Bomar Hinge Pin Backed Out

[bulm540]

Is this a concern????It back ed out about 3000th of an inch but I was able to tap it back with a brass hammer.

[Guy Neill]

The couple of times I've had a Bomar hinge pin begin to come out, it indicated the pin had broken. Of course, I don;t think I would have ever noticed a 3000th of an inch. Mine came out a 16th to an eighth of an inch.

Guy

[ErikW]

It's especially a problem when the pin has broken in half and one half is coming out one side. If you didn't take a look at the opposite side, you have no way of knowing or determining whether it's broken.

Always use a slave pin when replacing the hinge pin. That is, always having something in there.

[achard]

you can try fishing hook. I had mine replaced with the hook.

[stingerjg]

You can try one from Caspian, they dont fall out, ever.

[ErikW]

Are you a gambling man, stingerjg?

[stingerjg]

Are you a gambling man, stingerjg?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i suppose so. but i dont have to worry about it anymore. i only shoot open

[blackdragon]

I have broken soooo many of those pins it's way too funny to believe. I buy them by the dozen now.

Ivan

[benny hill]

Put in a tool steel pin & peen it on both sides, bullet proff.

[wide45]

Had the pin break on a caspian sight a few years ago at the AWARE. Shot the last two stages with half the pin gone, and the sight canted over. Didn't affect my score much.

After the match, went to the Caspian booth to see if I could get a new pin. They had put everything away for the day. Jack Norris was close by, and he gave me a new pin.

The new pin did not have the notch in it. Jack said to peen the ends. No troubles since.

[dajarrel]

Put in a tool steel pin & peen it on both sides, bullet proff.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How are you peening it? I tried to distress the ends with a pair of sidecutters and the metal on the Bomar sight pin is so hard/brittle all I did was cut off a small piece. Does Brownells or someone carry the pins or would they be available at a fastener business?

dj

[benos]

Sorry, but I can't resist a shameless plug - if y'all would buy a Wilson sight (from me, at the link below, of course) you'd never have any of these problems, again.

be

[cking]

Brownells sells drill rod, air and oil hardened. When you get them they are soft. Cut and clean up the ends, then harden it and put it in with loctite retainer in the far side sight hole, just a little. Or you could take the sight apart my Bomar had a slightly larger hole in adjust site part then base part. So I just flatten the end of new rod a small amount. Drove it in so flat part went in last.

[dajarrel]

Sorry, but I can't resist a shameless plug - if y'all would buy a Wilson sight (from me, at the link below, of course) you'd never have any of these problems, again.

be

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, Quite Shameless

dj

[bountyhunter]

I have broken soooo many of those pins it's way too funny to believe. I buy them by the dozen now.

Ivan

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I never understood why they make those pins out of such brittle material. I went to Home Depot with my calipers and found some bright steel finishing nails which were only a couple of thou thicher than the pins and made replacements from that stock (which is much softer). It will NEVER break.

[jrguar]

You can probably contact Bomar....I purchased a few spares from them several years ago....and installing a new pin is no biggie.....

For the record I have had Caspian pins break on me never a Bomar....

All of my guns have Bomars now.... go figure...

Good Luck

Joe

[GuildSF4]

How are you peening it? I tried to distress the ends with a pair of sidecutters and the metal on the Bomar sight pin is so hard/brittle all I did was cut off a small piece.  Does Brownells or someone carry the pins or would they be available at a fastener business?

dj

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Peening is generally done with a punch and hammer.

Sidecutters/ Diagonal cutting pliers are designed for soft metals, the pliers can be ruined trying to mark/ cut hard metals.

[Steve J]

I have broken soooo many of those pins it's way too funny to believe. I buy them by the dozen now.

Ivan

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I never understood why they make those pins out of such brittle material. I went to Home Depot with my calipers and found some bright steel finishing nails which were only a couple of thou thicher than the pins and made replacements from that stock (which is much softer). It will NEVER break.

Love the search function. The elevation hinge pin on my Bomar style Les Baer rear sight broke and one side fell out Sunday. The pin's diameter is 0.072 or #15 gauge. 4d Bright Finish finishing nails are #15 gauge, but the one's I bought today metered out at 0.075 making for a perfect friction fit. The ends also blued nicely.

No doubt. I could have gotten some replacement pins from the manufacturer within 7 days, but I'm impatient. I'm curious to see how long this will last and whether or not it's going to drift on me.

[bountyhunter]

I have broken soooo many of those pins it's way too funny to believe. I buy them by the dozen now.

Ivan

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I never understood why they make those pins out of such brittle material. I went to Home Depot with my calipers and found some bright steel finishing nails which were only a couple of thou thicher than the pins and made replacements from that stock (which is much softer). It will NEVER break.

Love the search function. The elevation hinge pin on my Bomar style Les Baer rear sight broke and one side fell out Sunday. The pin's diameter is 0.072 or #15 gauge. 4d Bright Finish finishing nails are #15 gauge, but the one's I bought today metered out at 0.075 making for a perfect friction fit. The ends also blued nicely.

No doubt. I could have gotten some replacement pins from the manufacturer within 7 days, but I'm impatient. I'm curious to see how long this will last and whether or not it's going to drift on me.

On mine, there is a spring in the center that is supposed to snap into the groove in the middle of the pin to keep it from drifting. BTW, that machined groove is where they break.

On the nail I prepped for a hinge pin, I filed a groove in it and all snapped in as required.

[Steve J]

On mine, there is a spring in the center that is supposed to snap into the groove in the middle of the pin to keep it from drifting. BTW, that machined groove is where they break.

On the nail I prepped for a hinge pin, I filed a groove in it and all snapped in as required.

Thanks, Bounty Hunter. If mine drifts I'll try that. I think that may be the case with the LB too, but there wasn't much left to examine. Most of it fell out while shooting a stage.

[blackdragon]

I have used a pin punch that I cut off and installed and peened over both sides and it still broke, I think it is just a matter of time, Depending on how much you shoot.

Ivan

I just always have a couple plus a tube of super glue in my Limited bag.

I

[schoonie]

I used to break those pins regularly until I placed a piece of o-ring rubber under the leaf. It needs to be compressed slightly with the elevation control screw. This fix seems to dampen the recoil shock that the pin absorbs.

[blackdragon]

Back in the day, We would use rubber bands, Mine still broke!

Ivan

[Bergie]

I know this isn't supposed to happen but it did...So, If the pin is broken and comes out fully, and the captured sping comes out as well, how do you fix it?

[Braxton1]

I know this isn't supposed to happen but it did...So, If the pin is broken and comes out fully, and the captured sping comes out as well, how do you fix it?

Use a small punch to push the spring back in, rearward towards the elevation screw. Then slip the new pin in.

I make my replacement pins slightly short so that they recess into the hole just a little on both sides. Then, I peen in the edges of the hole, effectively closing them in, instead of trying to peen a brittle hardened pin.