Report: Lithgow SMLE No1 Mk3 HT

Few people are as experienced in Australian 303 rifles as our man in Australia. Here he lends his eye and hand to the Lithgow Sniper HT rifle. Here he tests it on his own private range and gives us an insight into the wartime construction of this classic. Our man is living proof that oral history and careful preservation of old rifles are a living part of our society.

From time to time, I see a reference to a test report on a certain scarce rifle, and while the review is interesting in a historical context, by the end of the article, I am left thinking: “Well, how does it shoot? And how did it perform with the ammunition of the day?”

So rather than whinge about it, I thought I should start reviewing and testing old rifles. Over the coming months, I will be testing a selection of our classic scarce military arms of commonwealth origin and reporting my findings and experiences.

Today’s rifle is the somewhat rare Lithgow SMLE NO1 MK3 HT (heavy telescopic) snipers rifle assembled at Lithgow small arms factory (SAF) in the closing stages of WW2. Heavy refers to the barrel profile, essentially a shortened version of the old Magazine Lee Enfield but reduced to 25.2 inches, and telescopic refers to the Australian-manufactured version of the pattern 1918 3X magnification telescopic sight.

The original contract was for 2500 rifles in 2 models, today known as “high” and “low” mounts, very similar but with minor differences; the high mount sits approx 1/2 an inch higher above the line of the bore with mounts that allow for an uninterrupted view of the rifles as issued open sights, while the low mount model naturally sits lower down and has a scallop removed from the rearmost top hand guard to facilitate installation and removal of the scope as shown on the test rifle. The low-mount model’s telescopic sights are also marked with a /1 suffix on the tube to denote the model, apart from this, both rifles are the same. On occasion, a wooden cheekpiece was issued, though it was rarely fitted.

Over the years, I have been lucky enough to own both models. The low mount model shown here presents the best opportunity to conduct a valid test, having fired less than 100 rounds since built. Much has been written on the so-called love and dedication shown in the assembly of these rifles with reference to bedding and fine-tuning. Indeed many of you will be familiar with the Holland and Holland connection with the No4 T rifle assembly. Therefore I would like to outline what I feel is the true perspective of the assembly of these rifles.

Being born and having lived the better part of my life in Lithgow and with strong connections to the SAF Lithgow, I knew the people involved with the job of assembling these rifles during the war.

Mr Jack Robb, one of the workers at the SAF, told me in the 1980s, ” There was no time for mucking around with bedding and the like; the pressure was on as we were pushing the Japs back up on the islands, we had to just get them out the door”, I asked him about test shooting them with the scopes on, he replied ”It never happened, the rifles were selected at random, maybe 1 in 15 and test fired at 100 yards in the Enfield rest before fitting of mounts, they had to group within a 6″ by 2 ” oblong, the scope was then electric engraved to the rifle's number, put in the case ready to ship it out, it was up to whoever received it, to sort it out”.

Jack’s story makes a lot of sense. The Lithgow SAF was under a lot of pressure during the war. It was the base for the feeders factories in towns close to Lithgow that were in full swing producing parts for the rifle, with the town of Orange taking the leading role in rifle production, followed by Bathurst while Lithgow concentrated on Bren and Vickers gun manufacturing. A lot of these HT rifles before conversion were top-class full-bore range rifles handed in, in many cases from not-to-happy rifle club members who thought they might come in handy against the Japs, most were correctly bedded and regulated, many with good stable walnut forends, these rifles were completely stripped, new barrels installed, forends and timberwork replaced with the inferior locally sourced and plentiful coachwood timberwork marked H and modified for the heavy barrel. The timberwork was made by Slazengers in Sydney, with the middle internal band dispensed with and the redundant hole in the stock plugged (coachwood is a far less stable timber than walnut, more prone to warping and splitting the other common timber found on Lithgows is Queensland maple).

Over 90% of the actions used were first world war Lithgow marked actions, as the SAF regarded them better both in metallurgical properties and in that the tolerances were tighter. New bolts were issued for these actions, and some British actions from England were also used. I have seen the majority marked as BSA and LSA.  A WW2 Lithgow action is rare on a Lithgow HT sniper rifle. 

Some rifles had the metalwork painted with green corrosion-resistant paint under the timberline to stop rusting in the tropics. Attaching the scope to the rifle relies on a front claw mount.  The rearmost mount is locked into place with an over-centre lever arrangement typical of the pattern 1914 sniper rifle. The pattern 1918 telescopic sight was quite obsolete at the time and was made locally in Melbourne by the firm Australian optical company differing from the British Mk32 Scope in that the graticule is photo etched on the lens.

Setting up the Scope.

The scope is adjusted in a set procedure.

1 . Focus is done first; under the tube, a screw is slackened, allowing a brass spigot to be moved back and forth, thus obtaining a clear view.

