Possible Colt manufactured 1917 LSA/ Australian No I Mk III (?)

[Anzac15]

Ok. Hope some of you are still up like me. Some time ago, I posted a thread about my 1917 LSA No I Mk III that had found it's way into Australian service at some point during it's service life. Well, I thought it was an interesting enough rifle on that alone, but have found a marking on it which, if it turns out to be this, will absolutely floor me. Having read Charles R. Stratton's excellent book on the SMLE, I discovered that Colt, during the years 1912 through 1915, manufactured rifles for the land down under. The marking identifying these rifles is a C under a broad arrow, both of which are inside a vertical oval. These rifles are, understandably, few and very far between. Any encountered are expected to bring premium prices, and that may be an understatement from what I have read regarding these LEs. So here's the catcher..I have discovered a mark not identical, but very similar to this described marking on this hybrid Brit/ Aussie rifle. It is a C inside a circle, but not inside an oval, and the mark is stamped on the rear sight. My question is this...I know that Colt made rifles for the Australian govt. just before and during the Great War, but did they afterwards? Is this a modified Colt marking? This rifle, as stated, started life as a British LSA in 1917, but ended up with the Aussies at some point. It was rebarreled in 1940, but has early Lithgow star markings all over it, along with MA markings as well. I cannot help but think that this a later Colt marking. The similarity is too great, plus it is on an Australian rifle. There's too much coincidence here, I believe. Has ANYONE heard of this, or seen this marking? Any information will be greatly appreciated. I have included two photos, one is a really bad pic, but you can just see the circle above the HV SC marking. Also is a drawing comparing the markings. The one on the left is the 1912-1915 mark, the one on the right is what's in the photo. Thanks!

Information

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[breakeyp]

Mr. Stratton like Mr. Bogart in "Casablanca" was misinformed. I addressed this in one of Skennerton's "International Collector" annuals. US machine tool maker, Pratt and Whitney. received the contract to produce the machinery, tooling and fixtures to make the S.M.L.E. in Australia. As part of the contract to prove the tooling, they had to use the tooling to build a number of rifles for examination and interchange of parts with Lithgow and other British make rifles. (Ian found the original British interchange study and gave me a copy.) As is typical in a trial/proove out run they make a quantity of parts and as they passed through each machining process some parts were scrapped during setups. We don't know how many parts started or how many made it to a finished state. P&W had maybe six when their collection was sold to Val Forget. I don't readily have what number went to England or Australia but it was a less than ten. P&W cherry picked to insure passage. Several rifles have surfaced with hand stamped serials in the 3x range. Mine is 34 if I remember without going to look at it. Anyway, Startton somehow got the idea from the C mark and the later informantion that Pratt and Whitney owned Colt Firearms (In the 1970s) that they were made by Colt. Skennerton has pretty well convinced me that the C marks pertain to the new formation of the Commonwealth of Austalia even though there is literature that the many who oversaw the building of Lithgow wrote in his book that he had special inspection stamps made. I need to look into that again as this is from memory and poor memory at that. I don't recognize your marks and will did the rifle out later today and see what I can see. Anyway bottom line is Colt had nothing to do with it..

[Son]

I don't know what the c in a circle means on your rifle.. I don't recall having seen one like that before, but it definitely isn't one of the Pratt & Whitney rifles. Here's the way the rear sight was marked on the P&W rifles. I have pics of other parts of the rifle with the same mark.

Attachment 24150

[Anzac15]

Break, very interesting about Pratt and Whitney. Son, that mark is identical to one I saw on another website about LE bayonets where it's claimed that it's Colt manufacture. Thanks to both of you for the info.

[TonyE]

I believe the "C Broad Arrow" mark on the P & W rifles was made by the Australian manager training there as his name was Clarkson.

Regards
TonyE

[Son]

I believe the "C Broad Arrow" mark on the P & W rifles was made by the Australian manager training there as his name was Clarkson.

Regards
TonyE

That has been regarded as the most likely reason behind the mark, although I don't recall anyone being able to find documentation supporting it. (good place for Mr Skennerton to comment here....) Because the rifles were destined for England and compatibility trials against the other manufacturers parts, each part of each rifle needed to be marked in some way to identify it.

[Lithy]

I believe the "C Broad Arrow" mark on the P & W rifles was made by the Australian manager training there as his name was Clarkson.

Regards
TonyE

You are correct Tony.

From Tony Griffiths' book The Enfield Inch & The Lithgow 303, "Commander Clarkson, the Australian Government's overseer of this technical project, stated all parts were inspected by me prior to my departure from America,and stamped with my private stamp".

[Kev G]

William Clarkson RN

In 'Lithgow's Small Arms Factory and it's People' Tony Griffiths takes reference from a Clarkson letter to Defence, re inspection OK and parts stamped,16th Nov 1911 - "I may state that all the parts were inspected by me prior to my departure from America,and stamped with my private stamp"
This was for 12 rifles that were assembled from the approved Clarkson stamped parts.