Lithgow 1918 SHTLE No1 Mk III* - Revisit- 

Todd B John Jovino Co.

Wow, was just on a reading marathon....seems you have something there. I can see stamped into the R/S receiver bridge a “NY, NY” and a .30....an obvious import mark. I remember I saw this years ago and was trying to identify it , it seems you are correct. The JJ co part must have not been struck correctly. That being said it does not have the beech stock these were known to have but it does have a “parkerized” type finish and serial numberless nose cap and bolt handle. The rifles serial number, however, does date correctly to 1917 to 1922. Much more research is now needed plus a complete tear down again to check everything real good. Thanks for that info, it was spot on, I am just about 100% sure this rifle came through John Jovino & Co. in NYC....what is the oldest gun store in the USA.

@@MilsurpGarage Glad to help. I thought it looked like a JJCO refurbished rifle. These were assembled from spare parts in the US and rarely would they be sold as original rifles. They are Franken rifles and have little collector value. They are pretty shooters, that's about it unfortunately.

@Todd B No problem there, pretty shooters are what I look for. What exactly would be “unoriginal” about it? It is, from what I see, an all Aussie marked rifle....there are BA stamps on everything. I understand it might be put together from a bunch of Lithgow parts but what is the difference between that and the arsenal refurb it had in the mid 40’s? These are certainly not low quality builds and from what I read in the last hour or so, these were actually regarded back in the day as a “find” as they were very nicely finished and there weren’t many made.....less than a thousand. Collectibility is a very slippery thing. Regardless, I think it needs a new video once the research is over! You should do it.....wanna guest star?

@@MilsurpGarage The parts kit rifles were mostly scrubbed of issue marks if they ever had them and they are all WW2 not WWW1 from what I have gathered. Yours has issued dist. marks, the numbers with the line through them. The unaltered number is the serial number. The magazine cutoff would have been most likely removed at time of barrel replacement if not before. If this is truly a No III* not No III, then no cutoff would have been on the original build. One of the changes to * is not adding the cutoff. It looks to be restored post ww2 and cutoff and vented nose cap put back on. I don't remember which year rear sight windage was discontinued. Nice rifle..!

Do some research on John Jovino gun shop in NYC. Very old gun shop where these were supposedly refurbed and sold post WWII. That would explain its beautiful condition but not it’s seemingly unaltered state. Would Jovino have left the magazine cut off in place?

Found a PDF read through online....interesting it is. My range visits are more like blasting away with tons of guns and barely changing a target! Thanks for the heads up though, it is an interesting read. Lots of useful info. pronunciation corrected

Ian Skennerton: is also seen as THE SMLE authority,his books are informative although command a $$$$

I'm eyeing that $80 book on Amazon now.....

Thanks for watching! Yeah, the mispronunciation is chronic....can’t help calling it that no matter how many times I’m corrected, sorry. I love this rifle and on .303 day it is the one that gets the most attention.

Thanks 👍

Yeah, I keep my eye out for any of his hardcovers but they are always very expensive.

Gotta remember that pronunciation.....hard to not say it like the actor John Lithgow. I like the non British non Canadian heritage....pretty cool. By the way.....didn’t they melt all your guns down a while ago?

@@MilsurpGarage Haha, a common misconception. It's obviously a political issue, which many will disagree with, but basically, after a particularly horrendous mass-shooting, the firearms laws in Australia were tightened, and a firearms amnesty/buyback was introduced, which is where all the melted down vision came from. However, during this, it was decided to severely limit access to military calibre self-loading rifles, so licensing for them is very stringent. Aside from that, Australia has a strong target-shooting and hunting following, and an interest in collecting historic military firearms. There is a procedure that we have to go through to buy firearms, and their storage is monitored, and can be inspected. I'm a target shooter, and have a 1911 BSA .310 Cadet, given to me on my 11th birthday, my 1941 Lithgow SMLE, and a 1941 Fazakerley No4 Mk1 (T) Sniper clone.

Interesting, thanks for the info. With these particular rifles, there is a LOT in the name! If it was made without the cutoff in 1918, who added it back, why, and when?

gbuko2391 Purchased looking this good, check the other comments for some interesting info.

@@MilsurpGarage I took a look at them, great info! I just acquired a 1917 No.1 Mk3* and have no idea where to start on markings. Just admiring your stock, as mine has been a nightmare of a project to get the old stock oil/grime out and refinishing. The stock was nearly black but 5 hours later with soap/water and acetone and I can finally start to see the original finish. Reblued all of the metal as well but nowhere near as clean as yours!

Yes, I would say restored at some point by a previous owner….check the comments here, lots of knowledgeable opinions.

Top wood seems ok......nose cap seems legit.

Depending on what was modified during the “sporterizarion” you might be better off looking for another one in the condition you desire. If it was just the stock that was modified you can replace it on your own. If the barrel was cut or serious modifications were done it will be cost prohibitive to restore…..and will still be a non original rebuild at that. The Sporterized guns have a collector market all their own, you can even sell it to fund the switch.

@@MilsurpGarage the barrel was cut down to 20 inches and the stock was modified so I think it can be restored

@@dutchvanderlinde7531 How are you going to restore the cut down barrel?

@@MilsurpGarage I can get a barrel from a parts kit but the thing that hurts is all the components are original to the gun

@@dutchvanderlinde7531 Well, that was my point earlier. Maybe finding a nice unaltered original in the condition you want would be a better (and cheaper) choice.

I think so.....does it look identical?

@@MilsurpGarage pretty much, just some small different details

It is a sweet looking stock. Thanks for tuning in.

Not modern day wood but definitely refinished. What are ya gonna do?

Sounds like a home field made in England Enfield

One of the most common questions but like any collectible, there is no “price” other than what people are paying for them right now. Check Gunbroker “recently sold items” for the answer. Thanks for tuning in!

Pretty sure the bolt is the correct bolt for the rifle

It’s called the early type pinch bolt replaced in 1946

That is odd

Odd. But. Cool. To. Have. ..