Replacing AR-15 ejection port dust cover - EASY!!! 

I am a 71 yr old female with advanced arthritis in my right hand. I want to thank you for this youtube video. It gave me a good sight picture of what needed to be done with great verbal instruction. Replaced my dust cover this morning even with my physical issues. sv

Literally tried for 20 minutes until I found your video and the “pull down and out”. 2 seconds later... it’s off!!! Thank you!!!

Years later and your video is still helping people. Thank you! With this video I had the confidence to tackle it myself. I did as instructed and was questioning the tape and boy am I glad I listened. That rod is JAMMED in there TIGHT. The replacement dust cover i had purchased came with a new rod but that rod didn't have the retention clip. This video gave me the confidence to use the OEM rod and retention clip as SURELY its better than not having one with the new rod. ANYWAYS, thanks a ton! This video seemed to stretch on forever but once I was IN your shoes I'm glad it did. The process was super easy and clear to follow. Cheer brother :)

Nice! I have done this before, but it's been a while. With all the various calibers running around for the AR platform, I decided to mark all of my uppers with caliber specific dust covers. After receiving a number of dust covers in the mail, I checked out your video to refresh my memory on how to knock these out. About 20 minutes later, they were all done, thanks to your helpful video.

Followed your tips and had the dust cover changed out in about 5 min., no problems at all! Thanks dude for a great informative video.

Take a small flat screwdriver. Rotate the E clip so the open side faces the receiver. Put the tip of your screwdriver under one of the "slots" in the E clip and then rotate the screwdriver. That will pop the clip right off without any pulling or damage to the finish. You can put a rag over it before you pop it off so it doesn't fly across the room. Easy. Pushing on the clip is a sure fire way to scratch the finish when your tools slip off.

Great video-Thank you for your help! this took me less than 5 mins. it took more work to get the stock one off than putting the Magpul one on 😆

Great instructional video. Helped me get it done in 10 minutes. As a previous poster stated, the hardest part was nothing the little C clip and spring. Well done sir.

This is definately the best video on changing out the dust cover I've seen and because of this, you've convinced me to do it for my daughters rifle. Thanks. You are the only one that really discusses and shows how to deal with putting the spring back on. Great video.

With all the videos and ways I’ve tried to get that seed from hell off, this is the only one that worked, 1st try! Thank you 🙏!

Thanks for your expertise into this video. I have a PSA AR-15 in 300 blackout. It was very difficult and time consuming process. PSA must push their dust cover pin on a press machine, because it was very close to the medal forearm. I couldn't even get a exacto blade in between to push the pin out a little bit. I had to use a brass punch rod with a hammer to get it to move. It was a pain in the wazzoo!!! Thank you So much for this very instructional video.

Yes I grew up with my dad refusing to pay anybody to do something he could figure out. Of course I was right there holding the flashlight and tools. Always funny when you finally figure out the easy way. We broke a lot of things finding out the secret "tab" or hidden screw. Cheers!

First time changing a dust cover and was able to do this in about 10 minutes with the help of this video. Excellent stuff. Only thing that's missing is putting the c clamp back on, ended up being the hardest part. I suggest using tweezers and pushing it into the groove until it's sort of stuck on there. Then take a small flat head and push down hard on the top of the clamp. Should click in.

I have had one of these sitting in my work bench for months dressing installing it. Watched your video and done deal within 5 minutes. Thank You!

2024, this video came out as 1st displayed. I'm fighting getting the c clip back on my 2nd install, lol. 1st one went easily. # 2 is being a bee - yotch. Nothing like taking a break and watching how easy you get it done... now to find tweezers. Thanks 👍👍

Great instructional video. I just picked up a used Bushmaster upper missing the dust cover and thought the handguard ring needed to be removed, which meant the entire gun was going to have to be disassembled. Thank gawd I found your video.

