rear sight install help?

[Davy Crockett]

I picked up one of those Italian Garand sights a while ago and never got around to installing. For some reason I had it in my head that it was a bit of a tricky install (probably something I read here). Before I tear things apart is there anything I need to know or is it pretty straight forward?

 

[M14Doctor]

Adjust sight base all way to left and then undo windage lock ring and once loose turn windage knob to rear to unthread from housing and remove windage knob
Install is reverse

 

[RifleDude]

Here's a good dis-assembly/re-assembly instructional for Garand rear sights (same as M14 rear sights): http://www.surplusrifle.com/garand/rsdisassembly/index.asp

Have fun

 

[purple]

A few additional tips;
1. Use the aperture itself to pop off the sight base and cover. Just raise it about half way and lean forward on it.
2.when installing the windage knob,look inside to see the flat. The flat should correspond with the flat on the shaft of the elevation knob shaft before you begin to screw in the windage nut.
3. when you tighten the inner nut of the windage knob make sure you don't overdo it. Tighten enough so that the windage knob will still turn and the elevation knob moves with good positive clicks and the aperture cannot be forced down by hand.
4. before installing the elevation knob make sure the center screw is good and tight. Hold the knob in a plier or vice grip with a couple of cleaning patches on it to prevent marring,then turn down the center screw tight with a proper fitting driver.
5. use grease on all rear sight parts-on the bottom front of the base,on the inside tracks of the base where the aperture runs,on the teeth and toe of the aperture,on the inside rib of the cover,on the inside face of the windage knob where it bears against the receiver,on the "tit" of the elevation knob where it bears against the receiver,and on the shaft of windage and elevation knobs where they turn in the base. Grease will prevent wear and tends to tighten up the "slop" between the various parts.

 

[Davy Crockett]

Thanks guys

 

[HeliBif]

Hey, the baggy that my national match sights came in contains a very small ball bearing, and a spring... what are these for??

 

[Hungry]

Sproingfield Armories INC in an effort to 'go cheap' (read: as opposed to the Hungry Welfare approach) would employ that spring loaded ball bearing method. This means of going cheap got around the need to used a rear NM base and rear NM windage knob that is threaded 32 tpi instead of the standard issued 16 tpi pitch. The mods YOU must do for that ball bearing is to drill a hole the diameter of that ball bearing into your receiver so that the spring and ball bearing will push up and offer resistance to the specially peened USGI standard 16 tpi windage knob. I'm so disgusted with this method that I'm stopping the description process.

The bottom line is, I've repaired and restored many M1A's that had this cheapo fix done. It's not the right approach and SA Inc continues to market this approach in their NM level boomsticks instead of using the correct NM modification. This negative thinking is wearing me down....

Cheers and I hope this helps,
Barney

 

[M14Doctor]

Sproingfield Armories INC in an effort to 'go cheap' (read: as opposed to the Hungry Welfare approach) would employ that spring loaded ball bearing method. This means of going cheap got around the need to used a rear NM base and rear NM windage knob that is threaded 32 tpi instead of the standard issued 16 tpi pitch. The mods YOU must do for that ball bearing is to drill a hole the diameter of that ball bearing into your receiver so that the spring and ball bearing will push up and offer resistance to the specially peened USGI standard 16 tpi windage knob. I'm so disgusted with this method that I'm stopping the description process.

The bottom line is, I've repaired and restored many M1A's that had this cheapo fix done. It's not the right approach and SA Inc continues to market this approach in their NM level boomsticks instead of using the correct NM modification. This negative thinking is wearing me down....

Cheers and I hope this helps,
Barney

yup, i agree, though you have probably seen this more than I. if i had not been schooled about this, it would have left me scratching my head the first time i came across it. thank gawd we do not run into this one too often

 

[HeliBif]

Damnit. I was wondering why the windage didn't have any "clickyness" to it
Thanks for the info, Hungry... I should have come to Calgary!!

Can I run it as is, without the spring&ball nonsense?