A mutt...or is it?

servicing your scope

I sent mine to the uk via BDL out of the states. My scope is as fresh as a daisy and turn around was about 5 weeks all things considered. I think the job set me back about 175 bones a very cheap price to pay for work done by a true craftsman, enjoy your rig.
 
It will be a true joy to take this out and shoot it. (Would have been out today except that the wife popped out a baby this morning....so I was...."busy"....)

NS

Congratulations and hope all three of you are doing well! Or, at least we know you are happy. How about the other two?
 
No.4T finish

Truly,

Having read up on the No.32 telescope, I would not consider sending mine to anyone but Mr. Laidler.

I understand that he does work through Fultons of Bisley, and I'd more than likely go through that route. (ie, next time I'm in Bisley, bring the optic over with me and get the work done while I'm on the ground.)

Brian #### in the US (he posts regularly on that other forum you visit) is the North American contact for Peter. If you go through Fulton's you'll be paying top of the market prices for average service. Good luck getting that kind of turn around from any craftsman.

MLE, the sling swivel is stopped by the wire loop.

The rough texture/crystalline finish was my greatest, well, concern, I guess....where it made the original markings so hard to read on the receiver side, I was a little concerned that something was being hidden. With the bank account as drained as it is, confirmation that all is well is a GOOD THING.

I had exactly the same concern when I got my T. The seller has no reason to lie to me and is a collector of Palma rifles, target model No.4 and DCRA conversions. He said he had seen that finish before. In his opinion, the rifle he sold me was one of the least buggered up sniper rifles he's seen.

I speculate that these X-series M47C T rifles were built after the end of the war to complete existing contracts and to use up on-hand supplies. They were sent to stores. Deep storage. Rifles that were issued out to units were gradually returned to stores as those units demobilized in 1945-1946. There would have been a couple thousand other sniper rifles in the ordnance depots by that time. I can only guess that when Canada asked for or chose unused rifles, they got these ones. Taking that same supposition ahead to Canadian supply depots. Maybe the best rifles were kept in deep war reserves, and issued-out rifles were kept in service. Dunno, but that is the best explanation I can think of.
 
It is not clear in your pics if the TR is stamped on the bottom of the wrist strap. Mismatched bolt and replaced parts as you have would be more of a concern to me than a mismatched scope number. I hope you did not pay too much for it? Read Laidler's book No4T Armourers Perspective for all the details on these rifles.
 
The place that overhauled my 32 scope is

Kominek Optics

(416) 977-2132

The shop I used is closed but Brian still drops by the owner's house every Wed to pick up antique stuff to repair. he has the correct lubricants and knows how to take apart old optics with corroded parts.

Aftr it was overhauled the knobs moved smoothly, but I had 20 minutes of right wind and 5 of left. I took it back and he adjusted it the correct way so that after I zeroed and re-set the knobs I had about equal wind.

His fee is quite reasonable. Just a fee for his labour.

I found this place through a mention on the old Lee Enfield Forum.
 
The place that overhauled my 32 scope is

Kominek Optics

(416) 977-2132

The shop I used is closed but Brian still drops by the owner's house every Wed to pick up antique stuff to repair. he has the correct lubricants and knows how to take apart old optics with corroded parts.

Aftr it was overhauled the knobs moved smoothly, but I had 20 minutes of right wind and 5 of left. I took it back and he adjusted it the correct way so that after I zeroed and re-set the knobs I had about equal wind.

His fee is quite reasonable. Just a fee for his labour.

I found this place through a mention on the old Lee Enfield Forum.

Found them here:
http://www.kominek.com/index.html
 
I had until recently one in the X32--- serial range - there are quite a few in that range too - must have been a run of better than usual rifles from BSA Shirley - peacetime as someone mentioned. Everything on the metal was as per yours, even the placement of the 'X" where the SN is stamped on the bracket. Scope number was 23--- also.

The bolt you have there is post-war Belgian made. If you look on the underside you will find a small square stamp IIRC, but the sharp edges around the hole are the tell-tale feature.

