Stuck ejector roll pin

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I was finishing up my LR-308 build and decided I should check headspace yesterday before shooting it today.

Went to remove the ejector roll pin (using ejector removal tool) and roll pin wouldn't budge. Soaked overnight in Kroil and still no budging - one bent punch and one broken punch now.

In view of the above, it seems I have 3 options:

1. Toss bolt;
2. Drill out roll pin and replace with new roll pin (don't have on hand today);
3. Just shoot the damn thing and see what happens.

The bolt closes tight on live rounds (Norma 168 grain MKHPBT and dummy round I made up to proper OAL for .308 win) and the back of the carrier is flush with the back of the upper. So I do not think I have insufficient headspace. But I have no way of knowing if I have too much headspace short of shooting it and looking for signs on the brass and/or complete cartridge failure.

So, safe enough to shoot or not? Thoughts? I was going to strap it down to a table with some rope on a rest and go hide behind my truck. Then pull string to fire trigger. Seemed a bit extreme though.

All parts are DPMS including barrel and bolt. Next time I'm going with a Noveske build or Armalite.

ETA: Cartridges manually eject just fine.
 
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are they new parts? contact whoever you bought them from and offer a stern "dafuq" and let them make it right. no way should the pin be that tight in there, no way at all.
 
This. Brand new parts shouldn't be FUBAR. I'd still shoot it anyway.

Yea. All parts are new and the bolt/carrier came preassembled. DPMS QC seems to be questionable. Issue with sending it back is I will likely have to wait 4+ months for a replacement. Good times.

I think I'm just going to hide behind a barrier and shoot it and see what happens. I've never had an issue with too much headspace on a new build anyway. Hell, my usual measure is if it will chamber the round then its good to go. DPMS 308 chambers are very tight anyway (as advertised by DPMS).

But yea, removing an ejector pin shouldn't be that hard. On my AR15 builds, they come right out.
 
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i'd be too busy worrying about what else they ****ed up if they can't even get an extractor roll pin to work right...

with a jig you could probably dream up yourself you could brace it and squish it out in a press or vise, but you shouldn't have to do this. and you could **** something up yourself and then you really wouldn't get a replacement!
 
i'd be too busy worrying about what else they ****ed up if they can't even get an extractor roll pin to work right...

with a jig you could probably dream up yourself you could brace it and squish it out in a press or vise, but you shouldn't have to do this. and you could **** something up yourself and then you really wouldn't get a replacement!

The bolt carrier assembly was the only thing that came pre-assembled. Everything else I put together. I was contemplating a JP enhanced bolt anyway, so perhaps I will just go ahead and order that, send this bolt back for a replacement and keep the new one I get as a spare.
 
You don't need to remove the ejector on an AR to headspace. The ejector will sit flush with the bolt face when the spring is compressed. (At least it should. If it doesn't you have a problem.)

That said you should be able to get the roll pin out pretty easily. I'd probably just drill it out if it were me, but I could see returning it as well.
 
You don't need to remove the ejector on an AR to headspace. The ejector will sit flush with the bolt face when the spring is compressed. (At least it should. If it doesn't you have a problem.)

That said you should be able to get the roll pin out pretty easily. I'd probably just drill it out if it were me, but I could see returning it as well.

Interesting. So when checking with the gauge and ejector still installed, what is the process?

Normally, I'd remove the ejector, reinstall everything but the ejector and then put in go gauge and make sure it locks up and then put in no-go gauge and make sure it doesn't fully lock up. This would be done with the upper inverted and manually pushing the back of the bolt carrier by hand into battery.

If I were to try that with this 308 ejector (which is very, very stiff but ejects live rounds just fine manually), I'd have to put in the go gauge and fully release the bolt from the open position to get it to close. I'd have to do the same thing with a live round or even nothing in the chamber as well. In other words, manually pushing the bolt will not get it to lock up on anything, which appears to be normal according to DPMS for their LR-308 rifles. DPMS advertises the chambers as very tight and requiring the full force of the bolt going forward to get it to lock up. They also say to run it dripping wet.

ETA: I can get the bolt to go into full battery by manually pushing it forward without too much force on an empty chamber. With live round in chamber and bolt dropped forward, back of carrier is at same position (yes, I removed the firing pin from the bolt before I checked it) as when chamber is empty.
 
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I don't take anything apart. Open the bolt, drop the gauge in, close the bolt (I don't let it slam, I ride it forward gently.) Sometimes a light tap or two on the forward assist is needed to get the bolt to close on the go gauge but that's all the force it should take. (The bolt should also open by hand without too much effort after it closes. If you need a hammer to get the bolt open it's too tight.)

