My L1A1, and a dose of irony

[USMC6094]

Well gentlemen here she is. And for my English friends I hope you enjoy the story and the pictures.
I got this little lady in 2007 after I was laid off from a military contractor I worked for. So to use up the time I had I started working for a friend thats a gun dealer and went to all the local gun shows around my area of North Carolina.
One weekend at the Jacksonville show a man walked in with this rifle, the dealer I worked for bought her, and then I traded him for her.
Once I got her home I took a good detailed look at her. Shes a mix-master of English parts from various dates and as ironic as it was to me they were all assembled on an Argentine upper receiver.
http://www.milsurps.com/images/imported/2012/02/100_1901-1.jpg
http://www.milsurps.com/images/imported/2012/02/100_1900-1.jpg

[LesterH]

I don't know the full details, but a large number of Argentine FALs were imported to the UK after the Falklands War by the BA. The folding stock version was favoured by the SAS because it was full auto fire and could be concealed better in a car when on duty in Ulster. If you ever visit the Army Air Corps Museum at Middle Wallop several Argi FALs are on display.
If you have a "proper British SLR L1A1" you should have a UE,UF or UB serial number.
My own 1960 BSA made SLR has components from most of the RSAF factories. The butt is Slazenger from Australia. My own SLR was sold to Dince Hill when it left BA service, deactivated and retro rebuilt to 1960 spec. With wooden furniture, cooling holes and not slots.
Just in case poeple don't know. English, Canadian and Australian SLRs are inch. FN/FAL/RFI /R1 are metric. So don't swap the bits! 7.62mm Nato ammo fits all of them.

[Peter Laidler]

I wouldn't say that a large number of FN's were brought back to the UK. A few trophies were brought back both legally and illegally but as for being an authorised issue to any branch of the Army, I don't think that they were. Several were brought back to evaluate but you can be rest assured that being different in many ways, they couldn't be accommodated into the order of battle (unlike the GPMG's that could and were utilised). Contrary to popular belief, the one thing that dismally failed them was the folding butts because a folding butt always wears and will NEVER improve with wear. About 50 or so that I know of were converted into L1A1 look-a-likes at various Base Workshops but even they were incapable of functioning in the DP role so L60 DP L1A1's were converted from standard worn-out rifles for paratroopers to use. The look-a-like FN's - now with welded open butts and welded on UK spec flash eliminators if anyones seen them and wondered why....... went to the Navy and if I remember correctly, they were given to the Navy Cadets (or it might have been the main Navy initial recruit training centres in Portsmouth?) who could use them. But FN's wouldn't fit into the great scheme of UK Military weaponry. Or if they did, we haven't got a copy of the provisional infantry training book.

We did have a load of trials FN's in the Far East/Malaya Singapore but even these had a provisional handbook that differed from the standardised UK spec rifles/handbooks

[muffett.2008]

All I can say is that rifle is one hell of a pressure fed beauty, it must be selective fire, you wouldn't need two large gas bottles for just a semi auto.
So when did the poms start using gas fed weapons and how big are the blokes that carry them?

[USMC6094]

All I can say is that rifle is one hell of a pressure fed beauty, it must be selective fire, you wouldn't need two large gas bottles for just a semi auto.
So when did the poms start using gas fed weapons and how big are the blokes that carry them?

That made me laugh so hard I almost spit beer all over the computer screen.

The numbers on the British parts are as follows.
Lower- UE58 Serialed A23747
the other parts I'll have to take the rifle down to see so I'll do that alittle later

[enbloc8]

So when did the poms start using gas fed weapons and how big are the blokes that carry them?

Must be the super-secret L1A1 flamethrower.

---------- Post added at 12:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:21 AM ----------


. With wooden furniture, cooling holes and not slots.


That's the laminated handguards that looked like post-1968 Australian ones, right? I've seen pictures of those on British rifles, but have seen nothing written about them. Were they Australian coachwood handguards, or British-made? And if British, were they walnut on the outside?

[Peter Laidler]

They ain't laminated handguards Enblock, them's the last spec plastic handguards to be used with plastic butts, pistol grips and carrying handles. They take the rounded form of the laminated wood handguards but are plastic.

[enbloc8]

They ain't laminated handguards Enblock, them's the last spec plastic handguards to be used with plastic butts, pistol grips and carrying handles. They take the rounded form of the laminated wood handguards but are plastic.

I know well the black plastic furniture--my L1A1 builder thought I was nuts when I specifically requested that he replace wood furniture on a rifle I was buying with NOS plastics!

In pictures, and a couple of British training films, I've seen handguards on British rifles that looked like laminated Australian handguards, right down to the three round vent holes instead of slots. They didn't look like they were plastic, or at least not the black pebble-finish plastic we all know.

For example, in this training film at 6:50 and 13:05, there's a line of recruits on the range with rifles that look like they have Australian handguards. What am I seeing here?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoCWCaSfabU

[USMC6094]

Any of you have any advice for the gas system? I'm a tad confused on its operation, low numbers high volume, or high numbers high volume?

[nzl1a1collector]

The British produced their own Laminated handguards circa 1969 - 1971, the only way to tell the difference is to look at the type of foil used on the inside of the handguards. Crinkle is Australian, smooth is British

[tankhunter]

Any of you have any advice for the gas system? I'm a tad confused on its operation, low numbers high volume, or high numbers high volume?

LOW Numbers, HIGH Volume! Set it around six for semi-auto.

[Peter Laidler]

The peaked caps in the film were called 'CAPS, Cxxt'. Whatever made anyone think that they'd be any use always amazed me! I'm sure that they were the forerunner of the current peaked caps that are usually worn back to front or by older men with pony tails and bald heads with the pony tail hanging through the rear loop. Known around these parts as 'IQ reducers'

[tankhunter]

Amazed they can get them on, with the length of thier hair!.............:eek:

[garry harmes]

i'm sure it was high number low volume,to start use the highest setting then if you have a stoppage back it down 2 clicks until it cycles properly,under heavy useage the gas port will coke up and you then have the option to back it off a bit more,
i joined the british army age 16 as a junior soldier and was issued my first L1A1 and went on to shoot it at bisley in the army rifle association shooting competition for many years,a beautiful rifle indeed but these have been outlawed in the UK now and can only be bought as a straight pull,a crying shame if you ask me.
i carried mine during 2 tours of northern ireland totalling 2 and a half years and always felt safe in the knowledge that if shot at from a house a brick wall wouldn't save you from a section of guys using the trusty old SLR,i envy you mate and wish i could have one now,i'm a member of a shooting club having just joined wanting to take up shooting again,we are only allowed .22lr in semi auto,and bolt action or straight pull in all other calibres with no pistols allowed at all except black powder and long barrelled pistols which must have a barrel of 16" minimum.