Modern Sporter builds Q&A

yowski said:
Tried a different mag catch, same issue. Separated the receivers and the both LAR and AR mags catch/release properly. Tried again with the upper attached and BCG out and the problem is still present, seems like some sort of internal clearance issue with the upper receiver?
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I tried a giessle and dd mag catch on mft, magpul 20 and 30s, e-lander and CPD. All catch and release with upper on and off and bcg in and out. The only mag problem I've encounter is the mft feed lips being to thick and cause the bolt to drag and not fully go into battery while shooting. Problem doesnt exist with the other 3 mags. All drop free and no issues seating when loaded or empty.
 
The ultimags seem to trigger the bolt catch on the last round instead of on empty. Not sure if it's the mags or the bolt catch though....will have to find some other mags to test
 
What tool should we use to remove the bolt catch roll pin?
A normal punch can’t fit into the space forward of he bolt catch
 
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QuickDraw16 said:
What tool should we use to drive out the bolt catch roll pin?
A normal punch can’t fit into the space forward of he bolt catch
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That pin is the bane of every AR owner's existence. There are lots of tutorials on YouTube about how to do it. It's a PITA no matter what.

https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/Bolt_Catch_Roll_pin_removal/4-548778/

I see you're in the Lower Mainland. Reliable Gun has Weaver AR pin set that will make a lot of the tasks really easy for you. The roll pin punch with that kit is flat on one side so you can keep it in alignment as you tap. The kit is like $80 but you'll save a lot of money that would otherwise go into your swear jar.
 
BCreserveMP said:
That pin is the bane of every AR owner's existence. There are lots of tutorials on YouTube about how to do it. It's a PITA no matter what.

https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/Bolt_Catch_Roll_pin_removal/4-548778/

I see you're in the Lower Mainland. Reliable Gun has Weaver AR pin set that will make a lot of the tasks really easy for you. The roll pin punch with that kit is flat on one side so you can keep it in alignment as you tap. The kit is like $80 but you'll save a lot of money that would otherwise go into your swear jar.
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Thanks for the response. Spending $80 for a pin set isn’t realistic for me; I’m not building any other AR type rifles after this.
Secondly, I don’t see how even a flat sided punch would do the trick. The area forward of the bolt catch is proud of the surface and comes out as far as the mid plane of the roll pin.
 
I have used an L shaped allen key with some success. Make sure that allen wrench is disposable...
I stick the small end in onto the pin and hold the long end hammering as close as possible without hitting the reciever. Use lots of tape to avoid scratching the reciever. Like mentioned, YouTube may offer other and possibly better solutions but this worked for me even with the super tight MDI set.
Brownells has that special punch for $18USD so it'd be about $30 USD and a couple of weeks to get it from there. Not sure if anyone in Canada has them, or as mentioned in that article, you could grind up a cheap princess auto punch and try that.
 
I’ve taken mine out several times now from my Sporter.

I used the long punch set from TNA pushed it out as much as I could with the punch at an angle and then grabbed it with a set of pliers and tapped the pliers with something blunt the rest of the way. As always wrap the receiver in some tape if you’re worried about marring it.
 
cwpowell said:
I’ve taken mine out several times now from my Sporter.

I used the long punch set from TNA pushed it out as much as I could with the punch at an angle and then grabbed it with a set of pliers and tapped the pliers with something blunt the rest of the way. As always wrap the receiver in some tape if you’re worried about marring it.
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I was just thinking the same thing.
I’ve driven in the roll pin enough that it captures the bolt catch, but the pin has started to round out at the free end. I am worried about driving it the rest of the way in (for fear of rupturing the lower). So I am thinking that I should take out the half driven roll pin and try a new one with the above mentioned punch
 
cwpowell said:
I’ve taken mine out several times now from my Sporter.

I used the long punch set from TNA pushed it out as much as I could with the punch at an angle and then grabbed it with a set of pliers and tapped the pliers with something blunt the rest of the way. As always wrap the receiver in some tape if you’re worried about marring it.
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Don't use needle nose pliers for this! They tend to poke through the tape far too easily when you start tapping on them. I'd sugest putting a plastic card against the side of hte receiver between the pliers and the anodizing. It's the little gouges like that, that'll keep you up at night....
 
How hard would it be to run a tap into the rear bolt catch hole to be able to use a threaded bolt catch pin instead of a roll pin. The stag 10s have it and its 100000x easier and less likely to scratch the lower
 
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yowski said:
Tried a different mag catch, same issue. Separated the receivers and the both LAR and AR mags catch/release properly. Tried again with the upper attached and BCG out and the problem is still present, seems like some sort of internal clearance issue with the upper receiver?
Click to expand...

Just bought one of the RRA LAR-15 10/30 mags and it works fine, guess my upper just doesn't like the short ones for some reason. It may be due to a different style of lips, as seen in this photo. Top RRA LAR-15 10/10, Middle RRA LAR-15 10/30, Bottom AR-15 5/20.


https://imgur.com/a/PN0NrF8
 
greg olmstead said:
How hard would it be to run a tap into the rear bolt catch hole to be able to use a threaded bolt catch pin instead of a roll pin. The stag 10s have it and its 100000x easier and less likely to scratch the lower
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It CAN be done, we do this on the Modern Hunters and Modern Varmints. The cost of the lower would go up some as looooong taps are expensive and have REAL short lifespans and it adds some more run time during machining.
A threaded pin would also really cut down on availability as there are only a few makers of these pins. These specialty pins are also a fair bit more expensive than standard roll pins. Everybody wanted cheapest possible so we elected to delete many of the nice little features found in our other semi autos to accommodate the wishes of the masses.

Having the correct tools truly is the best answer, we have assembled literally thousands of AR style rifles over the years and have never had any problems
 
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alberta tactical rifle said:
It CAN be done, we do this on the Modern Hunters and Modern Varmints. The cost of the lower would go up some as looooong taps are expensive and have REAL short lifespans and it adds some more run time during machining.
A threaded pin would also really cut down on availability as there are only a few makers of these pins. These specialty pins are also a fair bit more expensive than standard roll pins. Everybody wanted cheapest possible so we elected to delete many of the nice little features found in our other semi autos to accommodate the wishes of the masses.

Having the correct tools truly is the best answer, we have assembled literally thousands of AR style rifles over the years and have never had any problems
Click to expand...

What do you suggest to remove the bolt catch roll pin? Tap it out a bit then the rest of the way with pliers? Thats what I had to do. Serious question. I want a maritime bolt catch and I put a milspec one in just to get out shooting. But after taking it out on a coyote hunt i think that a maritime would make my life just a wee bit easier with gloved hands.
 
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