BSA no8 peep sight.

[I. J.]

I recently came across this http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Airs...ml?sort=4&o=34 which I have since found out is a BSA No. 8 peep sight. (Marked 'Patent No: 21332-09)

Has anyone any idea of its value? (and dont say 9/6 )

[Josie & John]

Hi Ian,

These sights are quite desirable and attract a lot of interest when offered for sale. There's one on the bay at the moment that you may want to watch to see what it goes for. Around £75 is probably not a million miles off.

John

[chieffool]

Hi Ian,

These sights are quite desirable and attract a lot of interest when offered for sale. There's one on the bay at the moment that you may want to watch to see what it goes for. Around £75 is probably not a million miles off.

John

...and desirable because it is a version with 'windage' control (ie can adjust zero from left to right, and not just 'elevation' which is up and down).

Range shown in original brochure here:
http://www.rifleman.org.uk/BSA_sight...sories.htm#No8

If you read down, there is a whole section in the next pages on how to choose the right one from the range available, as type of rifle, stock, etc wopuld all effect the mounting position - and hence the length of the upright pillar desired. Yours looks like it was the second longest (ie second in from left).

[I. J.]

Hi Ian,

These sights are quite desirable and attract a lot of interest when offered for sale. There's one on the bay at the moment that you may want to watch to see what it goes for. Around £75 is probably not a million miles off.

John

Sir, you are a gent. Thank you.

[shabee]

Whatever you think its worth plus thirty pounds,, because it has the seldom seen for sale No.8 peep sight base!
seen here.
http://www.network54.com/Forum/67044...ght+base+plate
Eric

[Josie & John]

Whatever you think its worth plus thirty pounds,, because it has the seldom seen for sale No.8 peep sight base!
seen here.
http://www.network54.com/Forum/67044...ght+base+plate
Eric

Well spotted Eric.

These BSA sight bases are an interesting item but of no use on BSA air rifles. They were originally intended to fit rifles with a long tang and never the BSA air rifle. Nevertheless I'd agree the plate is worth the additional £30 mentioned by Eric, simply as a BSA associated article.

John

[zooma]

I recently came across this http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Airs...ml?sort=4&o=34 which I have since found out is a BSA No. 8 peep sight. (Marked 'Patent No: 21332-09)

Has anyone any idea of its value? (and dont say 9/6 )

I see you have been climbing in the skips again

[Garvin]

Well spotted Eric.

These BSA sight bases are an interesting item but of no use on BSA air rifles. They were originally intended to fit rifles with a long tang and never the BSA air rifle.

John

Do we know this for sure, John? We've seen lots of No.8s fitted to prewar BSAs - is there any reason why one of these plates couldn't have been fixed to a straight hand Improved Mod D stock, so the sight could be removed easily? I was planning to fit one myself some time ago, but never got around to it.

[Josie & John]

Do we know this for sure, John? We've seen lots of No.8s fitted to prewar BSAs - is there any reason why one of these plates couldn't have been fixed to a straight hand Improved Mod D stock, so the sight could be removed easily? I was planning to fit one myself some time ago, but never got around to it.

Hi Danny,

I don't believe the Base/Tang plates have any association with BSA air rifles and my reasoning is based on the following evidence.

Pre WW1 BSA advertising stated the base of the sight conformed to the shape of the grip or hand of the stock. Detailed instructions on ordering and fitting the sight were included in BSA publications of the time including the Book Of The BSA Air Rifle and there was no mention of the sight requiring an additional base or tang plate when fitted to an air rifle. It is interesting to see the illustration of the No8, when fitted to a BSA air rifle in the book mentioned above is of a straight hand stocked BSA rather than a pistol hand version, which required additional work to the stock.

The only mention I have of a 'Tang' plate is in a 1930 A.G. Parker catalogue, which states these plates can be obtained for American rifles such as Stevens, Winchester, etc.

When you think about it, the No 8 had lateral fixing screws, which went into the stock wood either side of the stock bolt. In fact there was very little wood to play with and it would have made little sense for BSA to produce a tang plate with longitudinal attachment screws, which were directly in line with the stock bolt.

I have never seen any tang plates fitted to a BSA air rifle but do have one in the collection for its BSA association, bearing in mind my fetish for old sights!

