Owen Guns Trust Museum

Welcome back to another Owen Guns Firearm Friday! This week we’re pulling a particularly interesting old Wi******er out of the museum, and while everyone knows the Wi******er name, you may not have heard of one made especially for the Australian market: “The Daisy Rifle.”
Sitting in the Owen Guns Museum is this well-used Wi******er Model 1873, serial number 498582B, chambered in .32 W.C.F. ”32/20 Wi******er Centre Fire” and fitted with a full-length magazine and octagonal barrel. At first glance it looks like a classic old Model 1873 that has seen plenty of years of honest use. Look a little closer at the barrel, however, and there is a marking that makes this Wi******er particularly interesting to Australian collectors: “THE DAISY RIFLE.”
The Wi******er Model 1873 needs little introduction. Introduced in 1873 and descended from Wi******er's earlier repeating rifles, it became one of the company's most famous lever actions. Its combination of a tubular magazine, lever-operated action and relatively handy repeating-firearm design made the 1873 enormously successful. It was offered in several chamberings during its long production life, including the .32 W.C.F. chambering found in our museum example.
But the "Daisy" name isn't a Wi******er model in the conventional sense, nor does it have anything to do with the famous Daisy air rifles. Instead, it takes us from New Haven, Connecticut, all the way to colonial Australia and the enormous Sydney merchant F. Lassetter & Co.
Lassetter & Co. was a major Australian retailer and importer that sold an extraordinary range of goods during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Among the fi****ms it imported were genuine Wi******er rifles from the United States. Rather than simply selling every Wi******er under its normal model designation, Lassetter arranged for certain fi****ms destined for the Australian market to carry distinctive trade names.
For the Model 1873, one of those names was “THE DAISY RIFLE.”
Importantly, this wasn't simply a nickname subsequently scratched or engraved onto rifles after they reached Australia. Wi******er Arms Collectors Association historian Bert Hartman confirms that the Daisy marking was factory applied by Wi******er to fi****ms exported for F. Lassetter & Co. Collector research has identified several different Lassetter markings, including “THE DAISY RIFLE,” “THE DAISY CARBINE,” “THE DAISY SINGLE SHOT RIFLE” and, with the arrival of the Model 1892, “THE NEW DAISY RIFLE.”
Period trade-marking research specifically identifies “The Daisy Rifle” as a Model 1873 Wi******er made for F. Lassetter & Co., with the designation recorded from approximately 1889 onward. The same source distinguishes it from the later Model 1892, which Lassetter marketed as “The New Daisy Rifle.”
That distinction is important on our rifle because its octagonal barrel still clearly carries the original “THE DAISY RIFLE” marking. Elsewhere we find Wi******er's New Haven barrel address and King's Improvement patent information, MODEL 1873, 32 W.C.F., and the serial number 498582B.
The serial number places this rifle in 1895, making it a late-production Third Model 1873 and now more than 130 years old. By this stage the Model 1873 was sharing Wi******er's catalogue with newer designs, including John Browning's Model 1892, but Australian buyers were clearly still purchasing the older 1873. The Daisy name continued to distinguish Lassetter's Australian-market guns.
And these Australian Wi******ers weren't necessarily destined to spend their lives sitting above fireplaces.
Australia in the late nineteenth century was a huge market for practical sporting and working fi****ms. Rifles went onto stations, farms and remote properties where they were tools rather than collector pieces. Research into surviving Australian Wi******ers shows many of the Daisy and similar Australian trade-marked rifles consequently turn up today showing considerable use.
Our Daisy certainly looks the part.
The metal has aged to a deep brown patina and the timber carries more than a century's worth of knocks, scratches and handling marks. Thankfully, the important markings remain remarkably legible. Rather than detracting from the rifle as a museum piece, that wear is part of its story. Somewhere between Wi******er's factory in Connecticut, Lassetter's Australian operation and eventually the Owen Guns Museum in Gympie, this rifle has lived a working life.
There is also one feature on our Daisy that definitely wasn't there when Wi******er made it in 1895.
Running almost the entire length of the barrel is a huge brass 4×15 telescopic sight. The scope is identified as a Navy Arms scope. So while the scope looks wonderfully at home sitting over a nineteenth-century Wi******er, it is a much later addition. It was deliberately designed in the style of the long telescopic sights associated with nineteenth-century rifles. In our case, it has subsequently become part of this particular Daisy's history. Rather than presenting the rifle as an untouched factory example, we can see it as something that continued being owned, altered and used long after 1895.
Interestingly, the Daisy wasn't the only Australian Wi******er to receive its own identity. Queensland had its own famous counterpart. Perry Brothers of Brisbane sold specially marked Wi******ers under the name “The Stinger.” Later Model 1892s supplied through Lassetter became the “New Daisy Rifle.” These rifles are now fascinating reminders that the story of Wi******er in Australia wasn't simply one of importing American guns, Australian retailers created their own recognisable identities around them.
That is what makes this old .32 particularly deserving of its place in the Owen Guns Museum. It isn't the finest-condition Wi******er 1873 you'll ever see, and it certainly isn't untouched after 131 years. But it is unmistakably Australian. It is a genuine Wi******er Model 1873 manufactured in America for an Australian retailer, carrying a special Wi******er-applied Australian-market name, apparently used for generations and later fitted with a wonderfully old-fashioned Navy Arms brass scope.
From New Haven to Lassetter & Co., through more than a century of Australian history and eventually to the Owen Guns Museum in Gympie, there probably aren't many old rifles that could tell us everywhere they've been if only they could talk.
That's it for another Owen Guns Firearm Friday! If you're ever wandering through the museum and spot a long old Wi******er with an enormous brass telescope sitting on top, have a closer look at the barrel, because this isn't just another Model 1873. This one's a Daisy.
See you next Friday when we dig something else out of the Owen Guns Museum and find out what story it's been hiding!

