Source for No 32 Mk II Scope Parts?

Bartok5

Bartok5

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Hello,

Not sure if "Wheaty" (Aka: Mr. Warren Wheatfield) is still on CGN, but I am well aware of his status as the pre-eminent Canadian authority on subject scopes and their refurbishment. If he is still here, sees this thread and responds, that would be wonderful. However I believe that he may have moved on to the Milsurps site, where I have PM'ed him (still awaiting a response). The same applies to Capt (Ret) Peter Laidler in the UK.

Does anyone happen to know of another source for replacement parts? Even repro parts would be fine, as the scope that I am trying to repair is a repro clone of a Canadian R.E.L. No 32 Mk II. I need a Deflection Lead Screw in the worst possible way, as mine broke under recoil right where the threads begin. My attempt to solder the parts together was unsuccessful as I could not get the parts precisely aligned such that they would fit and function in the Deflection and Elevation Housing with the Locking Ring.

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide!
 
I don't know if original parts will fit repo scopes
Warren did a rebuild on my scope because of
the age of the scopes.
At the time parts were very limited
 
I Dont Care About You said:
A brand new repro scope can be had for $500 on eBay
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A brand new repro scope from ebay unfortunately won't be marked R.E.L. with the relevant Canadian markings, nor will it come with the serial number to match the one stamped nto the Wrist of my Long Branch No 4 Mk 1*'s Buttstock. Another repro would therefore be of little use to me except as a potential source of spare parts to repair my broken but rifle-matched repro R.E.L. scope.

Anyhow, that discussion is now academic because as of today I am in touch with both Capt (Ret) Colin Stevens and Mr Warren Wheatfield. Warren has most graciously agreed to take on the reprair of my repro scope's Deflection Lead Screw and will hopefully give it a general reliabiility inspection and tune-up. I understand that Warren is exceedingly busy, so must be prepared to wait several months for my reparied scope. Such is life when dealing with instruments from a bygone era, even modern reproductions of same. My scope was originally part of a batch built to Warren's specifications, hence the R.E.L. markings among other Canadian identifiers. In that sense, it is one of "his" scopes. I have quickly learned that it is a very small and close-knit world when it comes to optically-equipped Enfields, even the reproductions such as my Long Branch No 4 (T). It is an even smaller group of individuals on various continents who are capable of working on said optics! I am indeed fortunate that Warren Wheatfield has agreed to assist me with my plight, otherwise I'd be literally dead in the water for repairing my matched (Repro) No 32 Scope....

No offence intended to Mr Wheatfield, who I hope will be with us for many years to come, but he is not a young man. Once he is gone, there will be nobody (to my knowledge) left in Canada who specializes in the repair of No 32 Scopes. Anyone with an original optic is well-advised to buy a repro Scope and Bracket for shooting and keep the original put aside for display purposes only. If the sealant between the lenses of your 80-year old optic suddenly goes opaque because the seal has broken, who are you going to call??
 
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Bartok5 said:
I have quickly learned that it is a very small and close-knit world when it comes to optically-equipped Enfields, even the reproductions such as my Long Branch No 4 (T).

Anyone with an original optic is well-advised to buy a repro Scope and Bracket for shooting and keep the original put aside for display purposes only. If the sealant between the lenses of your 80-year old optic suddenly goes opaque because the seal has broken, who are you going to call??
Click to expand...

This poses a question. What makes a reproduction No 4 (T)?

I bought the complete No 32 Mk2 scope kit from Waffenmeister, which I understand is made in Taiwan from the original No 32 drawings. I got a reproduction cheek piece and it is all being assembled by Vulcan Refinishing. I am also having the rifle bedded while it is at Vulcan, to hopefully maximize the accuracy potential. I got a reproduction M1907 sling to go with the No 4 (T) theme of the rifle.

My goal was not to build a reproduction No 4 (T), but only to scope up my No 4 in a manner that looked decent and worked well. I just don't like the modern no drill mounts and a modern scope would look silly on a LE No 4.

So have I inadvertently built myself a No 4 (T) reproduction? Or have I not gone far enough to call it a No 4 (T) reproduction?


The second part of your post makes me want to buy a spare Waffenmeister No 32 scope, as a backup. $500 isn't a huge sum if there is nobody to repair these scopes, which are possibly of dubious quality anyway.
 
Bartok5 said:
Hello,

Not sure if "Wheaty" (Aka: Mr. Warren Wheatfield) is still on CGN, but I am well aware of his status as the pre-eminent Canadian authority on subject scopes and their refurbishment. If he is still here, sees this thread and responds, that would be wonderful. However I believe that he may have moved on to the Milsurps site, where I have PM'ed him (still awaiting a response). The same applies to Capt (Ret) Peter Laidler in the UK.