Well, that was after far too many failed attempts (as I showed at the end) so I was quite excited to finally get it. :-)

I knew this was going to be a beast. After about 30min of failing i remembered that i bough my wife a micro screwdriver set. Used the very small flat head and another that just came to a point. Three tries and that little C clamp flew off to never be seen again, haha. Forgot someone suggested putting ointment on it so it wouldn't fly away. I bought a UDC ultimate dust cover so I don't have to worry about this again. Thanks for the video. It really helped. Happy 10th year Anniversary!

I actually found it was easier to point the opening of the C-clamp toward the upper and pry up on it. It went flying but I was in a controlled environment and recovered it right away. Awesome video man. That was easy!

Perfect. Ageless video for this modification. Much appreciated!

Well done. Nice to see someone brave enough to show their failures. Enjoyed your honesty. Keep up the good work!!

You sound like someone I'd regularly hang out with on any given day doing any old activity. You sir, sound like a friend I've had for years that I sadly rarely see anymore.

I've never tried to replace my dust cover before. It didn't seem very complicated when I watched your video and it took me a whole 2 minutes maybe to complete the swap. I'm guessing from the comments that it has been a problem for alot of people so thanks for the great video. First try = perfect success..

Followed your instructions to remove and replace dust cover,awesome. No problems whatsoever. Thanks.

Thanks so much for making this video! I replaced mine in under 15 minutes...never have done it before. I think the toughest part was getting that little bugger of a clip back on without losing it! Thanks again!

Have a new dust cover and wanted to watch a video on how to replace. Your process was the best and easiest overall. The C clamp only flew on the floor once. Good job on explaining the small details it does help when you have never done this before.

Thanks for doing the trial & error for me. After seeing it done once, I swapped my cover and think that was the easiest change I've ever made on my AR.

great method, successful on my first attempt, took less than 3 minutes start to finish, with no marred finish thanks to the electrical tape...much appreciated! :)

Looked at a few videos for this. This was by far the easiest!!!!! Replaced two covers in the amount of time most videos spent looking for their needle nose pliers. Had some small flat end tweezers that fit over the pin and just pushed the c clip right off. Thanks for the video !!

Thanks a lot. I can finally replace that cover I bought over a year ago. You're the man!!!

So, I did mine in literally 5 minutes. Instead of using tweezers for the c clamp, use the flat tab of a cheap bic pen cap. Worked on the first try with ease!

Took me all of 7 min to do it. I watched your intro and was done by the out takes. Great video. For the tape use masking tape and fold it in half to fit. Its thick enough to slide behinf the guide rod and stay in place. Also it will catch the c clamp. I used a small flat head screw driver and a paint can opener to femove the clamp. Came off easy. Then used a pair of pliers with masking tape on the tongs to pull the guide rod. No scatches. And my AR15 "DANIELLE" now has her famous catch phrase "CASH ME OUSSIDE ....HOWBOW DAH!"

Man, thank you for your patience and very easy to follow video. I followed step by step and had perfect success. Thank you!!!

Yooooooooooooooo this made my life so much better. I lost the c clamp from watching another vid. Had to wait to get more, and then I found this vid and BOOM💥! Perfect!

Great vid, you made this super fast and easy clear to follow, had 0 issues and took just minutes

Coming from the RC hobby, I am very familiar with E clips. Usually they fly off into the abyss, so be careful with that. Great video, thank you for sharing :D

Thanks to your well done video, I followed your procedure and was able to replace my dust cover with no problem whatsoever. Thanks for posting it.

SAVED ME ON THIS ONE BROTHER!! That spring had me so confused. The "C" clamp for me was as easy as 1, 2, 3

Never find a more helpful video thank you I would have never figured this out on my own

Broke like 3 pairs of tweezers while doing this but finally got it on! thanks man!

Thanks for the video, clearly showed up close of how to keep the port cover from being flimsy by rotating the spring to keep it in place.

