How to Tighten a Loose M1A or Garand Rear Peep Sight ~ Make it National Match Tight!

If you have an M1A or Garand rifle, especially if it is a standard grade, non-match service model, the rear peep aperture most certainly suffers a degree of wiggle that will rob you of accuracy! In this exclusive, never before video, learn a technique from a professional armorer with 50 years of experience how to make that sight even tighter and smoother than a National Match sight! This method uses no primitive, destructive, ruinous peening or filing, no complex shims or elastic band holding devices, and preserves the integrity of the sight without the slightest modification or parts. This is free and complete information, provided at no cost to my viewers.

[@stevengrammont44]

Your knowledge of firearms is a pleasure to my eyes and ears.

[@dhev183]

this sus but yeah

[@kelvindodd5577]

I was given a Garand that was missing the rear sights. I was able to locate a correct original replacement and need to install it. Now I have the information necessary to do it correctly and also a video on sighting in the Garand. Thank you.

[@blainecolbry3192]

I finally was able to afford an M1A about 15 years ago and bought a "loaded" model and love it. The two rifles in my collection I would never part with is my Garand an M1A. Great videos sir. I can see you love black walnut and blued steel as do I.

[@thomasengelander425]

In my opinion one of the best videos I have seen to explain how to assemble and to achieve a tighten rear sight. Best regards from Germany! Thomas

[@gillmeister692]

SUCCESS on 06.Apr.2023! After 6 hours of curing at 76°F I thought the J-B Weld had hardened to an unbreakable bond. But a sharp tap using a 3# drilling hammer cushioned by a soft wooden dowel broke the 0.050" sight aperture free. I had caught it in the nick of time. The aperture now glides wiggle-free and glass-smooth in its new epoxy channel. THANKS Armorer GunBlue490. This was quite an adventure. I now have confidence in my 1990-ish Federal Ordnance M1A rear sight. The rest is up to me and my hand-loaded cartridges. Now to re-zero and try to understand the elevation dial setting.

[@lufusdoofus]

I don't on an M1A living in the UK it is unlikely I ever will but that was a fascinating video revitalising the rear sight. Well worth the 35 minutes to watch, keep up the good work!

[@tomschumacher5434]

The smile on your face is exactly how I look holding my M1A 😁

[@stephenjackson8182]

Great videos! Could you also do one on how to calibrate the rear sight, so that when the elevation knob is on 1 the rifle will be on at 100 yards and when the knob is on 2 the rifle will be on at 200 and so on. Thanks again for the great videos!!!

[@GunBlue490]

Thanks for the suggestion. Will put that on the list!

[@mikeks8181]

Would Love to See that video!

[@chrisyanik9984]

Nothing like spending over a grand on a rifle and having to put J B weld on it. Come on Springfield

[@GunBlue490]

Yes, they should provide only precision parts, National Match or not. This rifle just shot 1.5 MOA today with IMI 150 grain service ammo. I suspect that such a accuracy with their standard rifles would take a lot of the glow from their NM guns, so the slop may be rather intentional to inspire upward sales.

[@chrispetersen113]

@@GunBlue490 > Magazines are getting rather expensive and scarce for those..

[@oddshot60]

@@chrispetersen113 And don't bother with cheap mags for the M1A ... they just don't work.

[@chrispetersen113]

@@oddshot60 > I've had good luck with Checkmate mags.

[@ronv6637]

Checkmate is a OEM manufacturer,as good or better than SA

[@Eisenhower42]

What a tremendous trick of the trade! I just did this on a loose M1A rear sight and it works like an absolute charm. Sight aperture feels like it's riding on glass now. I have to admit, I would have been looking for somewhere to peen had I not seen this. I like this method so much better. Thank you, sir!

[@GunBlue490]

I'm glad it worked for you!

[@tg9891]

Well done. Easily one of the best "How To" M1A vids out there. I have 2 variants (SOCOM 16 and a hot rodded NM) in the safe with a Super Match on order at this point too. I find your M1A content to be top notch. Thanks.

[@tomk1tl39]

Although I do not own an M1A / Garand rifle, I really, really enjoyed this video. My dad had a WWII rifle he brought back from the Army but he actually threw the rifle and small handgun in the trash receptacle......too bad I found out about this too late. The rifle was in super nice shape, was a bolt action with opening for a mag.....dunno what type rifle it was but he did have a 'live' round in the desk but dunno what cal it was....real sad that he tossed the rifle as they lived in an adult apartment complex.

[@m118lr]

..!!!? Geez..

[@alexs1972]

Sounds like he brought some painful memories back with that rifle and maybe that's really what he was trying to throw away

[@geraldineszymanski7250]

When this generation of great old school guys are gone are country will never be the same. Bless you sir.

