Odd rear sight mount of the day - Enfield maybe?

[H Wally]

Another interesting tid-bit for you guys. Picked this up with some other odds and ends and haven't been able to figure out anything about it.

It appears to be a bridge sight for an Enfield of some kind - maybe No1 or Long lee? Something completely different?

Sight mounts using the safety on the left side, like many others of the era. Also is marked W. Lappage

The mount on top is an odd combo of a bent up tang on the back and a screw mounted plate on the front, combining to make a very wide dove tail fitting for whatever sight went on there. Sight is also somewhat adjustable for exact vertical placement using a knurled knob. Interesting to note that the back of the bolt that the knob acts on has been peened in place. Also has an odd profile on the front... no idea why, but clearly was deliberate.



Since the images keep crashing, here's a link to the album:
http://imgur.com/a/oXuEw

Peened bolt, inside of mount

Bottom of base, front to the right

Right side of base

Top of base, front to the right

Left side of base, showing elevation adjustment knob. Front facing left.

Front of base, facing head on

 

[englishman_ca]

The long Lee Enfield and Metford had two threaded holes on the left hand side of the butt socket. One for the rear volley arm pivot, and one for the pivot spring screw. Sight manufacturers, such as Parker used these two holes for attachment points.

The SMLE however, lost the pivot hole as this is where the safety assembly was fitted. So another attachment point was used, the lower trigger guard screw.

So methinks that this would be for SMLE if anything. Have you tried holding it up one? The platform part looks to have a profile on the front edge that will fit up to and clear a charger bridge, or maybe the stationary lump and the sliding charger guide on the bolt head of a Mk.I.

 

[H Wally]

Very well could be for an SMLE - I don't have access to one at the moment unfortunately. What's got me puzzled is the odd mix of clearly machined and fitted parts with some simply banged on bits to make it work. It seems to me it's all the work of one person as there's no clear point at which it was repurposed... seems like some sort of experiment, but darned if I can tell for what

 

[tacfoley]

Very well could be for an SMLE - I don't have access to one at the moment unfortunately. What's got me puzzled is the odd mix of clearly machined and fitted parts with some simply banged on bits to make it work. It seems to me it's all the work of one person as there's no clear point at which it was repurposed... seems like some sort of experiment, but darned if I can tell for what

I agree 100%. The uneven line of the name and lack of any other details tells me that this is likely a one-of-a-kind item. Maybe a patent office show-and-tell pre-production example that never got any further down the line.

tac