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Parker Hale M82/84/85/87 and C3/C3A1

Dirty8404:
I bought a couple from RWS Gunsmithing. If he doesn't have any, I may have an extra one for you. I found out the hard way that there appears to be two thread types for the PH hand stop screw. I have two handstops and only one threads into the rail I purchased from RWS. Anyway PM me if I can be of help.
 
How hard is it to get parts here in the U.S. from them?
From what I remember it was pretty painless. The purchase was made back in 2012. I purchased front/rear sight assemblies, 2 scope mounts (1 looked new the other was pieced together), and some sling swivels.
 

-You're welcome

I bought one from them not long ago and it is a very nice stock. I've since bought a Parker Hale 1200 sporter rifle with the intent of putting a heavy barrel on it to make an M82 clone. I still have a few questions though.

1. I've searched quite a bit with no luck coming up with scope bases. They don't have to be Parker Hale, but I'm finding that it can be tough to find info for hole spacing, etc. online.

2. From placing various sockets in the bedded portion just forward of where the receiver would go, it looks like the barrel needs to be about .925 just forward of the receiver. Anybody know which barrel contour would be best to start with and have a gunsmith turn down the shank area?

3. I've found a correct front sight base and have a globe sight on the way, but no luck on the rear iron sight. Any in-sight? ;-)

Thanks,
-Dan

EDIT: Looks like maybe a light varmint - heavy varmint or Medium Palma according to Bartleins charts could work if the shank was turned down to .925 right up to about .25" forward of the receiver.
 
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Bumping this one up since you guys are my best hope. Anyone know what the correct rear sight is on the M82?

Thanks,
Dan
 
Sorry Sandwarrior but that’s a bit off the mark, The correct sight is a Parker Hale 5E .
The struggle will be finding the correct mount for it as most have the direct mount which screws into the rear action mount holes , whereas the M82 has a mount which attaches to the Parker hale rear scope mount (they used a 2 piece mount system) .
 
7065532
 
Looks like this one is going to be out of my league. Would be cool to have the target sights and just forget about the scope but even the target sights are going to be crazy expensive if/when they turn up. Shame. In the meantime, what scope bases fit the PH 1200 rifle?
 
If anyone has one of those RWS Gunsmithing M85 trigger guard,mag well combos let me know. I missed out a few years ago when they were up for sale.
 
The Parker Hale PH5E is the correct sight,but the mounting bracket for the M82 has a thumbwheel clamp to clamp over the rear sight block.
The mounts pictured above are definitely for the 1200TX.
C3’s,M85’s etc,I couldn’t say.
 
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The Parker Hale PH5E is the correct sight,but the mounting bracket for the M82 has a thumbwheel clamp to clamp over the rear sight block.
The mounts pictured above are definitely for the 1200TX.
C3’s,M85’s etc,I couldn’t say.
whereas the M82 has a mount which attaches to the Parker hale rear scope mount (they used a 2 piece mount system) .
 
hey mate, yeah that looks a lot more like the M85 sight, i dont much about them.
So a question for you, as you were much closer to the source, was the 5E sight used as a backup sight for the scope in a sniper role? (Nimrod?), Or, was that more of a target sight? Both?
 
So a question for you, as you were much closer to the source, was the 5E sight used as a backup sight for the scope in a sniper role? (Nimrod?), Or, was that more of a target sight? Both?

Back up sight mate, the M82 were always issued with the ZF69 (AS) so no need to use them most of the time.
 
I've got an original Australian Army sniping pamphlet for the M82 era, containing the specs, CES contents, training course syllabus etc.
Am away from home for the next few days, but when i return will copy the pages pertaining to the rear sight for you.
 
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I've got an original Australian Army sniping pamphlet for the M82 era, containing the specs, CES contents, training course syllabus etc.
Am away from home for the next few days, but when i return will copy the pages pertaining to the rear sight for you.
That would be awesome!
 
Digressing a little bit, but I recently got a nice reference book on British Sniper rifles by Steve Houghton, and while the book focuses mostly on how AI's 'Green Meanie" won the contract back in 1985, it does have some info re its main competitor at the time, the Parker-Hale M85 rifle. (See attached).

This book is available only from the UK-based publisher, about $110 USD delivered to the USA. Just an fyi post for anyone interested in British sniper rifles including the M85. (I don't own any British rifles, but part of me wishes I did after reading this book...).
 

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Here are some "sort of, kind of" m85/C3a1 clones. The desert camo Mcmillan stocked M85 is based on a Parker Hale 1200 action with a Douglas Premium Match Grade stainless barrel. It has been modified with a R700 DBM that takes AI magazines. It has been pillar bedded and has a Kydex adjustable cheek piece and Anschutz rail. It has a NEC single set trigger and large bolt knob. It has a YHM QD Flash Hider to accept a suppressor. It has a PH front sight and picatinny rail. This guns shoots under .5 MOA . Custom Cerakote.

