M1A1 Carbine stock slack

[lboos]

Thank's,
I don't know how I missed it. nice looking A1. get that leather face plate fix'ed, it's no big deal. they are a special kind of gun.

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[mrclark303]

A couple of pieces of insulation tape added to the rear and it's solid in the stock with no movement, I've only got 25 rounds left of .30 carbine, but I'll see how fast the tape compresses.

[INLAND44]

Now that you see what it needs, try to figure how you can modify the recoil plate accordingly, usually by peening/bending. You want to make the same kind of repairs the armorers would have done.

[mrclark303]

Hmm, I know exactly what you're saying Inland, but, as the tape works, I'm reluctant to modify any part of a rare original!

I think I'll monitor the situation and see how it works....

[USGI]

I tried the method recommended in the CMP article on my M1. Whacked on the recoil plate with a large plastic mallet and it ended up in two pieces - not what I was hoping for! - Bob

[Patrick Chadwick]

"Whacked on the recoil plate with a large plastic mallet and it ended up in two pieces"

A tip for the next one you try: The word is "peening", not "forging" ! And you will never peen steel with a piece of plastic. The peening tool must be harder than the object, but not heavy. And preferably lighter than the object being peened, otherwise it is extremely difficult to dose the energy applied.

It requires a light, small-headed steel hammer* applied with a quick stroke. More a flick of the wrist than a power blow. And the piece being peened should sit on a fairly dead surface - hardwood, or possibly brass - to reduce shock waves in the piece being peened.

I found it quite easy to peen the recoil plate on my carbine so that, without the front band, the barrelled action sits about 1/4" high at the front of the barrel channel. When the band is fitted it then produces just enough pressure to stop the action being loose, without bending anything.

Since I have won a couple of competitions with this carbine, I reckon the method is valid.

*Yes, I did indeed use a jeweller's hammer. The 10-pounder sledge wasn't quite precise enough.

[USGI]

I think most of us here aren't novices when it comes to metal working or firearm maintenance. Sorry if using the word "Whacked" offended anyone, but I used it purposely to make a point. That being, a recoil plate can be easily broken! I was trying to preserve the finish on a NOS recoil plate, and for sure did not want to "peen" it with a steel faced hammer. I don't own a rawhide faced mallet or a dead-blow hammer, so tried the plastic mallet. I increased the force of the blows gradually with no change in fit to the receiver, until the piece broke. I know the problem was actually with the receiver since I had tried it with several other recoil plates and all of them were very loose. After the milled recoil plate was broken by the "Whacking," I tried the same thing with an inexpensive post-war cast plate and got it to tighten up without breaking first. "That's my story and I'm sticking to it." If the tape doesn't hold up on the M1A1, I would try a piece of shim stock before "whacking" on it. Been there and done that! - Bob

[mrclark303]

Just for fun, here's a good friend and fellow Milsurper putting the Carbine through its paces on Wednesday.

He rather enjoyed it, it's one of those rifles that always puts a stupid smile on your face...

He enjoyed himself immensely

[INLAND44]

Its a special case with this situation, because you don't want to change the receiver so as not to mess up the perfect fit it has in the other stock, plus the fact that the M1A1q recoil plate is different than the standard one and of a lighter construction. I've never messed with an M1A1 but it looks like you could shim out the recoil plate with metal that would not be seen, and fix your problem. Not exactly 'GI' but better than gooey tape.
If you could modify the receiver, the problem would be quickly solved - the 'tang' on the back of it would be peened to hang the receiver correctly in the M1A1 stock. That's what I would recommend doing. Changing a carbine back and forth between stocks is not the way to get a proper fit and keep it.
But, until you tried it after fitting it to the M1A1, you don't know that it wouldn't fit the other stock as well as it did.