"What's in a name?" goes the old saying. Well, it's helpful if a tool's name tells you what the tool actually does. So the AR Takedown Tool™ may have the perfect name. Brownells Gun Tech™ Caleb Savant shows us how it helps you field strip your AR-15 rifle quickly and easily. The AR-TT™ is a pin punch on steroids, with a built-in spring-loaded impact mechanism that eliminates the need for a hammer. The spring provides the motive force to remove the pivot / takedown pins, hammer / trigger pins, recoil buffer detent, and the firing pin retaining pin. The AR Takedown Tool doesn't replace that complete set of AR-15 pin punches on your workbench, but it's danged handy to have in your range bag.
The punch tips themselves are made of brass, so they can't nick, ding, or mar your AR's receiver. They are tapered, so if you don't have the punch perfectly centered on the pin, it will self-align so you don't mash the edge of the pin hole. The punch tips unscrew so they can be replaced if THEY get dinged up. The wider punch tip has a little divot on the end that helps you depress the buffer retainer detent so you can remove the buffer and spring. The narrower punch tip works great for removing hammer and trigger pins. It also detaches to work in conjunction with the larger tip as a front pivot pin installation tool. Caleb shows us how that works.
You can get the AR Takedown Tool alone, on its own, or in a Gunsmithing Set that includes 4 additional spring-loaded roll pin punches that'll cover the other AR-15 pins, including the front sight tower / gas block, bolt release, forward assist, and triggerguard pins, as well as a bunch of pins on other firearms.
How well does the AR-TT's spring-loaded impact mechanism work? How long does it really take to remove a pin? Caleb tests one of the punches in the Gunsmithing Set on the AR-15 pins that are the biggest stinkers to remove: the gas block / front sight tower taper pins. It worked so well Caleb was emboldened to trust the AR-TT to install the pivot pin on his prized Grey Ghost rifle.
The AR Takedown Tool doesn't do anything that other tools can't do. It just makes the jobs easier and more convenient, so you can work smarter, not harder. And carry fewer tools to the range.
Caleb Savant
