Bring out the gas traps....

[cruiserdan]

That would be from Colin Green then and he was making front sights from what I understood. The cylinder is worth it even if there is a crack in it with how rare they are.

It is a nice piece and they are fun to build and look for parts. You may find a barrel before a stock ferrule. It seems people saved the barrels for what ever reason but tossed the guard ferrules out as they didn't have a use for them.

The cylinder did indeed come from Colin. He indicated to me that the front sight was made in Australia sometime during the war.
I have a "current" repro curved-ear sight and this flat ear sight is a lot nicer and much better made. Here are a couple close-ups, one showing the crack.

[Rick B]

The thing to think about here is,,, if it was faked or made by the Australians back then you wouldn't know so to fake it and say it was made is a easy thing to do. Also I can not see the Ausie's putting the drawing numbers on it as it would make no sense for them to.

You would have no way to tell and if it was made by the Ausie's as a replacement 60 years ago or last year so value would be nothing more than a repro. Now if Colin can show you proof of this story it would make a difference. That is why buying the gun or part and not the story is key. Rick B

[Rick B]

One thing I did want you to understand is that from your photos I am not sure if it is real or not so I am not trying to say your sight is a fake. I would have to see it in person as the numbers are really close to correct. It may be a real WWII Model 1936 sight but the story he gave you on it being made in Australia is what I don't agree with. Rick B

[cruiserdan]

One thing I did want you to understand is that from your photos I am not sure if it is real or not so I am not trying to say your sight is a fake. I would have to see it in person as the numbers are really close to correct. It may be a real WWII Model 1936 sight but the story he gave you on it being made in Australia is what I don't agree with. Rick B

If the sight is a "fake" it's a pretty darn nice fake and I'm in the whole cylinder for a fair price even if it is.

I do agree about "buy the gun, not the story" and that's what I did. Colin is a fascinating fellow however and he has some very interesting stories about the M1 in Australia. If they are all imaginary I want some of what he's on because it would have to be really good...

[RCS]

There have been some really nice repro front sights over the past twenty years, some nice ones out of Calif - and some from Fla - the best repro came from Joe Sturdy. Sturdy's front sight was undeniably the best ! and most difficult to tell from originals. If you really want to learn about the front sight, you need to make one - which I did. Each ear has four serrations and a special fixture can be fabricated to cut these serrations. One way to spot the fake is from the top view, the rear part of the ears extend beyond the base. Check Billy Pyle's book on the gas trap rifles. There are other features
to check too.

[cruiserdan]

I will remove the sight and take some close-ups of it. Obviously that is not as good as having it in your hands but perhaps you could offer an opinon.
I would appreciate your input.

[RCS]

Dan, note that the sight ears extend beyond the middle of the sight base where the sight blade is located.

[cruiserdan]

Here are a couple quick shots for you to examine:

It appears that the "bump" in the middle of the rearmost flat surface is more squared-off on your straight-guard sight.
It also appears that the drawing number is lower down on the ear of your sight.

By the way, what do you think about the crack in the cylinder? Attempt to repair it or leave it alone?