Lithgow Small Arms Factory
Encyclopedia
The Lithgow Small Arms Factory is a military small arms
factory located in the town of Lithgow, New South Wales
in Australia
.
rifles (and bayonets thereof) for the Australian military during World War I. During World War II production expanded to include Vickers machine gun
s, Bren Guns, and, post-WW2, branched out into sporting goods (including civilian firearms and golf club
s), tools, sewing machines, (from the mid-1950s) the F1 submachine gun
, L1A1 Self Loading Rifle, KAL1 General Purpose Infantry Rifle
rifle prototype and similar products. The Small Arms Factory at Lithgow 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.
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. There is a museum on site with a large collection of military and civilian firearms manufactured at the factory and elsewhere.
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
factory located in the town of Lithgow, New South Wales
Lithgow, New South Wales
Lithgow is a city in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia and is the centre of the local political division City of Lithgow. It is located in a mountain valley named Lithgow's Valley by John Oxley in honour of William Lithgow, the first Auditor-General of New South Wales.Lithgow is...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
History
Opened on 8 June 1912, the factory initially manufactured Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield Mk IIILee-Enfield
The Lee-Enfield bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle was the main firearm used by the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century...
rifles (and bayonets thereof) for the Australian military during World War I. During World War II production expanded to include Vickers machine gun
Vickers machine gun
Not to be confused with the Vickers light machine gunThe Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled .303 inch machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army...
s, Bren Guns, and, post-WW2, branched out into sporting goods (including civilian firearms and golf club
Golf club (equipment)
A golf club is used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a clubhead. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety of shots; Hybrids that combine design elements of woods and...
s), tools, sewing machines, (from the mid-1950s) the F1 submachine gun
F1 submachine gun
The 9 mm F1 was a standard Australian submachine gun manufactured by the Lithgow Small Arms Factory. First issued to Australian troops in July 1963, it replaced the Owen machine carbine. The F1 was retired in the early 1990s and replaced by the F88C Austeyr, an Australian-built version of the...
, L1A1 Self Loading Rifle, KAL1 General Purpose Infantry Rifle
KAL1 General Purpose Infantry Rifle
The KAL1 General Purpose Infantry Rifle was an Australian bullpup rifle designed in the 1970s for jungle warfare following complaints about the weight and length of the L1A1 SLR rifles then in service with the Australian Army. The design never entered service however, with the bullpup configured,...
rifle prototype and similar products. The Small Arms Factory at Lithgow was known to produce their single shot models 1A and 1B as well as their model 12 repeater under the Slazenger
Slazenger
Slazenger is a British sports equipment brand name sold throughout the world, involving a variety of sporting categories namely cricket, tennis and hockey...
brand during the 1960s.
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
FN Minimi
The Minimi is a Belgian 5.56mm light machine gun developed by Fabrique Nationale in Herstal by Ernest Vervier. First introduced in 1974, it has entered service with the armed forces of over thirty countries...
currently used by the Australian military. There is a museum on site with a large collection of military and civilian firearms manufactured at the factory and elsewhere.
List of sporting rifles manufactured under the Lithgow name
- Lithgow model 1A .22 Bolt action single shot rifle.
- Lithgow model 1B .22 single shot rifle.
- Lithgow model 12 .22 Bolt action 5 shot repeater.