hi there, a differen type of HT low mount and history??

[2pounder]

Hi every one, first time poster on any sight, so hope this one is the right one.

I would be grateful if someone could help me out. My father recently passed away and left me his Low mount 303 sniper rifle. I would love to be able to verify its history but am unsure how to go about in doing so.

Apparently it was used as a station firearm and has some marring on the wrist from a mount in a jeep. It does not have full wood but seems to be finished with a Schnabel fore end very well executed, and to my eyes and also I am one not to tinker with original, looks almost original. My grandfather told me they were sometimes lightened like that in Papua new Guinea???? where he saw service.

I can see the “H” on the wrist and the “H” on the barrel which seems to be exceptional and very shiny. The mount for the scope is a little loose and at some stage it has had a recoil pad fitted. In a way it looks as if it has come from an English gun maker as the changes are subtle and not overly compromising.

All the sights are present and working but it is missing the magazine cut off. The top wood with scallop to allow scope mounting behind the rear sight is also present.



What could I do with this rifle to preserve it, it is not for sale, should I leave as is or could I get a stock and nose cap for it as an option and are these available, can I get the scope serviced. The rifle has a great deal of sentimental value and it would be great to Know its history?



Can anyone assist, your help would be well received, I was looking on web sights re this style of rifle and came across this sight

Information

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[muffett.2008]

First up try posting some pic's.
If it is a ridgeedidge HT the serial number will be listed in Skennertons works, so if you can post it, the wrist date and the month/year from the right side of the barrel under the rear top gaurd, we can give you a bit more help.

[2pounder]

I will endeavour to post photos ASAP.
For now are these details helpful
Wrist ER, BSACo, 1908, ShtLE 111
H on the stock at wrist, on top, H on Barrel Knox HV on Barrel visible when you lift rear sight
Front scope mount 1394
Scope marked SIGHT TELESCOPIC, PATT 1918, (AUST)/1, B.A.A 3650 GA.
D^D 1945
ALSO some hand engraving which is hard to see
The back of the bolt handle has been peened as has an area on the right hand side of the receiver directly below the front mount
The rear sight is graduated to 2000 and has a button on L/H/S and a wheel on R/H/S for fine adjustment I assume, when you push button the wheel disengages.
The rear sight guard has a visible MA on L/H/S
How do you remove wood between sight and receiver?
I will give any other details needed as required to help identify

Regards

[2pounder]

scope brass eyepiece has same number as front mount....1394, rear mount on receiver also is stamped 1394, front mount on receiver is stamped 1394 will this be the same as rifle serial number??
Front sight is stamped WA43 on L/H/S, there is a number 5 under the bolt handle on action, visible when bolt is lifted and pulled back.

What is process for attaching photos please

[mike1967]

The rifle SN would be a big help.

Cheers

Mike.

[2pounder]

The rifle SN would be a big help.

Cheers

Mike.

I can only surmise that the peening on rear of bolt handle and below front scope mount is where the serial number has been, perhaps if this is what is required to ID the rifle it will remain a mystery. I do know my father used it professionally shooting kangaroos north of Carnarvon in the mid sixties and brought it from a friend originally from Broome. I have been told not to fire it with the scope on, which I won't, however the scope is reasonably clear for its age. if it can be identified in another way, or can I locate the serial number in another area, it would be great to find out. We can only guess as to why the numbers in these locations have been peened, surely there would be other references to the serial#

[2pounder]

Attachment 64968Attachment 64967Attachment 64966

some photos , hope this works

seems to have , will try some more

[2pounder]

Attachment 64969Attachment 64970Attachment 64971

photos showing Schnabel fore end, fore sight and side profile.

It would appear to be a low bracket when comparing scope heights.
After looking at other photos the hand engraving on this scope would appear to be "RIFLE" with the rest extremely difficult to make out

[2pounder]

will endeavour to take some better quality photos tomorrow and post here will include all detail that I can.

[Son]

Hi 2pounder.

