British Military Intelligence....

[Adam Helmer]

Today I had a chance to shoot a few of my British MkIII rifles. (The MkIII became the No1 MkIII when the Brits renumbered their rifles in 1923.) My favorite was made is 1911 and has both the magazine cutoff and windage adjustable rear sight. In 1916, the Brits dropped both the magazine cutoff and windage adjustable rear sight on the MkIII. I can see the wisdom is dropping the magazine cutoff as it was easy to inadvertantly put the cutoff "On" by grasping the rifle.

As for the windage adjustable rear sight on the pre-1916 Mk III, I think it should have stayed on the rifle. Drifting the front sight left or right and staking same is woodshed gunsmithing at its finest; or it is military "intelligence" at its best. It seems only the Americans incorporated windage adjustments on their M1903s, 03-A3s, Garands and M14s. Us Yanks are on the crest of the wave, I suppose.

Adam