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New to Me IBM BAR


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I just picked up a nice IBM BAR and I am looking for a couple parts. The gun is missing the bipod friction washer; and the gas cylinder tube retaining pin isnt in very good shape. Does anyone have any spares they may part with or know where I might obtain them?

 

Also, what spare parts should I keep on hand? Where would be a good place to look for them?

 

Dan

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Dan, nice BAR! I would recommend Jim Ballou's book 'Rock in a Hard Place'. IBM BARs had the lowest production figures of the military BAR Contracts so correct IBM marked parts are extremely hard to find. It's great you have the original barrel on it. I see that it has been rebuild (the RA stamp) but if you wanted to put it back in original configuration as it left the IBM plant you'd need the following parts:

 

Trigger housing: the production rifles had the Mag guides machined as one piece, the trigger group on yours is a M1918 that has been updated to A2 specs

Bipod body: Your early IBM would have come with a cast one piece bipod head, not the 2 piece.

Gas regulator: This has a post WWII gas regulator on it, the correct one would not have the knurling.

 

As to the parts you mentioned, the washer has become extremely difficult to find as of late. The gas tube pin should be easy to find (Sarco, Numrich, I have a few). If you want to get really fancy I have these:

 

https://www.wwiibarman.com/products/nos-ibm-gas-tube-retaining-pin

 

But it's way overkill unless your doing a full restoration. These are expensive because they are NOS and IBM and IBM parts are impossible to find. In my 20 years or so collecting I have only found 2 barrels, these gas tube pins, and one extractor marked IBM. IBM and New England Small Arms (the other WWII Manufacture) both relied heavily on subcontractors to provide smaller assemblies. Chances are these NOS pins are from the same sub contractor that NESA got theirs from, the only difference is in the packaging.

 

As to spares, nothing really wears out on these. Maybe Firing pins, extractors (with spring) and the gas regulator. But even those parts are stout, but that's what I'd keep on hand if I were shooting one

 

George

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  • 3 months later...

George will have a much better answer than I, of course, but back in the , I guess early to mid 90s when I was buying FND & BAR parts kits from Sarco, some had the screw on guides, but most didn't. I was doing 18 display guns ( Clyde Barrow) . Damn, now I'm looking for the stuff that was about trash then.

Still have some of the wings around tho. Seems like the screw on guides were an after thought ??

 

OCM

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YB1989,

Once a gun goes thru rebuild all bets are off as to what parts will be used.

Even a gun like the Thompson that had a serial number stamped on the frame ends up mismatched.

Somewhere in the world there is a Winchester BAR with a IBM trigger housing.

Jim C

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What Jim said...

 

I have a Marlin Rockwell that went through the A2 upgrade in WWII and the one piece trigger housing/mag guide.

YB1989,

Once a gun goes thru rebuild all bets are off as to what parts will be used.

Even a gun like the Thompson that had a serial number stamped on the frame ends up mismatched.

Somewhere in the world there is a Winchester BAR with a IBM trigger housing.

Jim C

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What Jim said...

 

I have a Marlin Rockwell that went through the A2 upgrade in WWII and the one piece trigger housing/mag guide.

YB1989,

Once a gun goes thru rebuild all bets are off as to what parts will be used.

Even a gun like the Thompson that had a serial number stamped on the frame ends up mismatched.

Somewhere in the world there is a Winchester BAR with a IBM trigger housing.

Jim C

Perhaps you and I should trade trigger housings.

 

 

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