Plainfield Carbine Front Sight woe's

[Richard H Brown Jr]

Had a weird problem with a Plainfield M-1 carbine, that had to get fixed by my friendly neighborhood smith. The front sight was loose, fore and aft.

Looking at the manuals, and Numrich parts diagram, I figured either the Front Sight Pin or the Front Sight Key, or the Front Sight was borked. (Hoping it wasn't the barrel inlet).

1 of each of the bits, and a visit to the gunsmith, and Plainfield potmetal
front sight replaced with GI parts.

Seems the Front Sight Key was the problem. The half moon cutout where the Front Sight Pin goes thru to secure the Front Sight to the Front Sight Key, was all mishapen and now oval instead of round. and metal of the Key was mushed up over onto the horizontal section of the key.

So if your front sight wobbles, that's the cure.

RHB

[Sunray]

"...Plainfield potmetal..." Pot metal they ain't. Might be if your's is an Iver Johnson, but PMC made carbine sights are made of good steel.
You could have just replaced the key. Not exactly inexpensive at $5.15 each from Gunparts though.