I recently acquired this scope on an M47C that had been "sporterized" on a bench vice probably in the late 1950s or early 1960s. The rifle had been stored in a shed and was pretty much a total loss except for the receiver and scope mounting pads. The scope had some surface rust spots but cleaned up easily.
I know that the Scope is a Houghton Butcher Mk II from the visible part of the Gov't code OS 165XX and the fact that there are four "clicks" between the 100yd. increment marks on the elevation drum. As such, it would have been manufactured sometime after April 1943.
The scope has very good optics, the reticle is in excellent condition and both drums rotate freely, index crisply and there is no apparent play in the adjustments.
Is there any way to date an HBM No. 32 Mk II? Is the RegD No. the equivalent of a serial number and are there any records indicating year of manufacture by RegD No.?
The Scope Mount is a bit of a mystery. Aside from the matching cap numbers and the number "C38542" on the left side, there are no other marks what ever. According to Greenaway's article "On Your Marks", the C-number would be the correct SN for a BSA Shirley M47C manufactured in early 1944. (This number did not match the M47C SN from which the scope and mount were removed.)
Would anyone care to hazard a guess as to the manufacturer of this mount?
Your comments and observations would be appreciated.Information
![]()
Warning: This is a relatively older thread
This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.