Loose SUIT mount - help needed

[Charlie303]

After 30 rounds my SUIT scope is getting decidedly loose on the mount. It appears that the 2 rivets holding the T mount to the adaptor on the cover are working loose, presumably due to the recoil.

I'm sure that I've seen a previous post on this, but damned if I can find it!

Does anyone have a cure? Re-riveting doesn't seem a good option as there's insufficient room between the adaptor and the cover. The only thing I can think of is squeezing some loctite in, but that doesn't seem like a sure fix.

Any suggestions gratefully received!

Thanks,

Charlie

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.

[Peter Laidler]

If it was us in the military, we'd just scrap the cover but.......... Needs must so if I was you, I would obtain a new cover then rip the old cover away from the top mount part. Clean the mating surfaces off, strip the SUIT mount off by unpicking the rivets. Then re-rivet and get someone to re-spot weld the top mount part back onto the new top cover.

Might be a bit more successful than a few blobs of loktite, it'll take a bit longer too but done properly, it'll last another lifetime

[gravityfan]

I have suffered the same problem. Bought a SUIT, 5 shots later the "T" came away from the dust cover and dumped the SUIT on the concrete. Returned the cover/mount for a replacement. Replacement went loose after 5 rounds. Did it all again, same thing.

Finally, I drilled out the rivets, drilled through from underneath, tapped the holes in the "T", Put allen screws in from below, cut to length, loctited and staked them. Ground away part of the heads protruding into the bolt channel for clearance, and now I have a solid mount.

Here's my take on the reason why. A friken crap load of SUITs have been surplussed, mostly from the Izzies. Sure as sh1te they were surplussed WITHOUT the cover/mounts.

Some enterprising concern has manufactured the cover/mounts to go with them, as cheaply, quickly, and easily as possible. That means using soft metal rivets for all three of those reasons. They are not sufficient to the purpose.

If your cover/mount does not show a recognised maker's mark, like Enfield or BSA, then I would assume it to be one of these Mickey Mouse units whose rivets will simply shear under the recoil forces of a mere handful of rounds fired. (These mounts have no makers marks)

I will gladly stand to be corrected, but everything I have found out support my points above.

Has anyone got any GENUINE SUIT mounts for sale?

HTH
gravityfan

[tankhunter]

Has anyone attempted Silver soldering an already assembled T/Cover Assembly? Sand blast & either Reblue, or parkerise & spray paint & bake.

[skiprat]

I have seen a couple of mounts that have used two small runs of weld to secure the T shaped bracket to the flat on the top cover. (still with the 2 tight rivets)
One is at the front just in front of the elevating adjusting screw position and the other is at the centre at the rear.

The few I have seen done like this look to have been done in a uniform manner (all in the same place, same amount of weld, and same quality of weld,) and all the mounts have been re finished just like the originals.

I don’t know if this was an original in service repair or an after market reproduction but they do look consistent with service use.

---------- Post added at 09:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:40 AM ----------

Also…….
I have just taken apart some IWS Top cover mounts for the L1A1 the top covers were very badly damaged but the mount and tabs were worth saving to spot weld onto new top covers (when I find them)

Any way these mounts were spot welded to the top cover just like the suit mounts, it also looks like the mount and tabs were also silver soldered after the spot welding.
A bit of belt and braces….

As armourers my say “Make all sure”

[Peter Laidler]

I don't remember the bracket bits failing on the cover mounts in service, do you Tankie and Skippy? The only 'problem' was the rear ears breaking away and then we just ground them off. I'm inclined to agree with gravityfan there. Maybe a run of TIG along the bracket and mount part should do the trick. I don't think silver solder would a) run without stripping and cleaning and b) wouldn't support the rotational torque/pull of the SUIT

I think BDL might have covers Skippy........

[Charlie303]

Hi all,

BDL doesn't have any, and I suspect that my mount is probably one of the new repros with soft rivets, so I guess a 'fix' will be needed.

The only marking I can see is a badly stamped letter, looks like a B on the rear RHS tab.

Thanks for all your input.

Charlie

[nzl1a1collector]

Hi all,

BDL doesn't have any, and I suspect that my mount is probably one of the new repros with soft rivets, so I guess a 'fix' will be needed.

The only marking I can see is a badly stamped letter, looks like a B on the rear RHS tab.

Thanks for all your input.

Charlie

The 'B' indicates the original top cover (minus the Trilux mount) was made by BSA

[tankhunter]

I don't remember the bracket bits failing on the cover mounts in service, do you Tankie and Skippy? The only 'problem' was the rear ears breaking away and then we just ground them off. I'm inclined to agree with gravityfan there. Maybe a run of TIG along the bracket and mount part should do the trick. I don't think silver solder would a) run without stripping and cleaning and b) wouldn't support the rotational torque/pull of the SUIT

I think BDL might have covers Skippy........

Pete, Very OCCASIONALY. Upon routine inspections I would encounter a slightly loose mount. (This was Rare though!)
I simply made up a suitable Support Dolly & used a correct size rivit snap to tighten up again.
As you will recall Peter, it was an OFFICIAL Modification. When one ear fractured from the rear of a Brit TopCover. The mod was to remove the other ear & file to a chamfer to clean up the edge. Split or fractured 'Ears' were a common occurance!

[dirtbag]

After 30 rounds my SUIT scope is getting decidedly loose on the mount. It appears that the 2 rivets holding the T mount to the adaptor on the cover are working loose, presumably due to the recoil.

I'm sure that I've seen a previous post on this, but damned if I can find it!

Does anyone have a cure? Re-riveting doesn't seem a good option as there's insufficient room between the adaptor and the cover. The only thing I can think of is squeezing some loctite in, but that doesn't seem like a sure fix.

Any suggestions gratefully received!

Thanks,

Charlie

Mine had that, basically my GS took it off the mount and re tapped the screws. Solid as a rock now !