Rock and Roll with an L1A1..............

[stencollector]

WOW those FNC2A1'S HAD NO HANDGUARDS??? You Brits are tuff

That "C" is for Canadian. The bipod acted as handguards when bipod was not in use. The Australian version was also so similar that claims were made that the Auzzies used Cdn surplus parts and equipment to make theirs. (Not true according to some of the more serious collectors)


The earliest C2 top covers, with the rear sight built into it, were removed from Cdn service and sent to Australia where they were modified for use by that country. I have seen the early Cdn C2 top covers available years ago, but not in the last decade. I am missing one of those for my collection.

[Peter Laidler]

We had Lithgow made L2's in Malaya Sten collector, complete with the tangent backsight on the cover. Are you saying that these were actually Candian made parts? We didn't have them for long because the Bren was the LMG of choice until we left.

What's the difference between a Canadian C2 tangent backsight and one modified for use be the Australians?

[stencollector]

Peter
I had this discussion some time back on another forum with Kevin Adams, who has great photos and material related to the FNs. He posted the following two pictures of the Cdn C2 top cover and the full length Australian version. I have never seen both in person side by side but the actual tangent sure looks to be the same. One of the early ref books by Blake Stevens mentioned that the Cdn top covers went to Australia.

Credit for both these photos go to Kevin Adams



It is very possible that the two had nothing more in common that the drawings for the tangent.

[jeff hamerstone]

Seeing those two pictures of the top covers with tangent sights is the reason I love gun forums, I have never seen or knew covers like that have ever existed. What a thread Peter started here, A.

[S-A-M3]

NZ troops needed more firepower in Afghanistan, so they got L2`s from the Navy stores, but didn`t have enough mags, so an appeal went outto gun collectors to sell them back to the army!

[Peter Laidler]

God................. I wish they'd phoned me up! How many did they need...., a thousand..........., two thousand?

[nzl1a1collector]

NZ troops needed more firepower in Afghanistan, so they got L2`s from the Navy stores, but didn`t have enough mags, so an appeal went outto gun collectors to sell them back to the army!

Not quite... the Navy supplied 12 L1A1 rifles that were then converted in New Zealand to SAS specs, they have now been replaced by G3 IIRC. There was an issue with getting parts and mags and the current Armourers have no training on the L1A1 rifles so there was a bit of an issue there too.

[nzl1a1collector]

God................. I wish they'd phoned me up! How many did they need...., a thousand..........., two thousand?

Put me down for a couple of thousand mags Talking of that have you ever seen any mag dated prior to 1959?

I would love to get a 56 or 57 dated mag but never seen any.

[Peter Laidler]

What mags do you mean Kev the Kiwi? Rifle mags prior to 56/57 or Bren/X10/L4 mags mags prior to 56 - 57.

Prior to the L4A2 Bren, the mags used were FN spec. After the L4A2, they were L1A1 rifle spec mags, albeit 30 rounders. We have some 30 round FN's. Let me know exactly what you need and I'll see........................

[OWCH]

Hello nzl1a1collector
and Peter.

Great thread.
Here is a picture.
LEO import post 94 AW ban ( a whole nother story)
UB61 upper and UE58 lower

Kevin you have seen a pic of the lower on the files of this one.. and made comment about the change switch might be Indian..