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The AR-15 front sight base is held to the barrel by two tapered pins, and those pins are famous for being seated tight enough to test your patience. This Starrett #800C is built specifically for that job. The pins have slightly rounded ends, so a standard flat-faced punch tends to slip, mushroom the pin, or damage the sight housing. The radiused face on this starter cups the rounded end of the pin instead, letting you deliver a square, controlled strike right where it needs to go.
The pins are driven in from the right side of the rifle and come out driving left to right, with the small end on the left and the large end on the right. You seat the radiused face firmly against the small end of the pin, keep the punch in line with the pin's axis, and strike the head with a machinist hammer. Most pins break loose with moderate force, though a stubborn one can take real effort. Once it moves even a hair, the taper does the rest and the pin walks right out. A little penetrating oil and some patience go a long way on rifles that have never had the sight off.
Starrett has been the go-to name in precision hand tools for well over a century, and that reputation is the whole reason to reach for this one over a no-name punch. It measures 4 inches long with a 3/32" (2.4mm) diameter tip and is made in the USA. It's a single-purpose tool, but if you're pulling an A2 sight to run a free-float handguard or a low-profile gas block, it's the right tool for the work.
One word to the wise from folks who've used it: wear your safety glasses. Driving hard-set pins can send bits of steel flying, so eye protection is not optional.
It's made specifically for removing and installing the two tapered pins that hold the AR-15/M16 front sight base to the barrel. The radiused face matches the rounded end of the pin so you can start it without a flat punch slipping off and damaging the pin or housing. It's a specialty tool, not a general-purpose punch.
The pins are driven from the right side of the rifle when it was assembled, so they come out driving left to right. The small end sits on the left side of the barrel and the large end on the right. Place the punch on the small end and drive toward the large end to back the pin out.
The front sight pins have slightly rounded or radiused ends, so a standard flat-faced punch tends to skate off center, mushroom the pin, or mar the sight housing. The #800C has a concave radiused face that cups that rounded end for a square, controlled strike. That's the whole point of buying the dedicated tool.
Yes, front sight pins are often seated very tight, especially on rifles that have never had the sight removed. A little penetrating oil worked in over a day or two, gentle heat, and firm strikes with a machinist hammer usually gets them going. Once a pin moves even slightly, the taper lets it come out easily, and always wear safety glasses since hard strikes can throw bits of steel.
| UPC | 050806101906 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer |
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