No.2 Mk IV* - Very Uncommon Sight

[martin08]

It's a Sight to behold.

I couldn't leave this one behind at the gun shop. Lee-Enfield No.2 Mk IV* .22cal Trainer, built on a 1918 BSA, and a 1937 dated barrel. Non-import marked. Rear handguard is shortened. Original rear sight removed. Bolt handle not matching.













What caught my eye was the atypical rear sight. The peep/micrometer sight ladder combination is from a Savage No. 4. It both flips up, and tips off to the right. When the sight is rotated away from the receiver bridge, there is ample clearance for the bolt to be removed. I hadn't seen this design before, and though I could not identify it, I just had to have it. By the appearance of the patina and the stock cut-out, it has been with the gun for a good long time.












Though I don't have access to Skennerton's book, I found a reference which states that this mount appears on page 295 of The Lee Enfield. And following many targeted search efforts, it is also evident that this style of sight is quite uncommonly encountered, if not rarely seen.

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthre...hlight=tippins

Another example of the base, mount and sight may be viewed in this thread, dismounted from the gun.

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthre...hlight=tippins

The base is drilled, tapped and attached with staked screws to the rear of the receiver. It has spring loaded locking cam plates between the main base body and tip-off mounting frame, and again between the tip-off mount and the sight ladder.













The base and tip-off mount have no maker marks, so it is not identifiable to a specific company or armory. And for the few references which I could find for this sight, its specific origin seems difficult to pinpoint. There are varying opinions, within which the names of Parker and Tippens are mentioned. As well, BSA comes up in a few discussions. But without clear markings, it is best to call the design as unknown at this time.

It is, however, clear that this apparatus was intended to simulate the sight picture of the No. 4 Lee-Enfield for the .22lr trainer. It could be a WWII application, or a post-war addition. But hopefully, some good exposure for this unfamiliar sight might invite some more examples to be observed, and possibly spark some discussion. And maybe we can find out where they were made!


For now, I'll call it the flip up and off micrometer sight.






Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for looking.

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.

[Colonel Enfield]

Is that a Savage "S" marking on the sight?

[martin08]

Yes, that is a Savage sight.

[Colonel Enfield]

There is indeed a picture of that sight on page 295 of The Lee-Enfield; the caption describes it as being intended to duplicate the sights on a No. 4 rifle.

The text itself says the flip-over design is to enable the bolt to be removed from the rifle, if that helps. No info that I can see on specific manufacturers etc, I'm afraid.