Pat Lee

A rifle was depicted a few years ago on either this forum or Gunboards asking about the Knocks markings.

I remember giving a bit of a history on the Stampings and possible owner,
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Now another rifle has presented itself, this one a .22 conversion, so maybe it's time to add a bit more about the remarkable man that has his name stamped on these rifles.
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Pat Lee took up shooting in about 1933, a quick learner, he started to cleanup at the local prize meetings around his home town Albury on the Victorian Border.
By february 1936 he was hitting his straps winning three Kings Prizes, the VRA Kings, QRA Kings and WA Kings....a hat trick.
Selected as part of the Bisley team in 1937 he top scored and carried Australia home in the Empire Match, home again in 1938 he won the NSW Kings, Pat also held most of the minor Prize Meeting trophies along the Eastern Seaboard.

One story pertaining to Pat and .22 Shooting from my old doubles partner and Queens winner Ken Lee, was that after a days shooting when the other competitors were heading for a beer, Pat would head to the Zero Range with his .22 SMLE and practice until dusk made it too hard to see.
No wonder the man was good, that dedication obviously paid off.
Like all the greats of the day, smallbore shooting was a regular pastime, Jack Mues, Harry Motton, Ella, Harry's daughter was a top smallbore shooter, Stan Edwards.....the list goes on.

Pat was also a bit of an armourer and herein lies the Question......were these Pat's Rifles or were they just set up by him.
Kens been gone for many years now....I miss our long chats about both his and my family shooting members, not too many old school blokes left alive.

I would like to believe that they were Pats rifles, the 1950's dates on the knocks could represent special events, he was still very active in the '50's.

Do you have any access at all to the clubs shooting records or have access to his trophies Muffett to try and tie the date onto the second rifles stampings if they line up it would certainly be a rifle to get hold of.

Club records I can find on TROVE, but that takes patience and time which I am seriously lacking in.

I do have a few pic's in my file though, here's one that shows every dog has his day.....winning the SYME.
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