Target Shooter 1

A reproduction bracket
and they are now ready. They are made to tight
tolerances to ensure that they collimate within
acceptable limits when fitted to genuine rifles.
Experience and minor tweaks have made each
successive batch better and the quality is so high
that, to quote the noted authority on the subject,
Peter Laidler, when answering a question on
one of the internet collector forums “…about 50
or so of Roger Payne’s brackets were utilised on
the latter rebuilds of the L42’s destined for War
Reserve stocks and they were indeed
perfect. It’s ironic that some of the L42 owners
out there who would probably shudder at a repro
anything, probably have an MoD fitted repro
bracket. Does that make it a repro? The owners
of those rifles can at least be assured that they
have one of the dedicated War Reserve Stocks
held at xxxxxxxx in Berkshire. The steel stock
and quality assessment was done at the material
labs at Shrivenham and even that was the same
horrible black-heart (or was it white-heart...?)
malleable cast! It’s such an old formula that I can’t
find the mix in Machinery’s handbook any more!”
They are difficult to distinguish from an original
Dalglish made bracket and have helped pair up a
scope with a suitable rifle which would otherwise
have continued to gather dust in a corner. The
value of a complete rifle, even if the rifle and scope
are mismatched, is far greater than the sum of
its parts so the brackets are a great investment.
Scope Tins and Canvas Cases
There were two types of tin or Case Sighting
Telescope No.8. The early ones had
rounded corners, which were quite
expensive to make, so a simpler square
cornered version was made. Manufacturers were
Belling & Co of Enfield, marked B&Co and Berrys
Electrical Company, marked B.E.Ltd. The
Canadians also made rounded cornered tins
plus the canvas case. In November 1944
the Case Sighting Telescope No.8 Mk2 was
introduced. This canvas case was initially
made by Mills Equipment Co. but there were
five other manufacturers – they are quite scarce
today. During the refurbishment of No.4(T)’s
in the 1950’s more of the rounded corner tins
were made by S.G.C. and could be dated 1954,
1955 or 1956. During the conversions to the
L42A1 sniper rifle in the 1970’s and 1980’s more
rounded tins were produced by Pressed Steel
Metal Work Co, marked PSMW and dated 1973 or
Cooke & Perkins, marked C&P and dated 1983.
Chest, Small-Arms, No.15 Mk1 Introduced in
February 1942 the basic design was copied from
the Bren Gun chest but with repositioned leather
handles on the sides and new fixing blocks to
hold the rifle and the scope tin plus the Scout
Reg. spotting scope. These chests are now very
scarce.
Leather Slings and Lens Caps
The American 1903A1 Springfield Rifle two part
Target Shooter 37