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The thickness and arm length varies between manufacturers. You might want to try a Colt bolt catch or a few from different vendors till you get one of the longer ones. I had a few picky lowers that I had to measure catches and swap around to get them 100% with different mags.
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Numerous catches have been the same (Colt,DPMS), measuring .10 inches from the flat to the tip of the bolt catch.
Been thinking of welding the tip to increase its length, then hitting it with a file to reshape it ––-leaving it slightly longer......Anyone weld a bolt catch before ? |
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"Your times is over! You are gonna die bloody; all you can do is pick where!"
~Sheriff to Butch and Sundance |
Welding the tip would work (just reheat treat the catch when your done), and so would a 9mm catch as well.
Just remember, the catch leg can not be so long that is catches the rims of the rounds as they rise in any of the mags being used. |
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Posted By PlaymoreMinds:
'Twas not the <cough> sweet and innocent <cough> PlaymoreMinds... <---skips away in frilly skirts to Candyland, leaving gutters and snorkels FAR behind. |
Sounds like the 9mm catch is gonna be the best/easiest answer. I have not compared the 556 and 9mm catch together,,,Anyone have a photo of the two side by side to show the length of the tip?
Thanks a ton |
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"Your times is over! You are gonna die bloody; all you can do is pick where!"
~Sheriff to Butch and Sundance |
Shim the part forward by .018" ?
How do the " green " followers work ? God bless Wyr |
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I tried shimming it forward and it still had trouble. I swapped out my green followers a while ago.
This rifle runs well on my USGI 30 rnd mags,,,,,just troubled that it will not lock open on other mags. |
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"Your times is over! You are gonna die bloody; all you can do is pick where!"
~Sheriff to Butch and Sundance |
Originally Posted By a308garand:
Numerous catches have been the same (Colt,DPMS), measuring .10 inches from the flat to the tip of the bolt catch. Been thinking of welding the tip to increase its length, then hitting it with a file to reshape it ––-leaving it slightly longer......Anyone weld a bolt catch before ? Yes. I have the same problem as you on an old cast Essential Arms lower. My USGI 20 round magazines are the worst offenders here. I tig welded this bolt catch. I weld for a living and it was a PITA as it is a small part. It can be done, but you run the risk of it breaking off. I don't know what material the catch is made of other than it is a casting and supposed to be quite hard. Mine has held up ok so far, but was too soft to begin with. |
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This is great news for me––thanks for bringing up the 9mm bolt catch.
Glad to hear it is working out for you. On a side note, what item exactly is the 9mm bolt catch? My google-fu is a bit weak, and I can't seem to find a catch that looks like the extended one...is it RRA, Colt? Thanks. |
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RRA and Colt 9mm systems are the same design.
Buying either of these 9mm system bolt catches will yield the same bolt catch. So, it's not the 223/5.56 bolt catch that is being used, but the 9mm Bolt catch that is being modified to obtain the longer leg needed to be trimmed down. |
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Posted By PlaymoreMinds:
'Twas not the <cough> sweet and innocent <cough> PlaymoreMinds... <---skips away in frilly skirts to Candyland, leaving gutters and snorkels FAR behind. |
9mm bolt catch modified to fit out of spec receiver. 100% correct.
I used the Colt 9mm bolt catch, Brownells part #160-308-101 thanks for tacking this post |
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"Your times is over! You are gonna die bloody; all you can do is pick where!"
~Sheriff to Butch and Sundance |
grrrrrreat post!!!
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Very informative.
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Will a RRA 9mm bolt catch work or just the Colt? I have 2 receivers that I need to use this fix on great post thanks
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Originally Posted By archad:
Will a RRA 9mm bolt catch work or just the Colt? I have 2 receivers that I need to use this fix on great post thanks Originally Posted By Dano523:
RRA and Colt 9mm systems are the same design. Buying either of these 9mm system bolt catches will yield the same bolt catch. So, it's not the 223/5.56 bolt catch that is being used, but the 9mm Bolt catch that is being modified to obtain the longer leg needed to be trimmed down. |
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Posted By PlaymoreMinds:
'Twas not the <cough> sweet and innocent <cough> PlaymoreMinds... <---skips away in frilly skirts to Candyland, leaving gutters and snorkels FAR behind. |
Thank you for your help!
I was having this same problem and now see what the exact problem is. New bolt catch ordered! |
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Thanks, again a great help and very informative....<><....:)
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Im having the same issue with an Olympic Arms Lower. I just ordered 2 of those 9mm bolt catches and 2 roll pins. Got another OA lower coming. I wish I could have new lowers, but here in NY, we have to have pre ban if we want fun add-ons. Thanks for this fix post, way helpful!!!
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Great info! I just finished my first AR build and to my dismay, I have the same issue. I just ordered the RRA 9mm bolt catch and hopefully it resolves the issue. I do have a concern though. When Im looking into the chamber this last week trying to figure out if this will fix it, I notice that the bolt doesnt always seem to travel far enough rear to allow the catch to spring up. Wish I had three hands doing this but Ill pull back on the charging handle as far as it will go. I try to lock open the bolt manually and as you push it up, im hitting the bottom edge of the bolt. Sometimes I let the charging handle slip and slam, it locks open on my pmag feed lips. Any ideas on that one? Like I said, its my first build, the gun shoots, but isnt 100% functional! Did I do something wrong? bad mix of brands? I have a CY6 defensive edge lower, DPMS lpk, Spike tactical upper with the bolt and carrier that came with it.
Thanks for any help or advice. |
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I also just performed this modification... it does seem to work.
I got 'lucky' i guess on first cut. seemed to have plenty of room between catch end and rounds in magazine. I tried new followers in magazines first, but was still unreliable holding open when empty. We'll run it out now and try.... hand cycling seemed to work with any old magazine i picked up. Tell me more about blending the top of the catch... I cannot detect any contact with bolt or carrier.... BTW... what lower? Mine was Rguns. Thank you for posting this... rosco7even you may have a separate issue... |
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Thought I would share this to maybe help someone else
I just had the same problem and here is what I found After switching BCG's, changed catches and moved uppers and lowers around, I continued to have the same lower NOT catching the BCG. It would not catch after the last round or when the charging handled was pulled with and empty mag installed. It would not catch pushing the catch in either At first I thought it was the lower (and it may well have been) Then I got to comparing my lowers I had and it appeared that the catch on the one not working would not raise as high as the one that did work So I took the catch off again and I could see where the catch was hitting the lower. So, I got out my trusty triangular file and took maybe a 1/1000 off the lower where the catch was hitting, put it back together and it works perfect every time. Only posting for others to learn from I nearly sent the lower back after working with a gun smith at a shop and he thought the lower was bad too. (and it was or the catches were out of spec or the spring was binding up) Either way, just something to look at Marc |
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The real solution is to have the manufacturer replace their defective lower.
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Originally Posted By H53EXPERT:
The real solution is to have the manufacturer replace their defective lower. from the original post, "This receiver is slightly oversize in the cutout for the bolt catch. The bad news is the company (PWA) is not longer in business and I will not get rid of this registered assault weapon in CA " Rifle still working well with this repair/mod. |
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"Your times is over! You are gonna die bloody; all you can do is pick where!"
~Sheriff to Butch and Sundance |
Requested by op to be locked
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