SHV wrote:No1Mk3 wrote:Nice looking rifle, early model forearm slide, is it 22Short only? I have a 1906 with Australian Dept. of Defence rack numbers on the butt.
It’s short long and long rifle
Your 06 was used by the army? As training rifle? Interesting history …
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All three rounds would be after serial 113000 or thereabouts, so 1908 most likely if the smooth forearm is original, a very nice rifle at any rate. As for mine, at the start of the war rifles were still in fairly short supply, remember our Diggers started off for Gallipoli with older LE 1 Long Toms and weren't given SMLE until they got to Egypt and the Poms supplied us. Back home the Defence Dept called for people to lend 22 rifles for use in training and also for guards in places like food and fuel depots. There is some evidence to show that some guards at POW Camps also carried 22. In the US they had the same problem with rifle supply and large numbers of civilian 22 hunting rifles were acquired by the Army for training.