[@laughingdog6010]

Thank you, I have an M1 rifle. I’ll check it for play.

[@blaiwayw1]

Very much enjoyed the video. The disassembly and lubrication is a fine lesson in itself. Thank you.

[@ihatenewyork]

From watching numerous of your videos, from reloading to sight adjustments, it is obvious you possess a lot of knowledge. Thank you and every other for passing it along.

[@merrilllewis3926]

You sir are a treasure. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Back before the internet I would read Bob/ Roy Dunlop for gunsmithing knowledge. It's nice being able to see it and hear it.

[@bruceprather3418]

Thank you Sir, for doing this demonstration. I have had the exact problem with my M1A Socom and all but had given up on the rear site. I have a red dot mounted on the rail but I will be doing this fix and re-zeroing my iron sites so I will know that I have a dependable back up for the red dot. Great tutorial as always!

[@BogstersBanters]

Knocked this modification yesterday and today...can't wait to try it out now on my standard walnut m1a. Thanks so much for the clear instructions.

[@ruez2kill]

Awesome! Thank you. The peep sight on mine was/is driving me crazy. I am no good to begin with, so having this wobble just adds to the injury. Definitely going to follow your footsteps.

[@richardfrost7575]

Thank you. Very informative and helpful. I have an off the rack M1 kinda fugly ( long story) from CMP north store Winchester receiver total mix of parts, receiver dates 1943 , bbl 1941, however; it shoots 1moa or slightly under with proper ammo, including some Greek ammo from a matching lot number. I think my rifle deserves and shall receive the sight modification. Now I don't have to order a national match version. Your knowledge has always been an asset.

[@mikecook6808]

Did this to my standard model 2 day ago and it turned out awesome, had a bunch of wobble and now it like a national match, thanks for the detailed video on how to do it

[@q-man762]

This is a better solution than an alternative that involves annealing the sight base and pinching it tight on the aperture, then lapping it till it moves, National match apertures are made a little oversized to fit them by lapping. It works but I don't like altering hardness. Probably popular back when parts were cheap and plentiful.

[@AppalachianAmericanWhitey]

The Bob Ross of the gun world. Awesome

[@JamesSmith-xx9py]

The M1 Garland was built with “loose” tolerances so that it would continue to function in dusty, muddy, wet conditions with long intervals between cleaning….if that sight had been built with tight clearances, it would soon be unmovable due to rust Remember, these were weapons of war, they had to function in the worst of conditions Ex GI

[@me2bfc]

Please let us see you shoot this after a hand loading session. Similar to the video using the Mini14 and Savage 99.

[@snoopdog8693]

love these videos, you are the bob ross of gunsmithing god bless!

[@daletustison8550]

Thanks again. I was just quoted much more than the price of J-B Weld. Something I am never without

[@rob6850]

I am always amazed by your casual expertise.

[@joerenaud5365]

This dude is an American treasure. Take it from a Canadian.

[@seanoneil277]

Love seeing your craftsmanship again. I don't own one of these rifles, but I watch anyway to see your work and hear your descriptions. Give Benny a scratch behind the ears for me, and God bless.

[@ArtemKudymovsky]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us! Being a patriot and a loyal fan of the M14 platform, I enjoy watching your tutorials immensely. God bless you.

[@GunBlue490]

You're quite welcome! God bless you.

[@badgrfan]

​​​@@GunBlue490love your videos. I have a question, with the 7.62 Nato round would you be able to fire a .308 Winchester round out of that same rifle(m1a)? Also,I like your cooking Videos. Especially dishes from New England and I was wondering if you are going to do more cooking videos(Preferrably New England dishes).

[@matthewnewman7187]

Thank you for a very informative video!

[@michaeldoe4805]

I will apply this technique to my rear sight channels on my Ruger single action frames, they all have varying degrees of side play. After cleaning up duck tape residue and years of toothpick tips jammed in between there! I started participating in my club's bullseye league with my 9.5 inch 22lr single action after watching your precision shooting video series. Also replaced the front sight with a much sharper Dawson precision sight, originally intended for a Mark IV, but it fits nicely. In my book, a front sight is no good unless you can slice open your finger with it!!

[@The_SmorgMan]

I can see the argument. Was shooting a 1903 and M1 Garand at 500 yards today. Difficult to see the steel target that far away with the fat front sight post

[@TonySven]

Great video and very useful, as usual! Thank you sir.

[@Iceaxehikes]

That was a very relaxing video.

[@spennykenny998]

Thank you so much for your info on the STANDARD model. This helps me and others who have this model out tremendously. Keep up the great work sir.

