Good useful tool
This is a good useful tool. Fewer of those "need three hands" situations, gives pins a place to go when you hit them with a punch.
Don't Assume Anything
I had a S&W M&P-15 in a couple days ago to remove the original hand guard & front sight/gas block, and replace with a low-profile gas block & free-float hand guard. On the front sight bench block it is labeled "Pins In", and on the other side "Pins out." The problem is on this S&W the large end of the pins is the opposite of the standard Colt.
Generic fit, but gets the job done
I was removing a front sight on a Colt 6920. The front pin was removed without much problem or effort. The rear pin was a monster to get out. After using a sledge hammer for a couple of hours and ruining two cheap punches I ordered the block. Was it a perfect fit? No. But with my son stablizing the barrel in the front sight bench block, the rear pin popped right out. It did what I needed it to do and was a time saver.
Worked as designed
Worked great removing the pins from two pre-ban rifle length uppers and one carbine length upper. All were Bushmasters. After the YHM Diamond Pattern Free Float handguard tubes were installed I was able to position the bench block to provide support while re-installing the pins. The rails prevented a proper fit. I'll have to check and see if I can't dremmel a relief cut in the block for the tubes and rails but that is a project for another day. Useable as is though.
A Great 3rd Hand for Certain AR-15's
Unlike some, I took the time to read the instructions and descriptions carefully, then talked with Brownells Tech Support, which passed along a couple of ideals about using this tool. For me, it earned it price the very first time I used it. Had a Colt HBAR that had front sight pins that were unbelievably tight! I ended up getting the pins to move after I got out my custom 2.5# hammer! True, I did have to use a couple of sandbags to hold the upper in alignment on the block, but this was a minor thing and I am sure I would have damaged the sight and barrel without having this block set! Since then, I have used it several times with confidence on other customers "AR-15" rifles. This set of blocks do not fit every front end out there, and yes, it could use some improvements, but for what it was designed to do, it was well worth the price to me at this time. I am sure the fertile minds at Brownells, or somewhere will come up with a better idea or design, but for now, I will recommend this to anyone that is working on a lot of "AR's" because there will come a time when you will need these blocks. I would give it a 5-Star rating but I feel the design could be improved and that is the only reason I gave it a 4-Star rating. Hope this helps. Cordially, Coyote [[[[[End of Msg]]]]]
Worked great
Worked great. I did add a tiny piece of steel stock under the bayonet lug on FSB to prevent any twisting under hammer strikes. No need to dremel fit. I removed taper pins from the notoriously difficult BCM FSB (light weight contour, no less, so no barrel contact on the block). Five wacks on the front pin and the pin was flush - five light ones more with an undersized pin punch and it was out. The rear pin needed no shimming and the block fit perfectly on this portion of the FSB. I am not giving it five stars because I agree with other posters that it would be a fairly easy improvement to provide that additional support in that front sight pin area. I understand that it isn't there to accommodate an non-milspec pin hole location.
Nice Idea.....But Limited Use
As others have found out before me, this block has limited uses. If you have a Stag Arms AR, your tapered pins go in and out of the FSB from the opposite side. Please look at the pins before you start and make sure you are tapping on the small ends to remove. That also makes the holes in the block not align properly. None of this is the blocks fault, however, and it is handy for it's intended purpose. I will modify mine, as others have done before me, to fit my application.
This really works
This is the third hand that I never had. Only problem was clearance with some hand guards,(Which if needed could be fixed with a Dremel tool).
Good Product
Good design and easy to use, just watch out if your using on a Stag Arms Barrel. The pins came out on the oppisite side than normal.
Not with free float tubes-----------
Works well on barrels without handguards, but with free float tubes it will not work without a few mods on a milling machine to the block for clearance of the large handgaurds.
