I could not pass this one up

119er

Nice looking rifle. Some info on the markings. Lithgow, a town in New South Wales, inland from Sydney, was the main Australian Ordnance factory but during WW2 various factories were set up in towns nearby. The markings indicate thesupplying factory by town

MA = Lithgow, NSW
OA = Orange, NSW
BA = Bathurst, NSW
SLAZ = Slazenger, a sports good manufacturer based in Sydney. They normally made tennis racquets During the war they made the timber for the rifles.

The serial number 1204xx with an A suffix on the rifle indicates that it has been renumbered on the nosecap and on the side of the barrel.

Lithgow rifles were numbered with a Letter followed by up to 5 numbers. Rifles made during WW2 started with a C prefix and ended with a F prefix. A 1945 Rifle should be FXXXXX

Check on the right side of the butt socket and under the rear hand guard. The rear handguard should be able to be gently lifted off from the rear with a large flat screw driver. Lifting the hadguard will enable you to see more markings on the barrel and receiver and perhaps determine its original serial number.

Still a nice rifle. Hope this info helps.

Paul

As to shooting the critter, get some Partizan or Federal or Remington ammo, stick Ed's O-rings onto them for the first firing, then neck-size and keep your brass trimmed. If you keep your velocities down around 2250 with a 180 flatbase (most accurate velocity for many rifles, anyway) your brass should nt stetch too much; it's the really hot loads that stretch the stuff...... and the reloading dies. I gauged a bunch of brass one time and found that I was getting THREE times the stretch from the dies as I was getting from shooting the stuff and case life was 'way too short. So now I neck-size only, keep the pressures down and lube the INSIDES of the case-mouths and I have to trim only rarely. I have 2 boxes of brass here which has been through a Ross 15 times and still doesn't need to be trimmed at all and I have brass from a Lee-Enfield which has close to a dozen shots from it. My biggest trouble is simple: too many Lee-Enfields to keep the brass straight! But segregating your brass IS the best way.

Keep us posted on how she shoots.

And be sure to have fun!
.

Looks to have been made up from a new receiver so not likely to have been renumbered.

Paul you will find B serial numbered lithgows right up into the second half of 1941.

Alright, I got around to taking the rifle apart through the info in Jollygreenslugs youtube video. Now I have to decide what I am going to do about the recoil area of the stock as it does not have the plates installed. Through my search I have found all the different opinions that relate to this subject. I read about fitting hardwood blocks and shaving them back to the original dimensions. This seems a better alternative to screwing in plates. I would really like some direction of what to do with this forestock. Here are some photos of what I've got.

whats the metal piece in the stock in the last picture?

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Originally Posted by 119er

Alright, I got around to taking the rifle apart through the info in Jollygreenslugs youtube video. Now I have to decide what I am going to do about the recoil area of the stock as it does not have the plates installed. Through my search I have found all the different opinions that relate to this subject. I read about fitting hardwood blocks and shaving them back to the original dimensions. This seems a better alternative to screwing in plates. I would really like some direction of what to do with this forestock. Here are some photos of what I've got.

Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version Name: stock (1).JPG‎ Views: 16 Size: 73.6 KB ID: 25488 Click image for larger version Name: stock (3).JPG‎ Views: 16 Size: 66.9 KB ID: 25489 Click image for larger version Name: stock (4).JPG‎ Views: 16 Size: 69.1 KB ID: 25490

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Here's a good article on the draws repair: Military Surplus Collectors Forums
BTW, this patching of, and refitting of the draws is very difficult, if you're at all unsure of whether you could do it or not, maybe send it to someone else to do so you don't end up with a mess.

I've glued a little patch in when I've come across the little bit missing behind the front trigger guard screw. That and a bit off brass thread wire through it.

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Originally Posted by mattgunguy

whats the metal piece in the stock in the last picture?

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Forend reinforcing plate. It helps prevent the rear of the forend from splitting and the cutout in the middle captures the squared end of the buttstock bolt to keep it tight. All No.1's will have this except for later Indian made rifles which have a band/pin setup similar to the No.4.