O/T LONG RANGE SIGHT

[Tim]

Hi chaps ,
Sorry to be off topic so soon but could Richard drop me a line re Vickers Long Range Sight Mk1

Details welcome, rarity , value etc as I'm not up on this kit.

Kev if you see this could you post one of the pics you took for Richard ?

regards
Tim

[Richard Fisher]

Hi Tim,

Moved it here because I thought it more relevant.

To the question in hand:

Do you mean the dial sight or what?

If you got to www.vickersmachinegun.org.uk then 'Accessories' then 'Sighting Kit' is it something on that page?

I am bit unsure what you mean at the moment so let me know and I will answer your questions the best I can.

Regards

Richard

[Tim]

Hi Richard , no probs with the move , quite right should have queried here, fingers go auto with Bren . ;D

Item is the Mk1 dial sight MG 1

Stamped

PL MG 1 Ser No 167 1937

Item is solid brass thro out and has no alloy arms on it as such. I am assuming the emergency level in your pic is in the dovetail slot below the left right traverse.
Mine is empty.

Kev took some pics of it the other day , i am a bit stuck on pics at the moment ( just gone broadband and I'm out of USB ports till i get an add on card )

regards
Tim

[Richard Fisher]

Hi Tim,

I now know what you mean then.

They currently are ADVERTISED for sale at £500 for any dial sight, by 'The Gunner'. I would tend to dispute this price and I personally would seek to pay not more than £250 for the item. I paid £90 for my Mk. 3 sight some years ago.

One of the points to make is to ask what range (in yards) the dial goes up to. The Mk. I and Mk. II were originally constructed for the .303-inch Mk. VII ammunition and as such only graduated up to (I think) 2,700 yards. The Mk. III was made for the Mk. VIIIz ammunition and was graduated to 4,500 yards. Many of the Mk. I and II sights were modified to the Mk. III standard. This may affect the value / rarity of the item.

The one shown in that page of my site is actually a friends and if you were interested in selling the sight then feel free to get in touch with me as I may be interested - although my current price would be at the lower of the range.

Regards

Richard

[Tim]

Just had a look at the beast and it appears to be non modified , outer drum goes to 2800 yds

[Richard Fisher]

Well that would certainly make it worth a bit more. This would also make it suitable for Australian and New Zealand use as they retained the Mk. VII cartridge throughout the war.

At this time, I am not able to identify the manufacturer but it is certainly a very early piece and value would be towards the top end of the scale.

Hope this has been of help.

Richard

[Richard Fisher]

Very nice piece, if I were to value it, it would be between the £500 and £700 mark (going on ADVERTISED prices today - of which there are very few).

If looking to purchase it myself, I would go around £350 to £400 (as an absolute maximum)

Regards

Richard

[Kev]

PICS -

[Tim]

Working on the PL stamp i was thinking along the lines of Plessy as the manufacturer,

The Bren fixed line sight was made by them and due to the weird serials on them it is thought they were manufactured as a batch , ie Vickers gun sights halted ,
Bren gun sights made and serialized using the next available numbers off the list , then manufacture of the Vickers sight continued .

Any one else out in Vickers world got any info on the dial sights manufacturers in UK
regards
Tim

[Richard Fisher]

Plessey sounds good to me. I am useless on markings unless it is marked 'DP' or 'MA'

I may have some more info on manufacturers but I just can't find it at the moment.

Richard