Makers mark on TRLIUX SUIT cover/mount?

[jjjxlr8]

Many years ago while looking for optic choices for my Austrian Stg58, I found and purchased a dust cover mount for the Trilux SUIT. It had the tabs on it, which I trimmed to fit my Stg58. The only markings on the cover is what appears to be a "B" on the right side tab:



Can anyone tell me the manufacturer?

The actual mount part of this unit was attached to the cover with aluminum rivets which didn't last long. I've since fixed the problem with nuts and bolts (staked) and haven't had any issues since.

Information

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[Charlie303]

B = BSA

My mount suffered the same fate, aluminium rivets gave out after a few rounds. But is that because it was a cheap repro? I would have thought that a service item would have been more robust.

[jjjxlr8]

I don't think that this could have been a military mount, with the use of aluminum rivets. It didn't last very long at all before they worked loose from recoil. I guess this means that at least some of the cheap reproductions have a "B" mark.

Does anyone have any detailed photos of a known BSA made cover/mount? Photos of the underside and any markings?

[Peter Laidler]

I'm not sure that BSA made SUIT sight cover/mounts. They were well off the L1A1 rifle scene by then. And absolutely concur with the alloy rivet theory. Wouldn't - and didn't - last 5 minutes against the recoiling forces. I seem to recall an old discussion about these SUIT sight mounts and alloy rivets as being put together in the USA from Israeli (?) parts

[browningautorifle]

That would make sense, here in North America aluminum pop rivets are common. Steel are easy to get but you have to work at it more. A non shooter wouldn't know aluminum won't work... All this stuff came in years ago...and was assembled and passed off as correct.

[jjjxlr8]

So I know that Enfield made mounts, as I have one of those. Were there any other manufacturers for the military mounts? I assume they would have multiple sources, but who knows for something like this.

[Peter Laidler]

Actually, many of the sight mounts were made by outside contractors especially the fitting of SUSAT type sights and night vision to other equipment.

There is a lot of info on the similar threads bit at the bottom of the page

[jjjxlr8]

I never noticed that section before! Very helpful.

[Charlie303]

Here are pics of the covers I have;

Attachment 66634Attachment 66635Attachment 66636Attachment 66637Attachment 66638Attachment 66639

The first two appear to have been made by BSA, the last by Enfield.

The 'B' on the plain 'BSA' cover has a crude electro-pencil engraved B. The SUIT mount top cover 'B' looks like a stamp of some sort. The Enfield stamp is inside the cover near the front.

Could SUIT sight mounts have been fitted later to old-stock BSA top covers?

[Peter Laidler]

Looks like Charlie has the answer. Seems like the mount makers were supplied with covers upon which to mount their mounts.

Just noticed that I have one marked P-H internally similar to the DE marked example. Who'd have thought that?