Did anyone see or did they bid on this?
WWI British Enfield Rifle Lattey Optical Sniper Sights on eBay (end time 05-Sep-10 00:27:44 BST)
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Did anyone see or did they bid on this?
WWI British Enfield Rifle Lattey Optical Sniper Sights on eBay (end time 05-Sep-10 00:27:44 BST)
Didn't bother. I figured it would go berserk....
No, but I wish I had as I've always wanted one of those .... :)
Thanks for posting the link ... went for $1,200 with 13 bids....
Regards,Quote:
WWI British Enfield Rifle Lattey Optical Sniper Sights
This is a scarce WWI British Enfield rifle Lattey optical sniper sight set. They are marked 'A.G. Parker & Sons, Birmingham'. The lenses are clear. The metal frame has some old minor spots of corrosion. They were almost all private purchase items as the British did not have a true sniper rifle when they entered WWI. The optical sights are described in Skennerton's, The Enfield Story, on pages 146-147. The British government offically adopted the sight in 1915. The magnification is only about 2x and field of view is somewhat limited, but it was better than nothing. Most of these sights were long lost or broken. Overall, they are in VG condition for their age. Shipping is $10 via USPS priority mail with insurance and confirmed delivery to the lower 48 states. International shipping will have to be calculated before any payment made. Shipping will be to the USA, UK, Australia and Canada. Payment (in US funds) is due within 3 days of auction close via PayPal.
Badger
I wonder what they're like to use? Any ideas what magnification they provide? I always liked these.
I kept an eye on it and was very very tempted...just had too many other irons in the fire at the time. :(
Looks like they went back to Blighty.
Someone sure wanted it, as I crapped out early in the hysteria. Hell, don't need two, but it would have been nice :-)##
I am glad I got mine when I did. I thought the price was high at the time, but now where near this. At least mine came with the box. The sights are on a rifle and the box is stored somewhere as it didn't make sense to just set the box and sight aside in a drawer.
Paul,Quote:
Originally Posted by breakeyp
Although I've often been tempted, I've never mounted them on a rifle for fear of damaging that large front lens.
My unissued set came in an obviously old, little box that I've always wondered about. Without asking you to dig yours out, can you remember perhaps, is it made from thin brown cardboard that has been covered with a layer of baby blue paper glued to the outside faces of the box, with "LATTEY LENS SIGHTS" typed on a piece of paper glued to one end?
The box certainly appears old enough to be original, but, I don't know if it actually is, or, if it is just a handy size box someone found years ago to keep it in.
Thanks,
Terry
I will look for it. It was put somewhere where it couldn't get hurt---didn't think about finding it at the time. I have a pretty good idea where it is. It has been twenty years, I think it was a lttle brown colored box with a white paper label. I stll remember burning when the customs guy tore the box opening it!
Same box as Terry's they did the same with my box...tore the end out. I made one hell of a fuss and may have got a drunk customs inspector fired. I'll get a picture of my Lattey Box off tonight along with the Martins and Gibbs....
Paul and Warren,
Mine came from Vermont in the early 1990's and it too had one end of the box off, but, at least the torn end was stuffed back inside the box. Perhaps these sets were originally from the same cache and received the same disrespectful handling upon arrival?
Thanks Gents, for providing a couple more pieces of the puzzle.
Regards,
Terry
I know the guy that sold it, and have seen that sight. He had it mounted on a pristine
early 1900's No. 1, (like a 1910 or 1912, can't recall). I was fortunate to buy a couple of rifles from him. He has/had a world class collection. My No. 1 Mk VI came from him, along with my No. 4 Mk1 (T), and a few others. A very nice fellow, indeed.
Here is the box from a Lattey sight and a complete sight as well. A chum in the UK found a box of them in the late 70's early 80's and MOST of the ones around with the blue box came from that cache'.
Attachment 15722Attachment 15723Attachment 15724Attachment 15725
If you are into Galilean sights, here is an in interesting one. A MARTIN'S Galilean with provenance. It is named to a chap in the 8th Cheshire Rgt. and a search of his service record shows him a SHARPSHOOTER during the "War to end all Wars"
Attachment 15726
And here's the 'Rolls Royce' of the Galilean sights for the SMLE the Gibbs set.
Attachment 15727
And the Barnett/ Neill's sight, name changed from Neill to Barnett soon after adoption. This is a Barnett set as marked inside case flap.
WOW thats some very nice gear :move eek:
Hey Badger,
please make a knowledge library entry for the different galilean sights.
Excellent info!
That gibbs sight set is super!
I would, except nobody has ever submitted high quality pics of the sets they own, along with a comprehensive article that could be shared with the community about how they were used etc. :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by superbee
We're always looking for additional authors to write content for the MKL ... any volunteers ? ;)
Regards,
Badger
I know I have the Patent copies and the War Office documents on the Martins and Gibbs here "someplace" so if I find them and someone wants to help..."Bob's yur uncle" as they say.
