[bigcim]

I recently bought the front bracket to attach bayonet and cant figure out how to put it on. I think it goes on from the muzzle end but cant figure out how the sights come off. I took out the little pin but the sights don't budge. I can really use your guys help thanks

[DonP]

I just did that to my Auto-Ord M-1 Carbine.

Of course remove the magazine, unload and double check the chamber.

You have to press down the spring clip holding the barrel band in place, loosen and slide the old barrel band forward on the barrel first. Take off the handguard.

Loosen the rear screw that holds the receiver in the stock and slide the receiver up and out of the stock.

Now comes the fun part. You have to carefully remove the front sight, hopefully after marking it for position. You'll need a plastic or brass drift , (can't recall the size), to drive out the roll pin that holds it in place.

Then you have to gently tap off the front sight going from side to side and carefully drift it off the front. Pay attention to which part is the front and which is the rear for reassembly. I know it sounds dumb, but trust me, mark it. Also note the small groove in the top of the barrel where the lower part of the roll pin fits.

Then you can slide the old barrel band off and the new one on. Be careful, the Type 3 bands (with the bayonet lug) are pretty snug on the barrel and if you're not careful you can scratch the heck out of the barrel installing it since the tube for the bayonet lug has to slide all the way down the barrel. I loosened my Type 3 band up a little to preserve the barrel phosphating, then carefully clamped it down when it was in position.

IMPORTANT: Do a test fit to make sure your new barrel band fits the spring clip. Mine needed a littrle filing with a triangular rat tail file to have it fit the clip properly. This is much easier and safer to do with the barrel band off the rifle.

Once you're sure it fits properly (the clip fully engages the hole in the barrel band) start putting it back together.

Slide the sight back on the barrel (it doesn't hurt o add a drop or two of oil or light grease for this) carefully making sure front is front and the roll pin hole lines up perfectly with the both the hole in the sight and the small groove in the top of the barrel.

Once you have it in place you can slide the receiver back into the stock and retighten the rear hold down screw. Just make sure you have the receiver hooked into the rear mount properly.

[musher]

FWIW, if you have a USGI carbine without the bayonet lug, you might want to research the gun just a little before you proceed.

Most carbines received the bayonet lug during arsenal rebuilds after WWII. Carbines which were not rebuilt can be worth SUBSTANTIALLY more than rebuilt examples. If you happen to have an all original example, you could easily purchase a couple of rebuilt examples complete with bayo lugs for what you could sell yours for.

Your gun, but lots of guns have had their collector's value destroyed by owner 'improvements'.

[bigcim]

can I give you guys the numbers on it to find out what its worth

[musher]

If you want to disassemble the carbine and list the codes stamped on everything (including the stock in the sling/oiler cutout, left side), I'll try to give you some idea if it looks like it's all from the same manufacturer/timeframe.

If everything matches, it's probably worth having someone actually look at the thing to determine if it's original.

Follow Donp's instructions, but don't remove the front sight.

[bigcim]

I took a look at it the numbers match its was made by general motors

[Jeremy2171]

The numbers don't "match" on US arms as they were never serialized together. Now it could have all Inland parts (or correct subcontractor parts) and be considered "correct".

We need all the info on your carbine...serial number (xx out the last 2-3 numbers if you wish), barrel maker and date, what kind of rear sight ("L" shaped or "ramp/windage" adjustable) is the safety a push button or "flip". A few pics would help as well..

[musher]

Jeremy's right on that. Just about everything has a maker's code stamped on it (down to the trigger/sear etc)

First step in figuring out the value is trying to determine if all the parts are correct in the sense that they have the right codes and are of the right type for both the manufacturer and the date that the receiver was likely assembled into a carbine. Also any import marks or evidence of rebuild such as staking that's been sheared off is important to note.

If everything matches (is "correct") then your carbine is worth more than the 'average' carbine out there.

If you've got an all matching gun, then you need to get someone who can give you a professional opinion as to whether the carbine is likely to be original. Original is distinguished from correct in that an original example is considered likely to have all the same parts that it had when it left the factory (as opposed to having been 'made correct' by the later replacement of incorrect parts).

I think a lot more goes into that evaluation such as the provenance of the piece, whether the condition of the various parts is consistent, and so on. It's not something that can be done over an internet forum.

