dnedative wrote:Lithgow heavy barrel, 1962
Bored out nose cap to suit the free floated barrel
Draws will probably be copper blocks fixed to the forestock
Parker-Hale PH5A sight
Dunno about the star, these things have long interesting lives in many hands.
The zero of the sight will depend on what front sight is fitted, there was a procedure to do it with the factory rear sight but thats long gone so strip a few clips into the magazine and see what it does. Regardless of the front sight you should be able to zero it to as low as 50m without issue. Vernier scale is a good thing. They are truly excellent sights, 1/4 MOA clicks from memory or something very very close to that.
Some view these as a waste of a good rifle but they are a part of sporting history.
Most of them shoot really well for what they are.
in2anity wrote:Could be a shooter. How is it bedded blade?
bladeracer wrote:dnedative wrote:Lithgow heavy barrel, 1962
Bored out nose cap to suit the free floated barrel
Draws will probably be copper blocks fixed to the forestock
Parker-Hale PH5A sight
Dunno about the star, these things have long interesting lives in many hands.
The zero of the sight will depend on what front sight is fitted, there was a procedure to do it with the factory rear sight but thats long gone so strip a few clips into the magazine and see what it does. Regardless of the front sight you should be able to zero it to as low as 50m without issue. Vernier scale is a good thing. They are truly excellent sights, 1/4 MOA clicks from memory or something very very close to that.
Some view these as a waste of a good rifle but they are a part of sporting history.
Most of them shoot really well for what they are.
Thanks No1Mk3, I have an unmolested Lithgow No1Mk3* as well. I only grabbed this one because of the mods thinking it must've been built because it's a good shooter. Hopefully I'll get a chance to find out very soon.
I should be able to measure the sights to work out where it's zeroed currently.
No1Mk3 wrote:bladeracer wrote:dnedative wrote:
G'day bladeracer,
dnedative appreciates your thanks, but may be a little confused , As for the elevation the 5 series were 1/2 minute vertical clicks. One common "trick" I've seen with Range Rifles is to fit an elastrator ring to the barrel at the nose cap the idea being to dampen whip, I don't know if it works just seems to me to delete the purpose of free floating in the 1st place, still, 1 of my Range Rifles has it and shoots well so I don't interfere. VRA comps were often 600 & 900 yards, 1000 yards at the Queens etc but for Service, these are H Class (accurized/modified) and normally shoot 500m application.Cheers.
bladeracer wrote:in2anity wrote:Could be a shooter. How is it bedded blade?
I haven't had it apart, and have no reason to strip it immediately, so any bedding secrets will have to wait to be revealed. As far as I'm aware you're not allowed to alter the bedding for most Service classes so it should be stock. But I don't know what classes it was built for, or if it was. It.might've just been built for fun. The barrel is fully floated, so any bedding will only be around the action, and I don't know if.any classes allow floating the barrel either.
dnedative wrote:bladeracer wrote:in2anity wrote:Could be a shooter. How is it bedded blade?
The standard profile barrel should never be free floated either, same as a Swiss K31, take away the stocking and barrel bedding and they dont shoot for s**t.
dnedative wrote:Lithgow heavy barrel, 1962
Bored out nose cap to suit the free floated barrel
Draws will probably be copper blocks fixed to the forestock
Parker-Hale PH5A sight
Dunno about the star, these things have long interesting lives in many hands.
The zero of the sight will depend on what front sight is fitted, there was a procedure to do it with the factory rear sight but thats long gone so strip a few clips into the magazine and see what it does. Regardless of the front sight you should be able to zero it to as low as 50m without issue. Vernier scale is a good thing. They are truly excellent sights, 1/4 MOA clicks from memory or something very very close to that.
Some view these as a waste of a good rifle but they are a part of sporting history.
Most of them shoot really well for what they are.
No1Mk3 wrote:bladeracer wrote:dnedative wrote:Lithgow heavy barrel, 1962
Bored out nose cap to suit the free floated barrel
Draws will probably be copper blocks fixed to the forestock
Parker-Hale PH5A sight
Dunno about the star, these things have long interesting lives in many hands.
The zero of the sight will depend on what front sight is fitted, there was a procedure to do it with the factory rear sight but thats long gone so strip a few clips into the magazine and see what it does. Regardless of the front sight you should be able to zero it to as low as 50m without issue. Vernier scale is a good thing. They are truly excellent sights, 1/4 MOA clicks from memory or something very very close to that.
