Posted: 4/13/2007 5:12:41 PM EDT
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My Colt AR-15 has a front bolt not a front pin to join the two halfs. Is it easy to covert from bolt to a pin? I would rather have a pin than the existing bolt. If yes, where can I get the parts? Did/does Colt ever use pins or are they all front bolts? I would like it to look "factory" and not cobbled up. Thanks! 
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If you're describing what I think you are, it depends. From 1986 to sometime in the 1990s, Colt rifles incorporated a double headed screw instead of a front push pin to hold the upper and lower together. All part of the "you can't put M16 parts on our civilian legal rifles" effort. (This is what you get when marketing drives engineering.) The hole for the double headed screw is larger in diameter than the front push pin. Depending on when the lower receiver was made, the rib in which the detent and spring for the front pin resides may be present or absent. If present, the hole into which the spring and detent are placed may not be drilled. I'm guessing on this, but correctly drilling such a hole would appear to be a PITA The hole for this double headed screw is also offset from where the center of a "normal" set of push pin holes would be located. To use a "normal" upper with your lower, a special offset screw could be used (see THIS LINK for an example). Or, offset bushings could be inserted into the lower receiver. Several models of quick takedown pins were made that are designed to replace the two headed screw. All of them incorporate a spring loaded ball bearing to cature the "free" end of the pin once it passes through the receiver. Personally, I think these gizmoes look like crap (and you may quote me on this). Go judge for yourself - DPMS sells several varieties of these pins, they can be seen at THIS LINK. Make sure you measure the hole diameter before buying a set of pins or screws, as two sizes exist. .250" is the size of a "normal" push pin, while .315" is what the double headed screws were designed to fit. |
Yes it's currently the double headed screw. This specific gun was built during the ban and didn't come with any of the EVIL features  So it looks like there's no easy way to mod it and those pins with ball bearings do look kind of dorky........I guess I'll keep it as is with the PITA double headed screw 
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