Reader Forum

Volley Fire I enjoyed Brian R.

Smith’s "Ishapore 2A1 Enfield Repair" (May 2020) but noted a misconception I once made. "The 2A1 rear sight was graduated to a more realistic 800 meters as opposed to the overly optimistic 2,000+ yards of the 2A and No. 1 Mk III* rear sight." The seemingly "overly optimistic" elevation graduations weren’t intended to hit individual point targets, rather, to engage far-off formations and target areas via coordinated volley fire, rather like a beaten zone fired from machine guns or a sheaf from an artillery battery.

This was a common tactic taught at various Schools of Musketry (notably the Small Arms School Corps at Hythe) in the days before machine guns were common. AR-15 Extension Fix I’ve read many of the comments on the number of articles on building match grade AR-15s by Joe Carlos. After 12 years of using the AR-15 in High Power as a Service Rifle and Match Rifle, I think I tried just about every trick there is. I like Joe’s work a lot and had the opportunity to meet him at Camp Perry a few years ago.

However, the last two rifles I’ve built for myself were built without any customization of the fits and tolerances at all aside from using a BAT Machine Company extension, which I ground on the lathe for a good fit. Nothing else was done, not even facing the upper. The once tightly-bedded upper to lower fit has eroded and has tons of slop, too. I put this last barrel on with the intention of getting anew upper receiver but never did. No need to, this rifle shoots just as well as the ones I painstakingly accurized.

I think that the two biggest things to make accurate match ARs area good barrel and a good fit between that barrel and upper. Granted, I’m not doing a lot of testing with a scope and machine rest but my prone groups and groups from the bench are very good and I see few fliers. Just my experience. If it makes you feel better or just enjoy tinkering, go ahead and work them. Bill Smith As Joe Carlos will point out himself, he doesn’t consider his research or methods to be the final word.

As you point out, the "Pareto principle" of accurate AR-15 building (good barrel, good barrel/upper fit) eliminates many issues. Continued tinkering is scratching for an ever diminishing rate of return. Vintage 1911A1 My 1911A1 Remington Rand has become problematic. The hammer has ceased to fall all the way and it stops at what appears to be half cock. Any advice to fix this? Also, I am trying to find pin gauges for chamber/bore measuring for the big bores and .38s.

JB Meyer We haven’t seen "Remington Rand" stamped on products since typewriters became relics of the past. The brand did appear on a large number of M1911A1 pistols in a mad U. S. Government effort to restock arsenals sorely lacking in guns some suddenly-aware legislators realized would be needed in the rapidly approaching WWII. Remington was not alone in the rush. Singer, known for their sewing machines, was enlisted.

Skilled at the manufacture of cars and trucks, Chrysler, GMC, and Ford re-engineered their production lines to turn out tanks, the venerable 2 1/2 ton "six by" and massive fleets of jeeps. And, lest we forget, there was Rockola of jukebox fame, now credited with turning out batches of the best M1 Carbines ever made. All this being said, we are pretty safe in assuming your M1911A1 isn’t new and has had a sizable number of rounds put through it. Don’t reach for a schematic or parts list just yet.

First, read the article beginning on page 12 of our July 2013 issue. Second, purchase Jerry Kuhnhausen’s shop manuals on the M1911. You can probably get a lead on securing the books from the techs at Brownells as well as lessen your task of locating the aforementioned pin gauges. AG Bernie Lomax