Originally Posted by
Bruce_in_Oz
That full-length SMLE "skeleton" with the "REPRO" stamp looks like the ones made in Brisbane in the late 1970s / early eighties.
A small number came out of the "shed" of a serious collector who had the machinists skills and a swag of "pre-loved" parts. He also had the decency to mark them "REPRO" and make subtle variations in each.
Dating back to the Metford days, "skeleton" actions were initially armourers' tools and later use for instructional purposes, not fancy wall-hangers. Most were MUCH shorter, with only about eight inches of barrel but a full butt, which acted as a handle during use / demonstration.
In later years, Lithgow made "sectionized" L1A1s for much the same purposes.