Posted: 7/15/2013 9:38:39 PM EDT
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I know you are supposed to adjust the front sight on the M1 Garand for windage, but whenever I loosen the front sight screw, even a little, the front sight pretty much becomes very loose and slides on it's own. I need to be able to loosen, make tiny adjustments, tighten and repeat if necessary. What is the best way of doing this?
Thanks. |
Loosen it… right up to just before the point when it gets too loose, then stop. 
You need to keep it tight enough where you still need to tap on it to move it. So do what I said in reverse. Make it too loose, then tighten it just a smidgin. Then tap, tap, tap. |
Front sights have been problematic for becoming loose, best is to leave them alone, or replace it with a new one, another option is to thinly slice it cross ways in such a way that the screw will compress it more against the dove-tail.....back in the day that screw was plugged so GI's wouldn't frigg with it; that's what the rear adjustment is for. 
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Quoted:
Loosen it… right up to just before the point when it gets too loose, then stop.
You need to keep it tight enough where you still need to tap on it to move it. So do what I said in reverse. Make it too loose, then tighten it just a smidgin. Then tap, tap, tap. I know what I'm supposed to do in theory, but as soon as it breaks free it slides. Is there a front sight tool like the have for Mosins or Mausers? |
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I loosen them right up. use the base flats on each side of the sight as a reference. As far as how much you have to move the front sight to zero use the graduations on the rear sight as a gage. Each scribed windage tick mark is 4 moa on the sight and it takes 4 clicks to go from tick mark to tick mark. If you need 4 moa of front sight correction, you want to move the front sight only that distance between the tick marks on the rear.
I shoot the rifle with the rear sight on zero windage, adjust elevation and windage to get impact to center. Read the rear sight, ie 5 clicks from center. Look at the distance that 5 click from center is on the rear and know that's the amount I need to move the front. I eyeball the space on each side of the sight and what it should look like after correction. Then slide the front sight and lock her down. (and move the rear sight to center if needed at that point. That should get you within a click or two of center. the army said you can move the front sight as far as necessary as long as the sight did not overhang the base and it was in spec. Personally I think it's distracting if you're over that far and would rather have the front sight over a bit and still require a few clicks of rear sight windage. When you're that far over it's often a case of an over/under screwed on barrel. I do like the rear to be zeroed with the rear sight on center but can be quite happy if I'm within a click or 3. Frankly if I need more windage than that due to wind, I'm not on the range anyhow.
Dealing with excessive elevation is more of a problem. I don't really like when my 100 yard zero on a garand is 14 clicks up. That lets your sight wobble more up there and it can affect your cheek weld when you get too high. Sometimes you can replace a front sight if it's been filed on. |
| I measure the distance from the side of the sight to the edge of the sight base with the back end of a dial caliper, and compute my move for mechanical zero on the rear sight. If memory serves, .007" of front sight movement is one MOA. Remember that when moving the front sight you go in the opposite direction of where you want the group to move; if you want your group to move to the left, you would move the front sight to the right. If you put a NM front sight on you will also probably want to file it. They were made tall, and unfiled they require a Hell of a lot of rear elevation clicks to get on paper at 100. They are also, obviously, .007" of sight filed off for a click of elevation saved. |