Long Lee Offset Sights Question

[hatrick]

I recently picked up an 1896 Long Lee LE I and the front sight is slightly offset to the left as you look at the front sight from the muzzle end... do I need an offset rear sight or a centered rear sight. The rear sight has been replaced and is missing the original slider.

Thanks,
Eric

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[smle addict]

I have a couple of long lee's with the same offset front sight. This was done to correct a shooting error that was discovered during the Second South African war. A high number of MLM's and MLE's were found to shoot to the left. The remedy was to install a front sight with a slight offset to the left to correct for this error on those particular rifles. There is much more to this story, but all that is available in Skennerton's books (The British Service Lee, The Lee Enfield Story, Lee Enfield Rifles).

As a side note, I have a MLE Mk I with no offset front sight, and it shoots 6 inches to the left, with 215 grain loads hand-loaded to Mk6 specs. The others with the offset front shoot true.

[hatrick]

Thanks for the reply... what has me scratching my head because everything I read says it should be offset to the left but my front sight is offset to the right as you look down the sight. Makes sense having it offset to the left but mine makes no sense being offset to the right.

[smle addict]

Maybe yours shoots to the right and that was the correction. Best bet would be to range test it, and go from there. From the readings, a large number printed to the left. It would seem a number might also print to the right as well.

If you can find a slider only, start with that and see where the rifle prints. I too, had a long lee missing the slider, and had to buy a complete sight on ePay$$ just for the slider. So now I have a spare rear sight (minus slider) in the parts bin.

edit: I re-read your original post and failed to see where you said it was offset left looking at the muzzle. Sorry, I should have paid better attention.

good luck!

[Bruce_in_Oz]

SMLEs also have an offset front sight, probably for the same reason.

The key slot in the barrel is central, but the “pillar / base” for the front sight is offset a whole 0.015” to the left.

Even the nose-cap "ears” are offset by the same amount in the same direction, so that the front-sight base and blade look like they are in the right place.

I understand that this was all about countering “spin-drift”.

So, if the barrel had been made with a right hand twist, would the offset have been the same magnitude, but in the opposite direction?

[Ridolpho]

So, if the barrel had been made with a right hand twist, would the offset have been the same magnitude, but in the opposite direction?

I'll have to pull out my Longbranch with 6-groove right twist barrel and see where the front sight sits. This post caused me to pull out the big Skennerton to re-read the info on this Long-Lee sighting business and I would suggest everyone with an interest do the same. It's way more complicated than I recalled, with some rifles having substantial errors to the right as well as those requiring correction for shooting to the left. Skennerton includes many quotes from period Army documents describing the problems. There is one comment about accuracy issues at 500 yards- have a look at an 8 inch bull at 500 yards through the standard MLE sight- challenging!! I only shoot one of my MLE's, a '96 Canadian owned rifle that appears to have the 0.050 left offset of the front sight. It is perfectly zeroed at 200m (laterally) but I had to replace the sight cap with a higher version to get the ranging spot on with my handloads. Skennertons info elevation zero was also an issue at longer ranges.

Ridolpho

[hatrick]

Boy oh boy... this really blew up and seems to add more questions than answers. Seems like there may be no definitive answer and all I want to do is get the correct rear sight. It seems like my LE I may be one of the anomaly rifles that drift right versus the more common left. Even Skennerton's Enfield 'Bible' isn't very clear or definitive.

[smle addict]

It is hard to predict when that rifle has a scarce parts availability. I got curious last night pulled and a few long lees out of the gun safe to check the front sight. I have three metfords that have the left offset front sight. One MLE is offset left, the other is centered (the one I mentioned that prints to the left). I have an early CLLLE Mk I with the early front sight. That one has a sight offset to the right, like yours. All the rear sights have a centered leaf (v-notch in the center) and a centered slide.

If I had to guess, I would say a centered rear sight should work. But that's just a guess. Also, I noticed recently there was a MLE rear sight assembly on ePay$ that had an offset-right rear sight. So that just adds to the confusion.

Or you can be lazy like me. I just hold to the right of the target to hit the black. The long lee's are fun to shoot, and draw a crowd at the range, but they aint benchrest rifles! Well, at least mine aren't....