Thanks man! You saved me a lot of heartache! Less than 5min process....and most of that was putting the c clamp back on! [Note do this over a hard surface...not carpet! Trust me ;) ]

This is the most helpful video I've seen on how to replace the dust cover. Thank you!

Super easy. Fantastic video! I used this to change my 1st one over a year ago. Just used it again as a refresher.

Dude! Thanks so much! This worked great! And I didnt scratch my emotional pew pew one bit. You're the real mvp!

"Surely there is someone I can pay to do this!" Haha I was thinking the same thing while watching other videos on how to change the cover.

That little C clip was a booger though. I almost lost it twice! Thanks again. All good tips.

Much easier than the way I usually do it lol. Now I can order my custom dust cover that I've been putting off for the last year lol thanks bro.

Although old, still very helpful. Thank you sir for providing this info as I am working on a 300 Blackout build and wanted to know the process of adding a custom cover. Thank you once again...

*EXCELLENT TUTORIAL! THE TAPE IDEA IS A GREAT SUGGESTION...THANK YOU!*

This video really helped. After watching this I literally changed mine in three minutes using a pair of fingernail clippers and a pocket knife. Thanks for the vid.

That technique to remove the e-clip worked perfectly! Excellent tip!

Good work on the video. This is the only tutorial I watched for swapping the ejection port cover and it was a snap. Had two of them changed out in 20 minutes or less. Thanks.

Thanks for posting, it helped me out. That C clip was a pain, glad I did not have to reinstall it. The new dust cover was spring loaded and snapped in place easily.

Easy like Sunday morning!! Thank you very much:)

thanks for the video it really helped me fix my spring without disassembling the entire thing... I almost lost the c clamp when i was putting it back in. Looked down and it was such a good thing that it had clp on it...it stuck to my shirt thankfully...

Thanks alot for this video. Me and my friend were stripping some hydro dip off my ar15 and he didn't put the spring on correctly. I was thinking I had to take the barrel nut off again. This saved me a hassle. 🖒🖒🖒 thanks again friend!

9 years later... Thanks for the great video man!

great job. this video saved me a world of grief. switched mine out in maybe a quarter of an hour.

i just could not figure out how the hell to put the dust cover spring back on. i didnt realise i had to twist it. thanks man, liked

This video was perfect. I used some tape two punches and a pair of pliers and it took me about 5 minutes. Maybe I got lucky haha thank you!

Amazing how such a tiny piece requires 2 tools to work with it! 😆 I know the frustration as I just did my very first one yesterday! A booger it is for sure! And I really like that sharp needle nose tweezers you have! I need to find a pair like that. Looks like they come in very handy! So I can testify that in addition to those "precision" tools, this "simple" procedure does require patience, persistence and 2 STEADY HANDS!! WELL DONE!!!😊👍

I used two 0.7 mm mechanical pencils after struggling with the tweezers and screwdriver. Literally took me 10 seconds. Too easy!!!!!

Thanks so much for this awesome video! I just did one dust cover and have to do another. I actually ordered a dust cover kit in case I lost the C clamp but with your help I didn't need to use it.

Excellent advice! I'm about to undertake this very upgrade and I'm sure that you'll be saving me some heartburn!

Great info!! Used your technique and had my old cover off and the new dust cover on in less than 5 minutes. Wow, I agree that could have been a real nightmare if I had tried it without seeing your video. Thanks a bunch!

Tip. The next time you manage to miraculously remove that horrible C Clip without destroying your gun, throw the clip in the trash! Secure the rod in place as follows. Simply obtain a small ZIPTIE, cinch it down tightly at the same location where the C Clip used to reside. Trim the ZIPTIE down as far as possible and you’re done. The ZIPTIE lock will be barely noticeable, allow free rotation of the rod and be easily removable by simply trimming it away. SCREW THAT C CLIP. Or option 2 is to simply buy a Strike Industries Billet Dust Cover which takes 5 seconds to install or remove. PEACE!

