Building Confidence

[sdmc530]

Originally Posted by DrHenley

A 10mm longslide is on my "When I get rich" bucket list, LOL.

that is what I am looking for. I had the chance at a SA one at my LGS during the craziness. It was a mere $2900....just about 1K over priced. Dumb people paid up for it too......

[Gatorade]

Originally Posted by FfNJGTFO

Day 2 of assembly complete. Lower is completely done. Although with one issue. The rear roll pin on the trigger guard won't seat fully. And I don't want to pound it too much because I fear it may damage the lower. I'm wondering if I can get away with, perhaps, just dremeling it down, or should I pull it out properly and insert a new one.

This is the exact reason I said to squeeze, not pound. Pounding will break things. The roll pin, the lower, the hammer, mar the surface, all those are possibilities. I seriously have no idea why anyone would continue to do or advise pounding on expensive and hard to fix or replace items. Same thing with your bolt catch.

Watch the video I posted. You could have saved yourself time, frustration and money.

[FfNJGTFO]

Originally Posted by Gatorade

This is the exact reason I said to squeeze, not pound. Pounding will break things. The roll pin, the lower, the hammer, mar the surface, all those are possibilities. I seriously have no idea why anyone would continue to do or advise pounding on expensive and hard to fix or replace items. Same thing with your bolt catch.

Watch the video I posted. You could have saved yourself time, frustration and money.

I agree. I was rushing things. I had placed the order for the "roll pin pusher" tool I mention in my reply to you, but it won't arrive (now) until Thrs. I have replacement pins on order, and as long as I'm careful, I can pull the errant pin out wtihout any damage to the lower or the trigger guard. But I will wait for the proper tools. Unfortunately, the wrench you provided in your videos was like $69.00 on Amazon. Couldn't afford it. The roll pin pusher is only $39.00. Anyway, lesson learned. I'll try it again once the tool arrives.

[Gatorade]

Actually I have only used vise grips. Squeeze, unlock, turn tighter and squeeze again. I wrap blue tape around the jaws and use needle nose players to hold the roll pin in alignment. Then a short squeeze to get it started. You also have a roll pin in the upper for the forward assist. Squeeze there as well.

[Caleb]

I punch my pins in with no problems but, squeezing them is a lot safer (and probably easier with the right tools).


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[Gatorade]

Originally Posted by Caleb

I punch my pins in with no problems but, squeezing them is a lot safer (and probably easier with the right tools).


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Nothing may happen 99 times out of 100 but that one time can be a real pain! Break an ear off a lower and you are stuck. The repair would probably be more expensive than a new lower and because it is serialized and requires an FFL transfer you can’t just swap it out.

My first few builds I would sandwich the stripped upper between a couple of wood blocks and torque the barrel nuts down. Then on one I was tightening and trying to get the tube aligned when I hear a “tink” I cracked the lower part of the upper at the thin spot where the ejector port is. Was probably just unsupported by just a bit and the whole stripped upper is scrap. $90 mistake at the time. I still have it to remind myself to go slow and not do any unnecessary banging or pressure if not needed.

[Caleb]

Yep, mistakes can be pricey but, we learn from mistakes. (Ours or others). I use a block designed to hold the upper with and insert to prevent it from collapsing in the vice. It still has some play that I don’t care for so, I just take my time with the barrel nut alignment (aiming for the lowest torque possible). When inserting the trigger guard pin I put the guard in place to prevent flex on the ears as well as support the lower ear on a block (when later down). Then, lightly tap in the pin till it’s flush. Patience is key.


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[RKP]

You got me motivated, I just ordered 2 'naked' lowers yesterday.

[Caleb]

Congrats.


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[FfNJGTFO]

Originally Posted by RKP

You got me motivated, I just ordered 2 'naked' lowers yesterday.

Me or C aleb?


Anyway, I have a 2nd lower as well. But I will wait for after the election to build that one out. As long as Pres. Trump is re-elected, I can wait a little while, and recover other of my inventory (shotties, my P226, etc., my Shield), and maybe look at a P365 as well. If Biden is elected, I'll have to scramble for the parts for that lower immediately, especially since I doubt I'll get my hands on any other replacement items... Still waiting on some spare parts that were delayed 1 day until tomorrow. Then I can resume the build.