'A piece of history' lost in museum handgun heist

Volunteers from the Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum have been left reeling after 27 commemorative handguns were stolen from the community-run facility in the NSW Blue Mountains on August 25.

"I can't explain how devastating it is for the volunteers, the local community and Australia in general," museum secretary Kerry Guerin said on Tuesday.

"It's more than just a firearms museum ... it's part of Australia's history."

CCTV footage from the museum shows the three people breaking into the facility before 4am on the Sunday.

The trio, all dressed in black clothes with their faces covered, dashed away in a silver Toyota Landcruiser after stealing the valuable vintage guns.

The four-wheel drive was later recovered after being gutted by fire 60km away in Bathurst.

Mr Guerin said the guns could be made operational, but it would be difficult.

One of the pistols dates back to 1700 and another was gifted to Australian soldiers by the Sultan of Oman.

"They're commemorative ... not the type of thing somebody would use every day," he said.

"You can't replace that type of thing."

Police said the vehicle was believed to have been stolen from Nowra, more than 300km south of where it was eventually found.

Detective Superintendent John Watson said the stolen guns were worth more than $200,000 and police were worried they could be used as weapons.

"The fact of the matter is these guns are in the hands of criminals, it is not beyond the realm that they know what they've got and have started that manufacturing process," he said.

"This crime has links to multiple regions of the state, so there are real concerns these firearms could also be spread across NSW."

The museum opened in 1998 on the site of a former small-arms factory, which was established in 1912.

The community-owned facility is run by volunteers and houses a large number of historical small arms and artefacts.

Police are urging anyone with dashcam or CCTV vision of the Landcruiser, or information about the incident, to contact investigators.

Australian Associated Press