Rare Canadian Arsenals Ltd. rear target sight

Has anyone ever seen, or heard of this sight? The Long Branch N0.4 it sits on is itself unusual. It came out of an estate sale in the area of the Long Branch factory. It has no serial numbers or military acceptance marks and it's in .308. Speculation is that it was hand-built for or by someone on the LB rifle team. The sight itself may be "one-of" or a prototype. The rifle is in gorgeous condition and shows every sign of having been meticulously cared for. It's an interesting piece of military history, and I just thought I'd share.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...sight010-1.jpg

It look very much like a copy of a Parker Hale 8/53 but that was a seperate piece mounted onto the MK1 sight.

The PH4 was a one-piece with windage so maybe based on that ?

Is this all one-piece ? It looks as if it may be especially made as it goes to 1000 yards / metres instead of the normal 800 / 1200

PH8/53
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...SCF00154-1.jpg

PH4
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...PH4sight-1.jpg

Nice piece!

What is the "circle" between the safety and the ejector screw?

Lovely piece! Would love to look at that sight and the rifle.

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Originally Posted by CODFan

Nice piece!

What is the "circle" between the safety and the ejector screw?

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It's a casting flaw. I assume that since the flaw doesn't affect the function of the rifle, they just left it.

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Originally Posted by lawrence_n

It's a casting flaw. I assume that since the flaw doesn't affect the function of the rifle, they just left it.

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The receivers are forged and then machined, not cast, so I would look closer.

What year is the receiver marked?

Attachment 58254
Another adjustable sight out of Canadian Arsenals junk box.
Not as sophisticated as above and obviously made from a standard Mk.1 sight.
Possibly just an early attempt at an adjustable sight for the No.4

That odd "circle" on the LHS of the receiver body looks to be close to where the LH locking shoulder is.

The wall thickness there is very thin on a "normal" No4. Could this have been an attempt to leave a bit "extra" in the area? Then again, why a circle and not some more easily-machined surface.

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Originally Posted by lawrence_n

Has anyone ever seen, or heard of this sight? The Long Branch N0.4 it sits on is itself unusual. It came out of an estate sale in the area of the Long Branch factory. It has no serial numbers or military acceptance marks and it's in .308. Speculation is that it was hand-built for or by someone on the LB rifle team. The sight itself may be "one-of" or a prototype. The rifle is in gorgeous condition and shows every sign of having been meticulously cared for. It's an interesting piece of military history, and I just thought I'd share.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...sight010-1.jpg

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Resembles very closely the experimental windage adjustable sight for snipers that was considered in WWII and of which drawings are shown in "The British Sniper"; the knobs are nearly identical for example.

May we see some photos of the rifle itself?

That round mark is where the body side is induction hardened. A BinO says, there's something is not right there unless the photo shows something distorted in the taking......

I'm attaching a better pic of the receiver and the over view of the rifle. The butt stock is a Canadian walnut spare that I modified to tame the recoil and give me the length of pull I needed. The original is put aside. You can clearly see the forging flaw and perhaps that's why this receiver was chosen for the build. Maybe it was a reject and thusly not a problem to obtain.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...3c100171-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...7098b46b-1.jpg

Still very nice!

I can see the outline of a screw in that mess on the side. There's actually what looks like two round spots, one up to the 11 O'clock of the lower bigger one. I suspect more like someone's tried to hide some work. They may or may not go all the way through. It's not an original flaw though. No inspector would accept that disfigurement. You say there's no inspector's stamp, but I still think this was done way after by less than the rifle team. Still, a nice shooter.

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Originally Posted by lawrence_n

You can clearly see the forging flaw and perhaps that's why this receiver was chosen for the build. Maybe it was a reject and thusly not a problem to obtain.
[URL=http://s292.photobucket.com/user/no1naboz/media/2014DuncansampLBrifle012_zps3c100171.jpg.html]

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You're spot on I believe. It seems from other rifles that not much useable was thrown away there and cosmetic rejects were used for "projects".

I suspect Ross Rifle Co. did the same thing, only in their case the cosmetic rejects were tidied up and made into sporters, where the defects were inconspicuous enough. This applies to the 1905-actioned .303 sporters IMO.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

I can see the outline of a screw in that mess on the side. There's actually what looks like two round spots, one up to the 11 O'clock of the lower bigger one. I suspect more like someone's tried to hide some work. They may or may not go all the way through. It's not an original flaw though. No inspector would accept that disfigurement. You say there's no inspector's stamp, but I still think this was done way after by less than the rifle team. Still, a nice shooter.

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The original serial number has been XXXX'd out, certainly not at the factory, or in the military where it would have been barred out so that it was still legible.

Is it possible to see the inside of the bolt raceway on the inside of the receiver from the external damage?

Can anyone else see what appears to be a hole outline in the middle of the "flaw".
I suspect it has been a hole for mounting something and an attempt made to fill it with electric weld which has not held or was broken off.
It is way too far back and too high for an attachment of the Sterling specific ejector button, unless someone made a boo boo and drilled the hole in the wrong spot. The flaw in the locking recess area. Maybe someone started to drill the receiver for a T and then tried to fill in the hole.
Just speculating, but think about it...............

It looks like a flaw in the forging. I have an ROFM 1941 with the same type flaw except it's on the left hand side of the butt socket. It was built a a service rifle and put out for issue anyhow although it didn't see much service since it's in excellent condition too.

I went and pulled the '41 Maltby from my vault and it's worse than I remembered with the forging flaw also running under the rear sight on the left hand side of the body.

Pics Brian?

Is it possible to see the inside of the bolt raceway on the inside of the receiver from the external damage?[/QUOTE]
Internally, there's no sign of the forging flaw. The bolt and raceway are clean and crisp.

Jim, I took one and sent it to Doug to post for me since I'm electronically challenged. The flaws are external and purely cosmetic as the small one on lawrence_n's is. It's downright ugly to be honest but they don't hurt the function of the rifle in any way.

Well Brian, yours and his don't really resemble each other. If you take his pic and enlarge to 250, it looks vastly different. I still say it's a circle in the disfigurement. Even Warren sees it...and I can see a second circle at 11 O'clock from the big one. Warren asked if it could have been a mount for a T...? Check one of yours...is it possible?

Interesting rifle you showed us by the way, early cocking piece and late trigger guard. Made in '41? What's the whole poo on that one?

The Long Branch is much better finished than the Maltby but the principle is the same. It still looks like a low spot/flaw in the forging to me. The Maltby '41 was imported from England 10+ years ago. It's exactly as I got it with some packing grease still present. Whether it was assembled later using the flawed early body or upgraded by an Armourer at some point is anyone's guess. It's matching and "as issued" with a mix of British contract parts. All the pertinent assemblies are serial number matching including the magazine. It also has the serial number of the rifle stamped on top of the wrist of the buttstock like many Maltby rifles I've examined over the years. Note the early Mk.III fabricated rear sight. It obviously didn't see hard service before it was stored away. It intrigued me because of the flawed receiver. That's why it's still here.

I noticed the later sight too...and an early cocking piece...late trigger guard. Classic serviceable tagged rifle.

Shows how great the need was in 1941 that such a body was passed fit. In the first 10,000 of Maltby production I assume.

serial number 19673.

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Originally Posted by Brian Dick

serial number 19673.

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Ah, looked like 10073 at a glance.