Help with scoping a No1 MkIII

[henry r]

Am I the only one who's noticed that the action body he has in mind Bubba-ing is an LSA?
I'm sure that this puts a premium on the value of it, no?

and the other is a 1928 Lithgow. if the production figures i found on the 'net are correct, lithgow only made about 3200 complete rifles and about 1500 extra receivers in 1928... i wouldn't be modifying that one either.


as far as mounts, for an aftermarket drill to fit mount, i like the look of this style of mount: https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=34007

you could try Roger Payne https://www.milsurps.com/member.php?u=2670 as i think i read he has or was planning to make reproductions of a SMLE sniper mount of some description. using high quality reproduction mounts would probably the only way to add mounts (drill to fit type) without being classed as a total bubba.

[Roger Payne]

Thanks Henry. I do get limited runs of WW1 era SMLE sniper mount made periodically, & I did get about 15 sets of the SMLE over bore claw mounts made in about 2010, but they all sold pretty quickly (they always do). At present I am occupied in getting the next batch of No32 scope brackets ready, together with a small run of Aldis/Holland & Holland mounts for the SMLE. I'd like to get more over bore mounts done but it is likely to be a year or two due to the huge time constraints involved. IIRC I posted some photo's of the finished over bore mounts at the time - they are the Periscopic Prism Co variants made in 1918/19 rather than the Lithgow H T improved version of 25 years later.

[CINDERS]

I was going to say the same thing Henry R that 1928 is priceless to a collector wanting one for their collection and depending on the rest of it a highly desireable Lithgow year please do not Bubba that one buy another flogged horse.........

[Homer]

I was going to say the same thing Henry R that 1928 is priceless to a collector wanting one for their collection and depending on the rest of it a highly desireable Lithgow year please do not Bubba that one buy another flogged horse.........

I think "priceless"is a bit over the top. There's a very decent 1928 Lithgow presently being advertised in Australia for 1200 and not one inquiry in over a week.

[CINDERS]

Guess its like they are not made anymore and the amount of Lithgows made verses all the others made by the various manufacturers of the Mk III's pales as there were so few given the millions made of the Lee line their are those of us guess I am one of them that regard the Lithgows as part of our heritage but I sure would like the one presented to the King of Siam the 1 of 10,000 now that is a very special Mk III saw pics of it once very nice.

[Surpmil]

It is known I think that the Australian pattern mounts are a copy of overhead mounts that were fitted to the SMLE in the UK in some unknown numbers later in WWI. Reproductions of these have been made in the UK I believe. The rings you have are the reproductions sometimes sold on eBay. They are a good start from what I can see, but the rings are not faired at the edges as the originals are and in general they have a squared-off look the originals did not by virtue of the hand finishing involved in their manufacture. It might be that you could adapt the P14 rear base you have to replicate the rear base used on the SMLE, but unless you have a suitable No.3, No.4 or perhaps Patt. 18 Aldis scope the exercise is pointless as far as I can see.

[Roger Payne]

The Great War variants were made with 1" diameter rings & were intended to be used with 4th pattern or modified 3rd pattern Aldis scopes (1" diameter tube & equipped with the lateral adjustment prism), unlike both the P'14 & later Australian variants, which were intended for use with the more slender Model 1918 scope. Some years ago when I got a couple of small batches of P'14 mounts made I intentionally had half of the sets of rings made 1" diameter so that the relatively more available Aldis could be used with them. It is also historically correct as a few Aldis scopes were mounted on P'14 claw mounts, though the vast majority it is true to say were Model 1918's. I've never attempted to copy the Lithgow mounts because there are so few AOC Mod '18 scopes about to use them with.