Lithgow SMLE .22

[A6BN]

Good evening. I have a Lithgow SMLE .22 that happens to be a JJCO inport. It appears the rear sight is not indexed correctly when compared with the front sight and the knox form flat. The rifle shoots quite a bit to the right. To get the windage correct, the front sight must be drifted to the right to the point where the sight does not fully engage the dovetail.

How difficult is it to drive out the pin in the rear sight base? If I remove the pin, I should be able to index the rear sight base, correct? What are the chances that I won't have to redrill for a new cross pin? Anyone else ever have to do the same sort of thing?

Thanks,
Tom

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[Alan de Enfield]

You could always try a PH5C, AJP 4/47, PH 8/53 or PH4 rear sight (no drilling or tapping for any of them), all have sufficient windage to get you on target and will give you a better sight patten and adjustment than the original.
You'll be looking at GBP £150+ for the 5C or the 4/47 and around GBP £110 for the PH4 or 8/53

You dont say where in the world you are so I cannot give it to you in local currency.

[Thunderbox]

Alan,

Its probably a No1 rifle, so none of those sights would be applicable.


Tom,

On a No1 barrel, the rear sight bed pin hole would have been drilled at the factory to be correctly indexed with the knox form and the key slot at the front of the barrel that positions the front sight base. Thus the pin hole should be in the correct place, unless its been bubba'd.

If the rifle is a JJCo bitsa, then there are two possible assembly errors: (1) the rear sight bed was not pinned and has rotated a bit; (2) the front sight base is missing the key and has rotated off-line.

Have you dissembled the rifle? The knox form, sight bed and front sight base should be in line, and thus it should be apparent which one is not correct.

The rear sight bed pin is drifted out right to left. It can be quite hard to get out, and you should use some decent punches. Sometimes a bit of heating and/or penetrating oil helps things. Once the sight bed is off, the original factory pin hole should be apparent. You may have to restore it if bubba has drilled another one across it at an angle.

[Alan de Enfield]

Alan,

Its probably a No1 rifle, so none of those sights would be applicable.


.

Good point - thanks.
Should have been obvious really - if its a Lithgow it would be pretty unique if it was No4 based.

Ok - try a PH5A rear sight.

[A6BN]

Alan,

Its probably a No1 rifle, so none of those sights would be applicable.


Tom,

On a No1 barrel, the rear sight bed pin hole would have been drilled at the factory to be correctly indexed with the knox form and the key slot at the front of the barrel that positions the front sight base. Thus the pin hole should be in the correct place, unless its been bubba'd.

If the rifle is a JJCo bitsa, then there are two possible assembly errors: (1) the rear sight bed was not pinned and has rotated a bit; (2) the front sight base is missing the key and has rotated off-line.

Have you dissembled the rifle? The knox form, sight bed and front sight base should be in line, and thus it should be apparent which one is not correct.

The rear sight bed pin is drifted out right to left. It can be quite hard to get out, and you should use some decent punches. Sometimes a bit of heating and/or penetrating oil helps things. Once the sight bed is off, the original factory pin hole should be apparent. You may have to restore it if bubba has drilled another one across it at an angle.

Thanks for the reply. I am in the US, Pennsylvania to be exact.

I have disassembled the rifle. I tried moving the front sight, no luck. I believe the front sight key is in place. I have also tried to move the rear sight base, no luck there either. The pin is in place. The right side of the pin is pretty well mashed. The left side looks OK. Any chance the pin can be driven out from the left (looking from the rear of the rifle)?

During my examination, it does look like the rear sight base is not level with the knox form flat and the front sight. Being this is most likely a put together by JJCO, I think the rear sight base has been installed incorrectly.

Tom