I got mine for $25 bucks at a Saskatchewan gun show. I guess it was so cheap cause the front lense is missing. No box either. It is broad arrow marked.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCF0078-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCF0077-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCF0072-1.jpg
Nice set Stencollector
If you can find a willing forum member here who has a complete front set and persuade them to remove lens retaining D shaped ring and take out lens and get it 'read' for its optical properties at an optics shop, it shouldn't cost too much to have a replacement made. You will also need to have a thickish plasticard template made up of the lens shape so that their lens grinding machines can trace shape from glass blank just as if you were having a lens made to fit the frame of a pair of spectacles. I had a spare Gibbs Galilean lens made up (without reticle) and I think it only cost £25 from a friendly local optical shop. Unfortunately I have never found a Lattey sight set for my collection.
And here is the even rarer Gibbs set for C.L.L.E.
Now anyone else got the B.S.A set so we have a full house?
If you're going to get a set of lenses ground up Taff, make it two sets and I'll machine myself up a set of the mounts. I don't quite understand the optical principle as yet..... without a separate inverter lens, but.......
While we're on the subject, does anyone recognize this one?
Hi Rob
I think some enterprising person has taken a spare lens from a Gibbs set or bought one from them at the time (a spare lens from George Gibbs instructions was quoted at 10 s/6d) and cleverly made their own fitting for a particular rifle. What they did about a rearsight who knows?
Another thing I have noted with the GIbbs sets I have owned/seen is that front lens with graticule have been marked 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, presumably the magnification rating and finally a no marking lens. Furthermore, different dioptre rear lens also come with set as well as those listed per instructions . Every set I have had, as well as those lens listed in instructions, they also included a -2.25 lens and other values. Presumably other value rear lens were available to order suite a persons eyesight and achieve focus.
The Galilean lens system is better explained on the page here headed Galileo's telescope:
Refracting telescope - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Picked this up from a Canadian about 5 years ago.https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...159554_b-1.jpg
Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry Hawker
My box and sight were purchased at the London Arms Fair and the box was torn going through Belgian customs. Grr!
Thanks Hugh, looking at the photo earlier in the thread a similar thought crossed my mind! Especially with the same colour ink/paint in the etching. The unit was a perfect fit on a Long Lee barrel and if it was home-made it was someone with some skill as the edge was rolled in to retain the glass and the barrel sleeve/insert was removeable.
Anyone making repro Lattey sights? I for one would love a set.
Come in, Roger Payne: Roger, how difficult / expensive would it be?
Robd,
That was the main reason I was watching it but at £777 would need to shift a few to cover the initial outlay, If I could find one the same price Stencollector picked his up for, I would be in business, But I guess as we speak someone is already on the case and probably punting them out with the original box.
A Very basic bit of kit to reproduce, anyone with a bench drill, seletion of files and a abra file should able to knock one up in no time, (the expensive bit is the lens).
If anyone has a drawing of the set please PM me.
Robd, Big Duke et al., yes they'd be do-able, though not something I'd entertain (Come on you chaps out there!). In fact, I must confess that the Gallillean sights never really have floated my boat. It's probably heresy I know, but I had sets of Lattey, Gibbs & Barnett sights & sold all of them off some years ago. Any bright young things out there looking for a challenge?
ATB
More than willing to have a go, but need a drawing or one to re engineer, or if anyone can give me some basic size,s length width etc, I could knock one up to try.
On the subject of sights can anyone with a No1 Mk V post a pic of the rear sight, in both positions, (pic taken from the rear)
DRP and Big Duke, those Lattley sights would be an absoulte doddle to make. And with an optical perscription, so should the lenses too. But who can etch the grat pattern?
Peter
Lattey sight would be the easiest to replicate as it had no graticule, just magnified the existing SMLE sights. The Gibbs had the Graticule on front lens and the Barnett and Martins had central etched? Black dot on front lens. I have an original Gibbs template for the front lens graticule, like a transfer. Have not worked out if it had special properties for acid etching of image or whether a metal shield was created from template leaving image open and then image sandblasted deeply into glass, If you could see the original graticule image close up it is actually quite rough and crude.
I have a contact (if she is still in business) who can make any etched graticle you want as long as you have a drawing. She closed down for a while due to health issues but I'll call and see if she is up to it. Any orders will have to be prepaid due to fiasco's with other lenses that people wanted and never paid for..sorry to be the old curmudgeon, but the last one cost me almost $1000.00 dollars
I did the Patt '18 oculars and the Scout Reg OG's Wheaty and sold them all in reasonable time. I took a page and advice out of another forumers book and after each one had sold, I put the price of the next set UP. After all, there's less of 'em now!
The trouble is that with getting 10 or so sets the price is high but who needs to be sat on 25 sets, when the price would come tumbling down.
Incidentally, it might interest budding lens makers, that I asked a lens maker to make some sets of lenses out of optical/spectacle grade plastic that could easily be coated. The convex side was very pronounced to cater for the single material they were made from instead of the usual flint and crown glass spec. They LOOKED good but wouldn't pass the 'fastness' and 'scatter' test on the optical bench and they scratched too easily too. I'm rambling on a bit now but.................
I'll put it up over the weekend in a new thread: "No1 mkv rear sight". BTW have you checked the Knowledge Library? see if this gets you there 1924 ShtLE No.1 MkV (# A2090) otherwise I'll post as I said.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigduke6
I'd love to see a shooters report about what its like to use these, and in our knowledge library too.