My L42A1 Kit

[Peter Laidler]

We patched butts, arouynd the butt socket regularly including where yours is patched. You can tell that an Armourer has done yours and not some enthusiastic amateur, by the two hardwood pegs that strengthen the patch......., see them?

That aerolex buckle was VERY expensive at about £50 or so each (someone feel free to correct me) and was originally a no-slip parachute fitting, made by Irvine, the parachute people. Alas, the Wydean slings were utter crap....... Yes I know that they're hard to get and expensive, but crap nonetheless!!!!! Melt at the first sign of heat and slip like a sxxxhouse floor as they say in the best polite circles! BY far the best was the current webbing cotton sling. Same design but better material but that's only my opinion - and the real snipers too

I will take the risk and disagree with Gil about the Scout Reg telescope. HCR's were shallow engraved because the tubes were simply rolled and silver soldered down the seam. I know many of you won't quite believe this......., but look carefullyand you'll see the join in each of the rolled tubes - or 'draws' as we call them. So there's not much room to get a deep engrave. The trouble with HCR's was that contrary to presumably working with the same drawings as Broadhursts, the parts supplied from Ordnance simply weren't interchangeable with HCR's so the attrition rate was harsh if they went wrong. Another faulkt with them was the threaded rings set 1" or so inside would pull out. There was a repair.............. Have I gone off track enough yet........?

And another thing while you're here............ The little bracket on the inside base of the modified No8 telescope case (see photo 2 and 3) was to have a little narrow flat lens cleaning brush set into it. This was decided before the final CES was codified. But the brush was subject to the usual dirt and crap ingress and just clouded the lenses they were meant to clean so the Royal Marines sniper/support weapons wing at Lympstone who were trialling the 'new' rifles too suggested the little readily available bottles that they already had in the Carl Gustav sub-calibre kits. It was taken up and the rest is history.

There, another useless bit of Lee Enfield history that you probably didn't know about. On the other hand...........

[Gil Boyd]

Peter,
You know the RSM is always right, HOWEVER, on this occasion I will agree with your hypothesis, as I have no HCR's physically left in my hands now to corroberate my belief.
I am sure someone else will check the ones they have, but still convinced they were stamped.
Have a good BH weekend

[Peter Laidler]

DEFINATELY not stamped. You cannot stamp thin wall rolled tube. Well, you can......, but not twice!!

[CINDERS]

Maybe the operator was having a bad day on the range and transposed the group onto the butt to track the shots!