I followed along step by step, easy with clear instructions, great video 👏🏻 very helpful 🙏

Thanks a bunch for making this how-to!😊 I would have been afraid to tackle the job without your video.

Thanks for the video. Got my new dust cover installed in no time.

Guidance worked great. I used some dentistry type tools from harbor freight and was done in 3 mins

Awesome video! Thanks to you it took 30 seconds to take the old dust cover off

Great instruction buddy! Done in 10 minutes with your help. Thank you!

You’re the man. I can’t get that little guy on and I must have lost it 47 times 😅😅😅😅

"Peace through strength" Cicero in his grave making the big Bugs Bunny face: "N O"

If I knew it was this much of a pain in the ass I wouldn’t buy a cool ejection cover cool video loved looking for my c clamp in the carpet

Watched this video and learned so much.... mostly the fact that Armalite completely covers this with its lengthy Handguard which is over loctited, so my local gunsmith should have a field day when I make him do it instead

I don’t know how you made it look so easy to put back on. I lost the clamp the 4th time I dropped it. Broke the second clamp. So decided to just slightly bend the distal part of rod. #RipJerk

Glad your vid was the first one I chose. Had the horseshoe clamp off by the 3rd try. Appreciate the tip.

Well done. This will come in handy next week for my 300 Blackout dust cover swap.

Thanks alot!.i watched this video before my cover came in the mail so i was ready when i got it. it took me less than ten minutes using your trick ,thanks for sweating it out to show us tubers a better way!

Good video. I'm planning on changing the dust cover on my rifle. This gives me hope that I won't screw it up too bad. I never underestimate my ability to foul things up. 🤷‍♂️

Great and easy video to follow. Just watched and applied it. For a grunt, you brought it down to my level. Thanks for the technique.

Thanks bro I was trying to put my rig back together after a paint job and couldnt get the proper tension you solved the issue thanks!

Late to the game, I used those small 3d printer pliers/cutters since they have a flat side, set the clip like you had and pushed, then it created a small gap which you can use a pocket knife tip to get in the space and pry out. Also It helps if you have a flashlight on your head to see the black on black, heh.

nice video and thanks for sharing. Strike industries has a polyurethane dust cover c-clipless install. Strike's hinge rod/Bar is retractable. When compressed simultaeously, the rod pops into the front and rear boss. Amazing

Great video. After watching I was able to change my dust cover in about 15 minutes!

I think they are Tweezerman, but I have a similar pair that I picked up at Walmart for a bunch less.

You're welcome! Glad you found it helpful and it made it easier for you!

Much appreciated for this! Just used a pair of pliers to get it off. Use both points of the pliers to push on both sides at the same time. :D

Thanks real big help. Great advice. I did mine in less than 5 min after seeing the video

Thanks! Until I figured out what I was doing with this install it was a bit painful as you saw. :-) That's why I seemed so elated in the first half of the vid, which was after I'd toiled for quite some time! Thanks for the sub btw! :-)

Your technique worked well. Had it changed out in under 5 min. Thanks!

Excellent video! I was thinking I would have to remove the barrel to replace a broken cover spring! Sure glad I came across this video had it replaced in under 10 minutes!

Great video. My AR for some reason didn't come with the retaining clip on the bar so the bar would back out over time. Well it finally came out and I guess un-wound the spring making the dust cover not function properly. It had no spring action. After watching this I saw what I had to do to get it working right again. Thanks for the information.

Great video, I struggled with that C-clamp ended up loosing it 😂 off to the store to buy another!

Good guide man. I actually used my needle nose pliers and just removed the clip with no damage.

Great instructional video, used your technique and replace the cover in less than 5 minutes. Thanks.

Thanks for this, Now I am going to go at it one more time, thank goodness I did buy the economy 3 C clip package

great video, after watching i got mine changed out in less than 5 mins