New Lithgow No. 1 Mk. III*

I purchased this from a guy on another forum. He only had about 6 pictures posted and it looked decent (for a first and likely only SMLE) and the price was great so I bought it. It just arrived the other day. I was able to take it out the next day and shoot it. What an awesome experience! Such an amazing gun!

All I knew when I purchased it was that it was a 1941 Lithgow with what appeared to be mixed parts (which is OK with me). When it arrived I discovered the bore to be in pretty decent shape and the action was nice and smooth. It also has a beautiful coachwood stock! I also discovered a JJCO import stamp. I had no idea about these at the time so I didn't look for the recoil plates before shooting. Well I got lucky - sort of... I stripped it down just a few minutes ago and found it did indeed have the brass recoil plates. However the forend in that area is badly cracked. I'm not sure if the recoil plates were an afterthought by a previous owner or what but here's what I found:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...595edc39-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...2783ac86-1.jpg

So I'm gonna take an uneducated guess and say I'll need to replace the forend? :( Even though I didn't strip it down and check prior to shooting it I'm guessing the damage was preexisting. If I need to replace the stock (and I'm guessing I do), how difficult is it to find coachwood forends without cracks here in the US and how much should I expect to spend? Is it safe to shoot in the meantime? Am I risking anything other than further damaging the already busted forend? I'm kind of bummed about the forend but overall I think I did really well for $225 (US).

Here are the rest of the pictures I took with all the stamps and proofs:

'41 receiver, '43 barrel and stock, '42 forend

1941 Lithgow SMLE Slideshow by cjdangles | Photobucket

Hen's teeth is the short answer to finding a replacement coachwood stock. If you find one it will likely be very expensive. The good news is it can probably be repaired. Others with deeper knowledge will likely chime in soon on the best way to repair the forend. Beautiful rifle BTW.

Some background information for members... :)

Milsurps Knowledge Library - Lithgow SMLE ... Causes of Cracked Foreends

Milsurps Knowledge Library - Repairing a Split Stock on a Lithgow SMLE

Regards,
Doug

Really nice find. The pics were great as well. I enjoy the Enfield.

Not bad-looking at all.

At a guess, I would say that the spits in your fore-end are the result of a previous "caretaker" trying to remove the butt before the fore-end.

However, as there appear to be no major chunks missing, it should be easy to repair.

Check the sundry helpful links attached to this site for details.

The basic trick is to have the offending areas sufficiently clear of oil so that the adhesive of choice, preferably an epoxy, can penetrate the grain and get a good grip.

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Originally Posted by Bruce_in_Oz

Not bad-looking at all.

At a guess, I would say that the spits in your fore-end are the result of a previous "caretaker" trying to remove the butt before the fore-end.
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I'm not so sure Bruce. The crack on the far left looks to be the beginnings of the entire draw area coming away. Needs immediate attention if you intend go shoot it.

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Originally Posted by Homer

The crack on the far left looks to be the beginnings of the entire draw area coming away.

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Yeah I'm not an expert by a long shot but it does look pretty bad to me. I've checked those links out but I'm not sure I want to tackle something like that. Anybody know of somebody who does these kind of repairs? I'd much rather have it done by somebody who has been around the block a time or two.

My 2 cents would be the brass recoil lugs are quite a common addon for southern hemisphere target shooters. Any other target bedding in the channel?

The stock looks complete so even if it is badly cracked I cant see it being that impossible to repair.

One here but its in NZ,

Full Length SMLE 303 Rifle Fore Stock | Trade Me

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Originally Posted by ssj

My 2 cents would be the brass recoil lugs are quite a common addon for southern hemisphere target shooters. Any other target bedding in the channel?

The stock looks complete so even if it is badly cracked I cant see it being that impossible to repair.

One here but its in NZ,

Full Length SMLE 303 Rifle Fore Stock | Trade Me

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Probably about 300000 or more lithgows were assembled at the factory with the copper plates and countless thousands fitted later when rifles were returned to stores.

From an Armourers shop point of view I don't think that we'd repair that but put it to one side for a DP rifle. But personally, I'd fix that if I had to. Into the trike bath for an hour to degrease it, cut out the rot including the copper plate area and glue in a patch. Using aero spec wood adhesive. Look, if it's good enough to glue the wood struts of modern repro aeroplanes and tiger moths/rapides etc AND be approved for certification by the CAA, then it's good enough for your rifle fore-end! Only my opinion...., but epoxy aint! Anyway. The difference if I did it as opposed to a concourse wall hanger is that there'd be a hardwood oak dowel pressed in and glued across the rear. It wouldn't split again........

But that's just me!

Peter where do we get oak in Aussie or should we stick to coachwood :D
Sorry couldnt help myself :thup:

Oh you antipodeans....... I don't know why we don't just send a gunboat over there, seize Canberra and take you back under our parental pommy wing!!!!!! Any old hardwood will do I suppose but in real life, Oak and steel aren't good partners for some reason

There was a mob doing Beech fore wood tops I cannot say whether they progressed to fore woods but the going rate roughly for a complete Mk III stock here in AU is @$350.ooAU the dam rifle probably only cost a few quid to make back in the 40's strike me lucky they have gotten expensive?
Some one in the forum may decide to part with one at the right price you can only ask. :dunno:

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

Oh you antipodeans....... I don't know why we don't just send a gunboat over there, seize Canberra and take you back under our parental pommy wing!!!!!! Any old hardwood will do I suppose but in real life, Oak and steel aren't good partners for some reason