Does anyone happen to know of another source for replacement parts? Even repro parts would be fine, as the scope that I am trying to repair is a repro clone of a Canadian R.E.L. No 32 Mk II. I need a Deflection Lead Screw in the worst possible way, as mine broke under recoil right where the threads begin. My attempt to solder the parts together was unsuccessful as I could not get the parts precisely aligned such that they would fit and function in the Deflection and Elevation Housing with the Locking Ring.

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide!
Click to expand...

Those repro scopes were made by different manufacturers if rumor is true and parts do not interchange between the different manufacturers or the originals.

My advice to you is go to a machine shop with the piece you have and get a couple made up. In the end it would likely be cheaper.

Check you Personal Messages.
 
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bearhunter said:
Those repro scopes were made by different manufacturers if rumor is true and parts do not interchange between the different manufacturers or the originals.

My advice to you is go to a machine shop with the piece you have and get a couple made up. In the end it would likely be cheaper.

Check you Personal Messages.
Click to expand...


I am not 100% certain who manufactured my faux R.E.L. No 32 Mk II Scope, but it is extremely well done and is definitely not a Red Star Mountain product. The steel tube of my scope is very smoothly drawn, with an even, deeply blued finish. The RSM scopes dsiplay machining lines everywhere and a matte painted finish in their own promotional photos. I am therefore surmising that my optic had to be manufactured in Taiwan by the same manufacturere who did the Waffenmeister and the current-production SARCO and Numrich Arms offerings: https://www.sarcoinc.com/full-ensemble-for-the-no-32-mki-telescope/

Note the smooth, blued tube on the scope at the SARCO link above. Of the two offerings on the interrnational market, this is the one which matches my scope. If I could determine the manufacturer of those scopes I would write them for a Deflection Lead Screw, however their identity is protected by their very short list of retailers. This is in contrast to Red Star Mountain, who openly advertise as the other manufacturer of No 32 Scopes and accessories. While there are obvious differences in the manufacturing of the two different Mk 32 scopes starting with the body tube itself, I find it hard to believe that their Deflection Lead Screws are so different as to be totally incompatible. I will hopefully soon find out, as I am in contact with Red Star Mountain and am requesting one of their Defl0ection Lead Screws to try in my optic.

Notwithstanding all of the above, I am also in contact with Mr Warren Wheatfield, who is our last (to my knowledge) Canadian No 32 scope specialist. He has graciously offered to repair my broken No 32 Mk II optic with a new Deflection Lead Screw, so he is evidently knowledgeable regarding what parts fit which telescopes. i hope to draw the name of "his" scope manufacturer from him, as to my understanding Mr Wheatfield had his batch of R.E.L. scopes (of which mine is oned) manufactured by the Taiwanese No 32 Repro company. He is evidently still obtaining spare parts from them to effect the repair of his repro line of scopes such as mine.
 
Well I used to fix no2 binoculars which are from around that time and used well into the 1990's. The screws on the originals are BA or British association a wierd British screw pitch that are used on small arms and optics.
If it becomes foggy because of a bad seal (every sight will eventually loose it seal. It's a rapid temperature change that causes the condensation) there should be a screw on the side of sight usually painted red. That can be removed and a dedicating unit attached to it to dessicate the air inside.
 
WobblyHead said:
Well I used to fix no2 binoculars which are from around that time and used well into the 1990's. The screws on the originals are BA or British association a wierd British screw pitch that are used on small arms and optics.
If it becomes foggy because of a bad seal (every sight will eventually loose it seal. It's a rapid temperature change that causes the condensation) there should be a screw on the side of sight usually painted red. That can be removed and a dedicating unit attached to it to dessicate the air inside.
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No 32 Scopes weren't even marked Red "W" for Waterproof until late in the Mark II's production run. The early scopes were subject to condensation with shifts in humidity.....
 
Interesting question, at least on the surface. To a purist, the answer is quite simple and straightforward - anthing that is not original to the rifle as issued or performed by a military Armourer during the rifle's in-Service life renders its provenance immediately suspect. As soon as you take a standard No 4 Mk I and add pads to mount a No 32 scope Bracket, you are in reproduction territory. Some rifles (like mine) are a full-blown reproduction with a rifle-matched scope. In my rifle's case that is a reproduction No 32 Mk II scope with period-correct Canadian R.E.L. markings. My rifle is from the correct serial range for conversion to a No 4 Mk 1* (T) and is stamped with the "T" on the Receiver sidewall and a "TR" on the Wrist. The latter was never applied to Long Branch rifles, only British No 4 Mk 1 (T) rifles, so it is there to indicate my rifle's Reproduction status. My Bolt is a mismatch that has been ground and renumbered to match the Receiver with a #1 head for correct head-space.

