Butt Slide Types

[Brit plumber]

Sorry this has taken so long

This is a work in progress so with more info, I should be able to pin down production further.

All Lithgow barrels carry individual serial numbers which are separate to the Gun serial number marked on the barrel. As normally found the second or ‘Spare’ barrel was suffixed by the letter ‘S’, Also on these barrels can be found the manufacture date in the format 12’45. I’ve been collating what details I can from these barrels and have come to the following conclusions. As further numbers are passed over I may be able to be a bit more specific.
I have found that the barrel serial numbers as roughly twice the gun serial numbers for the first few years but as further new replacement barrels are required, this becomes less reliable.
It would appear the Mk1 barrel was deffinately in use at least until April 1942, Gun serial number A2500, but deffinatly no later than Feb 1943, Gun serial number A7350.
When Bren production ceased in August 1945 some components were still being produced as spares, but production had slowed dramatically and possibly ceased in late 1945/ Early 46. Sometime in the early 1950s Lithgow started producing the Mk2 Barrel again, the earliest I have observed is Aug 1952 and the latest is March 1954, approx 4000 barrels were produced in this time and judging by the quantity of Lithgow, Enfield and Inglis guns FTR’d in the 1950s programme, there are probably many more outside these date ranges yet to be seen.
I’m still looking at the various carry handle assemblies manufactured by Lithgow, the earliest is identical to the early Enfield pattern with the 1 piece machining, and lightning holes in the collar (rarest), The next is a 1 piece machined item like the earlier pattern but minus the lightening holes, most often encountered on the Mk1 barrel but sometimes found on Mk2 barrels,( possibly recycled from Mk1 scrap barrels). Next came the much simpler type, very much like the Enfield Mk1m/Mk2 type, and then the last version I’ve encountered, a cross between a Mk3 and a Mk2 type. This type is a Mk2 type with a machined curve in the leading edge in the same style as the Mk3, this is the most common type observed and could possibly date from 1945 or more probably, the 1950s FTR programme.

ATB Chris.