I recently purchased a M&P 15-22. I have seen a video of removal of the takedown pin for cleaning and it seems you should be able to just push it through using your finger. Mine will not budge when I try to push it through. I am stronger than most people but I can not move that pin at all. I have to use a wooden dowel and strike it with a hammer to push it through. has anyone else experienced this and can I cause any type of damage ? Thanks

It should be easy to push by hand inspect pin and holes for debris and burs check to make sure pins not bent clean and lightly lube good luck.

Its probably like that because its new and dry. Put a little grease(I use tetra gun grease) on the pins. It will slide better after that. You can use oil too if you want I use grease because it doesnt drip/run all over and stays longer

Try removing your pistol grip and make sure the takedown pin detent and spring are installed correctly. The selector lever spring and detent are retained there as well, so make sure you control all the pieces and re-install them correctly.

Pounding out the pin will eventually bust your detent and cause wear to the groove in the pin.

mine was tight as well...it has loosened up after several breakdowns

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Hey foxchase any luck with you take down pin issue

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Mine was tight the first time too but definitely didn't require any tools.

I'd put a drop of oil on it and work it in and out a few times (she might've said that lol)...and see if gets any better?

Hey Guys check these pins out they are on ebay and at (((((( NDZ Performance )))))) Automotive upgrades

Pivot & takedown pins & Mag release for S&W Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 by NDZ Performance - YouTube

I have a set they work great..

First time trying to break mine down today as well. Would not budge. Tried oil and working it but nothing. A drift and small hammer did the trick.

They are no longer available - patent infringement problems.

Me too....

But the question remains unanswered.....even if it "loosened up with breakdowns", how did you remove it the very first time? Mine was impossible to remove by hand. I am strong like Ox. I couldn't remove the pin. It must have had a burr.

The pin SHOULD be too tight to remove with your fingers. Otherwise the vibration of firing could work it out of place. It should take the pressure from a punch applied to the opposite side to move it.

Ummm...you sure about that.

The takedown pins have a detent and spring pressure to keep that from happening. The detent pin drops down in the groove on the TD pin and they should be held in place securely. I've never handled an AR15 or a 15-22 that needed a punch to remove the pins.


If I had issues with the TD pin not pushing out by hand, I would take the little detent out and slightly round the edges.

Hello everyone, first post here, not trying to be a jerk, just trying to help out a fellow shooter with a question.

I humbly disagree. You should be able to remove the pins with your fingers. One of the best features of the AR is the ease of which the weapon can be broken down for cleaning in the field. I carried the AR (M16/M4) in the military and I own ARs in .308, .300 AAC, 5.56 and the 15-22. The pins on everyone of them could/can be removed by hand. None of them have ever come loose when firing, not even with M118LR 175 grain SMK in the .308.

The pins on my son’s 15-22 were tight at first but after the first take down and cleaning they loosened up and now they feel normal compared to my other ARs.

TwoBears

Where can I get ahold of the takedown pins now?

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10 seconds on Google ...

Yea I found them but I wanted the engraved ones

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You may not have looked hard enough. Then again, maybe no one makes engraved pins although I thought Yankee Machine did.

I respectfully disagree. If you're holding the rifle in a way that is not allowing the upper to put pressure on the pins, I believe you should be able to "poke" it out with a finger. If it's harder to move than that, you're probably stressing the pin with a shearing-like action with the upper. I can easily remove pins on both of my AR's without any tools.

The pins on the 15-22 are molded in rather than being machined in like on a real AR. It's not unusual for them to be "tight" the first few times, but it's not normal for them to remain "tight". Once they are worn in, the only thing that keeps them in the closed position are the detents and they should be able to easily be released with finger pressure.

I just picked up an M&P-10. I am having the same issue. The takedown pin cannot be budged without using a hammer and nylon punch. I have removed the grip to ensure the detent and spring were installed properly. They were. To ensure there was no issue with the TD pin, the detent and spring, or the lower receiver, I left the upper receiver detached and inserted the TD pin back through the lower receiver until the detent caught the groove of the TD pin.

The TD pin was now easily manipulated with a thumb or finger and freely moved out of the lower receiver until caught in the opposite groove by the detent. I reattached the upper receiver and began inserting the pin through. It immediately caught in the upper and required a few taps with the hammer to fully insert.

I have thoroughly cleaned and lubricated all parts involved with no improvement. The action, trigger assembly, and general fitment seem to be good. I will have to put a few rounds through to see if that loosens it up a bit.

If anyone has resolved this issue or noticed a difference after some range-time, I would be interested to hear from you.

I have 3 AR-style rifles, and only my Noveske is that tight that I need tools to push out the pins. I probably have about 700 rounds through it so far, and I did have the upper & lower Cerakoted when they were brand new. Initially, I did use a small metal rod wrapped in sandpaper to remove any of the coatings that had been left in the path of the pins. It has loosened up a little over time, but not to the point that I can disassemble it without either using a punch or something similar. I've accepted this, thinking that I'd rather have it snug (aka precise) than loose. My 15-22 is no where near this tight, and pins can easily be removed (as I think I mentioned above) without any tools. I'd shoot the gun for a while (longer than I have) before altering it to make pin removal easier.

ETA: I'd add that since writing my post a few spaces up in this thread, I have sold / parted out a Spike's / DD AR and replaced it with a new one. My Northtech Defense matching set is easily field stripped, and the Noveske matching set is far from it.

Just like everythang bought new, the pins will loosen on their own over time.

I used a nylon pin pusher on my 15/22 and 5.56 when they were new because I couldn't push them out with my fingers.

Now, a year later, both rifle's pins can be pushed and pulled out by hand.

Better too tight than too loose.

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