Lithgow Model 1B
Lithgow Small Arms Factory · Rifle · Discontinued · 1949
Also known as: Lithgow Model 1B, Slazenger Model 1B
Overview
The Lithgow Model 1B is a single-shot, bolt-action .22 Long Rifle rimfire rifle, the final and most refined member of the Lithgow Model 1 series manufactured at the government-owned Lithgow Small Arms Factory in New South Wales, Australia. Produced from 1949 to 1961 for Slazenger Australia Pty Ltd, it retains the series' distinctive one-piece barrel-and-receiver machined from a single piece of ordnance steel, a manual-cocking rear-locking bolt, and a two-piece wooden stock. As an affordable postwar 'bunny rifle', more than 104,000 Model 1B examples were built, making it the most numerous of the three variants.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 2500 g (88.2 oz) |
| Overall Length | 990 mm (38.98") |
| Barrel Length | 533 mm (20.98") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Muzzle Velocity | 330 m/s (1083 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 141 J (104 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 90 m (98 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1200 m (1312 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 406 mm (15.98") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Ordnance Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .22 Long Rifle · primary — also known as .22 LR, 22 LR, 5.6x15mmR
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Single Shot
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Cocking
- Features: Single Shot, One Piece Barrel And Receiver, Two Piece Wooden Stock, Iron Sights
Service history
Operators
- Australian civilian shooters · adopted 1949
Production
Estimated total produced: 104,000 · Production years: 1949-1961
More than 104,000 Model 1B rifles produced; the most numerous of the Lithgow single-shot .22 variants (Model 1, 1A, 1B).
Origin
Country of origin: Australia
Discontinued: 1961
Notes
The Model 1B updated the earlier Model 1A, which had moved the trigger assembly from being pinned to the stock to being fixed to the receiver. Serial numbers were stamped on the barrel near the rear sight. Dimensional specifications are approximate and vary slightly between individual rifles; barrel/overall length and weight figures are drawn from the closely related Model 1 series and not independently confirmed for the 1B specifically.
Background
Together with its Model 1 and 1A predecessors, the little single-shot .22 Lithgow 'put food on the table of many Australian families when times were hard following WWII', earning its place as a quintessential Australian 'bunny rifle'.