War Baby Vols. 1-3

[painter777]

Snowman,
I worry about how far the 2 screw plugs sit inside the left bolt lug track.
Do you think it will be hard to grind them down?
Would you try grinding them in place or pull them then grind off the extra ?
Wonder if a local Smith might have some scope plugs that are shorter and would fit?
Or maybe one of the on line suppliers... if you could figure out the measurements of them.

* Anyone have an opinion of if he really needs screw plugs in it?
Would he be OK without the holes being plugged?

Can you give us most of the S'G' serial # ?
IDK if a late S'G' after the SG take over used any SG barrels.
But that may be a good place to start searching for info.
IIRC after the take over, SG parts can be found on S'G' carbines......... Maybe even barrels.

If mine I'd detail clean the heck out of, including a good cleaning of the stock.

Thanks for the pictures, I think you did very well.

[deldriver]

If there's a question whether an SG barrel is the original one just post a picture of the barrel proof P. An SG barrel proof is pretty distinctive in it's size and shape versus an S'G' proof.

[Snowman1510]

I will get back to you on the barrel questions when I get some time off work. And off the top of my head the carbine is a 3.6 mil then Id have to look at the rest of the rec.

I will probably pull the screws out and grind them down. One is loose already. I don't know how to measure do that though.

[shadycon]

Suggestion on screws: Get new screws. If threads are bad you may have to go 1 size larger. Use fine thread screws. Screw them in from inside, if you can go a little deep, carefully cut off with Dremel tool. Unscrew until flush on inside, if you need to take more off, repeat process. When satisfied, you an screw them in from outside and lock tight them.

[JackP]

Snowman, It appears that your receiver has been drilled and tapped for a Weaver side mount bracket, typical of what was used on Universal carbines. It has been positioned rearward of the normal location on a Universal, probably to avoid having to drill and tap the forward screw into a blind hole in the receiver where the barrel screws into the receiver. The receiver is really too thin in this area to leave enough threads for a tight fit , often resulting in the screw being allowed to protrude a little into the bolt track. What happens is, even though the bolt feels free to travel in the track, under high pressures and speeds, the left lug will drag on the protruding screws enough to cause excessive forces to be exerted on the right bolt lug, causing it to break off. This happened to one of my carbines. It is a bad design!! I would suggest removing the plugs completely and check to see that there are no remaining burrs from the threads that can contact the bolt lug. Also, inspect the left bolt lug for any evidence of wear or damage.

[Snowman1510]

JackP,

When I bought the Carbine, I immediatley checked for wear on the left lug because I noticed it dragging on the screws. The lug is fine and I backed out the offending screw for the time being. Are you suggesting just taking the screws out completely, or buying new screws as shadycon suggested?

Or should I go with my original plan of just shortening down the 4 existing ones.

Painter777, the carbine's serial is 3,640,184

[JackP]

Yes, I would remove the screws completely. How are you going to prevent shorter screws from loosening and eventually interfering with the bolt? I don't see any real need to plug the holes.

[Snowman1510]

What is the point of having the screws in the rec. is it to make it look cosmetically better or does it add some lost rigidity?