i have a i have a 1941 lithgow SMLE. the roman numerial stampedon the action is either a 2 or 3 but it is worn and hard to make out. my dad bought this at a hardware store for $19.00 when he was 18. that was in 1959. i have seen tons of .303s that look the exact same as mine and have probably been converted by the same firm. this is a great shooter as my dad only used it a handful of times before he left it at the farm and forgot about it. he thinks the sporter job was done by parker & hale. the letters BA are stamped on many parts such as the bolt and safety switch. does any one have any info regarding these common rifles.
surplus .303
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
Sporterized 303s
Kevin: I have seen a couple of the 303s sporterized by Parker/Hale and thought they were pretty good looking and very handy. One in particular seemed to have a thick, almost even a bull barrel, but it was a #4 MkI that had a thicker barrel than the earlier model (No I, Mk3). None the less, it looked good and felt good when brought to the shoulder. The action was nice and smooth, too.
As I understand it, there were a couple of firms in England that took the SMLEs and sporterized them for the civilian market and possibly even some American sporting firms.
Unfortunately, some youngster with little appreciation for older rifles wound up with it before I could stake a claim to it. Bummer.
I guess I should have laid my money down first. Mikey.
Kevin: I have seen a couple of the 303s sporterized by Parker/Hale and thought they were pretty good looking and very handy. One in particular seemed to have a thick, almost even a bull barrel, but it was a #4 MkI that had a thicker barrel than the earlier model (No I, Mk3). None the less, it looked good and felt good when brought to the shoulder. The action was nice and smooth, too.
As I understand it, there were a couple of firms in England that took the SMLEs and sporterized them for the civilian market and possibly even some American sporting firms.
Unfortunately, some youngster with little appreciation for older rifles wound up with it before I could stake a claim to it. Bummer.
I guess I should have laid my money down first. Mikey.
mikey: i'm not sure if an american citizen can buy guns in canada, but if you can you should check around. the local sporting goods stores have sportered enfields by the crate, and they sell privately in the papers for as cheap as $20.
You've got a good gun. "BA" signifies parts made at the Bathurst Rifle Factory - could mean that it was assembled later in the war when the assembly of No.1 rifles was transferred from Lithgow to the Orange Arsenal (usually have a Lithgow receiver, Slazenger stock and OA or BA furniture). That could mean that it wasn't heavily used and is still fairly 'new'. Might be interesting to see if it's got the heavy barrel option (marked with an "H" on top of the knox form, behind the rear site) - a potentially more accurate gun (and rarer).
I found a '41 Lithgow that was assembled and accepted into service in '43 at Orange. It was never issued and is absolutely mint. The parkerizing is pristine and still sandy. It is NOT one of the J Jovin parts guns that are on the market. A rare find!
I found a '41 Lithgow that was assembled and accepted into service in '43 at Orange. It was never issued and is absolutely mint. The parkerizing is pristine and still sandy. It is NOT one of the J Jovin parts guns that are on the market. A rare find!
venator, i checked the barrel when i got home the other day and at my first glance i couldn't find the markings you referred to. later i flipped the long range volley sight forward and sure enough, the letters HVSC were stamped one the barrel i assume that this is the heavy barrel indicator you referred to. thanks for the help. 
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
Join the discussion
