Front Sight Adjust

[Paul S]

At my buddy's request I tried to sight in his Israeli Arms M1 .30 Carbine. With the rear sight cranked all the way to the left and holding left of center on the sight-in target I was able to get the shots in the center of the target.
Therefore, I believe the front sight is out of alignment. But which way should the front sight be moved?

I am not going to attempt this for him...but I am curious about it and of course I'll pass the info back to him and he can pursue it as he sees fit.
Fortunately my CMP Carbine is spot on.

[crowbar]

Move the front sight in the opposite direction you want the shots to go; you want the shots to go right, move the FS left. Is the rear sight unit centered on the receiver?

[a308garand]

The M1 Carbine has a fixed front sight, not designed to be adjusted side to side. It is firmly held in place by a keyed slot in the barrel.

The barrel may not be properly installed, it may be a few degrees off from center, causing the point of impact to be off. Hold the receiver so that the top is perfectly level (measure across the top of the rear sight). Look at the front sight in relation to the receiver,,,,is it slightly off center- crooked in one way either left or right as compared to the receiver........

If the barrel is mounted properly, maybe it has a slight bend. Have a gunsmith use a bore gauge to check for straightness. A plug gauge of the right size should pass through the barrel without binding. I once received a M1 Garand from the CMP with a slightly bent barrel causing sight zero issues,,,,it was replaced.

The last resort is to either bend the front sight blade the direction needed or just live with the rear sight set way off to the side.......

[Paul S]

Move the front sight in the opposite direction you want the shots to go; you want the shots to go right, move the FS left. Is the rear sight unit centered on the receiver?

That's the first thing I suspected as being wrong. But a quick check confirmed that the site is centered in the dovetail. You answer has confirmed my suspicion. I'll pass the info along and let him decide how he wants to proceed.
Many thanks.

[Paul S]

A308Garand:

Many thanks for the added info.
I am fortunate...the CMP Carbine I got last month (amongst the very last of the CMP supply) is spot on