Flea Market Find

[Surpmil]

This was $30. well spent the other day. Don't often see this kind of thing lying around. Am trying to track down the name of the original owner. Used on a Long Lee obviously as there was the remains of a sight from one in the lot. The gauges were made by the Ross Rifle Co. and are spot on according to my micrometer. The BSA No9 is a little jewel of a sight and still very serviceable after a thorough clean up. There is a hand-scribed line at about the 950 yard mark.

Information

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[John Sukey (Deceased)]

Nope, you don't see ventometers every day and to find two...... One looks like an A.J.Parker, original price 6/6

The larger one appears to be a vernier and wind gage adjuster.

The sight alone is worth much more than the $30 you paid for the lot.

[whiterider]

Yes, very nice. I've got a BSA sight just like that one and on my Lee Metford I have a Mues mounted on the forward extension plate so it doesnt hit you on the nose... :-)

I've never heard those sight adjusters called that..(ventometers????) but I put that down to my ignorance...

I have an AJ Parker one I bought at a local gunshow...it appears to have the capability to adjust the elevation AND the windarm... but I've never seen the one that just does the wind arm...interesting.

Dave

[John Sukey (Deceased)]

Ventometers came about because the early Long Lee's didn't have a windage adjustment and mods were prohibited for service rifle matches. Basicaly once the group placement was determined, an ajustment was made on the ventometer and it was used to make an aiming mark in the sliding portion of the sight.
That's about as close as I can come to describing how it worked.
Once windage adjustable sights were allowed, the ventometer was no longer used.

[Edward Horton]

Mr. Sukey

Sighting devices sure have improved since you joined the Army John, what did your finger taste like when making wind adjustments back then.

[whiterider]

shame shame for showing pics of the enemy.......in Sukeys part of the world you'd be horsewhipped......

I once made the mistake of referring to the 'Civil War' to a Southern American friend....and she promptly told me to henceforth call it the 'war of northern agression'......

[ireload2]

[John Sukey (Deceased)]

Well Ed, I never owned a three inch ordnance rifle, but I did have a reproduction M1841 Mountain howitzer, (sold off to another re-enactment group) and I used a "Pendulum Hausse" which is a elevation adjustable rear sight.
Now I do have a ventometer, but only as a collection item, not for use.

[whiterider]

Hmmmmmmm.....I'm sure Ed could work out lots of kinky things to do with that......

[whiterider]

I have a book titled 'The Target Rifle in Australia 1865 to 1900' by John Corcoran and it deals briefly with target shooting (and the revolution it brought about) with the Lee Metford.

Now this was the first high velocity and magazine rifle issued to the Brits and their allies....and previously here in the colonies we just had Martini Henrys and some Sniders...so it was a huge advantage way back then.

There is a brief mention of what is called the 'wind bar' and I think it refers to an elevation slider that could be fitted to the 'issue' backsight. It gave an actual v notch to sight through with the ladder up and a sliding wind arm also....

Apparently then (the 1890s through to the 1900s) it was approved for 'Service' matches here in Oz...but not, apparently in England and they protested loud and long when 'we' used them in competition...

Now years ago I had one of these elevation sliders/wind gauges but now cant find it....certainly a rare bit of history these days.

In any event the riflemen of the day sure did it hard with those issue backsights and whatever micrometer adjuster they had....particularly in rapidly changing wind conditions....