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Posted: 4/5/2007 11:59:57 AM EDT
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How difficult is it? What tools do I need? Am I better off just having a place like ADCO do it? |
| I don't believe its supposed to be to tough to do yourself. I'm a very picky person so when I bought my upper I had Tom at Mooney's remove it for me so I wouldn't scratch up the barrel doing it myself. Then I ordered a YHM front gas block with the bolt on clamps so I wouldn't have to worry about wiggling on the gas block and scratching up the barrel. I know, I know its a tool meant to be used but I'm just a perfectionist. The build forum has a how to that covers the removal of the front sight tower. |
20 yrs ago I destroyed a Colt Comp Match Hbar barrel finish and destroyed the FSB completely by whaling on the pins with a hammer, wrong sized punch and trying to hold it at the same time. Couple that with driving the pins from the wrong side and you can see where I'm headed. I didn't know what i was doing but I was learning. Pretty expensive class.  Fast forward to now it takes about 2 minutes for even the toughest taper pins because of experience but mostly because of having the right tools. I press pins out when I can, always press pins in and have a pretty good method for removing taper pins with a big hammer, small socket and a proper sized punch. If you're going to do a bunch I would say get the proper tools and do it correctly. I think there's quite a few threads on the subject if you can search. If you're only doing this one I would find a local AR armorer in the hometown forum or ship it to any of the ARFCOM vendors and be done with it. Good luck |
The baby Jesus cried that day. 
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A lightning bolt should have struck me dead. |
If the front sight base currently has straight pins, take to it with no fear with the correct size punch and a hammer. My Armalite fsb came right off and went right back on. No scratches to the barrel. I was nervous but the guys in the "Build it Yourself" forum talked me through it. It came out great.
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The drift pins on mine was tapered so they only come out/in one side.
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