Lithgow Sht.le MKIII* - What is she worth?

C

CourtenayBoy

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Hi all. I have had this gun for a number of years and have shot about 4 boxes through it. She is an excellent shooter that I quite enjoy it; however I have my sights set on a new rifle and as the saying goes "out with the old, in with the new". I have no idea of its value and would like some insight before I decide whether or not to keep it.

Thank you kindly in advance for any help

Mike

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Look at the DATE: Lithgow only started producing rifles in 1912 and then, from mid-1914 through late-1918, made all they could. In 1919, production fell off and only enough rifles were made to restock some of the losses from the war, which was now OVER. Production figures for 1920 were awfully low.

One little question: what can a shiny-new rifle do for you that this one can't do?

Yes, that's a Number 4 magazine in the critter but it depends on the rifle; some would work okay, others not. Original Number 1 magazines were handmade and hand-fitted to a specific rifle, but generally they were close ENOUGH that they would interchange, more or less. The Army did NOT change Magazines; they reloaded with Chargers because it is faster than switching-out Magazines and there is less chance for damage to the magazine feed-lips. This constant switching-about of mountains of magazines is an American fetish dating from their discovery of the Lee magazine (1957).... which had been in production since 1879.

RATHER a scarce rifle, I would think, definitely worth restoring.
 
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Agreed, $150, tops. I picked up one almost identical to the OP's with a badly worn muzzle and rust patches in the bore for $70 that has been my "test bed" and project gun.

edited to add:
Well I see smellie has upped the ante with the date, so I'll likely be off on the value a bit.
 
That gun has a full length barrel, and other then having the wood cut down and having a few pieces missing it's in nice shape. If the bores good I'd say $125-$150.
 
I also have a 1920 Lithgow and after my research, they are very rare and often were put together with "leftover" parts (production winding down so using up parts to build new rifles). Mine has been sporterized with a drilled scope mount and not original front sight, but she shoots groups 1.5 to 2 inches in size at 100 yards. If I were you, I would start at $200 and go from there.
 
smellie said:
Look at the DATE: Lithgow only started producing rifles in 1912 and then, from mid-1914 through late-1918, made all they could. In 1919, production fell off and only enough rifles were made to restock some of the losses from the war, which was now OVER. Production figures for 1920 were awfully low.

One little question: what can a shiny-new rifle do for you that this one can't do?

Yes, that's a Number 4 magazine in the critter but it depends on the rifle; some would work okay, others not. Original Number 1 magazines were handmade and hand-fitted to a specific rifle, but generally they were close ENOUGH that they would interchange, more or less. The Army did NOT change Magazines; they reloaded with Chargers because it is faster than switching-out Magazines and there is less chance for damage to the magazine feed-lips. This constant switching-about of mountains of magazines is an American fetish dating from their discovery of the Lee magazine (1957).... which had been in production since 1879.

RATHER a scarce rifle, I would think, definitely worth restoring.
Click to expand...

Thanks everyone. I am not dead set on getting rid of her, as I say, she shoots just splendid and is in REALLY nice shape IMHO. The magazine was new when I got the rifle.

Keep the info coming guys, this site is great. Such a wealth of knowledge and folks willing to share. Makes a guy wonder what people did before the internet.

Thanks as always

Mike
 
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From Ian Skennerton's "The Lee-Enfield"
Lithgow production (July to June)
to 6/1913 60
1913-14 4,760
1914-15 13,800
1915-16 30,460
1916-17 23,960
1917-18 23,251
1918-19 42,129
1919-20 25,570
1920-21 20,420
1921-22 14,440
1922-23 2,700
1923-24 3,320
1924-25 3,140
1925-26 2,760
1926-27 3,000
1927-28 3,200
1928-29 3,200
1929-30 340
No Production
1934-35 500
1935-36 1,141
1936-37 900
1937-38 421
1938-39 800
1939-40 3,480
1940-41 35,040
1941-42 82,098
1942-43 136,262
1943-44 113,460
1944-45 38,310
1953-56 1,000



Not a rare year, so not much of a premium can be expected.
 
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Do you have any info on the production of Lithgows during the second war? Is it just me or are those fairly small production numbers?
 
The problem I've encountered trying to restore Lithgows is that the original wood is very hard to find. The early ones were Queensland Maple (quite distinctive and beautiful) and later WW2 vintage ones Coachwood (again quite identifiable). The other hiccup is that the entire history of the rifle is often stamped into the right side of the butt which could never be duplicated on an re-furb.

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Damn. I have a '43...the years of the largest production. :p

Doesn't matter much, it's a refurb anyway. But I'm still very pleased with it...

Mine was refurbed in '59. I don't mean to hijack the OP's thread but I'm wondering what the wood on it is. Can someone post a pic of Queensland maple as well as one of a Coachwood stock? I'd like to see if that helps me determine what wood is on mine. The butt looks like it's been replaced, but the wood appears to be of the same variety as the foreend which appears to be original.
 
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