Just a dog sitting in front of fashionable boxes filled with goodies, hoping someone will buy them.

Father's Day is just around the corner and Chester has you covered for whatever your spend is.
Huglu Under and Over shotguns are $990
Safes starting at $395
Maintenance kits $89.35
Knives and multi tools
Gift vouchers
hats and more!

Alan Harrison you are the winner of our Thermal competition! Come see us and collect your $100 voucher.

In other news.... we are feeling immensely grateful for being a gun shop in QLD. I came across this article this morning in Sporting Shooter Magazine. Shane Cusack from Mudgee Fi****ms explains the colossal deprivation he has experienced since the hostile takeover of the NSW firearm legislation.

He said trade was down by 87% year-on-year purely because of the knee-jerk, poorly thought-out legislation changes of the state and federal Labour governments.

He has lost an average of more than $18,000 a week in turnover since the start of the year, making a maximum $25,000 compensation payment “an insult”.

“I have around $40,000 in stock that is now no good,” he said.
Please read the full article below...

One shop’s $600,000 loss under Labor’s gun-law fiasco - Sporting Shooter Regional shop Mudgee Fi****ms has lost $600,000 in turnover, laid off staff and reduced trading hours under Minns Government gun laws.

Welcome back to another Owen Guns Firearm Friday, where we pull something interesting out of the museum collection and have a closer look at the history behind it.
Now, Ron likes an old .303, and this one’s pretty special. He wanted an article on this one, so here we go!
This week's firearm is a Short Magazine Lee-Enfield NO1 in .303 British, manufactured by the London Small Arms Company Ltd (LSA) in 1907. At first glance it might look like another old Lee-Enfield, but once you start looking at the date, manufacturer, markings and surviving original features, this rifle becomes a particularly interesting piece of Queensland fi****ms history.
The SMLE was approved in January 1907, making the year stamped on this rifle particularly significant: this example comes from the very first year of production. The NO1 represented the continuing development of the Lee-Enfield system and incorporated improvements intended to produce an effective general-purpose service rifle for the British Empire. It used the famous Lee bolt action, a ten-round magazine and the .303 British cartridge.
Although "Enfield" is the name everybody associates with these rifles, they weren't all actually manufactured at Enfield. British production was shared between the government-operated Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield and private contractors including Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) and the London Small Arms Company. LSA was a considerably smaller producer than the major factories. Industrial records indicate that immediately before the First World War, the company's production capacity was only around 500–600 rifles per week without operating a night shift.
That comparatively small production is part of what makes LSA-marked rifles interesting to collectors today. The company had been involved in British military rifle production since the nineteenth century, manufacturing Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield rifles under government contracts before moving into SMLE production. When the First World War arrived, LSA continued manufacturing the SMLE alongside Enfield and BSA, but on a much smaller scale. Published wartime production figures put LSA's 1914–18 SMLE output at about 364,000 rifles, compared with approximately 1.58 million from BSA and just over 2 million from Enfield.
Our rifle, however, predates all of that. It was manufactured in 1907 during the reign of King Edward VII, and importantly it retains many of the features associated with the original specification. These include the magazine cut-off, long-range volley sights and windage-adjustable rear sight. These features are particularly interesting because they help demonstrate just how much more elaborate an early SMLE was compared with the later wartime rifles.
The magazine cut-off allowed the magazine to be held in reserve while cartridges could be handled individually, reflecting British military doctrine of the period. The volley sights were an entirely separate long-range sighting system intended for massed fire at distances well beyond ordinary individual rifle engagement ranges. By the First World War, the need to manufacture enormous numbers of rifles quickly made some of these complicated features increasingly difficult to justify.
