No42 and No53 sights …. Have you ever thought?

Question to Peter Laidler

Having read your article "No42 and No53 sights …. Have you ever thought?", my question is
how do-able would it be to remove the cast graticle/turret housing assembly from a clapped out No32 and refit it to a good condition No42/No55?

It appears that the cast housing is held on to the No32 steel tube with a combination of pinning and solder and that with a bit of precision machining and careful heat, it may be possible to remove and refit to a modified No42/No55

I have heard a whisper that there may be a couple of clapped out No32 Mk1's in a drawer Downunder, where the tubes are damaged but the graticle/turret assembly's are intact. (There is already a good condition No42 and a good No55 in the cupboard at home gathering dust.)

It is a project that Trooper554877 and I discussed this morning.

Something that we could tackle and even if we stuffed it up completely, at worse all that we have damaged is a No42/No55 and a clapped out No32.

It would also enable us to get familiar with the No32 scope workings without damaging a valuable No32.

No more than a thought at this stage.

Your thoughts please.

Paul

Knowing the serial numbers of the clapped out No.32s might be of benefit to a couple of rifle owners. Maybe not immediately, but if a database gets established...

Jmoore

Might be a bit of work to get that info.

So far I have confirmation that they may exist, together with an indication that he might sell.

One has previously been cannibalised to suppy a graticle assembly for one of my scopes.

As far as serial numbers go, I know that I have the following in my small group.

No 32 Mk1 #2707 W.Watson & Son
No 32 Mk1 #6066 Kershaw Ltd
No 32 Mk2 #10930 H.B.M. Co
No 32 Mk2 #10859 H.B.M. Co
No 32 Mk2/1 #347 Vickers U.I.C.
No 42 Mk1 #1286 H.B.M. Co
No 53 Mk1 #583 A.K & S
No 55 Mk1 #58 R.S.A.


A long way from the 21 or so needed to have a full set ;)

Cheers

Paul

Why bother going to all that bother of unpicking the turret from the existing tube and putting it back onto yet another tube?

Depending on where the existing tube is damaged, it's simplicity itself to undercut the the existing tube internally to half the tube wall thickness for about 10mm or so then do the same with the 'new' No42/53 tube but skimmed externally. Measure twice, cut once and all that - soft solder the surfaces, play a torch on them while roitating slowly in a lathe and press one into the other. It's then concentric. I have done it about 100 times at 3 different points. 1) under the erector cell cover plate rings 2) under the rearmost bracket cradle cap and 3) just ahead of the front of the turret. In fact I have a Mk2 and a 3 (front and back.......) here being done as we speak.

Just a minute................ Didn't I do all this in photograph form a couple of years ago?

I forgot to say, but if I remember correctly, the brass turret is actually cast onto the tube so unpicking is not quite as simple as it might seem

Anyway, I've never unpicked a turret housing but due to the geometry, if you do, you'll be doomed to failure. And if it's not concentric afterwards, you can forget about using it!

All you need to do is to skim off the No42/53 tube to 1.00"diameter and re-engrave with No32 markings

Thanks Peter

Got that.

I'll put removing the cast turret housing into the not do-able category and find another project for the cold wet winter nights.

Cheers

Paul

You don't get cold wet winter nights in Australia. You need to come here this year. We know all about cold wet SUMMER blooxx nights!

On a serious note, I did thread a couple of tubes into each other to join them but that means taking more material away due to the additional depth of the teeth on the male and female. But for the last 50 or so have just settled for a tight fit. Hence the need to run the solder and use the talistock centre to press one into the other. All you are left with is a tiny thin ring of solder. And if it's under the rear cradle or at the rear end of the raised erector cover, pretty well invisible. Works a treat but takes ages!

What is the tube wall thickness on a no.32 scope?

Measure the one you are working on as they all differ slightly

:yikes:What, me working on a no.32 scope, that would be pure tinkering. Thats yours and Warrens department. It's just a matter of personal interest, don't want to crush my scope tube in the attempt to get some use out of that buggered bracket I have.

Yes, people have been kicking this idea around for decades. I believe one UK dealer still has large stocks of No42s he intended to do this with. That ship has sailed however, with the Chinese reproductions now on the market. The tubes of UK production No42s are visibly thicker, and they tend to have rounded corners where the tube diameter changes, unlike the 32s. The markings might or might not be removable if the tubes were turned down to No32 specs, but why bother? As in so many cases, it is cheaper and simpler to make new.

When someone starts making No32 Mk3 replicas that are on spec, that will be a happy day.