Help with a Number 4T

[john Brandon]

Hi Guys
I would really like to get some advise on zeroing my No4T please. I have just ordered "An Armourers perspective" but i still have to wait for it to come, and I'm confused, to say the least. Ok, I bought it last week for a very reasonable price (£1200 without scope) I bought it believing it to be a bitsa, no problem there. Honestly I am retired, and I can't warrant spending vast amounts of money on a toy, so I opted for one that I "think" is ok. The receiver is stamped for BSA and it has the TR stamp, plus the T on the action, although the woodwork has the S51 stamp, and the serial number stamped, it doesn't take a lot to replicate that, so I'm taking it with a pinch of salt. I'm pretty sure the pads are repro (they are not pinned either) The scope, I bought a few months ago, and yes sadly it is a repro, but at £300 I couldn't resist. Ouch, I hear the purists say, but until funds permit, it will do, or will it?

I took it to the range on Sunday to have a few sighters. I ended up scaling the distance drum to 500 yrds to get it anywhere near the target (50 metre range) and coming acrosss on the windage to it's limit. So, when I got home, I set about trying to adjust the drums. I managed to do the windage quite easily, but the distance one, well, for the life of me I can't seem to get it right, and the T bar looks far too low, consequently I've run out of travel at 400 yards (hope that makes sense.

In short, when looking through the scope the bar sits far too close to the bottom for my liking. I have a laser bore sighter and have "set" the sights on their lowest click. but it won't give me full travel up to 1000yards
I did read somewhere on here that it was possible to loosen the 4 retaining screws if the drum went tight, re-seat, then re-tighten. I hope this makes perfect sense to someone out there, as I'm getting ready to throw it down the range
Let me know what you think, I can take it I have broad shoulders Thanks

Moderator Edit: After you click on images to ENLARGE them, you may find they automatically size smaller in your browser's window making them harder to view. The auto sizing is your browser's way of keeping images entirely within the screen size you have set. Move your mouse pointer to the bottom centre of the pic and you will see an options panel appear. There will be a small square box next to the large X, which will have a pointer arrow sticking out of it. If it's illuminated, it means the pic you're viewing can be enlarged, so click on this box and the pic will EXPAND and open to its normal size. You can then grab the pic with your mouse (hold down left mouse button) and move it around to look more closely at various parts of the photo.

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.

[XL39E1]

Don't do anything with the scope until the pads are sorted! The front one looks way too high! Or the rear is way too low!

[jimmieZ]

I agree with XL, there appears to be a slight issue with the front scope mounting pad - at least for the scope bracket being used. I wouldn't fuss too much with the mounting pads until you try a different bracket. I hate to say it, but the cheap bracket sold by the same mass merchandiser as your scope, is actually pretty accurately machined (in my own experience).

Jim

[mrbungle]

yep. what jimmiez said.

the mk I replica is a pain to zero. but possible. it took me awhile to figure it out but mine shoots accurately from 100 yards to 500 yards , that is the farthest i have shot mine.

the top drum adjusts elevation. up is down and down is up. meaning the reticle is moved up you will shoot lower and if you move the reticle down you will shoot higher. i take the adjustment tool. hold the outer ring tool steady and then move the reticle screw a little at a time until i like where it is.

the part i had trouble with is the scope will move in the bracket. i took some silicone strips and that stopped the scope from moving around in the bracket.


oh and take the sunshade off...

[Peter Laidler]

If I was going to be brutally frank, I'd say that you've been had there.......... I'd take it back. Then, if you really wanted to keep and use the repop scope and bracket, read and digest a series of articles about making a good useable, accurate repro No4T.

You could even use the duff pads that you have on the thing that you've got there........ or maybe not as you really don't need a climometer to see that the scope is canted upwards at such an angle that it'll never........... I won't go on but suffice it to say that in my humble opinion, there's bugger all that you can do to that rifle to get the bore to mechanically or optically collimate with the optical axis of the telescope. I could be wrong but..........
Now that I have said my piece, maybe those others not quite so diplomatic will enter the fray!

I'm not being grumpy Muffer, just saying it as it is. Call a spade a spade and all that although I've been told that we can't even say that now - or certainly not in Birmingham!

[Ridolpho]

John B: I had a similar situation with my replica "T". You can see the scope tube on your rifle is angled up relative to the bore (amazing how sensitive the eye is to small angles). Your challenge is to collimate the bracket nearly perfectly to the bore as was done originally by H&H (see the book by Capt. Laidler). With the mechanics of the original and replica No. 32 scopes, there isn't enough useful adjustment built in to accomodate this much misalignment. I was able to physically modify my repro bracket (by filing) to get it very close and functional. Note that I was able to use a more modern Weaver K3 on it before the modification due to the greater tolerance of misalignment. Nice looking rifle- sure appears genuine. Good luck getting the scope properly set up.

Ridolpho

Peters post appeared while I was writing mine- hence the restatement of comments he made. I will add that your misalignment does appear quite a bit worse than the one I dealt with and in the end I almost ran out of material on the bracket before it came close to alignment.

[mrbungle]

i did not notice that before. but yeah some has to be done to bring the front lower.

[john Brandon]

Phew. There's quite a bit to digest there. I think I'm going to have to read the posts again, and understand fully what needs to be done. And I feel quite gutted to be honest. I mean, the pads are on, drilled and tapped, so there's absolutely no chance of moving them

Peter, are you saying the rifle is a nail? I was under the impression that it was a "T" but a bitsa. Now I'm confused? As for taking it back, it can't be done, my honour is my word Arte Et Marte and all that

[mrbungle]

it is not the pads, i think it is the bracket. if the pads are original. it is like they tapped and threaded the bracket hole too low. just my two cents. the sarco bracket fit my 44 BSA t like a charm.

[Peter Laidler]

Mr B, I think it IS the pads. Either the front too high or the rear too low exactly as XL says - and between us, we've seen one or two of these. But that's only my opinion