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Posted: 3/22/2005 8:53:08 AM EDT
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It's about to come to that... AMD bbl pin is totally stuck. I can't believe this one. I usually use an air hammer with great results, but this one has got me stumped. After an hour of air hammering both sides, I clamped it into a vise ala the Pookie Method (and soaked it with penetrating oil). Left it all night and cranked on it more this morning...and it's still not budging. Is last resort to drill it out??? Or get medieval on it some other way? |
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Well for screw or weld builds it's no issue, but I want a 7 inch bbl on this one and I'm going to rivet it, so that damn pin needs to vacate. And by bringing all this up, we all learn more on how to muscle these damn guns to do what we want. "I have a dream...that one day AKs of all configurations hang over the hearths in all men's homes.... regardless of race, creed, or whatever shop tools he has..." (sorry I'm a little wound up this morning) |
| One word, Kroil. I had mine soaking for a week in PB Blaster and BreakFree along with using a 12-ton hydraulic press. It didn't budge until I tried Kroil. Once applied I let it sit for about two hours and it finally POPPED! No doubt these pins are a press fit and were probably cooled in liquid nitrogen prior to installation. These babies are tight, but then again I hear a lot of stories about people being able to knock them out with only a BFH. That just wasn't happening with mine. No freakin' way! I damn near broke the 12-ton press trying to get them out. I shattered two drill bits, two punches and buckled two cut-off bolts before they finally came out. It is VERY important to ensure that the surface of the barrel pin is completely level before trying to press it out otherwise it creates torsion within the pin hole which only makes it more difficult to remove. It is also helpful to use a very short section of a punch or cut-off bolt as a drift pin until the barrel pin pops loose and then follow-up with a longer shaft to push it the rest of the way out. Use as short a section as possible. I just cranked down with the hydraulic press and once the pressure was about max'd out I let it sit for a minute or two then slowly pumped it once or twice, let it sit for another minute or two and pumped it again. This went on for about six or eight minutes until the pin finally gave up and let go. Once it POPS it will come on out fairly easily. I'm convinced that getting the God forsaken barrel pin out is about the most difficult task in the AMD build. |
| If you go the HE method I recomend a shaped charge as there will be less damage to the surrounding area. But any way some people have had success using the vise or press method after heating the front trunion w/a propane bottle. Might want to give it a try.If this fails Sears sells Cobalt drill bits that will take care of that pin. |
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Thanks for the info..actually I didn't mention that I did heat the trunion up. I actually temperature cycled it about 4 times... Agreed on the geometry of the press. I used a very short stubby push pin and made sure the alignment was perfect. I have a punch I can use once the pin moves about 1/4 inch. Kroll it is then. I'll hold off on HE methods as I live in suberbia and I'm sure they are already a little tweaked at hearing an air hammer running all night. I really want a 100% solution so that we all can call the AMD kit our biotch... |
| Global carries replacement pins here (bottom of the page). They also carry pins that are .001 oversized. |
I hit the "bitch" tonight on a like new AMD barrel pin. It ain't budging any more for sh*t. I hit with Kroil two different times, let it sit for a day, and it moved slightly on the second hammer hit. Now it ain't movin' for nothing!  The first two went lots easier with a BFH and 1/4" drift punch.socandyman, I think you may be right about some pins being hard and some being soft. This pin hasn't mushroomed yet and I am not going to let it happen. Now its time to find a press! |
Is there anyone local that has a press that you can use? I had fits with my AMDs - bent / shattered several pin punches until I bought a couple of these.  These are tough punches - I cranked up the pressure using a 12 ton and then with a LOUD pop, the pin jumped half way out. Got them on Ebay for $3 plus shipping - worth every penny. Oh, almost forgot - they are 1/4" rivet punches |
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Excuse me if I get excited about these punches. When you have had a tool steel punch shatter like I have and just thank God that the shards went away from me rather than towards, well you could understand. I think they are called hilock rivet pin punches. I looked on ebay and this was the only one I could find today hilock pin punch. They are made to stand up to an air hammer - the pin on the AMD is no challenge. One of these was going to be the next thing I tried if the punch didn't work  I found one of these for sale here Brake Rivet Tool. A BFH and one of these should be a good outlet for AMD pin frustration! |
Harley, I dropped back and took another look at it. The hammer I was using was a 2 lb. shop hammer. Well, I went over to my pardner's house, we got out his 3+ lb hammer, and knocked the pins out of both of our AMD kits. Being a tradesman, I showed have known, get a bigger f**king hammer! We also got our barrels out. With the 3+lb BFH! and 4 nickels. The barrels came out easier! Then we had hell getting the rivets out of the folding stocks! Last time, we ground them smooth with the tang, center punched and drilled them half way with a 1/8 " bit. They came out easy that time. This time it didn't work. Shattered the drift punch on the first rivet. We got it out, drilled it deeper with a bigger bit and it still wouldn't come out. All told, we spent 15 to 20 minutes getting the barrel pins and barrels out on two kits, then 1 1/2 hours getting the rivets out of the stocks. Ain't that the drizzlin' sh*ts!!! But it is still a blast! 
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