Possible Sight problem???

[devilbozo]

I have recently come across a mk3 mod 1 and upon first inspection the gun looks good aside from the usual wear and tear, but i later noticed that the front sight almost looks like it was pushed to one side, now im not talking about the actual slide that the front blade is a part of, its the entire front post. The whole post sits off center about 5-6 degrees at an angle. Upon asking the seller if the rifle was accurate, he said he didn't know and had never fired itHas anyone else come acrossed a rifle with similar sights. I don't want to pick up a rifle that cant be zeroed. Also, the thought did cross my mind that the possibility could be that the barrel walked and rotated, on the3 same note would it be feasable to have it rotated back and anchored.

Information

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[devilbozo]

mk3 mod 1

Should be listed as SMLE MkIII*

[browningautorifle]

If you understand the rifle's manufacture, you would be aware that the barrel likely hasn't rotated by it's self. You would have to shoot it to find out where you are with this. It may just be an illusion and it may shoot just fine.

[Peter Laidler]

Unless the fore-end is warped, you shouldn't be able to move/twist the foresight block over because the nose cap will prevent it unless it's been forced back together again. OR the barrel is loose or someone hasn't breeched it up correctly or - if the backsight is horizontally parallel with the bridge, then someones tried to UNbreech it by twisting it ahead of the backsight which WILL twist the barrel. I could be wrong but it's my 2c's worth

[jmoore]

As noted above , there's not much room for misalignment:



But there seems to be a left bias to the base as part of the design. Possibly due to barrel and action harmonics and deflections under load. It's especialy noticable on Indian 2A1s in 7,62x51.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

If you think the frontsight block/band on your Mk111 (*) is a bit off, it is a feature, not a bug. The block is, however meant to be UPRIGHT.

The keyway in the barrel is on centre, but the block is offset 0.015" to the left. The "ears" on the nosecap are likewise offset to the left by 0.015".

They were obviously fussy chaps back then. The keyway in the barrel is not just machined in parallel to the centreline of the bore, it is machined PARALLEL to the taper of the barrel exterior. The top surface of the block is also tilted forward to minimise reflection off the base of the blade at long-range settings.

I understand that the idea behind the offset was to compensate for the horizontal "drift" in the trajectory caused by the fact that it is spun anti-clockwise (left-hand twist). There have also been mentions of "Coriolis" effect on the bullet and weird thing happening when rifles sighted in England were used in South Africa, but that is another story.

Any Mauser / Springfield gurus have any data on those sighting systems?

[devilbozo]

Thank you all a great deal, Ill have to have another word with this dealer and see if he'll let me put a test group through it.

[Peter Laidler]

To be honest Devil, it's not a test group you need, it's to positively identify the problem....., if there is indeed a problem!

If you say that it's 5 degrees out of true, that is a problem that is visible to even an untrained eye.