[@rheidtech]

What a great vid. Thank you GB🤙🌄

[@Duschbag]

I will thank you for this well made video. I have to view this a few times and then proceed to the Hardware Store to collect some J.B. Weld. I have everything else that I'll need to carefully complete this process.

[@gillmeister692]

s/be "J-B Weld". We must protect trademarks.

[@CIAG4PNP]

This Advise is excellent advice! Thank you sir! 😊

[@lonniecrook1684]

What a terrific method for shimming the play out of the aperture! You are my new go to source for care and tuning of my new Scout Squad M1A. I'll be using this technique before I go to the range for the first site-in. Your knowledge and experience is priceless. THANK YOU!!

[@GunBlue490]

You're welcome. God bless.

[@gillmeister692]

s/be "SIGHT-in".

[@markguice434]

Great video, great fix!!!

[@marvinlpeyton9050]

I love watching your videos!Havent seen one in a while!EXCELLENT!!!!

[@firegrunt03]

Keep up the M1a improvements sir. Thank you.

[@timothyvotaw7517]

An excellent instruction segment.

[@jjh9355]

Thank you for the detailed instruction. I can not wait to get started on mine.

[@danielmcbride1619]

Excellent instructions and knowledge. Thank you

[@disturbedmaynard3873]

I have one of these rear sights with excess play on a Mini-14. I will have to look at it closer and see if this method will tighten that up. It has always bothered me with that sight moving as much as it does. JB Weld, you gotta love that stuff.

[@frankthompson3712]

Outstanding Video! Thank you very much.

[@tripplewhipper]

Thanks for the video, it was very well done and informative.

[@jimcollins7052]

Always enjoy your videos. Your a great teacher.

[@antiqueredleg1864]

Great video, I especially like how you recommend items that are cost effective and easily found at the hardware store or provide the exact name or product you use. You make amateur firearm maintenance understandable and not at all intimidating. I enjoy shooting old surplus bolt, garand and M1A’s.

[@Gizapowerplant]

Thank you! One of the best channels on KZbin!

[@davidgreer9567]

Thanks for another very informative video. I appreciate you sharing your wealth of knowledge. Thank you

[@jgrass5814]

You are truly a Gem! What a pleasure being taught by you. Thank you Professor👍 JGrass

[@tobydulanski3000]

Thank you for making this video.

[@johndixon9988]

Fantasic video. Thank you.

[@thomsoncarter3121]

Great idea, I will use this on my techsights. Thanks you.

[@ns3v3n]

This was one of the nicest video I’ve seen in a long while. Subbed!

[@DonksGrooves]

I didn't realize how loose my sight was until I saw you mentioning it and I check it. This is on my list to improve my sights. Thank you sir for the in-depth tutorial!

[@josecanisales3491]

This is your best video Sir.

[@mnrodriguez]

Excellent job!

[@dowdawg]

Nicely done I’ve got a few rifles I can work on now

[@chrismills4213]

Love all of your videos…but how to videos are special. I could watch your videos for hours👍 God bless

[@zoggy2]

I tried this and it works quite well, thanks.

[@jameswilson1407]

Excellent synopsis, all this guys videos are spot on!! Great job.

[@charleslamb4999]

Fantastic you are a well of knowledge. Thank you!

[@johncox7563]

I love watching your channel

[@94Whiskey]

Excellent instruction on procedures sir. I can do this....

[@danielboals9602]

Incredible video.

[@hvyjetflyer9545]

I would like to add this for the NM sight: Even after stoning the NM sights to fit perfectly there can be some play on the vertical axis. “Most” is taken out by the spring/cover as it forces the aperture into the track. This method is the only way I know of to eliminate ALL of it. There is no load or tension on the jb weld and have had one in service for over a decade. Only problem I have now being old is the sight is better than my eye.

[@bw6538]

Thanks for the information never seen that done on a rear sight we just order some more rear sights or bases till we get a titter fit then hone down the side of the sight to fit thanks

[@edysinsimon8646]

Nice work dad!

[@terrystover7365]

I have 4 M1's and 2 M1A's. The M1's range from one Winchester, one H&R, to 2 Springfields. The M1A's, one standard with walnut stock and one loaded with walnut stock. They are all very nice rifles but excluding the loaded M1A, all have a lot of slop in the sights. Thank you for sharing this procedure to eliminate the problem. I really like it and intend to try it with my rifles. I've been a subscriber for quite some time and I really enjoy your videos.

[@richxts1357]

Thanks for the video, I hope we are not looking at a "Grand Thumb" on you left hand!

[@johnpoole8321]

Love your videos and I never get my notifications. Finding out how many I missed. Guess I get to binge watch now. Keep up the great work and thank you sir.

