Parker Hale 5C Sights?

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Nick Hacking

H-M Supporter - Gold Member
H-M Supporter Gold Member
Dear All,

I have an old Lee-Enfield that my father bought for me, back in 1979. I used to use it for stalking (US translation: "hunting") with a telescopic sight but I've retired it now, in favour of something more modern.

I have the standard military battle rear-sight and I thought that I'd replace that with a Parker Hale 5C target sight. But, the price of them! They cost as much as a .303 rifle.

I have a lathe, and a mill. How hard can it be? I wondered.

Has anyone made a rear sight for a similar rifle? Does anyone know of any helpful resources? I can find plenty of photographs on internet, but no drawings.

All help and advice gratefully received.

Kind wishes,

Nick
 
Thanks for those.

The thing in my head is most like your adapted Redfield.

Do you know where can I find drawings to get me started?

Kind wishes,

Nick
 
Never seen any blueprints or plans for sights anywhere. Bound to be some somewhere. Good luck
 
Well,

I think I have a solution.

If you look at the images that I've uploaded, there's a picture of the PH5C (which is what I want) from an image that I found on the internet.

Today, the postman brought me my latest eBay purchase, a 5D, which cost me £66 (about $75 US?) a lot less than the £250-£400 that the 5Cs command. I've taken a photograph of that, for comparison.

PH5D.jpgPH5C.pngNow, the 5D is essentially a 5C that's been fitted with a smaller elevation dovetail - the part that fixes to the rifle action - it was designed to be fitted to the .22 training rifle.

My plan is to make a copy of the 5C base plate and turn my 5D into something like its bigger brother. There are plenty of pictures on the internet to give me the shape. I can measure my rifle to determine the dimensions, since I know exactly where the plate mounts. I can measure the inside of the 5D's dovetail, so I'll know what size mine has to be. I think it should be feasible. Certainly, a much less ambitious project than trying to copy the PH 5C sight from scratch!

If I get it to work, I'll post a picture or two.

Wish me luck.

Nick
 
Next conundrum:

The screw that works the elevation measures 0.167 inches in diameter, 32 tpi.

According to my charts that's likely to be a 3/16 x 32 BSF (nominal diameter 0.1875 inch) although I suppose it might be 2 BA (same diameter, 31.36 TPI).

... but it is a left hand thread.

I'll never get a boring bar in a hole that small, so I need an appropriate left-hand tap. Or, I have to make a new screw in a size for which I can find a suitable left-hand tap. Back to eBay....

Kind wishes,

Nick
 
How hard is the material? You might get away with making your own tap out of 4140 (or some hardenable metal).
 
I know that the sights can be filed in the field, so that may be an option. But I'm not This Old Tony, you know!

I've now got the thing apart: the windage ajustment was rusted solid and the adjustment screw has a bit of a bend in it. Interestingly, it still seems to be 0.167 inches in diameter but I counted 40 TPI and it is a right hand thread.

This made me go back and re-count the threads on the elevation screw. I think I miscounted, standing in my workshop. Sitting in my study, under a strong light it's more like 36 TPI now! A rather fat left-handed M4?

It's starting to look as though making a replica with standard threads might be less trouble than refurbishing the original. Now that the back sight is in pieces, it's a fairly simple construction....
 
Nick Hacking said:
I know that the sights can be filed in the field, so that may be an option. But I'm not This Old Tony, you know!

I've now got the thing apart: the windage ajustment was rusted solid and the adjustment screw has a bit of a bend in it. Interestingly, it still seems to be 0.167 inches in diameter but I counted 40 TPI and it is a right hand thread.

This made me go back and re-count the threads on the elevation screw. I think I miscounted, standing in my workshop. Sitting in my study, under a strong light it's more like 36 TPI now! A rather fat left-handed M4?

It's starting to look as though making a replica with standard threads might be less trouble than refurbishing the original. Now that the back sight is in pieces, it's a fairly simple construction....
Click to expand...

3/16-36 is actually a UNS thread! There are plenty of off the shelf taps at that size.

ETA: Apparently my googling didn't result in any LH threads :/

That said, if you can CUT that thread OD, you can grind teeth into it enough to cut at least 1 hole :)
 
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