Some view these as a waste of a good rifle but they are a part of sporting history.
Most of them shoot really well for what they are.
Thanks No1Mk3, I have an unmolested Lithgow No1Mk3* as well. I only grabbed this one because of the mods thinking it must've been built because it's a good shooter. Hopefully I'll get a chance to find out very soon.
I should be able to measure the sights to work out where it's zeroed currently.
G'day bladeracer,
dnedative appreciates your thanks, but may be a little confused , As for the elevation the 5 series were 1/2 minute vertical clicks. One common "trick" I've seen with Range Rifles is to fit an elastrator ring to the barrel at the nose cap the idea being to dampen whip, I don't know if it works just seems to me to delete the purpose of free floating in the 1st place, still, 1 of my Range Rifles has it and shoots well so I don't interfere. VRA comps were often 600 & 900 yards, 1000 yards at the Queens etc but for Service, these are H Class (accurized/modified) and normally shoot 500m application.Cheers.
northdude wrote:Thats a nice one. Ive got a 1913 bsa mkIII all matching for a steal should af bought the lithgow that was for sale at the same time as well. Mines got the lobbing sights and cut off as well. They are worth good money over here. Got a mk4 and 5 as well
womble wrote:I have zero knowledge, but i think the star on the buttstock of a Lithgow would be very unique.
And i dont think its the star of Texas.
What conflict would you attribute that to ?
northdude wrote:Looks like its been converted to a range rifle at some stage. Heavy barrel? I think thats what the h stamp is. They certainly have a presence about these type of rifles..if only it could talk. I used to have a book on what the markings ment somewhere
dnedative wrote:bladeracer wrote:in2anity wrote:Could be a shooter. How is it bedded blade?
I haven't had it apart, and have no reason to strip it immediately, so any bedding secrets will have to wait to be revealed. As far as I'm aware you're not allowed to alter the bedding for most Service classes so it should be stock. But I don't know what classes it was built for, or if it was. It.might've just been built for fun. The barrel is fully floated, so any bedding will only be around the action, and I don't know if.any classes allow floating the barrel either.
Would put money on it having the copper blocks fitted.
Draws on SMLE's are nearly always rooted or in poor shape, that, steady diets of cordite ammunition with poor maintenance and the confusion around what that springy thing that pushes on the barrel is supposed to do leads to a lot of them shooting patters not groups. The standard profile barrel should never be free floated either, same as a Swiss K31, take away the stocking and barrel bedding and they dont shoot for s**t.
in2anity wrote:Yes if it’s free floated, it’s not “as issued”. And of course, the PH makes it also fall under “modified”. But rifles like this were also once used for fullbore as well as “modified” service rifle categories, if the club differentiates. There are various bedding methods that were employed including the Beaton, Altman and Pitman methods.
Fulton and and Parker Hale target rifles had upward pressure. Parker Hale rifles have 12 - 15 lbs up pressure at the muzzle to get off the bed, Fultons with H barrels just 2-3lbs.
Lots of these kinds of rifles in our club are free floated with a rubber grommet at the nose being the only bedding past the knox form. Beware of the whip - just because it floats inside the stock doesn’t mean it won’t contact under recoil…
Larry wrote:My understanding is that most of the H barrels were fitted in the early 50s and only for the fullbore shooters not a military application. The sights are most likely zeroed at 500 yrds a common FB zero still to this day for TR shooters. The sights are most likely 1/2 MOA increments.
No1Mk3 wrote:G'day bladeracer,
Depending when the rifle was last used it was likely set up for Mk VII as Dept of Defence supplied ammo and everyone had to use it, no handloading allowed back then. After the change to 7.62 DoD supplied ammo until the late '70's or early '80's, I can't recall when it stopped but handloading took off then. Lithgow started fitting H barrels for Rifle Club shooters in the mid 1930's and also set up a few for Service competition shooters. Later rifles were set up by their owners often in conjunction with known T/R builders or Club Armourers, Cheers.
dnedative wrote:. The standard profile barrel should never be free floated either, same as a Swiss K31, take away the stocking and barrel bedding and they dont shoot for s**t.
bladeracer wrote:I read up today about the clicks being half-minute.
I also realised that it is not zeroed at that distance at all, the sight needs to be wound up to at least 800yds to remove the bolt for cleaning - what a royal pain in the bum that must be