Lee Enfield Sights (Slideshow)

[Strangely Brown]

Good evening. I had noticed the Brinell foresight blades in the slideshow. How hard are these to locate? The entire kit would be great to find but certainly interested in locating the sight block and a couple of the circular front sight blades. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Brindles, or rather John Light (Brindles was the name of his house!) was a one-man business who in reality couldn't have produced that much stock.
The foresight sets turn op very occasionally these days and I suspect the majority of them have been binned over the years or ended up in collections over here.
John was local to Bisley and at one time was the NRA Armourer so well placed for sales!

Information

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[Mk VII]

I've got a partial Brindles set here, which turned up a while back.

[Surpmil]

Another unknown?

Spanner adjustable I see!

[muffett.2008]

The sight base depicted is part of Samuel Peacock's 1906 patent 7994, the sight ladder attached is a target specific one as opposed to the original Military one that was marked to 1700 yards.


From 1905 until 1908, there were several innovative sight adjusters patented,the Reardon sight which is very similar to the one depicted is a variation and may well be the sight family in question.



I have seen the sight you depict, but for the love of me cannot locate it in my files.

[Surpmil]

I have seen the sight you depict, but for the love of me cannot locate it in my files.

Was one I sold years back. Came out of a large box of remainders from a long-standing but long-gone local gunsmith. The sights were clearly the residues of his having made sporters out of pre-WWI target rifles, both Rosses and long Lees.

[muffett.2008]

Heres another Rare unmarked sight, grabbed this as soon as I saw it (thanks Markymark) took awhile to get it but well worth the wait.
Seized and dirty, but not a problem, half a day had it stripped and cleaned and working again.


Now I am unsure of the make, but several design features point me to one specific bloke, along with the fact that I had seen this type sight at a small museum in Charters Towers adds to my pointing towards Harry Motton as the bloke.(willing to be proved wrong though)

The windarm is the first give away, this type was used until 1912 on his unmarked small folder, along with the external spring to locate the arm, used all the way along with the halfnut elevation system until after the EDMOTT, when he finally made a captive nut sight.

This sight has the halfnut with lever release, same windarm as later models, same type windarm lock, but the elevation arm is a similar style to the early hockeystick style used by Westly Richards(Motton took an example of his sight to England in 1907 where he toured both Westely Richards and BSA plants,he later became the distributor for both their sights)

Heres three early styles together, each having a similarity, but different in it's own right, the other extended leg sight is different as in the windarm swings into it's locked position and is secured by a thumbnut instead of his usual spring plate method.
The shorter sight is the last unmarked style before MOTTY became his mark, the basics are the same as the extended leg sight, made to adapt to a different style rifle. The short sight was designed for the No.1 configuration.

Just a glance at his folders(Except for the ring in fixed arm at the bottom) all are different in some small design feature.

[muffett.2008]

Just to throw another rare one at you, Stan Edwards 1924 patent 17,575/24 complete with equally rare Central patent 143,379 peep.

Now at first sight you will note features of both Mues and Motton, but thats where the similarities end, Mues style Elevation lock knob although different in the patent - may be a replacement.
Motty leaf spring for windarm. This one has additional plate to tighten spring, not that it needs it when set correctly.

This is the second I have seen, this one has the patent number ground off the mounting point, but has Edwards stamped on the inner face.

[muffett.2008]

These odd sights just keep growing. Not totally unmarked but very faint and no name.
But a familiar shape if nothing else.

[Surpmil]

BSA No.9 on the right by the look of it.

[muffett.2008]

Yeah it's a number 9, just showing the similarities of the early sight.