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Dads Cadet Rifle

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otr002 View Drop Down
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    Posted: October 14 2019 at 7:39am
Hi all, I'd like to do a bit of a show and tell. 

My Father passed away in 2014 and it's taken me this long to be comfortable going through his belongings and to start to clear out the cupboards. He was born in 1932 and he and my Mother always slept in separate rooms, I never really asked why, but he was a VERY loud snorer that would keep the entire house awake, I just assumed it was his snoring. So when he passed away it was easy just to close the bedroom door "till another day".

Well early last month was "the day". I new he had these two rifles but I never held them, nor ever saw him use them. They are this 1944/5 303 Mk111 and a Westly Richards 310 Cadet. 

The story that he told me and was also repeated by his Brother and my Mum was that during school all the boys were in Cadets and learnt to shoot using the 310 Cadet. 

When they reached senior school, year 12 (1949) they were all marched down to the range and issued with brand new 303's from the crate and still wrapped in protective paper etc. According to Dad they spent a fully day (school day) stripping and cleaning the rifles to the army standard! Imaging doing that with todays kids.

They then spent countless hours doing rifle drill and safety drill with them, being year 12 and knowing that there was a need to get out to find work after the war, young men were is short supply. he did just that and was indentured to become a Draftsman and never finished year 12. 

Now this is the bit that I find amazing he was given the rifle's and continued to go to Cadets on weekend etc, when that year finished he just left and kept the rifles, he told me that he fired it twice at the range, how many round is unknown. . 
So they have just sat in a cupboard since then (not sure if he ever use them from that time till I was born) But he never really talked about them, we had a .22 and a 410 "snake gun" when I was growing up but that was it.

So as we all know these stories are told all the time and I have no reason to disbelieve my Uncle or Mother, so I'll let the rifle tell its story.

The rifle is an all matching numbers rifle from 1944/5 with very little wear, I've not cleaned it as yet, it's covered in years of sticky gun oil!

The magazine with almost no wear..

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Shamu View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Shamu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 14 2019 at 9:14am
Sounds about right for back then.
I grew up in the U.K. We had a Cadet Force in the high school & there was an armory cupboard secured on the third floor with both DP & functioning rifles.
He did a little better than me! When I left the RAF we were offered our (almost) brand new mummy wraps, which we'd also had to unwrap. But we had to pay £7.oo each for them. We also had to wait for our FAC (permits) to be issued & the unit acted as training signatories & Witness for that purpose.

I think you may find the "sticky oil" is "Cosmolene" a form pf protective grease that they were coated with. It wipes off easily with denatured alcohol, but you must immediately re oil the metal with gun oil & the wood with linseed oil.
Looking at the bolt face I'd say the action, chamber & bore need a good cleaning as well. Just get any gun cleaning kit it should do it fine.
I'm unfamiliar with what legal hoops (if any) you need to go through to inherit your fathers rifle but we have a few Aussies on here who can help yu out with that aspect of it.

Oh, Ignore the munching noises, its us eating our own livers because we're so envious! A sweet, almost minty rifle as a family heirloom!.Shocked
Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote pisco Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 14 2019 at 10:54am
hi that is in bloody good nick nice
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Canuck Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 14 2019 at 11:46am
That Lithgow is in terrific condition!
Castles made of sand slip into the sea.....eventually
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Zed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 14 2019 at 12:17pm
That is priceless! Your father's rifle in time warp condition. Take pride in it; shoot it and keep it!
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote hoadie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 14 2019 at 3:42pm
WOW!!

(CRAP! It's always the "other" guy! )
Loose wimmen tightened here
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote A square 10 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 14 2019 at 10:34pm
very nice lithgow 44/45 in superb condition , i would love to see the cadet 310 when you have a moment as well , welcome to the crowd 

glad you have finally gotten to peace with your fathers possessions , i understand , it took a bit for me as well , i still have not gotten through all of his wartime letters to my mother and he passed 19 years ago last week , 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote otr002 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 31 2019 at 6:42pm
Thanks gents for the encouraging words, I've had it transferred to my licence which will take a few weeks and then I'll spend a few nights cleaning it and oiling the wood etc. Since then we also found a WWII German Flare pistol, which none of us knew he had! It's a Walther LP34 from 1938 (Made by Bernard Berhauss in Lübeck) and is in pieces and missing a spring and the tigger is broken (most likely the reason for the strip) but appears to be in great condition.
How he came to own this is anyones guess, I did find my Great Uncles box of effects from WWII (he was at Tobruk) maybe it was his (pure speculation) but here it is.

Enjoy Rod.

   
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