Att. Roger Payne, Enquiry about a sight on a No8 Mk1, at your leisure, please....

Hi Roger. Posting this on the board in case others can contribute to the query... This comment was made on another board about the No8 Mk1 in the pic below. Posters said they had googled your name and not found anything, so in the interests of "getting it right" I thought I'd bring it to your attention. Here's the post ... Thank you, Sir.

Your rearsight looks unusual! I found W43 in the same Midlands gunshop I bought mine from. Me and the owner did some Googling and found out it was assembled by Roger Payne, and had been professionally refinished between it leaving Roger's hands and ending up at the shop.

Attachment 79891

Not aimed at me if you'll excuse the phrase but unless I'm missing something it looks like one of those standard AJP 8/53 sights that screw onto a standard No4 or 8 backsight and give a bit of deflection together with a tunnel foresight. Both were an acceptable fitting to No8's in service.

Someone told me in the 60's that these 8/53 sights were introduced in the pre P-H 5 type days. I mean before the PH5's competition sights were fitted using the backsight axis pin hole and the ejector screw. Before that, to fit a comp sight it was necessary to drill and tap the rifle body on the bridge charger guide and that wasn't allowed. Common sense prevailed and the EMER rules were relaxed so that you could drill and tap the body. This made the 8/53 sight redundant. I could be wrong but all the dates tie in so who was I to argue?

For those that want more information on Parker Hale sights, check the MKL article..

A.J. Parker & Parker Hale Sights (Model PH-5A, PH-5B, PH-5C, 8/53, 11/47 "Twin Zero")

Regards,
Doug

Hi Son,
Thanks for that, though I don't think that I can add much to what PL has already said. It looks like a 8/53 type sight to me too. The serial number of the rifle, W43, definitely rings bells & I've no doubt it is one that has been through my hands. I had a number of quite nice barrelled actions that had been stripped of their wood & furniture some years ago, & I simply completed them again. I'm sorry to say I really can't be sure if the target sight was on it or not when it went out as it was a good few years ago, IIRC. I am inclined to think that it has been added by a more recent owner, but couldn't swear to it. Sorry I can't be more definite. Hope this helps a little, at least.

ATB.

Off at a bit of a tangent now so if anyone is worried, look away now. DRP, do you know whether these (few) W- prefixed No8 rifles are BSA or ROF-6/Fazakerley No8's. I ask because BSA weren't averse to, er........., plotting their own course.... when it came to No8 sales, commercially retailing them in error(?) contrary to the fact that they were only making them on contract to and for the old MoS. Could it be that these No8's were excess production and absent mindedly retailed, like the DA rifles, by an over zealous sales clerk.

Hi DPL. From what I can recall I think they were mostly, if not all, FAZ rifles. I seem to recall several F51's.........., though can't be sure of the manufacturer of W43 specifically.

Gotta say Brad, eyeballing the sight, it looks like a PH4.
Note the elevation knob proud of the frame, whereas the other sights mentioned have the elevation knob protected by the frame.
Attachment 79912

The 8/53 is on the left, the PH4 is on the right. the other pair are the standard shape for the rifle in question, second from right is .22
Also note the position of the eye piece, lower than the others, as in your pic.

I seem to think that the second from the right is the bodge-up sight that P-H did on the cheap for the L81 target rifle. It was on a block that bolted to the L81 body. They did it cheap and sang its praises together with the usual guff that the old No4 range scale could be used as the 7.62mm scale if it were read as metres instead of yards. Yep, total guff........ But somehow they went on to use old redundant No5 backsights that were totally incorrect.......... There's probably a word for it somewhere. Mind you, there's probably a word for the bloke who accepted this guff too.

Tell me if I'm wrong Muffer

Not directed at me but I'll tell you you're right Peter since I have a bin full of them! Sarco also ripped off many unsuspecting No.4 owners into thinking that they were a target sight. The problem is that folks believed it and drilled out the axis pin holes and then drilled another hole for a spring and detent in the right side of the body. Then after attempting to install the sight after wrecking the rifles, found out that they won't work anyhow. Ugh!!

There was a Fazakerly target sight made for the No8. I have one, they are not all that common. If you look on page 276 of "The Lee-Enfield Story" there is a picture of one on the second photograph down the page, which came out of the MOD room.

The sight I have seems identical, down the windage scale. marked with an F on the windage screw, elevation screw and the leaf itself. Has a marking C92 on the back of the leaf. The metal T where the aperture screws in and the part where the windage screws mounts are both marked "I."

The leaf that was used to start has a No 4 elevation thread.

Will fit on any No 4,5, 7, 8 rifle. The one I have was used, as the finish on the bottom of the leaf where the slight pin goes through is bright.