Unknown windage adjustable SM41 No4 backsight

[Mk VII]

Very few of these rifles have ever escaped captivity. No doubt they have all been scrapped in accordance with our UN Treaty obligations.
The public schools all threw this sight away and substituted a Parker 'Regent' or similar.

[Peter Laidler]

Was the 'REGENT' the official sight Mk7? There was a bit of a problem with the official sight because you couldn't pull the bolt fully to the rear because the bolt handle just fouled on the bolt lever by about 6 mm or so. As if you could 'just' foul something as important as a rifle bolt by 6mm I used to ask........... So some of the users took to grinding a 6mm slice out of the bolt handle.

It got worse before it got better. As I said, don't but the backsight or the rifle. This is a case of where you SHOULD buy the story and not the gun!
I'm passing this thread on to someone who was involved in a spot of trouble shooting/solving on this rifle. Are you ready for this Tony............?

[Mk VII]

No it was a private fix which the Public schools could do, but the Cadet movement could not. Even there the advertising copy admits 'some adjustment' may be necessary.

[Warren]

Canada also played with an adjustable sight for the No.4 and one for the (T) ..
prototype picture attached.

[Simon P]

The Regent is a little similar to the Parker Hale PH4 so wouldnt it be easier to use the Parker Hale sight?

[bigduke6]

Looking for My no4 rear sight (was on the range monday night results in the range report forum) I found this in a box of bits which matches the sight Simonp posted, thought I,d post the pics to show the left side etc.

(found some other bits have posted them on the Bren gun Forum).

[Peter Laidler]

Yep, that's the L81 backsight Big Duke............ A sack of , er...., horse manure!

[Brian Dick]

I've got plenty of L81 sights on hand. All are complete with the base for the P-H/Mauser action. I've got the front sight globes, handstop rails, handstops and little P-H bipods for them too. Anybody need a set?

[ENFORCER 303]

Hi all,

Well, against all advice and common sense I've gone and bought one! I'm now the proud owner of a set of these sights, they came with a Parker Hale foresight and they are still attached to the rifle on which they were issued.

The rear sight is as issued but it's a wibbly wobbly affair and you have to remember to make sure it's pulled right back against the stop every time you fire, or the shots string out vertically. Just dry firing makes the sight move around. It looks as though the plunger doesn't have as much travel as on a No. 4, so they've rounded the bottom front edge of the sight body to allow the sight to rotate forward; this lets it rock forward under recoil. The plunger also looks quite loose in it's housing, which adds to the problem. I've tried increasing the spring pressure and I've cleaned the top of the plunger and the bottom of the sight body a little on a flat stone and everything is a bit more stable but just not quite as I'd like. Is there anything that can be done to improve things? Maybe a tighter plunger would solve the problem? Ah, I almost forgot the windage seems to be set a long way over to the left in order to hit the centre of the target.

Despite the shortcomings of the rearsight, the rifle is almost as new and I'm lead to believe very rare. Arguably, it may be the worst abortion of a target rifle and God only knows why they chose it over the L39, which had already proved its worth; but it's still an important part of firearms history and I'm proud to own it!!!!

Cheers, Griff.

[Peter Laidler]

I've probably mentioned this in other threads that relate to these L81 rifls in general, but they did have one very good purpose in Cadet Forces. By having these rifles for the School Cadet shooting team, it came with a generous allocation of 7.62mm target ammunition. I've got to be a tad careful here........... but this generous allocation of Green Spot target ammunition gave the particular Cadet Force a sort of 'currency' to play with because while there was still a mixed fleet of .303's and L81's, the Cadets with both could swop the target grade Green Spot 7.62mm ammo for lashings of good .303 - THEN use their old highly accurate but telescope-less ex No4T rifles in competitions. My sons school Cadets had several No4T's for the shooting team, fitted with specially converted P-H5C sights. It also meant that they could use the excess ammo for their 7.62mm Bren guns or even swop it for extra blank. Not that any quartermaster would of course........................!

And when the last of the No4's went, those Cadet Forces with good shooting teams just used L39's borrowed from their local TA (Territorial) units who were happy to see them used regularly. But whatever happened in the rest of the Country, as having been the leader of one of the TA Military Training Teams locally, I bet it was the same nationwide. That's the reason your rifle still looks new and unused Enforcer - because it IS unused!

As for the old L81 going down in the annals of firearm legends................. Mmmmmmm, that's another matter. They certainly were legends among the Armourers I have to add. If not the annals of history, then certainly the anals of history