Lithgow Slazenger

About the Lithgow Slazenger

The Lithgow Slazenger is a single-shot, bolt-action .22 Long Rifle rimfire rifle manufactured at the government-owned Lithgow Small Arms Factory in New South Wales, Australia, and sold for the civilian market under the Slazenger sporting-goods brand. Introduced in 1945, it features a one-piece barrel-and-receiver machined from ordnance steel, a manual-cocking rear-locking bolt, and a wooden stock. Marketed as an affordable 'boy's rifle' and bunny gun, it became one of the most common small-game rifles in postwar Australia, with roughly 220,000 examples produced across the Model 1, 1A and 1B before production ended in 1961.

These little single-shot .22s 'put food on the table of many Australian families when times were hard following WWII', earning a reputation as the quintessential Australian 'bunny rifle'.

Lithgow Slazenger specifications

Produced under a 1944 partnership between Lithgow Small Arms Factory and Slazenger Australia Pty Ltd. The original Model 1 (1945-1947) carried no Slazenger markings; the Model 1A (from 1947) and Model 1B (1949-1961) bore Slazenger Australia branding. Dimensional specifications vary slightly between models and are approximate.