Need help fitting a Type1 band on my S'G'

[USGI]

I just finished some work on my Saginaw S'G' stock and hand guard. When I put it back together, it doesn't seem like the band fits right - it's got a gap at the top, so I tried setting the hand guard away from the receiver a little bit. That might have made the problem worse. Everything seems awfully loose unless I tighten the screw down enough that the swivel no longer swings freely. Is that the way the swivel is supposed to be? Maybe the whole band assembly is warped or something? I tried to find some pictures of others on auction sites, and they look about the same as mine. The band just doesn't fit as well as the Type 3 bands on my other carbines. I guess that's one of the reasons for the switch to the wider bands. Does anyone have any tips for getting this thing to fit better? Thanks - Bob

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[Harlan (Deceased)]

Hi USGI
First, nice S'G', and first chance to welcome you to the forum.

About these 'wonderful' type I bands we all prise -
(You are correct that the type I bands were redesigned because they didn't work very well in use)

Yes, it is common for Type I bands not to snug down very well today, but I understand your concern.

No, the band screw shouldn't be tightened down so tight the swivel won't move.

Since the thin band also supported the weight of the gun it was under a lot of stress.
The thin width didn't offer very much lateral support when new, and after the stock became compressed/worn under the thin band they became less secure. They could sometimes cant enough into worn recesses for the hand guard to come off.

Your hand guard should be seated all the way back into the collar. By moving your hand guard out of place (forward) and tightening the band while canted until it's tight, you may be compressing the wood more and create an even deeper groove in your stock.

You probably already know by now, but you only need to loosen the barrel band screw, then depress the barrel band spring to slide the band forward to remove the stock.

I've never used a carbine with a type I band as a shooter, so I wasn't concerned the band didn't fit tightly. I supposed you could shim under the band or HG to get it tighter, but I never wanted to mess with anything on mine.

Others may know of something else to do but hope this helps some.
~ Harlan

[USGI]

Harlan, Thanks for the warm welcome and helpful comments regarding the band. I've been lurking for several months, and recently became more interested after finding this S'G'. I plan on shooting this one as soon as the weather warms up a bit. I adjusted the hand guard as per your recommendations and have the screw set to where the swivel is just starting to tighten up. There are about (4) screw threads extending from the band. Everything still wiggles a little bit, but not enough that I think the hand guard will fly off. I think the main problem is with the wood being compressed in the area of the band. I recently retired, and used to work with a fellow (about 20 years older-now gone) that was very interested in the Confederate Air Force. He attended several shows/meets and brought home a lot of pictures. He was a Finn with the last name of Hukari - you may have met him? Again, I appreciate the helpful nature and the acceptance of the Milsurp members. - Bob

[Harlan (Deceased)]

Bob,

I don't remember your friend's name, but I've seen thousands of people during air shows. I may have passed him somewhere along the way. (Who knows?)

It sounds like you've gotten the barrel band fitting correctly. There's almost a science to getting the action seated though.
(They can be finicky, and if you don't get it right your accuracy will suffer because of this alone)

The key is to get the rear under the recoil plate correctly, then the barrel should just have just a little tension before laying down. As you've probably noticed, the only thing holding it is at the rear and the barrel band section at the front. The rest of the assy is free. That's why I prefer shooting carbines that have the type 3 bands with bayonet lug. They remain pretty stable.

After you take one apart it may take a while to get it to seat properly again. With the front band off so the barrel is free, I put the rear under the recoil plate and then bump the butt of the stock on a carpet I have in front of my work bench that's laying on a concrete floor. Just bump it enough to get it to seat and not bind when you lower the barrel into the barrel channel of the stock.

There's probably better descriptions than this, and other methods. I think INLAND44 has written a good description before and I'm sure others have ideas and/or better written instructions than I've done, but seating the action back in is important.

I think you'll really like this group. There's a lot of good guys here with a ton of knowledge. Just read along with the posts, ask questions if you don't understand something and you'll learn a lot -
Most of all, have fun! That's what this hobby is about.

~ Harlan