windage adjustment- Lee Metford

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gerry303ca

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My Lee Metford Mk III shoots about 4" to the right at 50 yds. I can't see an obvious way to adjust for windage. Can anyone help?

It has a nitro proof barrel and shoots jacketed bullets (.312) quite well at 50 yds. but cast (206 gr .312) go in sideways, 9" group, 3 shots @ 50 yds.. This is a load that works well in my Lee Enfields. I haven't shot this rifle a lot and most likely won't, but I would like to adjust the windage and I'm curious about the cast bullets.
 
Standard iron sight adjustment is usually made by drifting the front sight in the direction opposite of which way you want the impact to shift. So if the gun is shootin right you bump it right.

BUT as I'm sure you are aware the front sight on a Lee metford or mle is soldered on so there is no adjustment that can be made without removing and reattaching in the front sight, at least that's how mine is.

As for cast bullets. You will need to slug your bore and see exactly what size it is. The last Lee metford I had here tumbled .314" bullets badly at 100 yards. I bet if you slug yours you will find the bore measures on the large side. The metford rifling in your rifle is prone to wear so without a good fit the bullet will probably not be grabbed by the rifling enough to get a good spin and tumble.
 
There was a production sighting error much as you describe, discovered and corrected around 1900.

Seems that rifles were tested at the factory for grouping, not for accuracy. The pattern was sealed using a prototype that shot to the right, consequently, all subsequent pattern arms did so too.

The solution was to adjust and decrease the offset of the front barleycorn by 20 thou to the right. All new production had a different front sight ramp and barley corn fitted, marked with an asterix on the right hand side. Any rifle coming through the factory for repair had a slot milled in the sight ramp and an barleycorn insert fitted and pinned. The ramp was marked with the asterix. Rifles in the field were retrofitted with a replacement rear sight ladder that was offset to the left 20 thou and marked bottom right corner with an asterix.

So your solution would be to fabricate and replace the front sight ramp, which would be a crime on an original rifle. Or to find one of these offset rear sight ladders.

Sighting in at 50 yards is always a bit of a challenge. The bullet is still stablising and it is still climbing on its trajectory. The sights were sighted (albeit incorrectly) for 200 yards minimum.

Your cast bullets might need a stiffer charge to give them a good kick in the base to make them bump out into the throat and rifling. Some barrels only like flat based jacketed bullets or cast with a gas check. There is a lot of experimentation needed. What works in one rifle might not work in another.
 
Further to Englishman_ca's post, finding an alternative rear sight arrangement is a good option that doesn't require permanent changes to your Lee Metford. Have a look for one of the rear sights of the type used on Ross rifles, such as the Sutherland sight, which has windage adjustment built into it. It should slot right into the rear sight base, though it may not sit fully flat when laid down. I use this arrangement on my early Magazine Lee Enfield with the same early, non-adjustable, front sight.
 
Thanks for your help folks. I don't want to change anything on such a great rifle. It still has full wood, long range sights, dust cover, bayonet, etc so I'll just shoot my Enfields. The only flaw is a miss-matched (color) handguard that has a serious crack. If anyone knows where I might find a replacement one, I would appreciate any help.
 
Hmmm, you would like to change how the rifle shoots without changing anything?

In that case you will need to shoot the rifle lots to learn as to how and where it shoots at various distances.

This is why at the time, much resources was given to soldiers on the range and pride in the craft of musketry was encouraged.. Once you know the rifle, you can adjust your point of aim accordingly to compensate.

Remember this was a transition period from fighting on the battle field firing in volleys as a group, to skirmishing and individual firing at will. The Boer War quickly showed the deficiency of the sighting of the rifle, shooting at head sized disappearing targets at a distance.

You will note that there is a plethora of accessory sights of this period for target shooting. If you want to shoot at targets, you will need a target sight. Many rear peep sites mount to the rear side of the receiver via the existing screw holes for the volley arm. Other than the volley arm, mounting spring and two screws, nothing is changed, the open sights stay in place and the rifle can be put back to standard config in two minutes. You could even wrap the take off parts with cloth and stow in the butt trap so you don't separate them from the rifle and lose them.

Search for Parker 9A sights.

http://www.rifleman.org.uk/PH_Service_sights.htm
 
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