Lithgow No.6 Mk1 and Mk1/1 Rifles MKL Article

[Badger]

With thanks to Advisory Panel member Son and member Lithy, an interesting new article with a 66 pic photo montage has been added to the Australia - Milsurp Knowledge Library (click here).

Lithgow No.6 Mk1 and Mk1/1 Rifles (Mfg by SAF Lithgow) "Experimental" (click here)

Son and Lithy welcome any feedback and comments in this announcement thread, however, registered members may also add direct feedback and comments to the bottom of the article itself, which is a new feature recently added of the MKL.

Article Extract .....

Development of a shorter service rifle better suited to battle conditions in the jungles of SE Asia had been a consideration since early 1943. The initial direction was toward a full stocked model resulting in two lengths of prototype rifles, one of which finally seeing 100 examples made for trials. These were the Shortened Lightened (Intermediate) rifles, serialed XP1 to XP 100…… (continued)

(Click PIC to Enlarge)(Click PIC to Enlarge)

The MKL also contains an excellent example of the 1944 No.1 Intermediate Shortened & Lightened Rifle Serial # XP53 (click here) referred to in this new article.

Regards,
Doug

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Bearclaw]

Got to say, maybe not as fluid as the No5, but how Aussie can you get. If they ain't going to give it to us, then we improvise.
Myles

[RJW NZ]

This is awesome, can't wait to read on ...I had one of those ill reputed navy arms 'no 7 carbines' that has in common with these the stock standard butt which disperses recoil better than the no5 JC , a shortened barrel and flash hider, all criticism aside for a second, it was a really likeable package to shoot and I wish I still had it.Probably as close as I'll ever get to shooting one of these ...
The most odd thing to see here is the blend of no4 rear sight pivot and no1mk3 charger bridge with a no4 rear sight in there, it's so double take odd that it makes perfect sense ...

Any idea how many of the 100 survive to this day?

[Badger]

Here's a couple of posts from our Commercial Auction and Sale forum showing a pair of questionable No.6 Mk1's that have been floating around for a few years.

Poulins Auction Lot #2307 - (March 7-11, 2008) (click here for original post)

2307. Australian Lithgow No. 6 MK I Bolt Action Carbine. Cal. 303. S# 0A44 on striker. Overall condition is good. Bore is bright and shiny. These were a trials rifle made in Lithgow in very limited numbers. Metal retains approx. 90% of an arsenal parkerizing with the buttstock and hand guards showing good overall some light and very little moderate gouging present. (07-2302 / BK / BS) Curio. Est. $ 1200 - 2000[/size]

Sold for $6,700 U.S.

Price DOES NOT include auction house Buyer's Premium of 15-17%

Attachment 17101 - Attachment 17095 - Attachment 17096 - Attachment 17097 - Attachment 17098 - Attachment 17099 - Attachment 17100 - Attachment 17102 - Attachment 17103 - Attachment 17094 - Attachment 17093 - Attachment 17092 - Attachment 17091 - Attachment 17104 -

Edit: UPDATE.....

Badger, I've just had a look at the pics from your link, it does seem a bit suspect to me as well. As far as I now they were ALL marked with the XP serial number. There was 194 made, starting with XP 101. That rifle would have been in the first lot of >50.

It should be marked like this (mine was from early in the third lot- standard buttplate, receiver mounted rear sight) although I'm not sure off hand if the first 97 built on ordinary receivers had the receivers made special at Lithgow or if they were just drawn from standard production. The later 97 were a new forging incorporating the rear sight mounts. (See pic below)

Poulins Auction Lot #2018 - (October 3-7, 2008) (click here for original post)

Poulins 2018 - Australian Experimental Rifle NO. 6 MK I / I SMLE Bolt Action Rifle. Cal. 308 Win. S# XP211. Overall condition is good. Bore is poor to fair. Metal shows 90% arsenal parkerizing overall and a blue magazine. Buttstock and hand guards show good with light scuffing. Sling shows good. (07-2333 / BK / BS) Curio. Est. $ 1850 - 2250.

Attachment 17086 - Attachment 17082 - Attachment 17083 - Attachment 17084 - Attachment 17085 - Attachment 17087 - Attachment 17088 - Attachment 17089 - Attachment 17090

Advisory Panel member feedback ... Lot 2018 - No. 6 Mk I (Total sadness). It is an original No.6 that has been screwed with heavily. Receiver has been tapped for a scope and filled, rear sight is a fake, top hand guard has damage. Like the above lot, finding a rear sight would be impossible and the filled holes can never go away.

Sold for $700 U.S.

Price includes auction house Buyer's Premium of 15-17%

Regards,
Doug

[Son]

This is awesome, can't wait to read on ...I had one of those ill reputed navy arms 'no 7 carbines' that has in common with these the stock standard butt which disperses recoil better than the no5 JC , a shortened barrel and flash hider, all criticism aside for a second, it was a really likeable package to shoot and I wish I still had it.Probably as close as I'll ever get to shooting one of these ...
The most odd thing to see here is the blend of no4 rear sight pivot and no1mk3 charger bridge with a no4 rear sight in there, it's so double take odd that it makes perfect sense ...

Any idea how many of the 100 survive to this day?

All up there was 194 made. Of these, "a few" were used in trials, others were later converted to the RAAF prototype 7.62 rifle (believed to be a dozen), some of which (IIRC) were tested to failure. I have seen a couple that were made into range rifles by fitting a heavy barrel and full No1 MkIII woodwork. Why, you ask...? To have a receiver mounted aperture sight for target shooting (quite a few were sold off around the NSW rifle clubs). I have seen another one that has been drilled and tapped for a scope...
Upon being declared obsolete, they were ordered to be stripped. I wonder if some of the barrel mounted rear sight models were sent back through the factory to come out as No1 rifles. They seem to be the harder ones to find...

sorry, mate... no real answers, just more questions.

[Rowdy]

To me the $6700 one had a faked up receiver and SMLE trigger gaurd but the rest seemed genuine, but could not see the bolt.
From what one could see the $700 looked genuine except for the scope mount holes - prices should have been reversed.