PL mentions in his book on the 4T about the mod to the rear sight so as the bolt could be removed without removing the scope, and shows the designated drawing for the mod.
Does anyone actually have such a modified sight (either original or reproduced) on their No.4T and if so post some pictures?
I'm contemplating modifying a spare sight to replicate this, and as ever, pictures can be worth a 1000 words.
Just the thing for putting round holes in square heads.
PL mentions in his book on the 4T about the mod to the rear sight so as the bolt could be removed without removing the scope, and shows the designated drawing for the mod.
Does anyone actually have such a modified sight (either original or reproduced) on their No.4T and if so post some pictures?
I'm contemplating modifying a spare sight to replicate this, and as ever, pictures can be worth a 1000 words.
I've never seen one "in the wild" - but I've only looked at maybe a few hundred "T"s...
I have seen a number that people (with varying degrees of skill) modified for that purpose.
Peter first mentioned this modification & I suspect that it may be one that he & his contemporaries used, but by no means all armourers. I haven't seen any T's with this mod but I have seen one or two L42's. I have modified a few L42 sights myself over the years. If you have the facilities you'd mill the underside of the cursor so as to give clearance, but you can do it with a half round file if you are careful. Of course, the cursor will then need refinishing after, ideally by bead blasting, parkerising, & suncoriting.
I have owned one that had been so modified. It was a 1931 Trials rifle converted by RSAF Enfield to No.4 Mk.I (T). It is the only one that I have seen that was modified this way.
I have made the modification to a No4 clone I made up and requested it on a L42 clone Fulton made up for me. Both only have the ‘modification’ to the base of the sight leaf, the cursor is left as is. I achieved it with a half round file, and then re blued it with cold blue, yes I know I should have done more.
This style means the cursor has no weakening to its structure, but it does mean for the bolt to be removed the sight has to be set to at least 400yrds and you need to slightly lift the sight leaf under the scope. The result is still functional and allows the scope to be left in place but the bolt removed for transport ect. There are a few warnings out there about going to far with the back of the cursor, this option is functional and in my view lower risk.
I have two actual no4Ts neither has mod, nor have any of the the 20-30 others I have handled. I have seen it on one L42.
Thanks to Michael for reminding me to actually go & look at a suitably modified rear sight. I'd forgotten, & he is quite correct; the underneath face of the bottom horizontal 'bar' of the sight leaf is indeed relieved as shown in the attached photo, although on mine the cursor has also required a little tickle as well, so my offer of a spare cursor to GeeRam still holds, if he feels he'd like one.
Sorry it's not a great photo but it was taken in haste way after my bedtime.
The alternative was to remove the back sight or clean from the muzzle as some snipers preferred not to remove the scope once zeroed. A trials No4(T) I owned had dents in bolt face where it had been cleaned with a rod from the muzzle.
Last edited by Surpmil; 04-17-2021 at 01:58 AM.
"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." W.L.S.C..
"None need deceive a people determined to deceive themselves."
The alternative was to remove the back sight or clean from the muzzle as some snipers preferred not to remove the scope once zeroed. A trials No4(T) I owned had dents in bolt face where it had been cleaned with a rod from the muzzle.
For cleaning, I put a specially shortened empty case in front of the drawn back bolt as a 'just in case' protection for the bolt face when rodding through.
But the other reason, is here in UK I've had the odd occasion with RO's on a range that insist on bolts removed and only re-fitted on the firing point, and then removed before leaving firing point....fortunately not when I've been using the 4T, but the only time my scope has been off the rifle in the past 5 years was during a house move when I had to put my rifles into a RFD, and so I removed the scope before putting into storage.
Just the thing for putting round holes in square heads.
PM
Originally Posted by GeeRam
