Adjustable sight for Enfield No.4 Mk. I

[Naphtali]

The best Enfield No.4 Mk.I rifle battle sight has a combined fixed aperture plus an elevation only adjustable aperture sight. Enfield No.4 Mk. I target sights I have seen that have windage and elevation adjustments - and fit existing sight base on rifle's receiver with minor machining of that sight base - have no fixed battle aperture.

Is there a procedure or routine gunsmithing that alters the adjustable military sight combo to incorporate at least some windage adjustment?

If there is no way to incorporate any windage adjustment in the best of Enfield No.4 Mk.I rifle sight, is there a third party or after market sight that has both battle aperture and windage adjustable tip-up aperture?

[john.k]

There are plenty of range sights that fit by drifting out the pin,ie the Central or PH 5A......but I think you just want to alter the service sight ,after the fashion of the Ross Mk III...........possibly you could fit the app plate of a Ross,never tried it.Otherwise ,you need some custom precision work ............you might be interested to know that the pre 1916 smellies did have a precision windage adjustment included in the rearsight, deleted in the interests of production .

[leebuilder]

The central and ph sights require no rifle alterations but some need the British low profile safety. Ph also made an adapter for the mk1 battle sight with windage adjustable. You see the odd one for sale now and then and are pricey. I have geared up no4's with the Cno7 rear sights but time will tell if that 5-40 screw will take the recoil.
Be well

[Multigunner]

Some No.4 front sight bases are adjustable. The base is split to form a clamp with a screw to clamp the sight down tight.

The unusual head of the screw can be turned using a inner tube valve wrench.
I replaced a broken off screw in one of these with a 4X40 Allen head screw. Later I modified a spare No.1 sight base to work the same way.

[Outpost75]

Hard to find in the US, but the A.J. Parker 8/53 backsight conversion of the Mk1 battlesight is what you want.

223590

I paid 50 dollars Cdn. for mine back in 1984 when on a business trip to Ottawa.

[higgins]

Some No.4 front sight bases are adjustable. The base is split to form a clamp with a screw to clamp the sight down tight.

The unusual head of the screw can be turned using a inner tube valve wrench.
I replaced a broken off screw in one of these with a 4X40 Allen head screw. Later I modified a spare No.1 sight base to work the same way.

I made a front sight adjusting tool from a cheap screwdriver with a shaft small enough to fit into the front sight recess. After the tip was cut off, I cut a groove in the end of the cut off shaft to fit the head of the adjustment screw. Mine's crude but it works. Someone with a few metalworking tools could make a real nice one. Replacement with an Allen screw is a good idea. Isn't it nice that they used English thread fasteners?

[Ray1946]

Sarco used to sell a PH rear sight and it only required a small hole drilled for a ball detent. I think they still have them.............

[Naphtali]

Hard to find in the US, but the A.J. Parker 8/53 backsight conversion of the Mk1 battlesight is what you want.

223590

I paid 50 dollars Cdn. for mine back in 1984 when on a business trip to Ottawa.
I have this target sight assembly in my "stuff" bin, I think. That is, it's a target sight but does not incorporate a battle sight. It functions as a No.4 receiver bridge mounted version of a Marble's W&E tang sight - that is, I would need to move the sight physically from a protective down position to what your photograph shows.

If our sights are the same, I must find my sight and remove it from its plastic hanging container to confirm either way. And, oh boy, I'm hoping mine has that [missing] battle sight.
***
Ray96: I'll check about this ball detente. If they are available and the sight quoted previously does not have a battle sight, will Sarco include instructions for installation and use - especially use? How would a ball with a spring cause the sight stem to move? Or how would it cause the immovable battle aperture sight to move?
***
I'll know within the day, Outpost75.

That didn't take long. My Parker-Hale 8/53 has no integral battle sight.

It appears that the way to do it, or I hope the way it has been done, is to alter the machined version of the No.4 back sight assembly's base or stem to allow some horizontal/windage movement that can be fixed in place like most other [tang-type] sights.

[Ray1946]

Hello again. I bought three of these sights from Sarco way back when figuring I would use the best of the three and mount on my No.4. They were all brand new with instructions and it works perfectly on my No.4. The only thing is; now that I have modified the rear sight, I can't use it in vintage military rifle competition. The aperture in these sights had 5 or 6 different holes on a spring loaded wheel that you could rotate for your specific hole size. I will try to find out more,..........

[nicholst55]

I recall an Aussie on some gun board sometime back in the past relating that he narrowed the sides of the leaf sight, and modified it to allow for limited windage adjustment. I would think that you'd have to thread the pin hole in the sight leaf, and substitute a screw for the sight axis pin with a knob to turn it, in order for this to work. I honestly don't recall any more details, but it sounds like it would be workable without too much effort.

[303Guy]

I had a look at one of my No4's this afternoon. This gun is a potential target shooter given that the throat is tight enough to seat bullets out to actually touch the leade. The bore maybe not so much but I don't trust bore condition to be such a factor so much. My best shooter is a rusted bore two groove!

Anyway, the ladder sight has 'rattle' in it which may or may not be an issue but if I could do something with this it would be fun. I had originally set this rifle aside as a potential paper patch target gun for which I do need windage adjustment. It would take some doing but a limited windage aperture could be made for it. Discovering that the bullet jump is minimal makes me want to try it for that heretical practice of shooting - gulp - jacketed bullets in it. Hey, making bughole groups is fun with whatever works! [smilie=1: Albeit a bit expensive. :cry: However, I did fire a few paper patched cast boolits in it and they seemed to enter the bore straight as an arrow so that's a start - and is my objective.

[Ray1946]

I checked on Sarco's sight and they are not there. I do not get the firearms news(shotgun news) anymore, but I know I saw them in there and that was only a few years back. There were a lot of items in that publication that were not on their site; might take a look or call them..................

[303Guy]

What would it take to fit a windage adjustable front sight? By that a mean one that works on a screw thread.