Your forend has been replaced at some point, if it is not clearly numbered to the rifle. Butt markings are a bit hard to see, but you have what looks like a five digit number starting with "2" and below that what looks like "13041". If the upper number matches the scope and the serial number of the rifle is on the butt 'tongue' where it goes into the socket (take the butt off and have a look), then you probably have the original butt ; if you have the S51 stamped on the underside as mentioned above. Why the 13041 would be there I don't know, if this is the original butt. Surprising that those numbers are not more clear considering the decent overall condition of the rifle & scope.

The small V shaped piece of wood screws onto the left side of the removable piece of wood that supports the rifle in the chest, with the V facing downward. This piece is to hold the case for the Telescope, Scout, Regiment/Signaller's/G.S. (depending on what was supplied; they're all about the same.) The other end of the telescope case tucks under the piece that is attached to the left end of the chest. I can send you some photos if needed.

The other three pieces screw onto the inside of the chest at the butt end and keep the butt aligned, so to speak. Whoever started to refinish the chest, probably didn't put them back on because being screwed on before the chest was assembled originally, they are a b---d to get on and off when the box is assembled. Use a 1/4" ratchet with a suitable flat blade driver socket.

The large label of course goes on the inside of the lid, centered. Make some high-res scans while you have it off the lid. If that is the original hand-drawn label for the scope adjustments next to it, I'd suggest doing the same for that. Not often seen in a scannable condition off the case/chest.

As for scopes, get Peter Laidler's books and if you are good with detailed work, you can probably do some of it yourself. The index plungers stick sometimes from dried grease, but this is not hard to fix, and is the usual reason the knobs/drums stick. Removing or cleaning the reticule is tricky, as the crosswires are extremely thin and easy to break. If yours is clean, leave it be. Lenses could probably do with a cleaning after 60 odd years, but taking a "W" scope apart ain't easy as everything is sealed with 60 year old mastic, which can take little gentle heat to soften etc. Once apart, the seals are broken, so the "W" is now "SW" for 'sorta waterproof'.:D

If you or someone you trust travels to the UK, you could take it over for repair. Peter Laidler posts on the jouster.com forum and you could contact him there. Fulton's is his drop point for scopes etc. I hear, but they will make you pay for the privilege. He says he's sick and tired of doing them, but he is very generous with his time and resources and no one else has stepped forward who has his experience and expertise. Anything shipped to the UK for repair and re-export has to be very clearly marked as such, otherwise HM Customs charges whopping import duties etc.

Too bad about the chest refinish, but people do these things. I had one someone had gone over with an angle grinder. Sometimes there are markings on the chest that will show what country it was supplied to and when and even what route it took to get there. One of mine has the very same Canadian Pacific Steamships Special Stowage sticker, with number "7" in the same blue pencil, so it may have been in the same shipment as yours. It was not the rifle I mentioned above, but one that had never been fitted with a scope, though it came with a mismatching Mk3 scope in the same Case, No8 MkII.

I doubt these are ex-Canadian rifles. Probably a bunch of all sorts imported from the UK in the late 50s or early 60s. I doubt the UK govt. sold off complete matching sets at that point, but who knows.
 
I doubt these are ex-Canadian rifles. Probably a bunch of all sorts imported from the UK in the late 50s or early 60s. I doubt the UK govt. sold off complete matching sets at that point, but who knows.

Well, my father bought his matching LB T with REL scope from a dealer in Montreal. He was offered an unmatched rifle and scope, but he refused. For his pick of the rack, my father offered the dealer to let him match up scopes and rifles from the piles. Matched set would sell for higher price. Deal. He always thought it was a Canadian rifle. With Enfields never say never.
 
Well,

It's a mutt that can ring a 4x8" gong at 250 meters on it's first shot.

I middled up the windage knob a bit, banged a couple of rounds into the dirt to get an indication on the splash (in case a gross correction was required) then rang the gong 5 shots in a row at 250 meters.

VERY satisfying.

I'll get it out soon for some true accuracy testing on some paper (not enough time today) but the initial indication is VERY positive!

NS
 
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