Did Springfield Armory make replacement front sights?

[Garden Valley]

Thanks!

[Embalmer]

I know they made stocks, barrels, and a few other replacement parts. wouldn't be surprised if they did make new sights (though almost positive I read somewhere on the forum they did).

[Tuna]

SA did make type 2 rear sights but I did not find anything on them make front sights. They did test cast front sights in 1956 but made by an outside company for them. Rock Island Armory did make front sights as replacements.

[firstflabn]

Brophy's Springfield Armory book shows SA made 2,899 carbine milled front sights in FY46. Unfortunately, Brophy stops with FY48. He shows 50 different carbine parts made in FY46, 35 of which numbered more than 10k each.

[bug]

Is it safe to say that there was no FY45? Do you know what year they made Type 3 barrel (bayo lug) bands? TIA

Bob D

[Garden Valley]

Thanks for all the replies. It just dawned on me that the replacement barrel assemblies made at SA in the early 1950's had front bands and front sights both of which were marked SA.

[firstflabn]

Is it safe to say that there was no FY45? Do you know what year they made Type 3 barrel (bayo lug) bands? TIA

Bob D

According to Brophy, SA made 30 different carbine parts in FY45, none of which were front sights.

FY45 saw 160k type III front bands made, followed by 144k in FY46.

[Tuna]

SA when they made barrels did not install a front sight on them. They would ship them out where needed or use them at SA to rebuild carbines. When barrels were changed the front sights when just taken from the bad barrel and used on the new barrel. If a sight was bad then it was replaced with what ever was on hand.

[jim c 351]

About 20 years ago I bought a brand new carbine barrel still in the grease wrap.
Behind the front sight is stamped,---"P"--- below the P is stamped SA 1-51.
Front sight is stamped SA. circle stake on pin. Bayonet attachment stamped SI.
Jim C
PS , this sight only show that "SA" made sights, does not show they made replacement front sights.

[Johnny in Texas]

I have an Arsenal rebuilt M1 Carbine with an SA'52 barrel SA front sight and SA bayonet lug,SA M2 slide SA rear sight, SA M2 stock and trigger housing. It is a Quality HMC Carbine with s/n re-stamped in front of rear sight. It has wear marks on the side of the receiver as if there had been a selector there at one time. Internals are M1 except for the sear which is M2.

[Garden Valley]

I, too, recall the SA manufactured replacement barrel assemblies. I had two of them years ago, wrapped in a green color grease wrap, but I never opened them to check for markings on the individual parts. I have a technical question ..... is the front sight marked "SA" or is it marked "S.A."? Reason I ask is because I saw an SAI carbine offered for sale and it had an SA barrel, front sight, and bayonet lug, with the front sight marked "S.A." SA carbine trigger housings and bayonet lugs are marked "SA", so it got me to then wondering if SAI had marked the front sights. Thanks to all for the info.

BTW .... Anyone have a couple spare SA front sights they could part with?

[Johnny in Texas]

Just SA on all the parts but the barrel. I can't remember how the barrel was marked.

[Allen]

Came across this in my stash of "stuff". This is first go around not replacement.

[firstflabn]

This is first go around not replacement.

A bit of a semantic nitpick, but what you have appears to be a replacement barrel assembly. Ruth, in WBII, refers to 1950s SA production of both barrels and barrel assemblies. Unless somebody discovers that SA assembled new carbines, it's hard to see how all those parts could be described as anything but replacements.

[Allen]

Oh I agree. I believe Inland, Underwood and all the rest were out of the carbine business after WW2 ended. SA made parts to rebuild the old surplus carbines for the Korean war. Poor choice of words on my part. At least you get some pictures.