Lee-Enfield SMLE .303 retirement

[Papa Bear]

https://windsorstar.com/news/canada/why-...o_autoplay=true

In the 1960s they sold for $15.00 at Woolworth here in town - I believe the jungle carbine was $20.00

 

[justintendo]

great guns..i grew up hunting with a mild sporter mk.3..taught me great lessons about marksmanship

 

[Snagglefoot]

I remember shooting one in northen Saskatchewan in the 70’s . Everyone had one. Also ran into it again in the Canadian Arctic in the 80’s. Slowly they disappeared. Thanks for the post.

 

[Nyogtha]

I have two still. One was my dad's, purchased at GI Surplus for under $20. He removed all the top wood to lighten it up a bit for use in deer & antelope hunting. The other is a parkerized one I purchased at a gun show in the 80's for less than $100.

 

[BrianF]

A great rifle with an amazing history. Proud have a numbers matching July 1944 ROF(F) built Number 5 Mk1 and an unissued 1950 Longbranch Number 4. Absolute fun to shoot and something to pass onto the kids.

 

[Garak]

Wish I would have hung onto the two examples I've used.

 

[Shannow]

I'm trying to find a Lithgow...that hasn't been sporterised.

Not sure if you guys know that they used an SMLE action at the Lithgow factory to make various sporters, including .22 Hornets and the like under the Slazenger name.

 

[Shannow]

RE the Slazenger Hornet...

https://guncollector.com.au/lithgow-slazenger-model-24-in-22-hornet-1949/

 

[billt460]

I picked up this unissued one back in the 90's for $160.00 in the Cosmoline. Complete with unissued blade bayonet and sheath / scabbard. I wish I had bought 10 of them. I heard it was from a large stash the Irish Republican Army sold off back then. Shoots like a dream.

 

[john_pifer]

Nice article.

Thanks for posting, Papa Bear.

 

[john_pifer]

Originally Posted By: billt460


I picked up this unissued one back in the 90's for $160.00 in the Cosmoline. Complete with unissued blade bayonet and sheath / scabbard. I wish I had bought 10 of them. I heard it was from a large stash the Irish Republican Army sold off back then. Shoots like a dream.


Great-looking rifle. Amazing price.

 

[bubbatime]

The best combat bolt action of the war. Great guns.

 

[OVERKILL]

Great rifle, my grandfather had 3 or 4 of them, but all of them were sold after he passed and I didn't have my license at the time and so couldn't acquire them.

 

[Nyogtha]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
I'm trying to find a Lithgow...that hasn't been sporterised.

Not sure if you guys know that they used an SMLE action at the Lithgow factory to make various sporters, including .22 Hornets and the like under the Slazenger name.


Here Gunbroker.com and Gunboards.com are good tools, but I doubt many private sellers are licensed for export from the US.

 

[Shannow]

Nope, it's really hard to get something in.

There's Lithgow's around (This IS Lithgow).



Took the museum ages to get one of every year model that they made, and put it in as a tribute to the Aussie rising sun badge that our army servicemen wear on their hats.

 

[Nyogtha]

https://forums.gunboards.com/#/topics/552697?page=1