No 4 Mk 1 sight question

S

sailor723

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
47   0   0
Location
New Brunswick
I wonder if some of the Lee Enfield experts here can answer a question for me?

I just snagged this 1950 Long Branch No 4 MK 1 from Corwin Arms. It appears to have the L shaped 300/600 flip sight I have also seen referred to as "wartime expedient". Would this be considered a period correct sight for this 1950 rifle? I did try a Google search and while I found information on the 4 different sights used there was nothing specific to what sights went with what time period.
 

Attachments

  • LE1.jpg
    LE1.jpg
    74.2 KB · Views: 156
  • LE2.jpg
    LE2.jpg
    26 KB · Views: 155
  • LE3.jpg
    LE3.jpg
    74.6 KB · Views: 156
A 1950 rifle would have been fitted with an adjustable Mk. 3 sight.
The forend looks out of place. I would expect walnut, with the high wood along the right side of the receiver. Your forend is the early pattern cut for the cutoff which was not fitted to production No. 4s. Of course, rifles could be assembled using parts on hand.
 
Should have the MK3 sight when new.
The cut out for the cut off plate is unusual since these rifles were never fitted. I think it's kind of neat to see what was fitted when they put these through the arsenal. I wouldn't change a thing. It's history is what it is.
What is important is the barrel.
 
Yes, but that one is broken.
You have to remove the little keeper pin, remove the rear sight axis pin, remove the Mk. II sight, install the replacement.
 
tiriaq said:
A 1950 rifle would have been fitted with an adjustable Mk. 3 sight.
The forend looks out of place. I would expect walnut, with the high wood along the right side of the receiver. Your forend is the early pattern cut for the cutoff which was not fitted to production No. 4s. Of course, rifles could be assembled using parts on hand.
Click to expand...

So, with the wrong type of rear sight and the wrong wood did I buy a bit of a "pig in a poke"? :(
 
It is 67 years old. Unless a rifle is new, never issued, lots could have happened since it left CAL.
The forend might have been there since '50.
 
The rear sight on my long branch#4 mk1 that I got from Corwin had a damaged rear sight, the lock mechanism on the slide was broken and missing. I found a replacement one on e bay and I lucked out as it was a Canadian one as well so it was a perfect match to the rifle. I had to replace the pin for the rear sight too as the end was mushroomed out. I don't know why it wasn't fixed during the re arsenal process
 
My lock was bent on my Corwin No.4 mk1 cmk3 sight too. It would hold but was just a matter of time before it would snag on something.

Found a LB stamped mk3 sight at the Yorkton gun show for $20. I will attemp to repair if I can find a spare locking lever.
 
PinkyPlinker said:
Check the EE. Somebody had a bunch of mk3 sights for sale.
Click to expand...

I found those on the EE....no mention of the plunger or spring. Would it be normal for them to not be included? Sorry is this is a dumb question but what is plunger/spring function? To lock the sight in placed when it's in the up or down position?

Also, no mention of the axis pin the sight rotates on. I'm guessing the existing pin I have holding the "L" sight on is the same and able to be used to mount the new sight?
 
sailor723 said:
I found those on the EE....no mention of the plunger or spring. Would it be normal for them to not be included? Sorry is this is a dumb question but what is plunger/spring function? To lock the sight in placed when it's in the up or down position?

Also, no mention of the axis pin the sight rotates on. I'm guessing the existing pin I have holding the "L" sight on is the same and able to be used to mount the new sight?
Click to expand...

if you replacing the existing site then you will already have (or should have) the plunger, spring, and axis pin.

looking at the attached photo it looks like those parts are there.

easy to swap out the 2 position 300/600 sight for the Mk3 sight.
 
Yes sailor, if your rifle has a sight on it it has all of those parts now, which are all the same.

Once you use your small punch to knock up and out the little sight axis pin locking pin, (if it's being a bugger you might need to remove the safety assembly to get a better angle on it- make sure you don't put the safety out of time) you then use your mallet to tap the end of the axis pin down flush. On the other side, you now carefully pry the pin out with a tool like a screwdriver, while pushing hard down on top of the sight with your hand or the bottom of a hammer handle etc. against strong spring pressure. Once you've done it once you'll be an expert. Strong fingers help here.

Before reassembling the new Cmk3 sight you're installing, make sure to lightly oil/grease all of the parts. Don't put it together dry. Last step- tap the lock pin down into place. You will need to rotate the pin with the screwdriver slot while looking to see if the little hole is lined up with the notch. This against spring pressure.

As they said, the Cmk3's are famous for the little lever breaking and sticking out too far. The updated ones have a curve in vs straight and should be close in, not sticking way out.
 
ah I just had a though.

there is some variation in the Mk3 bases, some (the stamped ones) will need a small spacer, if its a milled base with a stamped ladder then your fine without the spacer.
 
It's fairly common for the stamped sight to be broken - I've seen a bucketful with one dealer and all of them had something or other wrong with them.


standard.jpg


Various models; Mk.3, Mk.4, Cdn types on the right.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom