Rear Sight Elevation Pinion Assembly Pictorial

Just thought I would share some info on how you can rebuild rear sight elevation pinions "if" you can find the parts and have the tools. The drums are next to impossible to find and are the part that wears out . If the detent/tit is not sharp it will not engage the receiver serrations and will only hold elevation if overtightened and will be very hard or impossible to turn the knob .
These are a set of Danish Elevation assembly tools that was graciously given to me by a forum member and friend
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL132.../413839402.jpg

Setting the pinion in the disassembly holder tool with the disassembly tool on top. A sharp tap with a hammer disassembles the pinion

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL132.../413839403.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL132.../413839404.jpg
This knocks out the cone shaped dog retainer which holds the assembly together

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL132.../413839405.jpg

Next set the pinion in the assembly tool, and set a new dog retainer on top of the drum. Notice the notch on the tool, the detent/tit on the drum must set in the notch so you do not crack the drum
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL132.../413839406.jpg

Set the assembly tool on top of the retainer and drum and give a sharp tap with hammer
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL132.../413839452.jpg
The pinion is now assembled and good as new.
If anyone has any they want to sell or knows where I can find any good elevation drums please PM me
Thanks guys
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL132.../413839407.jpg

Great pics! Should be of great help for many in regards to the make up of late type el pinions.

A few years ago Jim Swartz from Ohio did an article about pinion assembly in the GCA magazine. The article using a tool set of Danish origin created enough interest which probably made the Columbus Machine set happen.

Parts for the late pinions are most probably still available from Wayne Machine as a few years we stocked the bare elevation knobs and that is where they were sourced from. At the time there were some very large lots of pinions being redone with parts sourced from Wayne which currently does a whole series of M1 Garand rear sight parts and components.


Again, great pictures!

Orlando - Great post. Thanks! I hope you do more of these. Good, well illustrated, efficiently written matters such as this are so much better than 99% of what's out on the internet. And some of us don't like to watch a youtube video full of repetition, "uhs", shaky cams, etc. I would almost always prefer something like this vs. youtube.

Here are what the windage knob internals look like

You have the nut and spring clip in the front
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL132.../413700460.jpg
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL132.../413700463.jpg
Back of the nut are tits that fit into the ring that has the flat that the elevation pinion goes into
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL132.../413700462.jpg

These parts are harder to find that the elevation knob internals
I have made the clip that holds in the nut out of a piece of small wire