[@GunBlue490]

You're quite welcome! Enjoy.

[@cavscout888]

Good info, thanks!

[@royseifert3078]

Thank you for this excellent, informative video. I check the rear sight on both my M1 Garand and M1A and both are tight in their respective channels. I wouldn't even have thought to check them without this video.

[@joefw2446]

Excellent. Thank you sir!

[@stephenrubin6810]

I have an M1A and Garand, both with National Match Sights. No wiggle in them. I learned much from this and your other video's. Thanks!

[@pro2aguy984]

Awesome video, probably something I would never need to do but still great information to know. This is a concept that could be applied to many things.

[@GunBlue490]

It certainly can, Ollie.

[@mikeks8181]

Thank You! Just received mine from the CMP last week! No problem with the sights not being tight! Just Been watching Every Video About This Iconic Weapon I Can Learn From! Thank You for Sharing This Information!

[@rivierstad3817]

I always enjoy your videos. Can you do one on your air rifles? I recently acquired a Theoben .25cal Crow Magnum and would like to know more the care of it and about shooting it compared to firearms.

[@stevepatterson2290]

great job. thank you

[@trumptorianguard4617]

You are the BEST! Thank you. 👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@eclectic3618]

That is just genius Thank you for posting God bless

[@vincelopez9455]

Excellent video, when time permits, hopefully I can apply this to my M1A Socom. You are very knowledgeable on firearms. Thank you.

[@gillmeister692]

GunBlue490 isn't merely "knowledgeable". He's a steely-eyed Armorer !

[@andyprairiedog4829]

Wow...I could watch this wonderful man teach how to warm up a can of green beans. His ability to teach is amazing. Thank you very much for this video.

[@JoeBidenSuxD]

Absolutely fantastic video. My m1a socom 16 has a loose sight like the one in the video. It drives me absolutely nuts. I will be doing this bedding on mine! Thanks for the video!

[@Sunshine-lo2yv]

Great Video! I have a loaded M1A with a NM sight that is very very sloppy. Your video has helped tighten my groups. Thank You!

[@skeetersaurus6249]

Answered my question at 4:56...that's not a 'misplaced Garand-thumb', that's a 'boat trailer hitch thumb'...yep, been there, too!

[@dougramsay4156]

Boat trailers are the closest that I have come to losing a digit - several times!

[@redtobertshateshandles]

Gonna look at this fix for my wobbly Lyman peep. Thanks.

[@MrLeo7627]

Thank you GunBlue . Please do a few more videos with the M1A. You shooting it at range would be great? Whats your thought on the scout version ?

[@timblack6422]

Thank you!

[@TheOldMan1911]

Thank you sir I have fixed my rear sight!!! Thank you again

[@GunBlue490]

Awesome! You're sure to shoot better!

[@jimdunkle4823]

Great video!!! My Garand aperture is as tight as can be! The receiver is early WW2 and the barrel is 1953.

[@dudebroski9460]

thank you, i was wondering why the m1a i just got wasnt super accurate. this is an awesome fix.

[@GunBlue490]

You're welcome. Personally, I was not at all happy that Springfield Armory installs totally worthless, loose sights on the Standard. That's a product defect of the worse sort that goes against the very meaning of sights, and it's inexcusable. Nobody would accept that sort of play in a new scope, and I'm sure they wouldn't dare put floppy sights on their handguns. Even Daisy BB guns made in China have tight sights. Methinks they rig the deck to shine a light on their higher priced models.

[@dudebroski9460]

@@GunBlue490 the one i got the other day i bought from the captain of the local PD. its a loaded model from what i can gather. it has the nm barrel and sight. but yes, the sight was incredibly loose. i believe the problem is the mim casting. the tolerances are probably on the far end so most parts can just be grabbed and fit into any base. this morning i moved the sight after bedding and i cant imagine a better fix for this sight. honestly.... i started thinking and the sight is probably the reason i got a good deal on the rifle in the first place. cant wait to see how it affected the grouping in factory ammo before i work up a load for it. thank you again and God bless!

[@dudebroski9460]

is there a talk you have done on when a rifle puts 2 rounds touching and a flyer in a cyclical manner.... i have a 1917 remington 30 and it was sporterized. it will shoot 2 rounds touching and then a flyer, no matter what i do....

[@gza06955]

Appreciate the wisdom as always. Hope you guys are well, already starting to dip down into the 40's at night here in southern Maine so you know the white stuff is right around the corner again. Take care

[@GunBlue490]

Yes, I dread that! We're on the same latitude as Portland, not far from Maine. A very hot August turned cold quickly. Thank you.

[@breckfreeride]

Great info

[@alvintarrer6914]

Excellent job sir 👍☕️☕️✌️