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Question on Swedish KG M/37 BAR


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Good evening everyone, I am wondering if anyone here knows the specifics (size and TPI) on the screws that affix the grip panels to the trigger frame on a Swedish KG M/37. I have no clue what the size that thread count of these screws is and I have been looking for a set of 4 screws with no luck so far. If anyone knows this information or where I can locate any screws that would work with a M/37 trigger frame assembly, please let me know so I can continue my little project. Thanks!

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Much appreciated! I went to my local tractor supply and lowes to see if they happened to have anything close that could work with no success. However, neither of those places have a good selection of pan head slotted machine screws so my hopes weren't high of finding anything locally, but it never hurts to look and check. The TPI seems higher than everything they had in stock in both places.

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It's going to be a metric fastener.  Standard metric pitches are finer than US coarse pitch threads of an equivalent size and usually a hair coarser than similarly sized US fine pitch.  There are also alternate metric thread pitches but they are used infrequently

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2 hours ago, StrangeRanger said:

It's going to be a metric fastener.  Standard metric pitches are finer than US coarse pitch threads of an equivalent size and usually a hair coarser than similarly sized US fine pitch.  There are also alternate metric thread pitches but they are used infrequently

Very interesting and thank you for the information. I had no idea what it was, but after looking at screws yesterday I was guessing that it wasn't imperial since I couldn't find anything with enough of a fine thread to match up. Hopefully Mongo will be able to get some measurements off of his screws as well as maybe hoe many threads are on it with a measurement of the threaded section to get a ball park on tpi. I know next to nothing about threads and sizes, let alone metric threads and sizes so I greatly appreciate the input guys.

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Metric threads are not specified in TPI, they specify the diameter and pitch in mm

As an example M6 X 1.0 has a 6mm (.236") diameter and a 1mm pitch (25.4 TPI) 

The closest ANSI thread patterns are 1/4"-20NC (coarse) and 1/4"-28NF (fine)

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I'm learning something new every day with your knowledge StrangeRanger, thanks! I was looking at 1/4"-28 last night, which is when I realized that it was close but not quite right. Hopefully I will find some of these machine screws on McMaster Carr's website once I figure out just what diameter and pitch of screws that I need.

Edited by TennesseeTaylor95
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No kidding, another thing that I have learned today. I originally bought this stripped M/37 trigger frame because I was tossing around the idea of converting my 1918A3 into a monitor, but that would be a pricey, long term plan since I don't know how detailed I want to get/could afford to get on a project like that. I am much closer to having a M1918 BAR (I already have the rear sight, gas regulator, complete stock set and flash hider; I still need to get the magazine guide wings milled off the trigger frame, WW1 style charging handle, and refinish the gun to be blued) so I am thinking that I will just stick with going for a WW1 looking M1918 bar for the time being. However, it would be nice to have this M/37 trigger frame milled out to take my 1918A3 fire control components so I could use it in the meantime. Unfortunately, Ravenna Armory no longer does the work I was needing done to the trigger frame since so many reenactors gave him flack over his job apparently, so I gotta look around for another person to do the work (maybe deerslayer if he isn't too busy?). Sorry for the rambling.

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I didn't get time to pull one of my many grip frames apart but this might actually be better.

It shows the screws and there also seems to be some threaded studs that screw into the frame.

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Edited by Mongo
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Thank you very much Mongo for the manual pages with the exploded pictures. I wasn't aware that the m/37 used threaded bushings like a 1911 and I think that this project just became much more involved in finding the correct parts. Luckily I'm in no rush to get this completed so I will keep my eyes out for the parts on the second hand market otherwise I might just find another way to attach the grips to the trigger guard assembly. Thanks again for the pictures/info!

 

Update: I just tried using a 1911 grip bushing and they are a direct thread-in item so this seems like I am back on track by getting a set of 4 1911 grip bushings and grip screws. Thank to everyone for the information and help!

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Edited by TennesseeTaylor95
Info added, solution found
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1911 grip screw and bushings are completely bastard thread sizes. They are not in the ANSI standard (which I do not think even existed in 1911).  This is not that unusual.  I lot of older guns have weird thread sizes

The bushings are .236"-60 which is insanely close to M6x0.4 but that would also be a bastard in the current DIN/ISO thread system and likely was in 1937 as well.  Since the Swedes apparently chose to adopt or adapt existing non-standard tooling for the bushings they could be anything, ditto for the screws

FWIW the 19111 grip screws are .150"-50 which has no metric equivalent. 

The bad news is that if you need longer bushings or screws you'll have to make your own.. The good news is that taps are readily available.

I wish you luck, you may need it.

 

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I should clarify that the bushing I used I grabbed off of a cheap Rock Island 1911 since all of my USGI M1911 and M1911A1 pistols have staked bushings, so the Rock Island bushing might be different from a regular USGI bushing. Since I know that Rock Island grip screw bushings work in this M/37 part, I will just order a set of bushings and screws from them and run with that. They look that this setup should work with my homemade grip panels since they look to be a bit thinner than M/37 grip panels. 

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“After the Great War Sweden bought some BAR m/1918 from Colt manufacturing Co. in USA made to Swedish specifications. The most obvious difference  was a removable pistol grip on the Swedish gun.”

 

Aren’t many of the Swedish M/21 and Colt M1918 made BAR parts interchangeable?  It would make sense that 1911 grip screws and bushings would work. 

Edited by minimike
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After ordering and receiving a set of Wilson Combat bushings and screws, I was able to get my homemade grip panels attached. They aren't perfect nor the prettiest, but it works for me and the 1911 parts worked great in this application although I presume they are not 100% correct for original KG M/37 parts.

Thanks again everyone for the input and suggestions! 

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Very nice M/37 Mongo. I would have loved to make my grip panels thicker, but I only had a junk sporterized M1917 stock that I was able to cut the grip panel material out of. Later on, I will get proper material, set aside some more time, and make a better set of grips.

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Thanks for posting this, I also have a stripped Swedish grip frame for my Winchester 1918. I found some metric screws at the local hardware store that were close enough to kind of work, thanks for Strange Ranger for the additional info I can now see why it was close but not correct. Now I have a better solution with the 1911 screw idea. My first stab at shooting with this grip, especially from the shoulder, was not as interesting as I expected. I honestly found the traditional gripless lower to be more comfortable. The cant of the Swedish grip is awkward. The original Monitor style or FN style seems more natural with that rearward cant. 

Edited by nate129
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6 hours ago, nate129 said:

The cant of the Swedish grip is awkward. The original Monitor style or FN style seems more natural with that rearward cant. 

 

Your post just kept me from wasting a good chunk of money going down that path.  Thanks!

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