You never mentioned the maker of your rifle. If it is British, then the Waffenmeister scope's markings will work perfectly for a full-up reproduction of a British No 4 Mk 1 (T). To be a full-blown reproduction you need your Scope's serial number stamped onto the top of the Buttstock's Wrist. The Rifle's serial number was stamped into the outside of the Scope Bracket from 1950 onwards. The Rifle received a "TR" (Telescopic Rifle) stamp on the Wrist of the Action below the Serial Number as well as a "T" stamp on the Receiver Sidewall beneath the Model Designation to denote completion to Sniper configuration. To be ethical, you ought to put an "R" for Replica somewhere out of sight on your Scope Bracket when it is mounted, but obviously visible when it is detached. The same applies to your rifle, so you ought to place an (R) following the Scope Serial Number on the Buttstock Wrist. That is about all you need to do to add the correct sniper "T" markings (with a Repro indicator) to a British No 4 Mk 1 Rifle, Scope and Bracket.

If your rifle is a Long Branch, you would basically do the same but to be 100% correct leave the "TR" off of the Receiver Wrist. Mine is there as a repro indicator to those who have done their homework and know better. Either way works so long as you stamp an (R) for "Reproduction" behind the Scope Serial Number on the Buttstock Wrist. That way, nobody can accuse you of trying to pass off your rifle as an original (T). The problem for a Long Branch repro "T" is going to be the markings on your Waffenmeister Scope, which willl e marked as a British No 32. Long Branch No 4 Mk 1* (T) rifles were fitted with Canadian-made R.E.L. (Research Enterprises Limited) No 32 Mk II and III scopes with engraved markings on a drawn steel scope tube. The exception being a batch of 300-odd rifles that werer fitted with a Lyman Alaskan Scope and marked T.P. for "Trade Pattern". Regardless, even a Long Branch (T) Rifle fitted with a "British" Repro No 32 Mk ? Scope would be a very serviceable reproduction. It would simply be considered a mis-match.
 
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My rifle is an Irish Contract No 4 Mk 2 Fazakerley.

I have no intentions of adding any markings to the rifle because I'm not building a replica. I'm pretty sure no No 4 Mk 2 rifles were converted in (T) snipers, so the receiver markings on my rifle should be a dead give-away as to its not-original origins.

The other thing I did, was to swap out the rear sight so as to avoid having to destroy a perfectly good, original to the rifle, rear sight.

I kinda wouldn't mind finding a repro scope box, but they seem to be horrendously expensive, for a tin box.
 
The least expensive box I've seen is the Waffenmeister. It is also the nicest, being the more expensive / labour-intensive round-corner design. FWIW....

As an aside, Waffenmeister is not a source for spare scope parts, even if you happen to have one of theirs. I received a very terse response to my polite enquiry. Fvck those guys. I'd rather deal.with the Chinese - at least they have a Customer Service Department who were open to the idea!

My quest for spare parts has been illuminating insofar as customer relations from the 2 very different scope manufacturers are concerned.
 
Yup, and that is the cheapest that you will find one if you want one to "complete" your 4 (T) Sniper CES. Along with a Scout Regt Telescope and Tripod, a rifle case, 1907 Pattern Sling, Compass,, Binoculars, 2x Camo Net Scarves, a Denison Smock, etc, etc, etc.

The good thing about the Waffenmeister tin is that it has no manufacturer's marking, which makes it suitable for both Long Branch and British reproductions.
 
I Dont Care About You said:
A have the repro sling. :)
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Well, it's a start. There is a ton of crap to collect if you want a "complete" No 4 Mk 1 (T). Far more than would ever fit in the Transit Chest, which rarely travelled forward of the Unit/Battalion Quartermaster's stores in any event. What wasn't worn or carried in the smock or small field pack was left behind. Relatively useless items such as the rifle's Bayonet, Scabbard and Frog hanger. The good stuff was (not coincidently) the wris####ch, the compass, the Scout Scope and items of that nature. Items that either helped the sniper/spotter team do their jobs, or items that were relatively lightweight and attractive as swappable "trade" goods (eg. "consumable" Sniper Net Scarves)!
 
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