I have been through my spreadsheets and cross referenced your rifles available details with my lists and narrowed the serial number down to the list below. Best hope at the moment is to take hi res close ups of the peined areas where the serials used to be in hope of making out a digit or two in the blown up image and matching it to one on the list. Also, the hand etched markings on the scope tube will be "RIFLE # xxxxxx" Maybe a hi res pic of that area in good light will show up part of the number. Just for $hits and giggles, have a look at the underside of the rear sight leaf. They were not usually numbered, but I am pretty sure I have seen some that are.
Your rifle displays all the signs to be a genuine HT. Except for the foreend mods and absence of the front handguard and nosecap it looks to be true and correct. There are about a dozen BSA receiver rifles in the 200-odd I have gathered details on, including two others from 1908

Serial number possibilities.....
32981
39926
45611
46247
53284
54427
57845
64174
74545

5322A
26562
26824
42031
42670
45828
2011
19435
20063
20719
25534
30850



58798
64852
82663
83837
84486
2137
4285
9984
36923
44511
69911


For your reading, here is my "canned" history of the Lithgow HT rifles.

HT Brief History.
In 1944 production to fill an order for 2500 telescopic sight SMLE sniper rifles was begun. The order was for 1250 Highmount or “Medium Bracket” and 1250 Lowmount or “Short Bracket” rifles. The scopes, made in Melbourne by A.O.C, (Australian Optics Co) were fitted with rings and base mounts, and supplied as an assembly matched and numbered together.
The vast majority of the rifles were converted from WW1 manufactured rifles. The reason was that they "flexed better due to superior metalurgy". Also the machining tolerences in the actions were tighter originally making them easier to work into an individually fitted and finished unit for accuracy. There have been quite a few British made rifles noted as having been converted, as well as a number of WW2 vintage Lithgows. At the outbreak of WW2, civilian rifle club members were asked to hand in their rifles for the war effort. This is how a lot of already heavy barrelled and bedded WW1 Lithgows came to be in store at the factory
Roughly the process was- inspect the rifle and gauge all parts. Any parts that were within the tolerances set for the HT could be kept. (this is why some civilian range rifles that were handed in at the start of the war could have retained older H barrels, walnut or Queensland maple fore-ends etc). Any parts that were replaced were not needed to be numbered to the rifle as there was a standing order that the HT's were not to be stripped with any other rifle on the bench- no chance of mixing parts on re-assembly. (quite a lot have un-numbered bolts, nosecaps, rear sights etc...) Bolts were lapped to the action, the heavy barrels were fitted and the fore-ends relieved and bedded to the actions. Then they were proof fired, bolt lugs checked again and re-headspaced. They were then tested for accuracy using the standard sights. Any that failed were returned and re-worked (bedded) and tested again. After passing accuracy testing they were machined for the scope mount bases. A numbered scope "set" was fitted (these were used in very close to numerical order as the rifles were made) and re-tested for accuracy. If passed the scope was engraved with the rifle serial number and the finished units were boxed in pairs and sent to store. After a certain date (escapes me at the moment) the cheekpiece (and front triggerguard screw swivel) were added to the job, but not fitted properly. This was to be done at unit armourer level to suit the individual sniper if needed. The rifles already in store had a cheekpiece and screws as well as the swivel tossed into the box.
At the end of WW2, production was cancelled with only 1612 units completed. 1131 Highmounts were done first, then production had switched to Lowmounts in July ’45, completing 481 before cancellation. The total scope production had apparently been complete long before this, so there was most likely nearly 900 left over. 100 of these were used during the FTR, some may have been used as replacements for rifles in service, and a lot were sold off through the gun trade.
During the early fifties, 100 rifles were taken from storage and went through FTR (Factory Thorough Repair) as an exercise for the tradesmen at the factory. All were fitted with scopes from the left-over production, all lowmount.
There have been a number of HT’s come to light that have been re-wooded with authentic parts and fitted with new ’53 dated barrels. It is widely thought that these had seen service in Korea and were refurbished at Base Workshop level on return because the harsh climatic conditions had left the rifles in a poor state.
When the rifles were sold off, quite a lot were delivered or handed out straight from the crate. Being boxed in pairs, with scopes off the rifles in their cases, there was a fifty fifty chance of being given the right scope and case for the rifle. This may have been when a lot ended up with miss-matched scopes.
A lot of HT’s were sold to rifle club members who usually removed the optics and fitted aperture sights. This would help explain the number of scopeless rifles, rifleless scopes and miss-matched sets.