If I were you I would use a punch or something to push on the ejector just to make sure it sits flush with the face of the bolt when the spring is compressed. It should.
 
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I don't take anything apart. Open the bolt, drop the gauge in, close the bolt (I don't let it slam, I ride it forward gently.) Sometimes a light tap or two on the forward assist is needed to get the bolt to close on the go gauge but that's all the force it should take. (The bolt should also open by hand without too much effort after it closes. If you need a hammer to get the bolt open it's too tight.)

If I were you I would use a punch or something to push on the ejector just to make sure it sits flush with the face of the bolt when the spring is compressed. It should.

It will sit flush when the spring is compressed. Using a punch and the ejector removal tool confirms that to be the case.

This tight ass chamber is the real issue. Headspace may be fine, ejector may be fine, but the tight chamber makes it difficult to extract manually in some instances.

The bolt did close fine on the go gauge using your method but took some assistance in getting it back open (same thing has happened using a dummy round to correct OAL - if well lubed up then that's not the case). This issue is noted to be normal by DPMS as they say they make their chambers tight to enhance accuracy and say run them sopping wet.

ETA: Will not seat fully on the no go gauge even when I drop the bolt from fully open. Seems headspace is just fine, but bolt going back to Midway as not fully serviceable as is.
 
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This issue is noted to be normal by DPMS as they say they make their chambers tight to enhance accuracy and say run them sopping wet.

That sounds like bullshit. An overly tight chamber is not going to improve accuracy. I wouldn't worry too much about it though, just size your brass on the short side of the spec and you should be fine. Or hit it with a finish reamer (carefully!) if you're anal retentive.

ETA: Will not seat fully on the no go gauge even when I drop the bolt from fully open.

I personally wouldn't slam the bolt closed on a hardened steel headspace gauge.
 
That sounds like bullshit. An overly tight chamber is not going to improve accuracy. I wouldn't worry too much about it though, just size your brass on the short side of the spec and you should be fine. Or hit it with a finish reamer (carefully!) if you're anal retentive.



I personally wouldn't slam the bolt closed on a hardened steel headspace gauge.

Tight chamber supposedly loosens up after a few hundred rounds. Yea, slamming the bolt shut like that on the gauge is a bad idea, but it did confirm the bolt wouldn't lock up with the no go gauge and the bolt grabbed and ejected the no go gauge. Maybe that loosened my chamber a bit.[laugh]
 
Ejector pin came out of new bolt just fine. Headspace was good. Old bolt seems to have a lug or two not machined to spec. Not so sure about DPMS QC these days.

Much smoother action with the new bolt than the original one. 5 shot group today at 100 yards was about 0.75-1 inch counting the flyer where my hold sucked. Thought I took a pic but can't find it on phone.
 
Ejector pin came out of new bolt just fine. Headspace was good. Old bolt seems to have a lug or two not machined to spec. Not so sure about DPMS QC these days.

Much smoother action with the new bolt than the original one. 5 shot group today at 100 yards was about 0.75-1 inch counting the flyer where my hold sucked. Thought I took a pic but can't find it on phone.

Very nice. Looks like I had you beat on the build by a month (at the expense of being raped for a BCG on gunbroker). Zeroed it at 100 yards a month ago. 4 shot groups were within .85" using match ammo.

FWIW, the tolerances on my LR-308 are very tight. Had to run it dripping in lube. I think it just needs to be shot and broken in... didn't bother to headspace it as the BCG, bolt and barrel were all DPMS. Didn't blow up in my face [smile]

photo (2).jpg
 
Very nice. Looks like I had you beat on the build by a month (at the expense of being raped for a BCG on gunbroker). Zeroed it at 100 yards a month ago. 4 shot groups were within .85" using match ammo.

FWIW, the tolerances on my LR-308 are very tight. Had to run it dripping in lube. I think it just needs to be shot and broken in... didn't bother to headspace it as the BCG, bolt and barrel were all DPMS. Didn't blow up in my face [smile]

View attachment 66542

All my parts were DPMS as well, but the very tight lock up of the bolt had me worried (well really the fact that 50% of the time I had to mortar the gun to get the dummy round out of the chamber was the issue).

No such issue with a replacement bolt. I was running mine dripping wet as well and had no issues. Brass consistently ejected at exactly 3 o'clock.
 
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