The result was the simplified SMLE. Among the principal features omitted from the wartime pattern were the long-range dial and aperture volley sights, magazine cut-off and windage adjustment on the rear sight. This is why finding a very early SMLE that still retains these fittings is so interesting today.
Our 1907 LSA becomes even more interesting when we look at its numbers. The receiver, bolt and rear sight all carry matching serial number 69942. More than a century of military armoury work, repairs, parts replacement and civilian ownership means matching components aren't something that should simply be assumed on an early Lee-Enfield. In this case, the matching components complement the rifle's remarkably complete early configuration.
But arguably the best part of this particular rifle's story is found stamped directly into its timber butt:
Broad Arrow, Q.G, P, 1908.
Those markings identify its early Queensland Government/Police association and the year 1908. This isn't simply a British .303 that found its way to Queensland many decades later this rifle was here when it was almost new.
So consider the timeline. This rifle was manufactured by London Small Arms in England in 1907, during the first year of SMLE production, and was acquired by the Queensland Government in 1908. Rather than being an anonymous First World War battlefield rifle, its surviving markings give us a direct connection to Queensland's own early twentieth-century history.
That may also have contributed to its survival in such an interesting configuration. While enormous numbers of early SMLEs passed through wartime service, armouries, repairs and subsequent modification, this rifle apparently avoided overseas active service. Today it still wears the complicated early features that were subsequently deleted when the SMLE was simplified for mass wartime production.
When this British-made LSA arrived in Queensland, Australia had not yet begun domestic mass production of the SMLE at Lithgow. Australian manufacture would follow, and the Lithgow-built SMLE would eventually become one of the most recognisable Australian military fi****ms. Our LSA therefore represents an earlier period when rifles of this type were still being sourced from British manufacturers.
At more than a century old, the scratches, handling marks and wear on this rifle are part of what makes it worth preserving. The timber still carries its extremely clear Queensland Government/Police 1908 marking, while the metalwork and surviving early fittings show the configuration of the NO1 before the pressures of the First World War resulted in simplification.
So Ron was right, this isn't just another old .303!
It's a 1907 London Small Arms SMLE, manufactured in the first year of LSA production, acquired by the Queensland Government the following year, retaining its early volley sights, magazine cut-off and windage-adjustable rear sight, with matching numbered major components and more than a century of Queensland history stamped straight into the timber.
Not bad for an old .303!
That's it for another Owen Guns Firearm Friday. We'll put this old Queensland survivor back in the museum and see what Ron decides we need to drag out next week.
Until then, keep an eye on the Owen Guns Museum, there's always another piece of history hiding in the racks!

Thermals are now one of the most important products we stock at Owen Guns. We are constantly hearing about different brands, but we have limited space. So we would like your input....

Which Thermal is your favourite and why?
If you write a comment you will go in the running to win a $100 voucher. I will draw the winner on Saturday.

Wi******er 25 Gun Safes just landed... The only thing is, Chester doesn't know where to put them?
I think your house.
$1415 BUT the first 2 we will let go for $1370

Something new has landed at Owen Guns this Merchandise Monday, the Sabre Shooting Sled Rifle Rest!

Designed to provide a solid, stable platform at the bench, the Sabre Shooting Sled is ideal for sighting-in, load testing and checking groups. The weighted design can reduce felt recoil by up to 95% at maximum weight, while the adjustable front cradle, padded contact points and anti-slip feet help keep everything steady on the bench.

A handy bit of kit for anyone who spends plenty of time at the range and wants to take some of the human movement out of their bench testing.

