Lithgow Arms

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Coordinates: 33°29′15″S 150°08′23″E / 33.4875718°S 150.1397288°E / -33.4875718; 150.1397288
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Lithgow Arms
IndustryFirearms, Defence
FoundedJune 8, 1912; 111 years ago (1912-06-08)
Headquarters
Lithgow, City of Lithgow, Cook, New South Wales
,
Australia
Area served
worldwide
ProductsPistols, Rifles, Carbines, Submachine guns, Machine guns
ParentThales Australia
Websitewww.lithgowarms.com

33°29′15″S 150°08′23″E / 33.4875718°S 150.1397288°E / -33.4875718; 150.1397288 The Lithgow Small Arms Factory, or Lithgow Arms, is an Australian small arms manufacturing factory located in the town of Lithgow, New South Wales.

History

Lithgow Small Arms Factory in 1910s~1920s

Opened on 8 June 1912, the factory initially manufactured SMLE III rifles (and bayonets thereof) for the Australian military during World War I.[1] During World War II, production expanded to include Vickers machine guns, Bren guns and, postwar, branched out into sporting goods (including civilian firearms and golf clubs), tools, sewing machines, (from the mid-1950s) the F1 submachine gun, L1A1 SLR, KAL1 general purpose infantry rifle prototypes and similar products.

The Lithgow Small Arms Factory was known to produce their single shot models 1A and 1B as well as their Model 12 repeater under the Slazenger brand during the 1960s.[1] The factory was first "corporatised" as Australian Defence Industries by the Hawke Government, then later sold in 2006. ADI Lithgow is now owned by Thales Australia and continues to manufacture the F88 Austeyr rifle and F89 Minimi currently used by the Australian military.[1] As a separate entity, not owned or run by the current owners of the factory, the volunteer-run Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum is located at the front of the disused section of site and has a large collection of military and civilian firearms manufactured at the factory and elsewhere.[2]

List of sporting rifles manufactured under the Lithgow name

Discontinued firearms:

  • Lithgow Model 1 .22 single-shot rifle produced from 1945
  • Lithgow Model 1A .22 single-shot rifle
  • Lithgow Model 1B .22 single-shot rifle
  • Lithgow Model 12 .22 bolt-action 5-shot repeater produced from 1947
  • Lithgow Model 12 .22 bolt-action 10-shot repeater (Bibby)
  • Lithgow Model 24 .22 Hornet cartridge produced from 1949
  • A single shot bolt action shotgun using the .410" cartridge (name unknown)

Current production firearms:

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c "History and production". Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  2. ^ "Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum". Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  3. ^ "F90 Automatic Rifle Family – Lithgow Arms". www.lithgowarms.com. Retrieved 25 November 2017.

Further reading

  • Griffiths, Tony (2006). Lithgow's Small Arms Factory and its People. Vol. 2 volumes. Terrey Hills, New South Wales: Toptech Engineering. ISBN 9780975064610.

External links


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