recoil plate gap

[INLAND44]

You're probably going to need a later recoil plate, Type III maybe, don't remember. Possibly somebody has messed with the receiver tang and filed it down out of ignorance of how to install the carbine into the stock. In that case you're screwed unless you are willing to have the tang built up with weldment and reshaped. I've never seen one with a gap that bad. When everything is to spec, you hang the receiver on the plate, and without pulling it down, smack on the buttplate repeatedly to settle the action. It should settle with the barrel over the barrel channel by about 1/8", and it makes a 'clunk' when it settles. Then, the barrel band will lock into place with little to no pulling down on the barrel. With the carbine completely assembled, hold the wrist of the stock with one hand and the barrel with the other - yank back and forth like you're trying to pull the barrel straight out of the carbine. If there is any perceptable movement, adjustment of the recoil plate/receiver tang fit is required. Here is a link to how to adjust the recoil plate, but I don't know if this can account for a gap like you have: http://www.odcmp.com/Training/CR/CarbineNotes.pdf