L42A1 CES as of 1990?

Does anybody have access to (or, ideally, a pdf of) the CES and/or illustrated parts catalogue that was in effect at the end of the L42A1's service?

I think it would be useful to have on-hand to answer future questions about changes to the CES over time.

My specific question is about the lens brush and lens cleaning tissue that were used in the CES in the late 1980s.

Paper: One member here posted a photo of his CES with a sealed box of 1000 lens cleaning tissues. But his tissues were marked 6640-99-252-8549 instead of the number in my September 1973 CES reprint, 6640-99-961-4068.

Brush: Was the famous, scarce, field-shortened Brush, Artists, Flat Lacquer 1/2 inch (8020-99-943-0422) shown in my 1973 version really a CES item for the entire life of the rifle, or did the British Army later replace it with a purpose-designed lens cleaning brush, perhaps the Brush, Dusting, Lens (7920-12-120-0355) that looks so nearly identical to the original that one would think it was a deliberate copy?

I'd love a scan of the latest/final CES and/or parts catalogue, to answer these burning questions and others that pop up from time to time.

Any suggestions?

Also, my L42A1 arrived yesterday and I would like to post photos. What are the right photos to post?

Trog

Seconded!

I 'donated' this to the forum some time ago, is it any help ?


http://www.milsurps.com/content.php?...s-Catalogue%29

Page 18 shows the parts list for the CES

Welcome to the L42A1 club as the numbers of rifles and owners gets less and less and the value increases daily.
Just in time for my release of my book FALKLANDS WAR: SNIPERS DOWN SOUTH about the L42A1 in use by all Regiments on the 28th May The Battle of Goose Green Anniversary.
The book covers the use and stories from all the snipers on Operation Corporate, and also leads into the design and bringing in of the AI L96 Military Service.

Just to clarify, is your query about the L14A1 lens cleaning bottle and brush for the Carl Gustav 84mm Anti Tank Gun sight attributed out of ease to the L42A1 rifle chest?

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Originally Posted by Gil Boyd

Welcome to the L42A1 club as the numbers of rifles and owners gets less and less and the value increases daily.
Just in time for my release of my book FALKLANDS WAR: SNIPERS DOWN SOUTH about the L42A1 in use by all Regiments on the 28th May The Battle of Goose Green Anniversary.
The book covers the use and stories from all the snipers on Operation Corporate, and also leads into the design and bringing in of the AI L96 Military Service.

Just to clarify, is your query about the L14A1 lens cleaning bottle and brush for the Carl Gustav 84mm Anti Tank Gun sight attributed out of ease to the L42A1 rifle chest?

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It is. That, and the lens cleaning tissue.

---------- Post added at 10:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:11 AM ----------

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Originally Posted by Alan de Enfield

I 'donated' this to the forum some time ago, is it any help ?


http://www.milsurps.com/content.php?...s-Catalogue%29

Page 18 shows the parts list for the CES

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Helps a lot! I’m just looking for the most recent version.

Was it static, unchanged after 1973?

---------- Post added at 10:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:13 AM ----------

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Originally Posted by Gil Boyd

Welcome to the L42A1 club as the numbers of rifles and owners gets less and less and the value increases daily.
Just in time for my release of my book FALKLANDS WAR: SNIPERS DOWN SOUTH about the L42A1 in use by all Regiments on the 28th May The Battle of Goose Green Anniversary.
The book covers the use and stories from all the snipers on Operation Corporate, and also leads into the design and bringing in of the AI L96 Military Service.

Just to clarify, is your query about the L14A1 lens cleaning bottle and brush for the Carl Gustav 84mm Anti Tank Gun sight attributed out of ease to the L42A1 rifle chest?

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And I’ve already requested that your co-author let me know when the book is ready for purchase (or preorder)!

Frank Fletcher and I, launch it on the 28th May 2020 at IWM Duxford at our Parachute Regiment Museum. Hardback books all printed and in my possession.
I will be putting up details of how to purchase a copy at the end of March.
Frank was 2 PARA's Master sniper in Iraq & Afghanistan and on retirement, now runs his own sniper company Sniper Solutions and works a lot with Accuracy International who will be at the launch showing off their wears!
An original L42A1 Parts Pamphlet are as rare as the rifle, and as Alan states he has placed pages on th site previously for members perusal, so I don't appear thick here, do you mean you have two different numbers for the two parts, the brush and bottle? OR just the tissue?

I still have some excellent Illustrated Parts Catalogues in stock if you want a hard copy instead of a printout. They're the big pricey sum of $10 plus postage.

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Originally Posted by Brian Dick

I still have some excellent Illustrated Parts Catalogues in stock if you want a hard copy instead of a printout. They're the big pricey sum of $10 plus postage.

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My copy is not a printout, but neither is it excellent. I’ll shout you an email.

