Soon to be available, the Superior Hammer Install Tool. It’s the you-know-what for installing AR hammers with less pain and finger strain. Just completing the pilot batch, watch for more info in the coming weeks. For the guy who does this once a year, this tool will not be worth it. For someone who’s doing it daily or on a production basis it will be most welcome. I am not claiming this idea, it’s a tool that’s been used in the factory for years, it just was never made available, maybe because, as I have discovered, it’s not cheap to make. When I put a final price on it it probably won’t be under $100. But then I’m not making them so one can be given away free with every AR, it’s about making it available to people who need it bad even if kinda spendy.
Machined from US-sourced aluminum, machined in the US on a by-God US-made CNC, and US-sourced everything else, including a couple extractor O-rings that retain a spacer on a punch that stows in the handle. To remove the hammer pin, take off the vinyl cap, remove the punch and reverse it. Now you have a little hand-push-punch for popping out the hammer pin. To reinstall the hammer, load it into the tool and use the tool handle to drop the hammer into the receiver. It’s easy now to get the hammer positioned perfectly to insert the hammer pin. Get the pin all the way trough, wriggle and pull the tool out, done. I’ll do a YT tutorial on it in the coming weeks. https://i.imgur.com/PpdQV7I.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/OLSKlvv.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/Dezcfjp.jpeg
I made some protos of this a year ago and honestly, got mostly lukewarm responses. Despite this, I’m convinced that a few people, manufacturers at least, will want them. So I finally got around to putting together a small batch, and-- it makes me feel kinda celebratory. Especially since Oberon Day is only a couple weeks away and I still have a few left over from last year’s run: https://i.imgur.com/eYVkNqq.jpeg
I have one of the old KNS Hammer Cages from years ago (thanks to Will Larson for putting me onto it). It makes installing a hammer much easier, but it doesn’t look nearly as nice as this.
I loved the Hammer Cage and it was only like $20 and they stopped making it! Every bit as good as my tool, less money, could have been a little better maybe with a handle on it but that takes up space in the tool box. But for doing installs many per day the handle is worth it.
I have several ready to go but it will still be some weeks. I have three out for beta testing… let’s see if I’ve missed anything. Plus I need to take pics for and write the instructions-- that’s the better part of half a day, which I can’t find just now.
Tweak on it. What if instead of drilling holes for the spring pins you mill square slots or even angle the slots down some to force the spring to ride to the center? Only reason I mention this tweak is for longer tool life from the spring pins slipping out of the tool when releasing the hammer. Plus the placement may be more forgiving milling vs. drilling. You wouldn’t even need to mill it all the way through, but leave a little meat so the spring pins have a stop on them so the rest of the geometry still works out preventing the hammer from slipping out. Cool tool for sure though.
Proper installation would be to rotate the handle to the rear (after the pin is installed) until the spring legs rest on the trigger pin. Then push the hammer down until it clears the cut that holds it (until it is cocked?). Now rotate the tool off the hammer and slide it back off the spring legs.
This way the tool can be removed without any wear om the holes.
A week or two. To be honest I think the fist batch of 20 is claimed, I mean I haven’t sold them but I’ve had some virtual demands
I don’t think it would work well for removing a hammer and I never saw the Hammer Cage used for that either. To me it sounds like a lot more trouble to do so…?
I just have to get the instructions written. Only a couple-three hours’ work but where to find a couple hours is the thing.
One click off, I didn’t mean to not appreciate your suggestion, I do. I will try one that way when i get the chance!
