Drift Pins; the bain of my existence

I

ilikeoldguns

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Never been able to drift out a pin. it either holds fast, breaks the tool, or the gun gets scratched up.

How do I drift out pins on guns?

My Savage 30j is acting up and I need to open it up to figure it out. Problem is that to do that I need to drift out a pin, but near as I can tell from when this beauty was made in the 70s, it's never been detail-stripped and it's as stubborn as the firing pin retaining pin on my SKS.

Any hints guys?

Thank you.
 
And if its a roll pin .. get the proper roll pin punch with the centering dimple
 
Roll pin? A pin that is, or appears to be rounded on the ends?

I just have a few odds in my tool box and the drift pins from my SKS and SVT. Canadian tire appears not have a set of the things, which seems odd.
 
Roll pin is hollow ... the dimple on the punch keeps it centred. Brass (or nylon for drifting sights) is good but it can flatten and get too enlarged to follow a standard pin
 
Princess Auto..........yes, forgive me........they have a roll pouch of punches with the proper
extruded center for roll pins.
Some gun makers use a solid pin with a devoted center that these punches work well on.
Only thing about these punches is they are fairly soft, so they don't take to well with
a heavy hit.
Sometimes pins need to be removed in one direction only.
 
kamlooky said:
Princess Auto..........yes, forgive me........they have a roll pouch of punches with the proper
extruded center for roll pins.
Some gun makers use a solid pin with a devoted center that these punches work well on.
Only thing about these punches is they are fairly soft, so they don't take to well with
a heavy hit.
Sometimes pins need to be removed in one direction only.
Click to expand...

Correcto mundo....as in H&R single shot pins which go in one way.(From left to right)
I make my own punches and drifts from C360 brass rod, and get roll pin punches from Acklands along
with Jet Lube 12/34 penetrating oil. The stuff is perfect for gun maintenance and auto/marine/electric work.
:)
 
You need a SOLID setup to allow the pin to snap loose.

A split pin is hollow with a split down its length

A roll pin looks like rolled up newspaper on the end.

A taper pin is just that.

A dowel pin is used to precisely locat machine components and is such a precise fit that a draft is cut on one edge to let air out as its put in.
 
I find the only time the pins get me is when I try to use a punch that is a bit too big, or a bit too small. Finding the right size punch is key. I often use a thin rag to protect the surrounding area in the event of a slip.

Hope you got it.

ITB
 
Proper punches and good penetrating fluid combined with lots of patients does wonders with those stubborn pins.
 
The mistake a lot of people make when drifting a pin ( solid or roll) is that they use a punch that has a tip that is too long. They will either bend or break if the pin is tough to move at all.
On all pins I use a "starter" punch with a tip that is only 1/8 of an inch long. Very much easier to control and apply the needed force. Once the pin breaks loose & starts to move, I will use a progressively longer punch
 
ilikeoldguns said:
What is ATF?

Got some brass drifts.

it is not a roll pin.

the diagrams are very clear which direction the pin should be punched from; no-go yet.
Click to expand...
Are you sure you can re-assemble this once you finally get it apart? There seems to be a lack of knowledge on many levels, a lack of appropriate tools (what you want to do can be done with an air chisel and a punch, but should it?), and, perhaps, a lack of patience.

Go to Canadian Tire, get a starter punch of the appropriate diameter (a starter punch is a drift that has a long taper ending in a flat, squared off diameter it is stronger than any pin punch when starting stiff pins), properly support your work and use a good penetrating oil (the ATF/acetone works well), allowing it to soak in and work overnight, then drive out the pin with a couple of sharps taps. Once the pin starts moving, STOP using the starter drift and switch to the proper pin punch.

no one uses starter drifts anymore, just rather bust up a good pin punch hammering on it til it breaks. But, no one uses correct taps to thread things either...or easy outs properly... Too much hurry today!
 
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