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I now also have an L2A2 SUIT Trilux with a broken mounting spring. It is a British version with the side-mounted springs.
I'm not having any luck finding one but it appears in the other thread some people might know who has them.
Can anyone point me in the right direction? I'd love to get my FAL and Trilux together again.
Thanks,
Todd B.
Bump. Anyone?
I looked in my big box of spare parts for you and we don't have any left. Sorry!
Thanks for checking. Any ideas on how to get this working again, sans spring? Any field expedient fixes? I don't suppose there are military surplus stores over there that just have boxes of SUITs sitting in the back room?
There has to be a market for making these springs, after all they must all be just about worn out!
I know a very good engineer and will approach him about making a batch, sods law dictates it won't be easy though.
Cheers, John.
Have you chance to examine an Ex Israili modified SUIT Sight?
They fitted a Looped ended coiled spring Underneath the front body section.
& in addition, drilled through the locking catch & drilled & tapped into the alloy body.
This took a BA screw, which when fitted. Made the sight very stable to use shooting.
Of course, you lost the instantly removeable feature with the screw in place.
But, it is a very simple matter to remove the screw, lift the catch & lift off the sight from a top cover!
Hi Mike,
Any pictures of that mod mate, I stand by poised with a large rusty 6 inch nail and a lump hammer hovering over my head......whats drilling and tapping:lol:
Reminds me of the Blackburn Aircraft Companies un-official motto back in the 50's "Engineered to Perfection then hammered to fit"
Cheers, john.
I've already investigated having the springs made if you care to read the TRILUX sight thread about 6 down from this in the index
Can anyone direct me to pics specifically of the Isreali mods? I'd rather not permanently mod my scope but if that what it will take to get it running again, I'll give it a shot.
I've also asked a few people about making springs and no one wants to touch a spring like that. I'd think there is a market, though, since as someone else noted a lot (most?) are at the point of wearing out. I'd buy 2 or 3 if the price was right.
Or maybe spend some more for an ingenious Israeli-type add-on that doesn't require permanent mods?
I have one of these modifed scopes here, I will take some pictures for you guys. & attempt to post them here on the forum. this should clarify how simple a job it is to do the modification.
OK, I have finaly dug out the spare SUIT sight I have. It is British Manufacture, & has later Israeli mods for attachment. I have put a Metric BRASS screw in the retaining catch for easier viewing.Quote:
Originally Posted by tankhunter
The Top of the catch has a small hole drilled through for the insertion of the screw. This drillling has continued right through the frontal mounting bar of the sight body.
The hole is tapped to accept the screw. This is then a VERY positive way of retaining the sight on the top cover mount. BUT, it is then not READILY removable as in it's orginal form. A screwdriver or the Combination tool is needed to remove the screw completely. BEFORE the sight can be removed from the top cover mount. Most shooters will have a spare 'Normal' top cover without the mount. So it would be VERY simple to remove the whole sight & top cover assembly as one. & simply slide on the blank / normal top cover.
The issie's have also drilled through TRANSVERSELY, just in front of the rear the rear mounting alignment spigot. (This is underneath) & Two small rollers have been fitted on a steel roll pin. in the middle between both rollers, a coilled tension spring is retained. the Front of this spring has the addition of a steel HOOK, which hooks over the ORIGINAL Brit SPRING, RETAINING.
These two small mod'Attachment 38269Attachment 38266Attachment 38270Attachment 38267Attachment 38271Attachment 38268s do not affect the appearance too much & the top screw COULD be left off the lever, If desired.
I have attach some pics as requested by John, for his & all you guys perusal. If interested.
This MUST be the way to go. While I never had a SUIT sight issued on my issue rifle, we had zillions of them and I always thought that the mounting method was ten points down the richter scale from that well used technical phrase of '.....utter crap'
Any notion that the sight would be correctly zeroed after you removed it was the stuff of fairy tales. In fact, any notion of it remaining zeroed after a few shots was a forlorn hope. Tankie and Skippy who were both Infantry Battalion Armourers must have the same view........ At the REME Technical centres, (the old REME Inspectorate and Maintenance groups), the SUIT sight and mount had more suggestions put forwards about improving it than any other bit of kit prior to the SA80. I only know of one that was accepted and that was snip off the rear cover legs that would snap off anyway - so you just saved yourself the trouble!
The answer always came back to those hardy souls who put in suggestions worded to the effect that '........ very good suggestion and thanks, we have awartded you £10 or £15 for your efforts but the rifle is in the twilight of its life and there are no funds to develop the ideas further because the sight is crap anyway....... and so is your idea.........' No....., they didn't say the last bit but you get my drift!
If the new retaining screw was retained to the sight by a bit of steel wire (a crunchie is BOUND to loose it unless it is tied on, believe me.....), then this is the way to go
Just as a matter of interest, anyone out there know if this sight was permitted in Forces competition shooting? I don't think it was because after a 10 rounds rapid fire match or snaps, the sight would be out of zero!!!!!!!!!
If anyone finds a source, I could use a few also...
Pete, Like you. I always wondered why the retention spring was such an unnessacarily complecated affair!
They were rubbish material/heat treated from the word go! Most of the 'User's' of this sight pushed the retention catch as far rearwards as it would possibly go. Thus stretching the spring, & making it so weak. That when the sight was fitted, it wobbled around like a Dick in a Shirtsleeve. (Technical Phrase.....)
I know ALL of us Armourer's involved with these sights in Service. Have changed many hundereds/thousands of them over the years!
What a waste of time & money! The Izzi Mod is logical,simple & above all. CHEAP to install!
They also improved the illumination method by installing an LED & small Battery in the original TRITIUM Gas installation well! MUCH better way to go all round! :thup:
As Peter correctly states: 'They were useless & lost thier zero after a few shots'. They had a usefull extention of thier in Service life after the SLR went out of use.
There was a mounting attachment assembly manufactured to take the SUIT sight for use on the GPMG L7A2 7.62mm Machine Gun in the infantry role.
As the sight had lost an amount of accuracy required from a rifle. A little loss of this with usage of an MG didnt matter too much. You wanted a 'Beaten Zone' effect, from the rounds laid down. So a Burst of fire using the SUIT, would give the result you wanted the 'Good News' to be laid down!
It therefore didnt matter too much if the sight was SLIGHTLY loose due to a stretched spring. You would get a good 'Cone of Fire' in your intended target area.
I have a similar mount in my collection for the SA80's SUSAT sight. Which performs exactly the same operation using a SUSAT, rather than the SUIT.
As the SUSAT is comming to the end of it's life due to lack of spares. & the Manufacturer will not make any more. The ACOG sight is replacing the SUSAT in Service now.
The SUSAT will be enabled to continue in limited standard issue in Service as the SUSATS are recalled from issue. The idea being, they can be backloaded to ABRO Workshops for canabalising for spares to keep those in usage going for a few years!
My own thoughts are that they will be backloaded & sold off in the huge amount of surplus equipment sales that go for tender on a regular basis. Once out of service, stuff seems to have lost it's traceability, & gets lumped in with all other stuff for disposal. Gone are the days of the 'special disposal of small arms scrap'! You would be amazed at what i have seen chucked in stillage baskets & sold off to unsuspecting surplus dealers! They have discovered 'Embarrassments' when they have recieved thier big basket case purchases. & needed us called in to remove the 'offending item' for correct & Legal disposal!..... No System is perfect I suppose?....