I picked up a beautiful surplus PH walnut stock so had to build another gun around it. It has a Dumoulin Mauser action with large bolt knob and Douglas Premium Match Grade stainless barrel. It has a YHM QD brake to accept a suppressor. You can really notice the recoil difference between the YHM brake and the YHM flash hider. This gun also has a Rem 700 DBM for AI mags. It is pillar bedded and has an Anschutz rail. It has a Timney trigger I fished out of spare parts and I think that accounts for its relatively poor .64 MOA groups. I am waiting on a NEC single set trigger. Of course it has only 50 rds through it. Custom camo cerakote in Graphite black and Titanium. I watched too much history channel and put some "kill rings" on the muzzle like the German Panzers had.

I built both of these guns. Barrel install by LRI, everything else by me. Ignore the tags for the M40, etc. I put these up on the wall to take pics.

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NICE group , its a shame that the both M85s in the book & in Gun Jesus vid , have the wrong 5rd mags , the M85s where issued with a 10rd mag , not a 5rd mag ever , they must have LOST the PH supplied original 10 rd mags , as they stick out much further than the one in the book .
Shame all the L96s got dumped at sea , they should have sold them back to AI , to re-barrel and sell as collector rifles .

Later Chris
 
Is mescabug gone?
I liked his post but thought I had seen some recently??
 
i have a brand new m82 cadet single shot stock, that i picked up a couple years ago to do a heavy barrel mauser build that never got off the ground. a 98 mauser action drops right in. if anyone needs one, drop me a message
 
The Cadet stocks are slightly shorter in the forend aren’t they?
 
The single shot stock I have looks just like the lower of Buffalowinter's two rifles. I don't recall the desgination. I've had it too long to remember, and it's no longer a single shot.
 
My bad,I thought you were describing an L81A2 stock.
Yours,before inletting would’ve been an M84.
 
Sorry Sandwarrior but that’s a bit off the mark, The correct sight is a Parker Hale 5E .
The struggle will be finding the correct mount for it as most have the direct mount which screws into the rear action mount holes , whereas the M82 has a mount which attaches to the Parker hale rear scope mount (they used a 2 piece mount system) .
That's correct. The sight on the L39A1 'Enforcer' is 7.62 Calibrated Parker Hale 5E/4. The M82 used the Mauser Action mounted 5E. The No.4 .303 used the 5C and the P14 the 5A and SMLE 5B.
 
M82 replica based on a magazine fed PH TX1200. PH rings RAL drilled out to 26mm. Instead of a Kahles 6x42 ZF69 scope I (eventually) , after an era Kahles 3-9X42 mounted a Swarovski 6x42 Nova.
 

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M82 replica based on a magazine fed PH TX1200. PH rings RAL drilled out to 26mm. Instead of a Kahles 6x42 ZF69 scope I (eventually) , after an era Kahles 3-9X42 mounted a Swarovski 6x42 Nova.

Where do you find the sights? I really want a set of them. At least the rear sights. Are they just really rare?
 
Where do you find the sights? I really want a set of them. At least the rear sights. Are they just really rare?
I sold my set online. They come up every so often. There's some places in the UK who sell mainly target sights but they won't post internationally. If you know someone there they will post to the UK and get them forwarded on. There's plenty of 5C's on eBay and 5A's but very few 5E's and fewer by miles 5E/4's. I had a set stolen from my post box!?
 
So a question for you, as you were much closer to the source, was the 5E sight used as a backup sight for the scope in a sniper role? (Nimrod?), Or, was that more of a target sight? Both?
They mostly used them for target practice and military marksmen competitions.
 
That's correct. The sight on the L39A1 'Enforcer' is 7.62 Calibrated Parker Hale 5E/4. The M82 used the Mauser Action mounted 5E. The No.4 .303 used the 5C and the P14 the 5A and SMLE 5B.
I didn’t know if you saw my reply to that above, but yeah, I had a brain fart between which sights went on which of those rifles. Again, apologies for that mistake?
 
I didn’t know if you saw my reply to that above, but yeah, I had a brain fart between which sights went on which of those rifles. Again, apologies for that mistake?
No worries. No I didn't see it. Internet took me to that post which I thought was alone. Gotta love those Enfields!
 
Thanks for those pics (from Canada). Nice job on the M82, and I like the Canadian Inglis Hi-Power as well.
Just curious if your scope is 6x or 10x, and might I ask what that night vision optic is? Thanks.
 
The word sexulent is thrown around a lot these days. Probably over used.

But these guns, there is no other way to describe them.
 
The iron competition sights are unique to C3. The rear sight is a Parker Hale 5E with a very rare mounting base. Front is a Parker Hale S159. These will only mount to the steel scope bases provided not the commerical aluminum bases. The globe sight uses a .500" high front mount - again not common. These when not in use were kept in the scope case.

The sights I'm seeing in previous threads are for the Parker Hale 1200 TX - not correct for C3.

Ron (Canada)
 

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