1980 dated L42A1

[Surpmil]

Why go out and buy Mk3 scopes to supplement the dwindling reserves when there were already plenty of Mk1, Mk2 and (already partially converted?) Mk2/1 scopes in the system. Remember that lots of these later converted L42's were rifles culled from Police Forces who were required to hand them back to the MoD to receive Enforcers in return. It has been said that many of these were in poor condition, having been issued on loan to Police Forces in the 50's

I wasn't aware that there were Peter. I think we all assumed that the MoD in its wisdom would have sold off the MkI and MkII sights, (and rifles equipped with them) before selling off the Mk3 scopes or rifles equipped with them.

But if they didn't that's not surprising as one hand rarely knows what the other is doing; it can be seen happening here to this day.

So those as-new-in-the-chest No4(T) and "T less Telescope" rifles would have come in handy after all it seems.

Probably it would have been too politically embarrassing to be seen buying up rifles and scopes on the civilian market however, though they were cheap and plentiful enough in the 70s and 80s here, and I assume there too.