This is an original British Second World War binocular gunsight, Pattern C.372, manufactured by Ross, one of Britain’s principal wartime optical contractors. Officially designated “Binocular Gunsight PATT. C.372”, this pattern was developed for military gun-laying purposes and was used primarily on anti-aircraft, coastal defence, and other fixed or semi-fixed artillery mountings.

The sight features fixed ×3½ magnification with individual eyepiece focus adjustment, as intended for military gun-laying use. Other adjustments are service-level settings and have been left untouched. The gunsight is of robust wartime construction, featuring a heavy cast metal body finished in original service paint, with individual eyepieces fitted with rubber eye-cups and external adjustment controls for focus and alignment. The sight retains its original, two level, sliding sun filter, allowing the introduction of tinted glass for glare reduction during bright conditions. It is clearly military-issued, bearing correct wartime markings and the government property arrow, and represents standard wartime production rather than an experimental or post-war variant. The wartime pattern designation, Ross of London manufacture, government property marking, and period construction and finish are all consistent with British military production during the Second World War.

This example is accompanied by its original fitted wooden transit and storage case, factory stencilled for the Pattern C.372 and Ross of London. Surviving examples are most often encountered without their original cases, making complete cased sets noticeably scarcer than loose gunsights. The original locking key is also present and functional, further enhancing the completeness of the set. The case shows period personalisation in the form of a hand-applied name added during service; the marking is now worn and difficult to read, but appears to read “E Devonshire”. It has been left exactly as found, and no firm attribution is made.

The gunsight and case are in honest, well-preserved condition consistent with wartime service and age. The wooden case shows expected handling wear, surface marks, and age-related wear. The gunsight itself shows service wear to the exterior finish, with no attempt at restoration. The original rubber eye-cups remain present and in notably good condition when compared to most surviving examples, showing only minor surface bubbling while retaining a good degree of suppleness. Many comparable gunsights are encountered with eye-cups that are heavily perished, cracked, or deteriorated, making this a particularly well-preserved feature. The original leather carrying strap is absent, which is not uncommon.

Overall, this is a solid, complete, and increasingly hard-to-find example of a British WW2 binocular gunsight, made especially desirable by the survival of its original transit case, working key, sliding sun filter, and better-than-average eyecup condition. It displays extremely well as a substantial and unmistakably wartime artillery optical instrument.

PLEASE NOTE: This piece is heavy! The box weighs nearly 3.5kg by itself. The sight alone weighs around 5.5kg. Factoring in packaging you’re looking at over 10kg. However, we have listed it below as 5kg. This is due to limitations of the shipping system which means, the shipping cost is technically cheaper for the customer.