2 Windage is adjusted second, remove the front ray shade, and slacken 3 very small grub screws by turning the front lens segment either left or right with a special key; the image is bent via two lenses, and graduations marked on the front indicate each division as approx 5 minutes of angle, note altering windage alters elevation, thus once windage is set, elevation is to be checked.

3. Elevation, I like to check it at 200 yards, always using as issued mark 7 cartridges for which the rifle and sight were designed; the top drum is calibrated from 200 to 1000 yards. To adjust, slacken the three small screws on top of the drum, freeing the drum to rotate to the set range, then, once set, tighten the screws. 

The rifle is now set up correctly.

The scope was issued with a canvas carry case to carry and store the scope, most still retain the scope number chalked in on the case, in service they were seldom used, being liable to snag and catch in and on scrub, and I was told that it also drew attention that the man with the case was a sniper. Leather lens covers also were part of the scope kit. 

Testing the rifle.

At the back of my house, I have set up a 100-yard range for rifle testing; the ammunition used was mark 7, and two types were used to test the rifle , which is exactly the type of ammunition that the rifle would have been issued with 

1 Australian MF 56 (made in 1956 and top quality still to this day ) 

2 CAC 1929 “colonial ammunition company” cupro-nickel jacketed mark 7, dated 12/1929, which is also good, considering its age. 

I chose to shoot off the shoulder without a rest, using the webbing sling run through the as-issued king screw swivel fitted in front of the magazine as an aid to steady the rifle. The trigger has not been touched and is the standard affair, I fired a few rounds to get a feel once again of the rifle with the shots going close to the point of aim.

It was quite refreshing to have the pleasant smell of cordite lingering once again in the air. I then settled in for a 5-shot group using the MF56 cartridges, taking a 6 o’clock hold on the top of the post within the pattern 1918 scope and fired 5 rounds without checking or making adjustments. Walking up to the target, I was reassured the old rifle was still capable of a good show with a 1 1/2 to 2-inch group close to the point of aim. 

I decided then to fire a 3-shot group using the CAC 1929 issue mark 7 cartridges; being the early cupro-nickel jacketed projectiles and well aware of the metallic fouling issues of using it, I settled in once again this time selecting a point of aim in the centre of the black aiming mark, to my pleasant surprise to the group showed very little variation, somewhat to the right a fraction but measuring approx 11/2 inches, sight setting throughout on the range drum was 200 yds. 

Going back through my records in my range book to 2005, I noticed the best score achieved with this rifle was 47.5 out of a possible 50 at 800 yds at Lithgow SAF range firing the same MF 56 cartridges on 7.62 full-bore targets and the average throughout at all various ranges would be somewhere close to a 45. After shooting, the bore was cleaned by running hot soapy water through it with the aid of a funnel from the breach to neutralise the potassium chlorate residue from the priming, then dried with patches. Finally, a patch with Ballistol through the bore and a wipe over the rifle with that patch left it in good stead. 

History and experiences in service

These rifles really appeared too late in WW2 to make a difference. The P14 sniper rifle was the mainstay of the Australian forces through the period; however, in 1945, the rifle was to see limited use in the closing stages of the pacific war. The HT’s moment of glory came in Korea, where the rifle was used to good effect at long range.

Private Ian “Robbie” Roberston of 3 RAR sniper section used this rifle to good effect out to 1000 ys at Hill 614, in Roberstons words;
– the rifle was capable of putting 15 rounds on a fist-sized target at 300 yds 
– headshots were possible at 600
– and if conditions were right, he was confident of hitting a man at 800 to 1000 yds 

Robertson was wounded in action in 1951, after recovery he competed in the 1952 kings prize back here and finished second; considering the number of men engaged in .303 full-bore rifle shooting as a pastime during these periods, it certainly stands as a testament that ”this bloke could still shoot”. 

These rifles were brought out of storage in 1976, no doubt due to lessons learnt in Vietnam, with the reopening of sniper training at Singleton army base in NSW, and remained the army’s sniper rifle until 1979 when finally replaced with the Parker Hale M82 in 7.62 and Khales Helia telescopic sight. 

The Lithgow HT sniper rifles were sold off through the rifle clubs, and many of the riflemen in rifle clubs got their hands on them. Some of the riflemen were farmers or graziers who brought them as a cheap ”roo gun”, as .303 ammunition was still in plentiful supply.

Today these rifles have become quite collectable; out of the original contract of 2500, only 1131 high mounts and 481 low mounts were produced, and the survival rate has not been high. In my opinion, they are not in the same class as the No4 T with the excellent Mk32 telescopic sight. The Lithgow HT is a lot more ”finicky”, and the Patt 1918 scope is not as robust. It pays to remember that in Australia, this was what we had and what we had to deal with. The Lithgow HT is a good wartime compromise which has now become an interesting rifle which is quite scarce and collectable. Most of all, it is a lot of fun to shoot on the range.

Soon we will compare “the sniper three”: The HT, the No4 T and the pattern 1914 T sniper rifle. This will be done in a test at the range in Australia, so please keep your eye on Transcontinental shooting for that review.