View: https://youtu.be/CpwjGEj3gEM