Help with T01 Weaver Smle rings and scope

Nabs

Nabs

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Hi all,

I recently picked up a weaver T01 mount, smle version, and it was a perfect fit on my sporter smle. I am not sure what types of rings to use or appropriate scope as I was looking to do some plinking at 50 to 100m with some hand loads.

Anyone, who had some more XP with this mount, would you be able to share your recommendations? I attached a picture for reference.

Thanks everyone ☺️.
 

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The T01 uses 3/8" size .22 type rings. Get good ones. Cheap .22 rings aren't a good idea. Note that there are little upsets for the rings to butt up against to help them resist recoil.
 
Is common that the T01 base has like a "crimp" near the front - that is a recoil stop - you will probably want the front ring to be snug to that - it is explained in the papers that came with the base. I think for the SMLE, there is also a shim needed - at the rear - or perhaps that shim is used on a No. 4 LE rifle?? I think those rails required the use of 3/8" dovetail rings - in "old days", centre fire scopes were made with 3/4" and 7/8" tube bodies - so the ring diameter needs to match to the scope that you intend to mount, but I think the ring clamps need to be 3/8" to attach to that rail.

Re-reading Op's post, I do not recall that the T01 was made in "versions" - it used to come with stuff that allowed it to be used on more than one type of rifle - but that might have changed.
 
it was generic no 4 and my 111's use a better quality steel ring there isn't much contact on the base with tiny thin little rings
it is a mediocre system a best
 
Hi guys,

Thank you for the replies. I got this mount used from a fellow CGNer so no papers were included but looking online also revealed that this mount would also work on the No 4 whereas the SMLE required the shim (which this mount came with thankfully). I did notice the upsets or "crimp" near the front of the mount and I was wondering what those were but it makes perfectly sense now, thanks for letting me know about that.

Now the hunt is on for some good quality rings and, hopefully, a tube to go with them.
 
Unlike many "modern" designs, the old type rails and bases (Weaver T01 and Parker Hale A20/A21) only used ONE place to handle recoil of 303 British cartridge - the other ring appears to function only to clamp that end of the scope DOWN, if the clamping force is not sufficient to hold the scope - the second ring does not appear to handle any recoil - at least the recoil movement that is in-line with the barrel. It will appear that your scope slides "forward" from recoil if the clamping tension is not enough - actually, the scope probably stayed still (due to its inertia) and the rifle moved rearward underneath the scope - hence recoil abutments tend to be at the FRONT of the scope base.
 
At one point the Weaver T0-1 base with Weaver 1 inch diameter tip-off rings was a very popular option for scoping the Lee-Enfields. I've used this combination on both No4 and No5 rifles and found it quite satisfactory. The unit maintained zero and worked well as a hunting outfit.
 
Thanks for the thoughts and help, everyone. I just ordered a scope and ring set that should hopefully fit my SMLE nicely for some nice plinking at the range.
 
I’ve used that mount before. As mentioned get good rings and make sure the front ring is against the stop or the scope will move. I don’t think the dovetail provides enough clamping with most rings to stop movement on its own.
 
Thanks for the note on the scope ring mounting, I will definitely keep that in mind as this will be my first time using this type of mount.
 
I just received the 3/8 " tip off rings and an accompanying scope from a fellow CGNer and after some tinkering, I was able to figure out how the rings seem to fit onto the Weaver mount. It looks like the claws will grip into the two small rails cut out on the top of the mount and I can see where rings were attached by a previous owner. I did heed the advice of others in this thread about making sure the front ring is up against the "stop" at the front of the mount. It does seem a small surface area to keep hold of the rings, compared to other alternatives, but it seems to hold the scope on firmly. I am looking forward to trying it out with some hand loads for SMLE.

Thanks again to all who contributed their thoughts, it really helped me out :).
 
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