Mounting a Central aperture sight on a No.4 Mk.2 ?

[stevebc]

I have a '56 Faz No.4 Mk.2 that I'd like to put a Central sight on. I have the adapter plate for the receiver (thanks Paul Reibin!), and would need to drill and tap the receiver:

But my question is, does anyone have or know of an adapter that would allow me to mount the foresight:

Clearly, the sight protector "ears" will have to be removed, but the existing forseight base doesn't offer any quick and easy way to attach my Central foresight. Solutions?

 

[tiriaq]

There is no need to drill and tap a No. 4 to mount a Central sight. The base you have will work, but is more a universal type of base, rather than one specifically for a no. 4. If you want a Central base to fit your Lee Enfield, which does not require drilling and tapping, send me a PM.
The front sight is meant to go on a standard target rifle dovetail base. If I wanted to mount that sight on a No.4, I would fit a standard dovetail base to a spare No. 4 front sight base, and Bingo!

 

[maple_leaf_eh]

The Australians had No.1s and really learned to shoot them. The No.4s were experimented with Down Under but were never adopted. When their "Smellies" became uncompetitive, they switched to Sportcos. After the war, several British companies got the jump on after-market accessories, and dominated the NRA UK and DCRA markets. By weighing the timelines, the Central Sight company in Australia had little demand for No.4 bases even if shooters converted to No.4s. I'm sure they did make them, but in small numbers.

As Tiriaq posts, there are ways around your mounting situation; hopefully without permanent modification.

 

[tiriaq]

I have mounted Central rear sights on both SMLE and No. 4 rifles, using Central adapter plates, (made by Central), that require no drilling and tapping. I expect that the market for Central sight adapters for No. 4 rifles was in the UK and Canada.
Central sights are good ones. They can be installed on just about any rifle, using an appropriate mounting base.