1941 Lithgow Range Rifle

G'day guys,

After my new found interest in the preservation and care for these rifles, I've been looking for an SMLE to "plink" with to preserve my rifles from wear and tear. Here is what I have gone with:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...e5bebf84-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...c5034f6f-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ffd66fb7-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...052eb879-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ab0499ee-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...4379b07a-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...4a86dec1-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...b254b892-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...e6939694-1.jpg

The bore is just excellent, it looks fantastic.

What do you reckon fella's (and ladies), for $500, am I in the clear?

AT: That's a beaut! But your "plinker"? That would be one I'd want to avoid wearing out and use for limited target work. I've concluded the only answer to the preservation dilemna is to own so many that you can shoot them all a bit without putting undue wear and tear on any one (haven't tried that one out on Mrs. Ridolpho yet). On your rifle I see expanded clearance between barrel and nosecap and a beautiful tight fit between forend/ cheek on the right sided. What other "accurizing" modifications have been made? How is it bedded?. Thanks.

Ridolpho

Always a gamble buying a heavy barrelled range rifle unless you know the previous owner or you can strip it to inspect the bedding. Often these have been done by novices who havent fully understood the concept of good bedding and accurizing, and the workmanship is disgraceful. Ive seen some total abortions.

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Originally Posted by Homer

Always a gamble buying a heavy barrelled range rifle unless you know the previous owner or you can strip it to inspect the bedding. Often these have been done by novices who havent fully understood the concept of good bedding and accurizing, and the workmanship is disgraceful. Ive seen some total abortions.

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Yes, I saw one this month.....ikky. However re-doing it "properly" can be a lot of fun. From what I can read the cork and paper methos needed replacing evvery season anyway. So a good receiver and H barrel and central sights and you are away.

I think for $500, even IF it does shoot like ****, I still have the basis of a good "chassis" so to speak. It looks to have been very well done, but time will tell if it shoots well or not. Here's to hoping!

Dear aussietomcatter, I have the exact same set-up for sale here in the States. It was given to me to sell by a good friend and former member of several shooting teams. Truth is - I'll probably buy it from him - and your $500 is about what I could get for it here, too. Now that our Club has a new 200 yd range, perhaps I'll be able to stretch its legs a bit. Will probably send it off for a good going over. Keep in touch and let me know how it shoots!

AQBill

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Originally Posted by aqbill

Dear aussietomcatter, I have the exact same set-up for sale here in the States. It was given to me to sell by a good friend and former member of several shooting teams. Truth is - I'll probably buy it from him - and your $500 is about what I could get for it here, too. Now that our Club has a new 200 yd range, perhaps I'll be able to stretch its legs a bit. Will probably send it off for a good going over. Keep in touch and let me know how it shoots!

AQBill

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The 303 is only just on song at 300yds ,sweet at 700 out to 1,000yds.

It is not exactly rocket science to fit a rear sight bed and leaf onto a heavy barrel.

In Oz, give Allan Hibbs at Kingaroy Firearms a call: he "has the technology" to machine standard ones out properly; not that there is a huge demand for it these days.

My very first SMLE, circa 1972, when I was still at high-school, was just like this one; a retired range rifle. It also had a "customised" nosecap: i.e., a previous owner had opened out the barrel hole with what was probably a rat-tailed file and belted a short piece of rubber hose in to form a "soft" bedding ring between the muzzle and the nosecap. The resulting "improvement" was not exactly round or concentric.

With a bit of machining assistance from my dad, I fitted a rear-sight assembly onto the heavy barrel, removed the dodgy old bit of hose from the muzzle and pumped in black silicone rubber to fill the gap after reassembling the rifle. It shot very nicely with the "white-label" FN Mk7 ball "pour Bren" that was abundant at the time. The "pink-label" FN stuff provided additional entertainment in low-light conditions.

B12629; where are you now?

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Originally Posted by Bruce_in_Oz

It is not exactly rocket science to fit a rear sight bed and leaf onto a heavy barrel.

In Oz, give Allan Hibbs at Kingaroy Firearms a call: he "has the technology" to machine standard ones out properly; not that there is a huge demand for it these days.

My very first SMLE, circa 1972, when I was still at high-school, was just like this one; a retired range rifle. It also had a "customised" nosecap: i.e., a previous owner had opened out the barrel hole with what was probably a rat-tailed file and belted a short piece of rubber hose in to form a "soft" bedding ring between the muzzle and the nosecap. The resulting "improvement" was not exactly round or concentric.

With a bit of machining assistance from my dad, I fitted a rear-sight assembly onto the heavy barrel, removed the dodgy old bit of hose from the muzzle and pumped in black silicone rubber to fill the gap after reassembling the rifle. It shot very nicely with the "white-label" FN Mk7 ball "pour Bren" that was abundant at the time. The "pink-label" FN stuff provided additional entertainment in low-light conditions.

B12629; where are you now?

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B12629, 1924 action. Quite rare these days.

Well I pick her up on Monday, can't wait to see how she runs!

I'll get around to fitting the rear sight, it shouldn't be too hard to fit.

No ones mentioned the MOTTY stamped onto it. As a target rifle fan, that stamp instantly made this a very collectible rifle for me, Motty made sites and a few rifles, ie not many, and out of the many range rifles ever made, few have identities that can be tracked to their maker. If its original internally the bedding is probably well made, except for now needing the usual, (usually annual) refresh due to age and settling.
You've found a unique and collectible rifle, I'm green, and it wouldn't be my plinker lol, it'd be a sunny sunday rifle only, well done on a great find. You can www search for motty sights and rifles, there's not much as its a small group but some info is around. I think there's some motty sight pics on enfield resource.com

Thanks for that mate, she will be going to a good home. I'd assume its the original bedding, as the barrel is damn near perfect and the stock matches the rifle.

I pick her up in 7 days from the shop! Can't wait to have a whirl and then look after her.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo..._zpstt9h-1.jpg

Long time coming, but she did this at 100m today.

I don't know if this was a fluke or not!

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Originally Posted by aussietomcatter

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo..._zpstt9h-1.jpg



Long time coming, but she did this at 100m today.

I don't know if this was a fluke or not!

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If you can do again it wasn't a fluke

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Originally Posted by aussietomcatter

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo..._zpstt9h-1.jpg

Long time coming, but she did this at 100m today.

I don't know if this was a fluke or not!

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No fluke, mate! I got a .30cal pen very similar to that one, should see the groups I get with it!
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Seriously, well done ,mate. Any groups under 2" are great. What ammo you using, did you try out the greek yet?

That was with PPU mate, saving the HXP for when use my competition service rifle so I can neck the brass. That said, I might split it 50/50 between the target and service rifle.

She really is a beauty :)

I also note as your in the ACT and there is MOTT on the reinforce you may have a Motty Barrel if so all the bedding should be good but as always I get mine checked out, better to be sure than tootle off down the range and find out things are a bit amiss as I have just found out with a recent purchase of my (now not friends) sniper T get it back this Friday after having it rebidded and then off to the range for me.......

They are a great source of fun and endless topics and this is the right place to learn all the guff on them :dancingbanana:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ro1_1280-1.jpg

Proof! It wasn't a fluke.

This was with HXP, and boy does it shoot well!

aussietomcatter,

If your shooting at 100 mtrs/yds then have a go at the Milsurp comp/shoot (found in the stickies on the "Range reports forum")

The Main idea was to show what a Milsurp can do (even a tweaked one) and yours is an excellent example (plus I,m a bit biased towards SMLE,s).