👉 New to Owen Guns and available in-store now!

Drop in and check one out!

Owen Guns – Gympie, QLD

Welcome back to another Owen Guns Firearm Friday, where each week we take a closer look at one of the interesting fi****ms from our museum collection and explore the history, engineering and stories behind it.

This week we’re heading to the American West to look at a revolver that earned a formidable reputation for strength, precision and quality, the Freedom Arms Model 83. Our museum example is chambered in the classic and powerful .44 Magnum cartridge.

Freedom Arms was established in Freedom, Wyoming, in 1978, with gunsmith Wayne Baker and businessman Dick Casull closely associated with the company's beginnings. Casull had already spent decades experimenting with extremely powerful revolver cartridges, work that ultimately led to the development of the .454 Casull.

Freedom Arms initially became known for its small .22-calibre mini-revolvers, but it was the company's large-frame single-action revolvers that would establish its reputation among serious handgun shooters.

Introduced during the early 1980s, what eventually became known as the Model 83 was originally developed around the immense pressures generated by the .454 Casull cartridge. At a time when many shooters were accustomed to the .44 Magnum representing the upper end of mainstream revolver performance, the .454 Casull pushed the concept of the powerful sporting revolver considerably further. Building a handgun capable of repeatedly handling such ammunition required an exceptionally strong frame, cylinder and locking system, and Freedom Arms developed its revolvers with extremely close manufacturing tolerances.

The result was a substantial five-shot, single-action revolver with a design that visually owes much to the traditional American single-action handgun while being engineered as a thoroughly modern firearm. The Model 83 uses a solid frame and an unusually robust cylinder, with five chambers rather than the six commonly found on traditional revolvers. That additional material between the chambers contributes to the strength for which the Model 83 became famous.

Freedom Arms also developed a reputation for carefully fitted components, precise cylinder alignment and excellent barrels, giving the Model 83 a level of accuracy more commonly associated with specialised target fi****ms than heavy-calibre revolvers.

Although closely associated with the .454 Casull, the Model 83 has been produced in several powerful handgun chamberings over its history, and the revolver pictured from the Owen Guns museum collection is chambered in .44 Magnum. Introduced commercially during the 1950s, the .44 Magnum was already one of the world's best-known revolver cartridges by the time the Model 83 appeared. Pairing it with the extremely strong Model 83 platform produced a revolver combining a historically significant magnum cartridge with Freedom Arms' exceptionally robust construction.

The Model 83 also represents an interesting point in the evolution of the American single-action revolver. Externally, its lineage is immediately recognisable: a large exposed hammer, traditional grip profile and single-action mechanism all recall revolvers of the nineteenth-century American frontier. Internally and mechanically, however, it belongs to a very different era. Modern metallurgy, precision machining and extremely tight tolerances transformed the familiar single-action concept into a platform capable of handling cartridges producing levels of performance that early revolver designers could scarcely have imagined.

Freedom Arms revolvers consequently developed an almost legendary reputation among handgun hunters, silhouette competitors and enthusiasts of powerful revolvers. Rather than being mass-produced service handguns, they have generally occupied the premium end of the market, where manufacturing quality, durability and accuracy are major selling points. Individual revolvers have traditionally received considerable fitting and attention during production, helping establish Freedom Arms as one of the best-known names in high-end American single-action revolvers.

Our .44 Magnum Model 83 is therefore an interesting museum piece not simply because of its calibre or imposing appearance, but because of what the design represents. It connects the traditional American single-action revolver with the development of the modern magnum handgun, demonstrating how a design philosophy dating back well over a century could be adapted through better materials and precision manufacturing into an extraordinarily strong and accurate sporting revolver.

More than four decades after its introduction, the Model 83 remains closely associated with the Freedom Arms name and with the era in which increasingly powerful handgun cartridges challenged manufacturers to build revolvers capable of safely and reliably containing them. From early experiments with high-pressure ammunition to the precision-built revolvers that followed, the Model 83 earned its place as one of the distinctive heavy-duty American revolvers of the modern era.

That wraps up another Firearm Friday. From the six-shooters of the Old West to a five-shot Wyoming-built powerhouse, revolver design has certainly come a long way,  although in the case of the Model 83, sometimes five is more than enough!.

Join us again next Friday when we reach back into the museum collection and pull out another piece of fi****ms history. Until then, stay safe and shoot straight!