Strange rear sight location on a 1895 Sparkbrook SMLE

[louthepou]

Hello everyone,

I'm spending some time over my holidays here to sort through a few barreled receivers. Started working on this one and this morning I realized (not sure why I didn't see it a few days ago) that the rear sight block is located about 3/4 inch more to the back than it normally should:



The bottom one is a "normal" No1Mk3, the top one shows the anomaly - unless this is something normal for a 1895 Sparkbrook which shows a "CondIV" stamp on the left side of the receiver...




I removed the rear sight leaf and the hole in the barrel is there for the retaining screw, so I figure this isn't just someone's home-made modification...

Any one would know why this rear sight base was installed a bit more rearward? Thanks for helping me resolve this mystery

Lou

Information

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[browningautorifle]

Without being able to measure things Lou, I'm thinking the barrel has been set back. Can you measure or do a comparison? The knoxform "Looks" shorter.

[louthepou]

Thanks Jim. I just double checked; the knox just looks shorter on one of the rifle because of the camera. Both barrels are identical; but the rear sight block is 3/8th more to the rear on the mysterious barrel.

[browningautorifle]

And you just have the barreled action...no wood...no secondary holes? As if it was moved back?

[Maxwell Smart]

It might be that the rear sight base is not original to the rifle; if the base has been reamed out to suit a Lithgow heavy barrel I think it would sit further back on a standard barrel.

[englishman_ca]

Lou, is the sight bed cross pin hole in the barrel set 3/8 rearwards too?

[louthepou]

I'm trying to remove the cross pin to attempt moving the base but it's pretty buggered up. Will try to investigate carefully,

Lou

[louthepou]

Well I haven't removed the rear sight block, I wonder if it's soldered on. I'm not sure if there is no cross pin, or the remains of one in the hole. But I removed the leaf spring and I can confirm that there's no extra channel for the small retaining pin; if the block would have been moved from its original location (3/8th forward of its current position), should we expect to see that channel visible there?

[browningautorifle]

I wonder if it's soldered on.

Weren't the originals?

[englishman_ca]

Perhaps somebody with a complete and original specimen could get some measurements for you?

If it ain't right it has got to come off the barrel. Otherwise sight bed inletting and handguards will be off. If Bubba put it on there without a cross pin, he might have soldered it, yes.

Don't force it Lou. Be gentle. Get oxy acet torch and the FBH.

I'd be itching to see what is under there. I think that Bubba might have draw filed the barrel and reinstalled the base. You need to measure and compare diameters.