ID a screw and what to do with it

[SAS1988]

Hi, I've got an entry level Soft air Colt M4 Airsoft AEG which has several parts held together with a peculiar type of screw.

It resembles a C shape and is hollow in the center. 

The center cavity is circular and does not appear to engage a hex, Philips, or Torx. The thickness of the screw is about 0.5 mm about the outside (and about 3 mm across, making a cavity of about 2 mm). The outer edge of this screw contains a thread. 

Any thoughts on what screw this is and what tool I use to get the screw off? The screw most closely resembles a set screw (screw with no head) but it does not engage a hex wrench or allen key. 

Thanks lads. 

 

[Guest]

Sounds like a roll pin not a screw/bolt bud.

Roll pins are punched out

 

[Prisce]

Pictures paint a thousand words...

 

[SAS1988]

It's the little pin in center screen.

How do I sort out what size tool I need for it? I've never used roll pin tools before. I'm not understanding how to punch it out as there is no opposite side to insert a nail to punch it.

View attachment 41018

 

[Guest]

it shouldn’t be a roll pin, as there is no way to get it out without drilling it if it is, as you correctly said.

Either it’s a very small grub screw with a hex socket )which if should be) or it’s a roll pin.Either way you’ll need to drill it out, and that’s going to be difficult (either is probably steel and I’m guessing your barrel and flash hider are alloy)

Good luck!

ps if you have a very small torx key, hammer it in and see if you can undo it that way BUT heat up the barrel and flash hiderfirst, as it will have thread lock on it that you’ll have to dislodge first if it’s a screw.

pps don’t burn the house down 

 

[Prisce]

Can you push it in? 

Can the whole flash hider/end of barrel be removed? 

 

[Tommikka]

It could still be a roll pin without a hole on the other side - it’s considered an item that is to be fitted and not removed

Try to get a zoomed in image to see if there is any shape to confirm if there is any possibility of it having a hex or star head 

The final method may be to screw something into it that you can grip and pull

Its not going to be easy

 

[SAS1988]

So I'm not having any success drilling in to this thing. Looking at it more closely, it is indeed a split pin/ roll pin. 

Can you teach me the exact tool needed to remove this fastener? 

 

[Tommikka]

So I'm not having any success drilling in to this thing. Looking at it more closely, it is indeed a split pin/ roll pin. 

Can you teach me the exact tool needed to remove this fastener? 

There is no right way to remove it - its been designed to be permanent if there is no hole on the other side 

There may be a hole on the opposite side (inside the barrel) and if so then you can use a pin punch (making sure it is small enough for the pin)

https://www.screwfix.com/p/pin-punch-set-200mm-5-pieces/7549V?tc=PT4&ds_kid=92700030952053046&ds_rl=1241687&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1244066&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1249481&ds_rl=1249796&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0uvNrpLC3wIVNyjTCh2aIwuJEAQYAyABEgJ9Z_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Note that as you would be hitting a tiny pin into your barrel make sure the barrel is flat and that you don’t tip back when you move it, to avoid it falling the wrong way into any working parts 

If all that still fails then you may have to sacifice the orange flash hider cutting it away (taking care not to damage the barrel)

When the flash hider is away from the pin you will be able to pull the pin with needle nose pliers (still a difficult job as the pin is under its own tension)

Other methods such as putting something into it to pull are possible if you can get something small enough screwed or glued to it, but they will also tighten the pin in place as well as giving you some grip

 

[Guest]

So I'm not having any success drilling in to this thing. Looking at it more closely, it is indeed a split pin/ roll pin. 

Can you teach me the exact tool needed to remove this fastener? 

As far as I know, there isn’t one. A roll pin is designed to be punched out, so shouldn’t be put into a recess with no exit unless you never want it to come out.

However, you could try a very fine thread cutter (tap) and see if that will grip it, or a very fine “easy out”.

Failing that, take it to an engineer who will be able to