• Get 30% off the first 3 months with code HIDE30

    Offer valid until 9/23! If you have an annual subscription on Sniper's Hide, subscribe below and you'll be refunded the difference.

    Subscribe
  • Having trouble using the site?

    Contact support

gas block roll pin

misser

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Oct 16, 2022
344
225
clare mi
such a pain to get that little pin into that even smaller hole. I did get it in after turning a tool on the lathe . mostly starting into the hole is the hardest part . did I miss a trick ?
 
Starting it into the block with a roll pin punch isn't that hard, but keeping the next hole through the tube aligned can be. I made a small brass slave pin to keep it aligned. Once the roll pin is stared through both I switch to a pair of Knippex pliers wrench and press the pin the rest of the way in.
 
5/64" roll pin starter punches are handy, most hold the pin on its external diameter.

I fabricated one that indexes on the roll pin hole so it not only starts the pin, it completes the installation as well, no need to switch to a
proper roll pin punch after the starter punch.

IMG_1422Gunsmith Punch AR Gas Block Roll Pin Holder 06.16.24.jpg
IMG_1421Gunsmith Punch AR Gas Block Roll Pin Holder 06.16.24.jpg
 
Roll pin starter punch for the win.

I also have a small block of wood contoured that I can put in vice grips so once the roll pin is started, I can easily press it 95% without marring the gas block and finish it of the last little bit with a larger punch
 
the blunt one looks very much like the one I made . is there a rescest in it to hold the roll pin ?
Yes. All the roll / solid pin starter punches have short depth recess to hold the pin. Lots of mfg's make standard sized sets.
Easy to fabricate from drill rod stock. Made a variety for the small pins.
I have that Forwards Control block bench, it's nicely made.

IMG_8659Gunsmith Punch 1.0 MM Roll Pin Holding Starter Punch Knurled Fabrication 09.08,23 copy.jpg
IMG_7925 copy 2.jpg
IMG_5669 copy.jpg
IMG_5668 copy.jpg
IMG_1418Gunsmith Punch AR Gas Block Roll Pin Holder 06.16.24 copy.jpg
 
Use a punch to align the tube & the gas block holes, & use a piece of masking tape to hold them together.
Place the gas block into a small v-block & use a roll pin starter punch to get the pin started.

Finish with a standard punch, pliers or vise as you prefer.

The taping of the tube & GB does a good job of keeping the holes aligned as you get the pin stated. After doing it a couple of times, it will go easier.

MM
 
I modified my old school Brownell’s orange block that is meant for FSBs with a recess for low profile gas blocks.

I also turn the leading end of the roll pin in a drill against a file to chamfer it so it starts easily.

If you use basic analysis and reasoning to solve the problem, you can find several different ways to do it, but it generally involves some purpose-built tools and techniques to make the job much easier.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dms416
If you use basic analysis and reasoning to solve the problem, you can find several different ways to do it, but it generally involves some purpose-built tools and techniques to make the job much easier.

There's a poster I remember...goes something like this:
wrong tool + no knowledge = Disaster
right tool + no knowledge = Odds aren't good, but you'll gain experience
wrong tool + know how = We'll get there eventually
right tool + know how = Easy day
 
There's a poster I remember...goes something like this:
wrong tool + no knowledge = Disaster
right tool + no knowledge = Odds aren't good, but you'll gain experience
wrong tool + know how = We'll get there eventually
right tool + know how = Easy day
There are very few feelings in this life like running into a problem and realizing that you have exactly the right tool for the job at hand.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dms416