Punch Archives

If you are new to building AR lowers, there is one step that is, in my opionion, the most risky in terms of making a mistake and scratching the finish if not even gouging the aluminum. That’s when you go to install the bolt catch. You must juggle the receiver, spring, detent, catch, punch and hammer all at the same time while being right against the nicely finished receiver!

The two ears that hold the cross pin of the bolt catch are just above the magazine catch. In the small hole will sit the spring and the detent pin.

Historically, you had to get ready for battle and would tape your receiver to protect it from slipping punches or glancing blows by a hammer.

I would apply duct tape, Gorilla tape or something thick to protect the finish. Note, if you are starting out, taping is always a good idea no matter what.

Installing the slide catch is way easier now with the right tools. I have really come to rely on three punches to get the job done. The first is a purpose specific punch set from Wheeler this is flat on one side and has a protective rubber coating.

The Wheeler set has two punches. The starter punch has a hollow end that the pin sits in. This allows you to focus on the hole and hitting the punch with the hammer. The other is a roll pin punch that you can use to align the catch at the start and also drive the pin the final distance.

See, I use the roll pin punch on the left to align the bolt catch and also to capture the detent pin and spring. Once that punch is in, you can let go! Whew. You can then focus on tapping the starter punch on and making sure everything is aligned.

Now plenty of guys can get their build done with the above. Because of my tremor, I like to drive the pin in the rest of the way by using a really long roll pin punch that safely clears the receiver. I have a Tekton gunsmith punch set and the 1/8″ roll pin punch works great for me.

This is the nice Tekton gunsmith punch set that I really like.

This is me with the 1/8″ roll pin punch.

I hope this helps you out. This is what I do every time now. It’s also what I use if I need to remove and replace an existing catch.

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I have a lot of fun experimenting with stuff. I tend to need punches fairly regularly and what I had was a mishmash of sizes and models from Craftsman, Astro, Harbor Freight and who knows what else. I was working the other day and had stuff laying everywhere and thought to myself that there must be a more organized approach plus some of my punches were looking pretty abused (I’ve bent the crap out of some of the real small ones trying to start pins) so I started digging on Amazon. Interestingly enough, TEKTON makes an 18-piece gunsmith punch set that gets very good reviews on Amazon – 4.6 stars with 181 reviews is pretty remarkable. So, I ordered it and was pleasantly surprised at what arrived – it was very well done.

The set was well packed and includes a walnut bench block that is laser etched with what punch is to go in what hole. Now for a slob like me, that is a God-send.

The punches have a nice heft, feel good, are well finished and have worked fine so far. TEKTON claims they are high carbon heat treated steel and seem to be holding up just fine.

The set includes the following punches:

(7) pin punches: 1/16, 3/32, 1/8, 5/32, 3/16, 7/32, 1/4 inch
(8) roll pin punches: 1/16, 5/64, 3/32, 1/8, 5/32, 3/16, 7/32, 1/4 inch
(2) solid punches: 1/16, 3/32 inch
(1) center punch: 5/16 inch

I have it sitting to the side of my bench and now I can move the whole set right to where I need it vs. digging for whatever punch I need.

So if you are shopping for punches with a stand, take a look at this set. It is a great deal when you look at the cost relative to the quality you get.

2/27/20 Update: I’ve beat the heck out of mine and most punches are still holding up. I’ve bent a few of the smaller ones but I have really beat the hell out of them trying to free stuck pins so I am not surprised. Guess what I did, I bought a second Tekton set for spares. I’m still happy with it. All the sizes let me grab one for use as a slave pin as well like what you really need to align all the components with Glock hammer pins.