.308 Garand sight and stock solutions?

[KY Rifleman]

Greetings all! I got my hands on a .308 Garand (barrel SA inc.) that a previous owner had turned into a match rifle. It has a NM oprod, sights, and a unitized handguard. The stock doesn't lock-up tight, but it is a beautiful GI stock with the markings and I hate to replace it. It shoots 2-3 MOA and I would like to improve that. It looks like someone put cardboard shims on the stock at the bottom of the magazine compartment (see pic) but it doesn't seem to do much. does anyone know of a good technique for tightening up the stock or is my best bet a new one?

On another note, the elevation on the rear sight seems to turn almost freely unless I tighten it up with a screwdriver to the point where quick adjustments aren't possible. I was thinking to just replace the NM rear sight assembly with something more standard issue and was wondering if an M14 sight might be a good idea since the weapon is in .308. Any thoughts?

[Beltfed]

Pictured is arsenal repaired stock.

[MRusan]

Sounds like a proper glass bedding and maybe a small tuneup by someone who knows how to do Garands might be in order. I think there are a few guys either here or definitely at the M14 forum who could make that right. As far as the bottom of the mag area where the trigger group mates, a thin piece of walnut in that area to make the fit right might cure that issue and eliminate the shims. That could get done by the same guy the same time, and if done right, won't be noticeable in the least, even better than an arsenal repair like the one shown by Beltfed (not that there is anything wrong with it, just that you can see it). As long as the repair gets a good bond, it would be permanent and worry free.

[KY Rifleman]

Beltfed- Thanks, I hadn't seen a picture of that fix before but I did read about it.
MRusan- sounds like a tuneup is a common thing for one of these rifles. I will look for a Garand guy in the area who can help me and do it right rather than trying and likely screwing it all up. thanks for the advice.

[jak]

Check the lugs on the trigger guard. They should be round, not "D" shaped. If they are "D" shaped, replace the trigger guard.
Also, get rid of the cardboard. If a good trigger guard doesn't fix the lockup the way I tighten up a loose stock is to glue strips of walnut wood veneer on the stock.
The veneer can also be stained to match the stock.

[KY Rifleman]

jak, thanks for the advice. I found some small 4-1/2 x 7" walnut veneer strips online. I might give that a shot. I did refinish the stock, so I have the tung oil on hand to make it match. It had a very high gloss finish on it when I got it. The trigger guard looks good to me, and when I swap it out with another one, it has the same problem, so I think it is the stock.

[Orlando]

Look closely at the bottom of the lugs, even a slight flat spot will affect lock up. The lugs should be perfectly round.

[RDS]

Pull your elevation knob and examine the protrusion that engages the serrations on the receiver. Either the protrusion is worn or the receiver serrations are worn. Tension on the elevation knob is set by adjusting the slotted nut in the windage knob. The large screw on the elevation knob is to adjust the elevation knob drum to reflect the yardage you have the elevation set too.

[KY Rifleman]

Thanks Orlando and RDS. I am out of town for a couple of days, but I will check it carefully when I get back. I would not have thought twice about such a small deformation to the lugs. Regarding the sight, I imagine its the protrusion, I checked the receiver and don't remember seeing any noticeable wear.

[lapriester]

You can use stick on wood veneer on the bottom in the number of layers you need. Or glue them in place. It comes in various thicknesses. Home Depot, Lowes. Or you can get thin magnet material. I've also seen magnetic tape used. It also is available in various thicknesses. Amazon.

On the sight? What is the condition of the receiver serrations? If they are worn badly you may not get solid clicks no matter what sight you put on there. Also inspect the condition of the "tit" on the elevation knob. If it is excessively worn it will not engage the receiver serrations for solid clicks without doing what you say you have to to hold the elevation tight. The knob can be repaired, rebuilt, replaced. For the receiver serrations, a disc can be placed to compensate for the worn serrations.

"Rear Sight Elevation Repair Disk" https://www.fulton-armory.com/rearsi...ationdisk.aspx

[lapriester]

Thanks Orlando and RDS. I am out of town for a couple of days, but I will check it carefully when I get back. I would not have thought twice about such a small deformation to the lugs. Regarding the sight, I imagine its the protrusion, I checked the receiver and don't remember seeing any noticeable wear.

Actually that small a flat spot generally won't cause a lockup problem. If it does, it's a stock compression problem. Perfectly round is a pretty difficult thing to achieve with a 70+ year old rifle. And you appear to have a milled triggerguard which would make it even less likely due to age. You could replace it with a new stamped one, which I'm sure you could get from Orlando, but chances are it will still lock up a bit loose.

[KY Rifleman]

Thanks a lot lapriester. I finally made it home and had a look at the rifle. The lugs on my trigger guard do have some flat spots (photo), but I know I need to do some work on the stock, so I'll start with that and see how it shoots. Regarding the sight, I'm afraid it might be the receiver. I attached some photos, but I will go ahead and order that disk you recommended. The tab on the elevation knob looks fine to me.

[RDS]

I agree. Replace the trigger guard with new stamped unit from Orlando. Replace the hammer pin as they wear and cause slop in the fit of trigger guard. Place disk between receiver and elevation knob.

[lapriester]

You will definately need a sharp tab on the elevation knob for the disc use. One side has the normal coarse serrations the receiver has to engage what's left on the receiver. The other side has finer serrations. Franklin advertises them as "repair" discs but, in the past, they were sold as discs to convert the 1 minute elevation clicks to 1/2 minute clicks by Creedmoor and others. Unless Franklin has changed that with a newer version it will still do that but, as I said, in order to get good capture on the finer serrations by the elevation "tit" it needs to be sharp. Some people have been known to apply a thin coat of JB Weld epoxy to the fine side and attaching it to the reciever so the coarser side faces the elevation knob.

[LavaTech]

THIS.....



...is what worn receiver serrations are like, yours appear to be still serviceable. Take a look with some magnification and it likely won't look too flat.