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:surrender: I dont think. You can have Canberra save us breaking them off and letting them float away.:super:
Some white gum otherwise known as Wando would do as blocks. :thup:

Get real Bindi2 they would probably find a way to tax us for the effort to see them off!!!!! yeah like to see them work that wood when it is seasoned 6" nails I hear cannot get into it and it sinks, :confused:on the farm we only fenced with Red Gum or Jarrah treated it with creosote:yikes:

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

Get real Bindi2 they would probably find a way to tax us for the effort to see them off!!!!! yeah like to see them work that wood when it is seasoned 6" nails I hear cannot get into it and it sinks, :confused:on the farm we only fenced with Red Gum or Jarrah treated it with creosote:yikes:

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Seasoned and green all nail holes have to be drilled. Seasoned slowly or the bits melt. :yikes: The only wood i found harder than white gum (wando) is york gum that died because of salt.
More than time to stop the tax flow.:mad:

Peter, where could I find an aero spec wood adhesive? This sounds like just the stuff I need for replacing Bubba bobbed Ross fore ends...

Where do you find aero spec wood glue in Canada? ...........Ain't got a clue is the answer but I bet someone on the forum will soon come along and tell us!.

Attachment 53461Not quite 1940's pricing, but you get the idea.

Thanks Muffet that makes my Lith '21 not quite a rare bird as I think was it the 1937 that is the scarcest of the Aussie ones just a vague guess there!
But $16 quid that would have been a fair bit back then gads imagine the RSM is you dropped it or worse misplaced your weapon one could be looking at a court martial say what??

1934 to 1938, all very low production and extremely scarce. Particularly good matching examples.

Don't laugh Cinders (thread 20) about losing a weapon. I left mine on the ranges at the Batu Caves range complex (I think it was near Kuala Lumpur) after a bit of confusion with the range detail and the butt party. There wasn't any confusion when we got back to camp and the CQMS asked me where my rifle was - and no, it wasn't with the dopey bloke who's rifle I had cleaned by mistake! I drove all the way back just as the locals were picking up the uncollected brass! There it was, still laying on the 600 yard firing point! Phew........... Not another word was said. Thanks CQMS Clatworthy who was a pom emigrant from Castlemaine

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Originally Posted by flying pig

Peter, where could I find an aero spec wood adhesive? This sounds like just the stuff I need for replacing Bubba bobbed Ross fore ends...

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T-88 is what you want if you are after adhesives used in aircraft. Should be plenty available in Canada if we can get it downunder too.....

Good for you Peter that would have kept the faith, that not all CQMS breath fire and eat underlings for breakfast and quite possibly somewhere along his career he had made a genuine mistake and not been hung drawn and quartered according to the Queens regulations. (I say that as Queen Elizabeth has been our Monarch for many a year)

He was a bit of an ogre but I have to say that he looked after me again later on as well when he 'overlooked' the paperwork that followed me for having lost some kit somewhere.

Re the rifle....... I'd already resigned myself to the fact that it wouldn't be there when I got back and thought that if I mysteriously 'found' the breech block and carrier, numbered to the rifle, on the range, it wouldn't look as bad as the rifle would have been unuseable. Unuseable - until it was re-captured somewhere, then I'd be in even DEEPER shi, er.........., hot water! Wasn't so funny then of course!

I'd had a charmed life up to then because a year or so earlier I'd had a ND (Negligent Discharge) on the range while fixing a jammed-up unloaded Bren that suddenly fired!

Great blokes, I remember one particular TEWT, the CQMS had a BSA he rode around on, busted me and my mate for shirking duty,(snoozing on the roof) gave us kitchen duty as punishment.
Poor bugger, couldn't get his bike going next morning, backfired and smashed the OC's office window with the spud we'd shoved up his exhaust, didn't bust us again.

Funny thing, he was the father of our current GG, Peter Cosgrove.

Damn Peter, I thought I was the only one…… We coined the term "OH S--T MOMENT" when those things happen. Luckily I can count them on less than one hand in my time!!

One day I'll tell of the unloaded jammed up Bren that fired........... Not so damned funny then I hasten to add!

Had the Range officer ring gear me when I put the Bren on "R" for a 10 round in your own time course of fire, so sight nicely as we had already had a couple of rounds and a gentle squezzzzzzze stuff me dead like a plucked chook at chicken treat those 10 rounds followed each other!
You clot he screeched I said R not A, oh well I exclaimed "Sir I did put it on R" but the damage was done and as I was the only duffer on the range to do that of the whole detail, I would have to admit maybe I did become a bit confused and put the selector in the wrong spot but why the bloody heck could it not have been on SAFE? :banghead:

When I was teaching my wife to shoot my Ruger Super Redhawk 44 mag handgun now that was scary moment.........

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Originally Posted by Bandit12

T-88 is what you want if you are after adhesives used in aircraft. Should be plenty available in Canada if we can get it downunder too.....

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Awesome, thank you!

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Originally Posted by dangles

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...595edc39-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...595edc39-1.jpg

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a rather basic question, is the gap behind the kingscrew bush a factory thing or a break that needs repairing?
thanks.

But just a minor correction first. The king screw is nothing of the sort. It is simply the front trigger guard screw. Yes, there is a gap in the wood behind it. But not on the No4. That weak point was well noted and was one of the first things designed out of the No1 during the design of the No4

Great stuff posted.

Peter did not have to share that story but I'm glad he did. Now I don't feel so alone for range gaffs.

My Coach wood stock.

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