This has me very perplexed.

I just picked up a new M&P10 LE version with an 18" barrel. I've owned, carried and used S&W firearms for years and they never let me down so when I decided to get an AR platform rifle in .308 I looked at a lot of reviews and finally decided on the M&P10.

When I got the rifle home and went to break it down to clean and lube it before going to the range I ran into a problem. The rear take down pin was impossible to work by hand. In fact, to get the gun open I had to put a wooden dowel against the pin and smack it with a hammer a few times.

After closing the gun back up I had to repeat the procedure to get the take down pin to seat fully. Checking with S&W's so called "customer service" was worse than useless and a complete waste of time.

I know that having the take down pin be a bit snug is a good thing but I've never run into this issue before. I've owned, worked with, built and taught AR platform weapons almost continuously since I first qualified with an M16 in 1968. I can honestly say that in 50 plus years, I've never had a take down pin that had to be hammered out of the rifle.

A couple of buddies and I want to go harvest some tasty wild piggies and I'm afraid that if I send the rifle in to Smith, I won't get it back any time in the foreseeable future.

No range trip until I get this figured out so any ideas the board members have would be greatly appreciated.

It shouldn't be that tight for sure. Mine was tight at first but not that bad. It has loosened up over time. It may be the pressure the rubber inserts are putting on the pin while yo are trying to remove and install the pin. Try squeezing the upper and lower together while pushing on the pin and see if it makes a difference.

Thanks for your reply. I had no idea what you were talking about when you mentioned "rubber inserts" until I opened the gun up and saw the two small little bumper pads in the upper receiver.

That's gotta be an S&W thing because I've never run into anything like that before. It also has to be why things are so tight. With the gun opened up, the take down pin moves with finger pressure like I'm used to. I can also see a very slight difference in the size of the gap between the upper and lower when the pin is in compared to when it's out.

If it wasn't a brand new gun I'd shave the rubber bumpers off but for the time being, I'll leave it alone. I've got a delrin punch on the way that's designed to use on take down pins so before I grab a razor blade, I'll wait and see if things loosen up over time.

AT least now I know the gun is safe to shoot so it's (finally) off to the range.

Most believe the tighter the better for upper to lower fit as it pertains to accuracy. Shoot it and it will settle down. Lots of guys buy aftermarket bumper pads to achieve what you have now.

__________________
S&W factory revolver armorer

Scratch one up for, "Old dog, New Trick!"

Ivan

My first AR-15 had a red Accu-wedge in it. It was put together by someone that didn't understand the concept of a tight or good fit, second shot on a warm barrel was 32" high at 50 yards, could never find the third shot! The only thing that kept the rear pin from vibrating out was the wedge! If you to half an hour between shots, it made tiny groups!

Ivan

I've handled hundreds of AR's of many different brands ranging from high end to low end manufacturers. Some are very tight, requiring a punch or tool, and some have take down pins that are easy to remove.

There is no such thing as a standard in this area and you should not worry about having a tight take down pin.

I have a Noveske 10.5 CQB that exhibits the same difficulty as yours. I needed a plastic punch to push it to the open position. I purchased it in 2008 and it is still that way. It's just plain tight.

My other patrol rifle was a Colt 6920 with a take-down pin that you could merely push with your finger.

Each rifle was accurate and shot like a house on fire.

Yours may loosen up with time. If it doesn't, either drive on or contact Smith & Wesson. Good luck!


HTH.

JPJ