I know some of you have used commercial spring pins as replacement parts. I have on a very limited basis.
Is this advisable? Is there anything “wrong” with using commercial pins (e.g., McMaster-Carr as supplier) for applications such as trigger guards, gas tubes, etc.
Also, I have been looking at trigger guard pins and the NSN. The NSN (5315000586081) specifies that the pins shall be 0.131"-0.135" in diameter. Is this the same as a 1/8" pin from a commercial supplier (nominally 0.125")? Or does the US military use nonstandard pins for this application, which might explain why they cost $0.60 +?
Well, I can say that the roll pins are not American / standard sizes. They might be metric but I haven’t tried that. Home depot sells American sizes & none of those fit.
It is my humble opinion that there is no difference between commercial & milspec roll pins as long as they fit properly. I’ve got five fiat American dollars that says even the top tier AR manufacturers are just buying these commercial roll pins & reselling / rebranding them. Most of the manufacturers top-tier or otherwise are all probably getting them from the same suppliers. Ie. of all the things Colt makes in-house from raw steel I highly doubt roll pins are one of them. I might be wrong & I welcome anyone to prove it with evidence to the contrary.