Windage adjustable rear sight

[Steve H. in N.Y.]

I'm curious about an SMLE rear sight I saw on an auction. The cap has been slotted to allow for windage adjustments. Was this available commercially or has someone whipped it up in their garage? The picture isn't very clear but it looks like a good job. I don't recall seeing anything like this in any of the old catalogs.

Information

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[browningautorifle]

The rear sight used to adjust with a small hand wheel but this one looks to be cobbled together from a new base and old sight. The screw is all that holds it in place. Old and new together I think.

[Kiwi]

Looks like a DIY job to me. Making windage adjustment in the field would require a screw driver to fix rear sight each time windage changed, so not very practical. More likely someone wanted to adjust point of impact by altering rear sight rather the normal process of removing nose cap and drifting front sight blade, re-attaching nose cap etc. Looks like it would work fine though one it was set up.

[Peter Laidler]

I'm thinking that this is a good alternative to zeroing* for deflection using the backsight instead of the foresight. Good in theory but in this case not so good in practice. The amount of deflection needed is simple to calculate. It's holding the slotted cap in place as you secure the screw that'll be the problem. Unless of course, you just tap the cap over as you would the foresight blade.

* Don't forget, zeroing is done to zero the rifle in perfect conditions. Adjustments for wind are to zero the rifle on the day. Two entirely different things!

[SpikeDD]

I'm thinking it's not such a bad idea. One would need a screwdriver to remove the nose cap anyway and another tool to drift the front sight blade. A small spring washer would keep just enough tension on it to make adjustments.

[Richard Hare]

I'd say t's not as much use as the original rear sight with windage adjustment, and they can be picked up now and then quite easily, so why bother ?

[Peter Laidler]

I'd say that the original windage backsight WAS the problem. I never saw one in SERVICE in my day as we only had EY rifles with the screwed-on cap. But the school Cadet Forces had plenty of them and they all seemed to be as loose as bulldogs bal.........., er......., testicles! Just count the number of moving parts, pins, threaded shaft etc etc to illustrate the point. Nope......... a workshop nightmare, fragile, open to the elements in service and an Armourers nightmare. Only my view of course. The only backsight that was more complicated than a Mk1 Bren sight!

That's a good idea from Spike to allow it to grip on a circular spring/corrugated washer. That's the answer!

[Richard Hare]

The original adjustable sight Peter;

Nice sharp clicks, nice sight. I'll just keep mine and thank goodness I have a good one, not all wore out! :-)

[Homer]

I've seen one of these sights before but the creator went one step further and designed it with small adjusting screws on either side. That way, the top screw only had to be loosened somewhat but with enough tension still to hold the cap firmly while the adjusting took place. I thought it was brilliant. I'll be making one or a dozen for myself one day.