303 sniper

[Peter Laidler]

The telescopes were examined at the makers, passed and transported directly to H&H in corrugated cardboard boxes, protected with rolls of corrugated cardboard. Each box contained, so far as Sid Harvey remembered, about 30 telescopes. And the hard cardboard boxes all went back too! Such was the dire need!

He didn't remember anything about the different mark of scopes but suffice it to say, as the telescopes went to H&H straight from the makers, it's unlikely that they'd be wildly out of sequence. I dare say that some telescopes were diverted at the factories to Weedon as simple spares stockholdings. Big sacking material bags of leather eyecaps were also supplied directly and these came in the Royal Mail no less......, being pretty light I would assume. These were fitted at the end of the line, after the out-inspection.

As a matter of interest, when we had telescopes available from Ordnance as replacements as and when the need arose, they came in a little cloth bag with a fold-in top, approx 3.5" wide by the length of the telescope. You could JUST fit a telescope plus bracket at a squeeze but they didn't come with the bracket. The cloth bags were a very tough but rough off white/pale cream colour material that I think was called 'sailcloth' They were wrapped with a piece of string on which the little OHMS label was tied. Sometimes, the telescope number was stencilled on the bag. I wonder if they were supplied to Ordnance in these bags.............

There, another little bit of useless Enfield info

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.

[spinecracker]

There, another little bit of useless Enfield info

No such thing as useless Enfield info

[No4Mk1(T)]

as the telescopes went to H&H straight from the makers, it's unlikely that they'd be wildly out of sequence.

Not wishing to show any disrespect or contradict you Peter but I have something you might find interesting on this subject.
Over the last year I have owned 3 late war No4T’s all fitted with Taylor-Hobson scopes. One was dated 1944 and the other 2 1945. Of the 3 the highest scope serial number is on my “U” prefixed 1945. The next highest was on my 1944? This prompted me to start a small survey of publicly posted serial numbers on matching examples fitted with Taylor-Hobson scopes. To date I’ve run across 7 rifles so far. As you can see below the rifles serial number and scope serial numbers do not clime sequentially with each other. Again I want to add these numbers were found on publicly posted photos of matching No4T’s. I have xx’ed out the last digits of the serial numbers to protect the owners of these rifles however. I believe the 1946 dated rifle to actually be a 1944.

Year, Rifle Serial Number, Scope Serial Number, Scope Maker,
1944 C37xxx 250xx Taylor-Hobson
1944 C37xxx 244xx Taylor-Hobson
1944 M30xxx 244xx Taylor-Hobson
1944 R33xxx 247xx Taylor-Hobson
1945 T33xxx 241xx Taylor-Hobson
1945 U34xxx 250xx Taylor-Hobson
1946 ? F35xxx 246xx Taylor-Hobson


Now on the subject of the Grey paint. In the posted photos the shade looks very similar to the Grey Teflon applied to the Ingles Mk2* 9mm HP pistols reputedly done in Belgium. Did they do this to any of their other arms?