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Posted: 5/7/2004 5:35:27 PM EDT
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Well, I guess it isn't that big a deal, but still pisses me off. I have been working on a 80% cast lower (I know, I know! please spare the cast is crap : forged is better, I know) for about 10 days. After I finished drilling all the hole, detents, tappings etc look what happened! I was just starting to put it together for the final fitting.  What is going to be the best way to fix this? JB Weld, Epoxy? Any ideas. Lord knows there are plenty of holes from a crappy cast to fill up. Not only that but earlier in the night, I just about took my damn eye out with the buffer tube detent and spring. I didn't realize that has so much tension! hahahahaha Thanks for all the help |
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Howdy Milsosuf. I am not an expert in this area, so I am refering you to this site. www.roderuscustom.tzo.com/cgi-bin/ib3/ikonboard.cgi They can help you out... |
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Take a piece of sheet aluninum and inlet it up into the receiver, countersink a couple of #8 holes for #8 machine screws. Once the piece is fitted into the receiver, contoured and drilled for the trigger guard, drill and tap the receiver for the 2 screws. Once you are ready to do the final install, you can use epoxy or JBWeld and fit it in place, lock the screws with locTite, and the repair is permenant. Use one of the bake-on finishes, and it will look great. Or just buy another lower and start again. |
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I am worried about other breaks. Anodizing is the best way to harden these right? I plan on doing it myself of course, but if there is a better way, I want to do that. I don't expect this to last forever, but I would like to get some use out of it. It is my first and would like to keep it. Beleive me any others that I might do will be forged. Thanks |
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The breaking of the ear happens all the time and isn't related to whether it is cast, forged or a billet. It doesn't take much to snap them off, especially if when you are installing the pin. I'll bet you used a mallet or hammer. JB will work as mentioned. Once it has set up and you've cleaned it up, use a c-clamp to install the pin and press it into place. Make sure you lube the pin and holes well. It may also help to either squeeze the leading edge of the pin in some pliers, or file it to give it a little contour. Many times the sharp edge of the pin catches the aluminum in the hole and gets hung up. Anodizing doesn't add any strength to the lower, nor does it harden the aluminum. That looks like a NOC or Tanneryshop lower, so they are already hardened to T6. All that anodizing does is to protect the lower from corrosion, and provides a hard shell to resist wear and surface damage. It also provides the ability to absorb the dye, but it definately doesn't add any strength to aluminum. |
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Somebody here, can't remember who, had one of the TG tabs break off on a genuine forged Colt lower and he was pretty PO'd about it. This was probably a year or so back. I posted a suggestion (and the pic below), that he mill the bottom of the grip tang off flush and fabricate a new one piece block, with two ears, and screw it to the bottom of lower. He emailed me back a few days later saying that the idea had worked great. Said that it took him about an hour to make the block, out of aluminum, using nothing but a hacksaw and files. The single screw worked fine as the installed pistol grip keeps the block from trying to rotate. I think he just painted the block flat black and said it looked pretty good. HTH . . . . . Doug 
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Thank you all very much. You are all right, I was using a hammer and a roll pin punch to drive it in. In the future, I will use neilfj's advice about the c-clamp. This time po'ed me, but it I broke a $140 forged I would have been livid. I think I will cut the other one off, get some scrap, and make a new one to screw in. That picture helped me out a lot, dropdbombnow. Thanks for the great ideas. This project has been a huge learning process for me. |
Doug, you are simply amazing!!! |
Huh, thanks for clearing that up. I was under the impression that anodizing made the hole piece harder, not just the hard candy shell. How much stress is a lower under during simi auto fire? Do I really have to worry about blowing my face and hand off? Doesn't most of the explosion pressures happen in the upper between the barrel and the bolt/carrier/buffer/buffer spring?  I am too pretty to get me face blown off. hahahaha
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