Reproduction SMLE stock

[Bindi2]

Have I told you gents about a brige in Sydney I'm selling cheap?

Seriously though, I know there are folks out there with more dollars than sense, but IMHO the cost of old military rifles - particularly SMLEs - has really gotten out of hand here.

They are not making any more and some little jerk tried to sell them all overseas so maybe that has had a price effect upwards. Supply and demand control the price. I can think of some like HTs, XPs any with 30s date that are not going any were but up in price. The others will just tag along so you have two choices buy or sell.

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[Colonel Enfield]

They are not making any more and some little jerk tried to sell them all overseas so maybe that has had a price effect upwards. Supply and demand control the price. I can think of some like HTs, XPs any with 30s date that are not going any were but up in price. The others will just tag along so you have two choices buy or sell.

I've often said the usual economic laws of supply and demand don't apply to military surplus rifles. They made several million Lee-Enfield rifles and there's still more than enough of them floating around for everyone who wants one to have one, along with a spare. Most gun shops I've been into have several on the racks (one well-known Brisbane gun shop has nearly an entire floor given over to them) and the major Australian used firearms websites have several pages full of them; there's always heaps for sale at gun shows... you get the idea. I'd go so far as to say a bog-standard SMLE Mk III* is about the least rare centrefire rifle in Australia, along with the Winchester Model 94.

I totally get the prices on the HTs and XPs being really high - those things were never common anyway, and they're specialist rifles. But a standard-issue SMLE shouldn't cost as much as a brand-new hunting rifle, IMHO - even if they aren't making new Lee-Enfields anymore. They're not making Kodak Brownie cameras anymore either, yet they're readily available and very cheap despite the fact they stopped being made in an era when putting an astronaut on the moon was in that hazy spot between science fiction and actual possibility.

[Bindi2]

The several million made is out by a large margin. Lithgow made a lot less than a million and a large percentage of them were sold overseas leaving not a lot here. You are lucky if you have that many to choose from in one place in Brisbane. I tour Australia and NZ looking for Lithgows and I don't see very many anywhere in reasonable condition or any condition the supply has dried up. The local dealers here just shake their heads when asked about new stock. If you wanted to collect all the Lithgows by year starting now not buying a collection it wont happen. There would appear to be lot of sporterized rifles about most of which you cant buy ammo for eg all the 22/303s, 243/303 ,25/303, 270/303, 35/303 + the NSW short 303 and 310. Then there is the 22 hornet and the 410.
Parts and furniture have dried up as well.

[Colonel Enfield]

The several million made is out by a large margin. Lithgow made a lot less than a million and a large percentage of them were sold overseas leaving not a lot here. You are lucky if you have that many to choose from in one place in Brisbane. I tour Australia and NZ looking for Lithgows and I don't see very many anywhere in reasonable condition or any condition the supply has dried up. The local dealers here just shake their heads when asked about new stock. If you wanted to collect all the Lithgows by year starting now not buying a collection it wont happen.

Sorry, I should have clarified: I was referring to SMLEs from all manufacturers, not just Lithgows. Truth be told I'm not particularly attracted to the Lithgow SMLEs - they're obviously well-made rifles but don't appeal to me quite the same way as the English or even Indian rifles for some reason. My point is, getting an SMLE Mk III* in Australia shouldn't cost what it does because they're not rare and not hard to find.

[Homer]

Sorry, I should have clarified: I was referring to SMLEs from all manufacturers, not just Lithgows. Truth be told I'm not particularly attracted to the Lithgow SMLEs - they're obviously well-made rifles but don't appeal to me quite the same way as the English or even Indian rifles for some reason. My point is, getting an SMLE Mk III* in Australia shouldn't cost what it does because they're not rare and not hard to find.

Good lithgows are not rare but getting harder to find. Let's be clear, I said good ones. Most of what you see advertised are average to poor or built up.
Please clarify, are the rifles in the Brisbane shop mostly his own collection or for sale?
Certainly a lot of what is advertised in Australia is overpriced because it's mostly rubbish at good gun prices, but I think four digit prices are in line for good quality matching examples, especially the the earlier years. Try find one!

[Colonel Enfield]

Please clarify, are the rifles in the Brisbane shop mostly his own collection or for sale?

They're definitely for sale. They have a website which lists some of what they've got in stock, otherwise you can visit the store and have a look in person.

Certainly a lot of what is advertised in Australia is overpriced because it's mostly rubbish at good gun prices, but I think four digit prices are in line for good quality matching examples, especially the the earlier years. Try find one!

The problem is most people can't tell/don't care about the difference between about a rare early model Lithgow Mk III and a generic 1942 Lithgow Mk III*. They're both "Old army rifles" - yet the prices on the 1942 Lithgow are heading towards the same ballpark as the early model rifles.

Is it possible for you blokes Down Under to pick up a rifle in another part of the world and have it shipped down there?
We do see Lithgows up here from time to time, (Canada) and wondered about the possibility of sending the odd one 'home'.

It's certainly possible - in my experience, the problem isn't getting them into Australia (At least in Queensland, the import paperwork is fairly straightforward to obtain) - it's getting them out of whichever country they're currently in. Shipping firearms internationally costs a lot of money and the export paperwork can be troublesome, depending on the country.