I got done threading my barrel this afternoon. That was suprisingly easy, compared with what has followed. I cannot seem to punch out the pin in the FSB to install a detent pin. All i'm doing is fucking up the finish because the punch ends up all over the place. I have no idea which side to be banging on either. Both sides looke like they're the same size. One side sticks out slightly, and the other is flush with the FSB. It looks as if its been peened slightly. Any ideas?

nevermind, I read wrong

I'm just taking out the one pin so i can put a detent in the FSB.

I had same problem with my front sight pins.
I’ve tried all method out there but here’s the easy and proven Starter punch method by me!
First, you soak the entire front sight assembly with breakeasy (I’m not sure I remember the name correctly) for 2 days.
Now, DO NOT use the regular puncher first! The pin is still tight and the regular punch may not work.  What you do is… go to Home depot and buy $5 “Starter Punch!” (same size on the tip with your holes) This thing is very heavy and looks like a pencil! First punch it using the starter punch. It should make you pin move half way and then use the regular punch to push it out all the way!
Very simple!  It might work by just using the starter punch method and skip the Breakeasy method… it all depends on your pins.  Another thing to watch out is sometime the one side of pin is bigger than the other side.  If this is the case, then you must punch from the smaller side to bigger side!
If all of the above method failed then you need to use the Plummer’s torch or drill them out but the above method should knock those nasty pin out without any problem!
Good luck my man!

Thanks, i've had is soaking in breakfree for awhile. I'll try again after i get home from work tonight.

Use Starter Punch! this is the KEY to sucess!

Usually go out from left to right. Usually.

I just tried again and it wont budge. I tried from both sides, with a good nail set and its not moving at all.

How is a starter punch different than what i have? If you think it'll work i'll go look for one, but the nail set is staying on the pin, it just wont move. I've got a big sledge as well, doesnt matter.

Anyone know of a gunsmith around st louis that could take care of this for me? I'm not going to screw around with drilling, i have none of the equipment.

Heat it up !!!!!! ... Don't give in ... Don't give up !!!

  Go to Lowes/Home Depot and get a 1/4 " pin punch.  Now, use a a grinder or dremmel tool to make a shallow point  with enough tip left to be a diameter slightly smaller than the pin.
 Get somebody to hold the rifle flat on a nonmarring surface for you.   The pin punch  should be long enough to grip it in your fist. Now firmly center it on the pin and hit (and I mean hit it) with a 16 oz hammer or bigger. Seat the punch on the pin firmly enough the punch should not walk on you.  Go left to right, it should only take a couple of hits to get the pin to move.  once you've noticed the pin has moved use a smaller pin punch and hammer will easily finish the job.

I'm not sure you guys understand, i'll beat the shit out of this thing. I bought a punch set that had a punch slightly smaller than the pin. At one point i bent the punch, but that may have been agaisnt the FSB not the pin. Ok, its slipping off the pin so i got a big nail set from the tool box and went to town. Now theres a nice circle in the middle of the pin and its starting to peen out, both sides. I was using a normal hammer, then a ridiculously heavy sledge, then a 4lb. I seriously hit that thing with all i could, it hasnt moved a 1/10th of a mm.

I've got the entire FSB in breakfree now. I'll leave it that way for awhile and try again, but the pin is messed up, i'm not sure it'd go even if it did break loose.

It probably doesnt help that i didnt, and still dont, know which way to drive the damn thing out. The one side was perfectly flat, like a factory cut edge, and sticking out slightly. The other side was flush, and kinda peened. Which side sounds like the side that was pressed in?

Sounds like you have made the problem worse but I would agree with the guy who said heat it up. Use a lighter and heat up the FSB some. It will expand and may make it easier to get the pins out.

As I said, they should punch out from left to right.

www.gunsnet.net/Linx310/fsbcantfix.htm

Quoted: Sounds like you have made the problem worse but I would agree with the guy who said heat it up. Use a lighter and heat up the FSB some. It will expand and may make it easier to get the pins out. As I said, they should punch out from left to right. www.gunsnet.net/Linx310/fsbcantfix.htm

I'll try heating it up after i take it out of the breakfree tomorrow.

BTW, would i heat it and try right away, or should i heat it up and let it cool first?

Heat it up with a propane torch and knock the hell out of it .......

If you use regular punch then it will just damage your punch and will not move the pin at all.
I damaged 2 regular punches before I brought starter punch.
The main difference of starter punch is very heavy and rock solid compare to the small punch that you use.  it's like pencil shape and has very fat body...
Just get one and try it!  

I just tried again, no luck. For the hell of it i tried on the second pin and it started to go with out much force, just short quick hits with the small hammer. It went out left to right. At least i know that much now.

I guess heat and breakfree were the key. I should have tried that first before beating the hell out of it. I think the front pin is too messed up to go now. Its peened out quite a bit. But, its sticking out from the FSB slightly. I'm thinking about getting a dremel and trying to take some material off, to try and get it to the original size.

So, help me talk myself in to buying a dremel..