Kind regards,

John

[Garvin]

Hi Danny,

I don't believe the Base/Tang plates have any association with BSA air rifles and my reasoning is based on the following evidence.

Pre WW1 BSA advertising stated the base of the sight conformed to the shape of the grip or hand of the stock. Detailed instructions on ordering and fitting the sight were included in BSA publications of the time including the Book Of The BSA Air Rifle and there was no mention of the sight requiring an additional base or tang plate when fitted to an air rifle. It is interesting to see the illustration of the No8, when fitted to a BSA air rifle in the book mentioned above is of a straight hand stocked BSA rather than a pistol hand version, which required additional work to the stock.

The only mention I have of a 'Tang' plate is in a 1930 A.G. Parker catalogue, which states these plates can be obtained for American rifles such as Stevens, Winchester, etc.

When you think about it, the No 8 had lateral fixing screws, which went into the stock wood either side of the stock bolt. In fact there was very little wood to play with and it would have made little sense for BSA to produce a tang plate with longitudinal attachment screws, which were directly in line with the stock bolt.

I have never seen any tang plates fitted to a BSA air rifle but do have one in the collection for its BSA association, bearing in mind my fetish for old sights!

Kind regards,

John

Thanks John. Very convincing! Especially the longitudinal fixing screws. I'd forgotten about them.

[I. J.]

Thank you everyone. Heres a couple more photos.

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Airs...ml?sort=4&o=34

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Airs...ml?sort=4&o=35

ATB
Ian

[Abasmajor]

A couple of pictures of a BSA No 8 sight I fitted to my 1911 L J Light Pattern. The sight can be easily fitted to rifles with 'Straight Hand' stocks without the need to remove wood, but you do need the short stem version when fitting to an air rifle. I also removed and blanked the original rear sight to prevent interference with the sight picture and fitted a PH foresight tunnel. The Velcro tape seen in the picture is in place to allow the six-hole eyepiece to rest on the stock when the sight is folded down and to make the web between my thumb and first finger sit a bit more comfortably when on aim.

The addition of the peep sight has definitely made it easier to use the rifle, particularly with indoor lighting and my aging eyes.

I paid £60 for the sight with a single hole eyepiece and a further £20 for the six-hole eyepiece.

http://i1362.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3kwmfg2u.jpg

http://i1362.photobucket.com/albums/...psg1ifn0zu.jpg

Regards

Brian

[j_potter]

i have a bsa no.8 which i think is one back from the longest shown in the rifleman catalogue. it also has the parker hale adjustable aperture disc. the base plate has two lateral fixing holes. i was planning to fit this to a bsa improved model d or lincoln jefferies with the pistol grip ( which i don't yet have!). can anyone confirm if this sight will fit without having to modifie the stock. i was hoping it would just screw on. incidentally, does anyone also know where i might get some suitable woodsrews? many thanks for any help.

[Garvin]

i have a bsa no.8 which i think is one back from the longest shown in the rifleman catalogue. it also has the parker hale adjustable aperture disc. the base plate has two lateral fixing holes. i was planning to fit this to a bsa improved model d or lincoln jefferies with the pistol grip ( which i don't yet have!). can anyone confirm if this sight will fit without having to modifie the stock. i was hoping it would just screw on. incidentally, does anyone also know where i might get some suitable woodsrews? many thanks for any help.

You can screw it straight on to a pistol hand stock with a little adaptation but it won't fold down (ie backwards) unless you remove some of the wood. See eg. this Improved Model D. See also this post-1919 rifle where the stock has been reinstated after a no.8 sight was fitted.

Edit: and this Standard Pattern No.1 (1913-14).

Just a thought but visualising the path of the stock bolt on the pistol hand stocks, it looks like there would be enough wood to fit one of the no8 base plates if you fixed it on the front edge of the comb, even with wood screws going straight down from longditudinal fixing holes!

[j_potter]

many thanks for this danny. so it looks like i will have to do a bit of woodcarving but i definately won't be making cutouts to enable it to fold flat. incidentally, what do you gentleman feel about making a modification like this. is it sacrilege ? i can no longer focus on open sights without a peepsight.