---------- Post added at 01:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:06 PM ----------

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gil Boyd

Frank Fletcher and I, launch it on the 28th May 2020 at IWM Duxford at our Parachute Regiment Museum. Hardback books all printed and in my possession.
I will be putting up details of how to purchase a copy at the end of March.
Frank was 2 PARA's Master sniper in Iraq & Afghanistan and on retirement, now runs his own sniper company Sniper Solutions and works a lot with Accuracy International who will be at the launch showing off their wears!
An original L42A1 Parts Pamphlet are as rare as the rifle, and as Alan states he has placed pages on th site previously for members perusal, so I don't appear thick here, do you mean you have two different numbers for the two parts, the brush and bottle? OR just the tissue?

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Two different numbers for each part.

But I don’t know if the second number in each case is correct for the L42.

Each “second number” could be an upgrade that superseded the or it could be something that entered the British Army supply system well after the L42s time.

The smock changed a couple of times. Three different versions were correct for it, depends on the date.

I’m not sure, so I’m hoping to find whatever version of the CES was in effect on the last day the L42 was part of the British Army.

The parts catalogue shows the flat artists brush as the dedicated lens brush but in all the years I have collected L42’s as well as rifles I have handled in service I have never ever seen a flat artists brush in a L42A1’s CES.
The yellow collared sable hair brush many reading this will be familia with is the type I have seen. I know this brush began life as the IWS lens brush with a much longer handle which when the same brush was shared with L42 was literally hacked short so as to fit in the lens brush bottle. These brushes were subsequently reproduced by H&K as part of the SA80 rework and these later brushes are what are commonly found today.
There are several discrepancies regard the parts catalogue and user handbook which show items including the soft carry case which never materialised as portrayed.

Very much looking forward to the release of this book. Can non-paras attend the 28th May event? Is there a process in place for ordering the book ( I am in Canada)?

I thought this brush with a destiny was originally part of the Carl Gustav CES? Someone in Sweden must have them or know where they were obtained.

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Originally Posted by Surpmil

I thought this brush with a destiny was originally part of the Carl Gustav CES? Someone in Sweden must have them or know where they were obtained.

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It was the brush bottle that was part of the CES for the Charlie G - originally containing the pull through for the sub calibre adaptor
Thats why the L42 parts list refers to it as 'bottle - pull through'

This old post shows it in the Charlie G User Handbook:

https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=46018

As Chosenman says the brush was originally part of the IWS CES cut down to fit into the pull through bottle

Surpmil, the sensible suggestion which you make could usefully re-set the crazy price which these plastic bottle fetch... I think the record at auction, just for the plastic bottle to hold the brush, was £1,700 or thereabouts.

Could a repro be made with a 3d printer? I have tried to find something similar for a long time and cutting down a Swedish Mauser double oiler leaves you something that looks the part but is too small

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Originally Posted by RobD

Surpmil, the sensible suggestion which you make could usefully re-set the crazy price which these plastic bottle fetch... I think the record at auction, just for the plastic bottle to hold the brush, was £1,700 or thereabouts.

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Yikes! And I'll bet they were just sourced from some commercial supplier for the Carl G. as well.

And the brushes the same no doubt.

Why did they have to make its location quite to prominent in the chest! Certainly in mine it is a very empty area 🙁

It is what it is.............if you were building a classic car and the original starter motor was missing you would go all out to find one, no different here with the Charlie G bottle. I think its great, it is just ploughing the price of the L42A1 and full CES up through the roof, and quite right too IMHO, worth every penny.

I see I was mistaken: no apparent Swedish connection. https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=46018

Maybe go and find the principals of this "long gone" company in the Brighton which made the bottles?

Or send one off to S.E. Asia for duplication; maybe too valuable to send off unescorted now!? :)

I have the half inch brush so will attach a photo tomorrow that will help

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Originally Posted by Troglodyte

Brush: Was the famous, scarce, field-shortened Brush, Artists, Flat Lacquer 1/2 inch (8020-99-943-0422) shown in my 1973 version really a CES item for the entire life of the rifle, or did the British Army later replace it with a purpose-designed lens cleaning brush, perhaps the Brush, Dusting, Lens (7920-12-120-0355) that looks so nearly identical to the original that one would think it was a deliberate copy?

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Looking at the country designation in those two NATO Stock Numbers, the first one is a UK number, the second one is German. Does that help? I can't remember the catalogue section numbers, but I think the first is "General Stores" and the second is "Weapon Stores"...

This :

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Originally Posted by Alan de Enfield

This :

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That looks like a modified camera puffer brush, with the rubber bulb replaced by a length of plastic rod. If it was a proper MOD store, I would think it would be the sort of thing that BAE would make for 30p and charge MOD £2142 plus vat!