No 1 Mk III foresight protector

[Craig Eberhardt]

When did Lithgow start milling holes in these or was this done at armoury level or in civilian service?

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

It was at unit level and instigated as a 1950's EMER modification

[Homer]

I thought it was late 1944 or just into 1945. Not entirely sure though without checking further. My rifles would be consistent with this.

[Peter Laidler]

You may be right Homer but it was retrospective to all rifles except those in deep storeage or what we called 'shipping pres.' That was a deep preservation suitable for shipping freight. Someone suggested that in effect this preservative condition was such that even the wharfies on the docks wouldn't get into it! Have I gone off at a wide enough tangent yet.....? I have a funny feeling that all the B1 stores, such as rifles (including the L1A1's and L2's) were stored at 1 BOD at Newcastle

[Homer]

Peter I suspect that many of my rifles were stored as you describe. Used rifles caked in thick cosmolene as if to be stored for a long time.

[Son]

Homer collects cosmolene for the strange effects it has on people.... for instance, it turns visiting sandgropers into white spacemen!

[Homer]

Homer collects cosmolene for the strange effects it has on people.... for instance, it turns visiting sandgropers into white spacemen!

He had to take his gloves off to hold a wine glass but the grease didn't make it easy.

[Bindi2]

Homer collects cosmolene for the strange effects it has on people.... for instance, it turns visiting sandgropers into white spacemen!

Grease HORRIBLE GREASE.

---------- Post added at 08:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:04 PM ----------

He had to take his gloves off to hold a wine glass but the grease didn't make it easy.

Needed something to steady the hands and mind. Bl**dy GREASE.

Nice rifles great evening great host BL**DY GREASE will do it again even with the BL**DY GREASE will take more wine.

[Craig Eberhardt]

So a late 45 Lithgow HT could have had the foresight milled at the time of production?

[Son]

Craig, it could be so, yes.
The rifles chosen for conversion were stripped, all parts gauged, and parts passing spec were retained for use on the prod. line. New parts were used when required. I have seen original matching nosecaps on HT's, I have seen un numbered nosecaps too (because there was a standing order the rifles were not to be stripped with any other weapon on the bench, to prevent mixing up of parts, it was not a requirement that replacement parts be numbered.) I have also seen nosecaps with a struck through serial number used. Some might think this a but suspect, but when the struck number is off another HT it shows the parts which passed muster were re used.
Now, for the mod to the nosecap ears... I have 200 rifles in my survey. Of these I have answers to the nosecap mod Q on well over half, so a fair sample, near 10%. Of these 1/3 have had the nosecap mod done. I would say with reasonable confidence that between 25 and 30% of production were done. It would not have been done at time of conversion, rather already in the system or on the rifle.