I have just started an AR build, and did not manage to drive the bolt catch roll pin all the way in. So the 'running' end is flush with the receiver, and the 'driven' end still has to move about 1/64 th of an inch before the pin is centered.

Is there any way to back one of these out without breaking the ears on the receiver?

Can provide a picture if that would help...

I am kinda confused, if it is not all the way in drive it some more.

Did you "mushroom" the end, that you were hitting?
Why do you want to remove it?  If one end is flush, it is in far enough, no need to perfectly center it, so that both ends are slightly recessed.

You must have a long pin? I've never had a bolt catch pin go all the way through. The last two builds I did I used a Locking c-clamp the bolt catch pin and trigger guard pin went in like butter.

Basically it was sitting flush with the 'ears' and stopped moving forward. Instead it was spreading out. It was functional but not that pretty...

Last time I used a pliers to insert the pin, and only had to do some light taps to center the pin.

This time the catch seems to be hanging and rubbing against one side.

After a good night's sleep I'll have another go at it.

This is what you need.

Those can be a tight fit sometimes, you can open the ends slightly with a small flathead screwdriver. Some people twist a drill bit by hand through the hole to remove any burrs, that may make insertion difficult.

to drive it out you need a special punch to clear where the receiver bumps out - this would interfere with a straight punch.

use this, I have and it works great
http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/rifle-tools/bolt-tools/dissassembly-tools/bolt-catch-pin-punch-prod26484.aspx

Been down this road; I'll see if I can help.

Get a finishing nail that is at least 2 inches long. One of the standard sizes has about a 30% larger diameter than your roll pin (which is approximately 5/32 inches).

Chuck the nail into a drill press. Use a metal file on the spinning nail so that about .75 inch of nail is now the same size or slightly smaller than the hole for the roll pin.

Cut the nail off so that you have between .5 and .75 inch of nail that is approximately 5/32 in diameter. This part is your tool. It must be of small enough diameter to enter into the hole; test it on another receiver.

Clamp your receiver down on your bench (and those plastic jaw "quick action" clamps at Harbor Freight are perfect) with the bolt catch upper most (the receiver is lying on it's side).

Hold your tool with some needle nose pliers against the front (forward) hole of the bolt catch extrusion, and tap out the old pin using a brass or plastic hammer. Put masking tape all over the surface of the receiver where you are working as you will scuff it, no matter how careful you are. An extra set of hands is helpful.

Once the roll pin is 40 to 50% out, grasp it with a small vice-grip and pull it the rest of the way out by rotating it back and forth. Save your tool for another day in the future.

After this happened to me, I bought a 6" long #36 drill on Ebay ($15), and a 6 inch long extended 6-32 tap ($15). I took a piece of brass stock about the size of a sugar cube, and clamped it to the receiver (to hold it steady) a few millimeters to the rear of the hole on the bolt catch extrusion. I marked the brass cube with the hard tip of a 5/32 drill bit (just to scratch the surface) using my fingers to twirl the drill bit. I then drilled a hole through the brass cube, which acts as a collet or guide for my drill (once it was marked I drilled the hole in the brass cube with my drill press, away from the receiver).

Now before I build a receiver I clamp my brass guide just behind the rear hole of the bolt catch extrusion, making sure it is perfectly lined up by using a 5/32 drill bit to center everything. A business card or thick paper will shim the brass guide as needed, since all receivers are slightly different. Masking tape is applied, the receiver clamped to the bench, and I drill out the rear hole (and ONLY the rear hole!) with my 6 inch long #36 drill bit (use some cutting oil here too). I use a cordless drill for this, not a drill press.
Remove the guide, and tap the rear hole (6-32) with your extended tap.

Now you can use the DPMS style pins that are standard on LR-308 receivers for your bolt catch (all 3 of my different brand 308 receivers came pre-tapped). Those threaded pins are cheapest on Ebay, but available from most any large AR parts store (but twice as expensive as they are on Ebay). They are threaded on the rear of the pin, so you just slide it in to hold the bolt catch in place, and then tighten it down with an allen wrench.

I like this mod because there have been times when I have changed or up-graded my bolt catch lever, and it makes the job very easy. For some people, this modification is tantamount to slashing a Rembrandt with a carpet knife, but it's always worked for me.

G.

It doesn't need to be centered. So long as the pin has decent grab of both "ears", let it be. Sometimes obsessing over perfection causes more damage than letting "fine" be (ask me how I know. Haha).

The two most common mistakes made in regards to roll pins: 1 Using a hammer that is too heavy. 2 Swinging the hammer like you're driving in a nail.

the more energy you crush into the head of that pin at one time, the more likely it is to mushroom out. Use a jeweler's hammer in the 4-6oz range, and tap your punch with no more than a 2" swing.

Try that with a PSA bolt catch roll pin and you'll get nowhere fast. Anderson roll pins are no problem (for me), but those pesky PSA roll pins are a B***H to get in! I, literally, has to pound the living SH*T out of it to get it to seat (and that's with a proper flat tip punch and a heavy "framers" hammer (I used to be a framer. Framer's hammers are NOT some lightweight finish nail hammer... they mean business).
It really depends on the roll pin and how in spec it is (as said, I've found Anderson to be GTG, but PSA's are grossly oversized).

take a small finishing nail and bend the last 1/2" of it into an L shape (using a vice)
use that to tap the roll pin back out.

works like a charm every time I've had to do it and it won't jack up the ears or your receiver finish..

Replace roll pin and use vise grips adjusted in small increments to drive your pins; fuck the punches but it sounds like you're being pretty anal over a 64th