Removing the front lower sling loop - AI AW

[matdoodson]

Evening all,

I wonder if someone might point me in the right direction. I exchanged a few notes with Pe4king for his Accuracy International AW at the weekend. What with that and a Schmidt & Bender purchase I was reluctant to throw more money at a bipod, so opted for the £12 Harris bipod adapter for now as I already have a Harris bipod I can use.

Question is, how do I remove the front lower sling loop in order to fit this adapter? I've had the stock sides off, but can't see how I get this metal tubular "pin" out.... and thought it best to ask a question on here before I took a hammer and screwdriver to it! I found the AW manual online, but it doesn't seem to cover this.......

Any tips?

Cheers,
Mat

[ovenpaa]

That round bit at the bottom behind the spigot release is a Harris bipod adapter however it looks like the centre bushing is missing unless it is different to the ones I have had.

It is removed by knocking the roll pin above it out from one side. Hammer it out with a suitable drift in other words

[matdoodson]

Ah, hello David.. thanks for getting back to me.

Here's a picture with the Harris adapter - like you say it's essentially the same part, it just has additional metal bushing to allow the Harris something to bite.

Do you think it matters which side I hammer from? That roll pin won't be tapered will it? Best I can do is probably find a bolt of about the same diameter and use that to persuade it out....

[ovenpaa]

I knock them out from the LHS or as viewed in the picture. The correct sized drift is a better option however a bolt should do as long as it is a tad smaller than the OD of the pin, just mind your fingers! I use a piece of steel machined to the correct diameter machined down so the end just fits inside the pin so it is always aligned, make sure it is well supported on the back side, a piece of hard wood with a hole drilled in it will suffice. Shout if you get stuck, it is a 5 minute job to machine a suitable drift.

[matdoodson]

I need my garage back! I used to have a decent workbench set up with the tools, materials, good lighting and importantly an old stash of vinyl - perfect for tinkering with this sort of stuff. Unfortunately the garage is now a couple of miles away and full of my sisters worldly possessions. Anyway, back to the task in hand....

So can I just check one more thing? Is the roll pin under any tension? Will it spring open once I knock it out? How hard is it to get back in afterwards? Just when you said a piece of "hardwood with a hole drilled in it". That's just to provide support whilst persuading the pin out is it? The hole in the wood isn't to keep the pin under tension?

Cheers for the offer of a machined drift - I may well come back to you if I take too many lumps out of my fingers!!

[ovenpaa]

The roll pin is under some tension however it does drift in and out OK. The wooden block is only there to support the underside edge of the chassis and the hole is for the pin to drop into. You can improvise if needed and it is possible to do the job with the chassis across your knees however it takes a bit more effort as the chassis is not as well supported. I prefer a drift with a reduced section on the end as it prevents the drift form bouncing across the chassis when it is hit.

[matdoodson]

Perfect explanation.. I'll have a crack at this later. Much appreciated, thank you..

[matdoodson]

Easy when you know how!! I opted for the chassis over the knees technique and used a drill bit holder to punch the roll pin half way out, swapped the sling loop widget out and job done! The AW is now loaded with the Harris bipod and 5-25 S&B scope.... ready to go!

Thanks again for the guidance Ovenpaa..