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Not disagreeing KtK but I'd argue with the report that the protruding catch was a smaller area or that the pommell was either - or lighter! Nope..., I can't be bothered to weigh/measure but I'd argue that the pommell was lighter too, due to the large diameter hole bored right through it for the No5 rifle bayonet standard. Then ADD to that the cheaper but heavier metal grips.
The Major I mentioned earlier, Maurice Fogwell, who passed away a year or so ago was an absolute mine of info about the early L1A1 trials. He was also the person who 'signed-off' the much improved 7.62mm L4A2 and later L4A4 variant of the Bren and then later, the GPMG
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Peter, you may be the right person to ask this question; how was the fit of the No. 5 bayonet on the flash suppressor & bayonet lug? Was the bayonet snug or was there play in it when mounted to the rifle?
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All Bayonet's would vary in fit. Due to service wear, so there may be a little slop on some F/Hiders. & none on others. Also, it WAS very common for one bayonet to fit a certain rifle & not another! this was due to manufacturing tollerances of the plus & minus so many thou's per inch. The THEORY was, ANY Bayonet SHOULD fit ANY rifle. BUT, in practice this was not always the case!
Peter Im SURE, will bear me out on this.
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Yep....., that's right. We always had a slave flash eliminator from a No5 and L1A1 plus barrel from a No4 and cut-off end of an L2A3 Sterling and the bayonets all had to fit the weapons. Some No5 bayonets had tight muzzle rings that wouldn't fit over Sterling muzzles so we had a gauge for them. When they left us, they were ALL interchangeable with the particular weapon.
