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Posted: 7/1/2012 3:07:14 PM EDT
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I know what some of you are thinking ... there is no detent pin on the bolt catch, it's called a plunger. Well I managed to slip my safety detent plunger in there instead. It fit well, or seemed to. After I put the bolt catch in the thing had no spring tension and after taking it back off (and putting on my first scratch in the process). I tried to take a pick and work around the pin to move/wiggle it around and had no luck, but you can see the shiny ring around it now.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EdFrer-Si5M/T_DW-4jtvBI/AAAAAAAAAuw/VTuf0RfsfME/s174/IMG_1371.JPG Any ideas besides sending it to Palmetto? In hindsight, I should have known anything on the "outside" of the weapon should be black but this is my first build. This is why I got a forged instead of billet lower for my first one. 
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It's hard to tell what you have from that thumbnail.
So you have a safety detent stuck in the bolt catch plunger bore ? We had a guy that decided to dry-fit his plunger (no spring behind it) and got it stuck. It was a week long saga of magnets, voo-doo and you name it. He finally broke down and drilled a small hole on the inside of the receiver and behind the stuck plunger. Then he took a wire and pushed it out. Maybe he will chime in and show where he drilled and what size bit. |
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Cut off a small drinking straw that will fit into the hole. Use it to protect the sides of the hole.
Place a very small drop of supper glue onto the tip of a nail. Press the tip of the nail into the base of the captured detent. DO NOT push it further into the hole. Allow it to set up then pull out the nail, straw and detent in one try. OR Take it to a local machine shop to have it professionally removed. |
| Like Direct-Drive said, it would be nice if the member who just went through this a couple weeks ago posted a photo of the hole he drilled or had drilled in his. I discussed his dilemma with my friend who is a gunsmith and builds ARMs and that is what he suggested if the "momentum method" didn't work. The hole will not effect the strength of the lower in any way and can not be seen while assembled (upper attached). |
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I would use an adhesive and try pulling it out.
I would NOT use any penetrating lube or oil of any kind at this point. Once you get the parts wet with oil it will likely create a suction and make it MUCH more difficult to pull out unless you drill behind it. Try a dab of super glue like mentioned before and go from there. If that fails try doing it again only better than the first time. You could try shooting it with compressed air from all angles and see if it will pop out  Sounds silly, but it's something to try and will not make it harder to remove by trying.
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Here is the link to my thread where I did the exact same thing.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_4/573494_Update_______thing_is_out_and_build_done____pic_on_page_3______bolt_catch_buffer_stuck.html So first i just tried banging the receiver on a plastic cutting board or shop table to use the inertia of the plunger. Then added lube and a heat gun and banged some more. Lesser bolt catch plungers would have let go at that but mine was stubborn, Then i tried drilling the plunger it's hardened steel and short of an endmill which was the gunsmiths recommendation but he wanted $80 it wasn't budging. next i tried alum which is supposed to eat steel but not aluminum showed promise on test samples but was ineffective and dulled the finish of the receiver a bit. a quick coat of oil restored the finish tried some super glue but wasn't getting a good enough bond. Then i broke down and drilled my receiver. I used another plunger to measure how deep i needed to put the hole. I drilled the hole from the top of the upper in the slot for the bolt catch so it would be covered up when the catch was in place. used a nail and some pliers to get it out with the vent hole there. i suppose one could back fill the hole and repaint with some jb weld or something but i just left the hole. Sorry i didn't want to take a pic of the hole as it's the sloppiest hole i ever made you need to be able to get behind the plunger to get it out easily 
here the bit should be smaller than the plunger hole enough so that your spring wont't end up going through the hole or anything but large enough to get a tool in to push the plunger out. |
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Freezer or heat + knocking it about might get it out. Also, as stated before, contact cement might give you a better bond than CS (thick CS might work too). I don't think you are as bad off as Obo2 was, as his had burs before inserting it.
[edit] the detent does have a "lip" on it. If you can get something small/thin enough you might be able to pick it out. I'm not about to try it, so is there any gap on the sides? Strip some stranded telephone wire. Try to loop it down through the hole and wrap around the lip. Pull. This might be too difficult but just an idea. |
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