If you've got an original carbine, it's likely worth even more to a collector.

[Sistema1927]

An original carbine is one that most likely disappeared from military scrutiny during WWII. For example, a good friend of my Dad's was an 8th Air Force flyer and was shot down over France. Since the B17 was still flyable, with not enough power to maintain altitude, they rode it down to a French field rather than bail out. Once on the ground they encountered a squad of German soldiers. My Dad's friend dispatched two of the German soldiers with the carbine, three others fell to fellow crew members' 1911s, and the rest bugged out to obtain reinforcements. Before longthe crew hooked up with local French resistance members, and were eventually smuggled to the coast where they were picked up by a submarine for return to England.

My Dad's buddy made sure that the carbine never left his side, and "liberated" it upon return home. For many years it stood duty behind his bedroom door, and was lovingly maintained until his death in the 1980's. I have no clue what eventually happened to it, but it had never received a rebuild and had all original WWII parts, just as it came from Inland, when I last saw it.

It is the guns like this that remain all original, all the others underwent extensive rebuild and refurbishment like my Quality hardware carbine.

[SigfanUSAF]

DonP, your instructions may work well for the AO carbines, but not USGI.
First of all, it's not a roll pin, it's a solid pin. Secondly, the USGI sight is on a key on top of the barrel, IT WILL NOT MOVE SIDE TO SIDE. There is a USGI tool for this, looks like a battery terminal puller. Failing that, mount the stripped barreled receiver in a padded vise just behind the front sight, after removing the pin. Using a brass punch, gently tap the sight forward until it comes off the barrel. Sometimes they are very stubborn, and PB Blaster and/or some heat will help. There is no need to mark it's position, sa it will only go back on in the same place. Hope this helps.

[Carl N. Brown]

My IBM made carbine is a typical Franken-carbine--what you
end up wiith after years of service and arsenal rebuilds: the
adjustable sight, the wing safety, the three-lug magazine catch
for the 30 round magazine, the potbelly M2 stock, barrel band with
bayonet lug, parkerized finish, etc. even if the carbine was not
originally issued as such. Un-updated carbines are rare.
The barrel band with bayonet lug was such an update. The
plain barrel band (there were actually two variations) is an
earlier part version.

Before changing the carbine, have it checked: if it is near
factory parts and finish, don't touch it.

SIgfanUSAF is right: the GI sight is pinned AND keyed: there is
a flat metal piece that fits grooves in the barrel and in the sight
to prevent side-to-side play. Drive out the pin; tap the sight
straight forward to remove (not side to side).

[Sunray]

"...Carbines which were not rebuilt..." Those would be very, very few and far between. 99.99% of all carbines went throught an arsenal rebuild.

[GarandOwner]

"...Carbines which were not rebuilt..." Those would be very, very few and far between. 99.99% of all carbines went throught an arsenal rebuild.

I believe he meant carbines that have correct parts......though there would be no way to tell them from one that never recieved a rebuild

[musher]

Nope. I meant carbines that had not been rebuilt. I agree that they are VERY few and far between, which is why I cautioned bigcim against trying to install a bayonet lug forward band on his carbine without determining what it was.

It's not a terribly difficult exercise to determine if a carbine has all correct parts, and you do get a premium from collectors if a carbine is correct and not import marked.

One can come to an informed opinion regarding whether a carbine is original or restored to correct configuration, but it isn't any kind of exact science. Coming to a determination that a carbine is not only correct, but factory original requires more than simply looking at the marks on the parts. The carbine needs to be evaluated as a whole by a recognized expert in the field who is willing to write down their opinion regarding the piece. Additional things like the provenance (e.g. the scenario painted by Sistema1927), if verified, lends credence to the theory that the item has not been subject to rebuild and later restored.

The main point I was trying to make is that the lack of a bayo lug on a USGI carbine is an indicator that you should take a little closer look at the thing before making modifications that might reduce its value, as you just might have something special in your hands.

[DMK]

An "as manufactured" carbine would be very rare indeed and incredibly easy to fake with a little patience, effort and knowledge. I would be highly suspicious of any carbine with "all the right parts" unless it came directly from a museum or had a verifiable story like 1927Sistemas. And since the WWII vets are dying off, it's increasingly hard to verify even those.