The Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum now has three of the four kinds of lighter weight rifle prototypes briefly produced at the factory during World War II. 

It was sent to the museum from a Sydney police station, to which it was handed in as part of the recent gun amnesty. 

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The museum’s Kerry Guerin said the rifle, a No 6 Mk 1 serial number XP124, was one of just 100 of its kind made in Lithgow, 50 with brass butt caps and 50 with rubber caps.

Another hundred were made of a similar design, with the scope in a slightly different position. Of the four types made, the museum now has three of them.

“At some stage, the stock has been replaced and the barrel has been rechambered to 7.7x54," he said. 

The change was a result of a government restriction on guns of that calibre outside the military in 1948. 

“So the barrel was shortened to get around it,” Mr Guerin said. 

“Some people say, ‘that’s a shame, it’s ruined the gun’, but I don’t think so. To me, it’s just part of its history.”

The change was made by gunsmith Barry Cockinos, whose name was engraved on the new barrel. 

The Australian military began experimenting with the idea of creating a lighter weight ‘jungle carbine' in 1942. The English government had successfully developed an alternative to the existing .303 rifle, which was considered too long and heavy to be effective in jungle warfare. 

Australia followed suit, developing a rifle that was shorter and lighter weight. Rubber stocks were used in half of the prototypes in an attempt to cushion the increased recoil. 

However, it was never put into full production, and the English model was purchased for Australian troops. 

Many of the experimental guns were released to rifle clubs but now six of them in total have found their way back to their birth place, representing examples of three of the four different prototypes developed. 

“Collectors all over the world would love to get hold of these, because they are so rare,” Mr Guerin said. 

“But for us, they’re iconic to the Lithgow factory.”

The Lithgow Small Arms Factory stopped making .303 rifles in 1946-1947, moving into production of the L1A1 self loading rifles that became the standard issue for Australian soldiers during the Vietnam war. 

Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum is also continuing its research into the Slazenger rifle, which will be turned into a book. Anyone with information on the rifle’s production is urged to contact the museum. 

The museum now has 80-90 examples of the Slazenger at the museum, which has helped in the research on the project.