AR junked firing pin retainer twice. What's the problem?

This is correct...

Now someone correct me if I am wrong but does the receiver not capture the pin so it can't come out?

Second pic: it goes in flush inside the hole.
ma1JgIe.jpg
 
Second pic. If you put the pin in from that side the receiver stops it from coming out. If its on the outside, it's seems that it can come out and then get flipped back into the receiver.

Normally the pin is fairly easy to remove when the bolt is out of the receiver.

Now someone correct me if I am wrong but does the receiver not capture the pin so it can't come out?

Yes
 
So I checked to see if I could even get the bolt into the gun if put the first way on the ejection side, and the bolt will not go into the receiver because, as I said before, the pin protrudes from the hole. See the pic. So I don't think it was likely that was the source of my problem.

igvQIz2.jpg
 
This post got me nervous. :weird: So I had run off and check mine.


Hold on a sec here… in this pic the pin is on the wrong side is it not, but the bolt carrier appears to be designed that way…

My Norc BCG is actually countersunk fully on the receiver side and almost fully on the ejection side: I just never thought it was proper to put it into the ejection port side. Maybe the OP has this same type: I just don't understand if the retaining pin isn't getting broken then how is it getting out of that hole, even if the firing pin is hitting it???

The NORC BCG is unquestionably an AR15 "enhanced" design when looking at these pictures:

 
So I checked to see if I could even get the bolt into the gun if put the first way on the ejection side, and the bolt will not go into the receiver because, as I said before, the pin protrudes from the hole. See the pic. So I don't think it was likely that was the source of my problem.

I had a feeling you were going to say that... so are we missing something here... how does the cotter pin go from the BCG to inside the barrel... If it was installed properly I can't see it working its way out of the BCG unless it flattened itself out in the process, which I am pretty sure is impossible, not to mention my pins are clearly too big to fit between the receiver and BCG, that is unless completely flat... also I would assume it would leave marks on the BCG, like the ones one the ejection side of yours... is that the same cotter pin in the picture or a new one?
 
My Norc BCG is actually countersunk fully on the receiver side and almost fully on the ejection side: I just never thought it was proper to put it into the ejection port side. Maybe the OP has this same issue.

Depends what 'countersunk' means :) The hole on the receiver side on my BCG is deeper than the hole on the right side, which is why the pin will go deeper on the receiver side than the ejection side.
 
So when I wiggle the pin into the hole with the firing pin in it, it squeezes over the top of the firing pin, correct?

This is my cotter pin (a little worse for wear given that it was jammed into the barrel)

0Jr99Qe.jpg


This shows a bit of the cotter laying over / on top of the firing pin

dJu2ZXw.jpg


After all the twisting and pushing the receiver side looks like this:

0W62red.jpg


and the ejection side looks like this:

MPkVQAz.jpg
 
The very first batch of CQA's came with FA BCG's

DSC00796.jpg

The firing pin hole is counter sunk on the wrong side of the carrier.

Most definitely, but it appears Norc recognized this fault as the new cqa's shown in the OPs pics have been "corrected"


Im still not sure how the pin ended up in the barrel and only slightly bent ?! thats just mind boggling to me...
 
Correct, correct, correct, correct, correct... now put it in the rifle and tell me how it gets out of its hole and to the barrel extension? I'm sorry to say but it must have been installed the other way...
 
Actually, that's what you get when you receive a new gun, have ten minutes to take it apart and take pictures, put it back together while still taking pictures, and get out the door to work. When I got home from work, I took it apart again and put it together properly. I had the handguards off, the bolt out, the bcg out, the LPK out - you name it. I think I know what spies go through after having done that. The bolt was counter sunk on both sides for the eary Norcs.
 
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Totally off topic, but I have to say, the staking of the key looks more than adequate on the Norc BCG's.

hahaha no doubt !!

Correct, correct, correct, correct, correct... now put it in the rifle and tell me how it gets out of its hole and to the barrel extension? I'm sorry to say but it must have been installed the other way...

Actually, that's what you get when you receive a new gun, have ten minutes to take it apart and take pictures, put it back together while still taking pictures, and get out the door to work. When I got home from work, I took it apart again and put it together properly. I had the handguards off, the bolt out, the bcg out, the LPK out - you name it. I think I know what spies go through after having done that. The bolt was counter sunk on both sides for the eary Norcs.

As op has posted, the pin will only go in one way.. the correct way. I believe in their last post, even a picture was provided to show that the pin is incapable of being inserted on the ejection side of the BCG.

OP - can you point out exactly where the pin was found in the barrel ? - also are there any markings ( damage ) to the upper receiver or BGC from where the pin magically made its way to the barrel ?

Im all over this thread as I am still flabbergasted at how this is even possible ... especially with only minor deformation to the pin
 
The first time actually the pin was nearly straightened out. So I just threw it away. So it was really deformed. But this last one seemed salvageable. After I pulled the bolt out the pin was lying just inside the barrel. The first time it was the RO who pulled the first pin out of the barrel.

Here's the mark in the barrel where I guess we were struggling to free the bcg. You can see the bright spot just inside the barrel. It's some brassing (haven't cleaned the gun since) so the scratches are the only bright parts in it.

YGrfSlV.jpg


I don't see any scratches or abrasions on the bcg. Hard to tell with the extractor.
 
When I was just learning the C7 in the CF, I managed to put the retaining pin in ahead of the firing pin. I remember it generating a pretty good stoppage and the pin rattling around. could that have happened here?
 
Op - by straightened out you mean 'unfolded'?

Yes. Pin became a straight piece of metal. That's what the bolt did to it :) That one I threw away. This second one still seems serviceable. I hammered it back into shape.

When I was just learning the C7 in the CF, I managed to put the retaining pin in ahead of the firing pin. I remember it generating a pretty good stoppage and the pin rattling around. could that have happened here?

Well maybe a bit more information about my stoppage. It was actually two stoppages. I had one stoppage where I fired and the bolt froze forward. I went off range and freed it (not noticing if the retainer was still there or not. I was just happy to free it). The RO told me to try it again so I went to the line and fired once and it jammed again. That's when the RO shut me down and we tried to free it. I took down the lower and then pulled the bolt out and found the cotter pin in the barrel.

The first stoppage happened after maybe 30 rounds. Is it possible to fire that much without the retainer pin properly in?

I can tell you after this I will make sure that I check the pin is held by the retainer.
 
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Well I thank you all for your input. I did learn quite a lot from this thread. I'm going to just clean my Norc and put it through its paces again and transition to my newer AR.
 
Well I thank you all for your input. I did learn quite a lot from this thread. I'm going to just clean my Norc and put it through its paces again and transition to my newer AR.

I see a lot of confused Nutters sitting at a bench with a half pulled apart AR going, "It was here... and it ended up here? WTF?" sipping on a beer and looking at that thing like David Copperfield just pulled a rhino out of some chick's crotch... Laugh2

Without the origional retention pin to look at, its a bewilderment of epic proportions. :D
 
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