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Posted: 5/5/2017 11:45:04 AM EDT
| I have an old Bushmaster lower that I decided to start a build on. Come to find out the bolt catch pin hole was never drilled. I tried to have Bushmaster (Remington) fix it but they refused. Does anyone know where I can get the hole drilled for the bolt catch pin? Any help would be great! |
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And shame on Bushmaster for not making it right. |
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I don't know of any specific place but there are members on the forum that may be able to help you out. I'd probably give John Thomas with Retro Arms Works a call. His specialty is making reproduction parts for retro M16s but he does other work as well. |
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If you are referring to the pivot hole for the catch, it's not hard to do if you purchase a long drill bit.
Back years ago, that hole wasn't drilled on several lowers we were finishing and I drilled it myself. ANY machine shop should be able to do it with no problem. BTW, Remington SHOULD have taken care of this being they now own Bushmaster, I'll never purchase anything manufactured/owned by Big Green! |
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Quoted:
If you are referring to the pivot hole for the catch, it's not hard to do if you purchase a long drill bit. Back years ago, that hole wasn't drilled on several lowers we were finishing and I drilled it myself. ANY machine shop should be able to do it with no problem. BTW, Remington SHOULD have taken care of this being they now own Bushmaster, I'll never purchase anything manufactured/owned by Big Green! |
| Some of the older jigs were set up to drill that hole. Maybe someone has one you could use http://www.cncguns.com/tooling.html |
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I just drilled that very hole in two old Tannery Shop 80% lowers I was given. Went to Ace hardware and bought a 3/32nd 6 inch bit, and made a guide out of 1 x 4 wood. Chucked up the bit in a hand drill and got the job done in a bout 5 minutes. Clamped the lower to my reloading bench with a c clamp. not a difficult hole to drill.
Go look up the old Ray Brandes pdf and you will get a basic idea on what to do. If your not sure on how to do it , then by all means send it out to be done. |
It is really not a hard job to do, I rigged one of my old lower jigs up to hold the lower with the bolt catch hole and I do it on my mill, it would be easy to do with a hand drill or a small drill press, you just have to be willing to jump off the cliff sometimes.
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The only problems with drilling this hole DIY are alignment and precision. This isn't something I'd rush to do myself, but it doesn't look too difficult.
I would do it using a drill press, and I'd take some time to put together a jig to hold the lower. I'd take my time to get that jig solid and get the alignment just right. This is a "measure several times" sort of thing, as far as I'm concerned. The challenge is the setup, not the actual drilling. Now for a real question for those who've done it: drill the hole from the front of the receiver, right? |
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Quoted:
I have an old Bushmaster lower that I decided to start a build on. Come to find out the bolt catch pin hole was never drilled. I tried to have Bushmaster (Remington) fix it but they refused. Does anyone know where I can get the hole drilled for the bolt catch pin? Any help would be great! Just contact John Thomas at Retro Arms Works (801-441-2801). |
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CNC Gunsmithing's original old style tutorial shows it.
their old jig was set up for it. "The next step is to use the (I) #42 aircraft extension drill to drill the bolt catch pin hole. The jig makes this one of the easiest steps in the 80% project. Simply slap jig on the receiver as show below and secure it with a C-clamp. I used the Irwin Quick Grip clamp. You don’t have to use a clamp, it just makes the job a little easier… [url=http://www.cncguns.com/images/AR15%2080%25%20Lower%20Receiver%20Tutorial%20-%201288.jpg][img width=100,height=75]http://www.cncguns.com/images/AR15_80_Lower_Receiver_Tutorial_-_1288_small.jpg[/img][/url] I put the (I) #42 aircraft extension drill in my cordless drill and drilled through both ears of the bolt catch area. Below is what it looks like after the hole is drilled… [img]http://www.cncguns.com/images/AR15_80_Lower_Receiver_Tutorial_-_1289_small.jpg[/img] I have that jig, but I can't receive a lower (nor can any non FFL ) well the pictures didn't post, but you can use the link to the tutorial. at least it tells you what drill size. oops, didn't read the middle part of the thread, looks like it's under control. |
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Quoted:
CNC Gunsmithing's original old style tutorial shows it. their old jig was set up for it. "The next step is to use the (I) #42 aircraft extension drill to drill the bolt catch pin hole. The jig makes this one of the easiest steps in the 80% project. Simply slap jig on the receiver as show below and secure it with a C-clamp. I used the Irwin Quick Grip clamp. You don’t have to use a clamp, it just makes the job a little easier… 
I put the (I) #42 aircraft extension drill in my cordless drill and drilled through both ears of the bolt catch area. Below is what it looks like after the hole is drilled… 
I have that jig, but I can't receive a lower (nor can any non FFL ) well the pictures didn't post, but you can use the link to the tutorial. at least it tells you what drill size. oops, didn't read the middle part of the thread, looks like it's under control. |
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