Custom order C1A1?

[enbloc8]

As far as I know Peter, we were hogs with our rifles. Only Canada. There are others here I expect to join this discussion but I'm certain we didn't sell any. Not like the C7. That's why when you talked about working on CDN rifles in workshop in Europe it surprised me.

That was my understanding too. Strict policy of no foreign sales of either rifles or "Inglis" pistols, though I understand they were willing to supply spare parts. Which didn't work out well, partly because CAL's prices were so high compared to either Enfield or Lithgow (or FN for pistol parts), partly also because many C1 parts were different compared to the rest. And I also imagine the lack of foreign sales meant Canada didn't even come to mind when it came time to buy spares...it was easiest to just contact whoever you'd dealt with in the first place.

End result being, Longbranch essentially lost its reason to exist after the C1A1s were completed.

Australia offered the cheapest prices for allegiant nations to buy L1A1's so they got the business and the profit and so I'm lead to believe, the largest sales too.

@Peter, so that was the reason. I'd always figured that it was a matter of available production capacity...that Australia, having a full production line and a comparatively small military, had the capacity first, while Britain didn't start offering foreign sales until its (much greater) armament needs were filled.

---------- Post added at 05:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:53 PM ----------

Took a look at that bill of sale...a new-production 8L from Canadian Arsenals Ltd. cost $225.00 in 1972. No idea how to convert that through inflation, but that can't have been cheap.

Managed to crunch it through a Bank of Canada website...it would work out to about $1250 Canadian today. Not a cheap "toy", then or now.

In comparison, I recall reading that a brand new Lithgow SLR, in a gun store, cost $700 AUD in the early 80s. In comparison, a new Remington 700 was priced at $350 AUD.

[boltaction]

As requested. I took these photos with many interruptions today and see I didn't take one of hte bottom of the receiver, but that shall be forthcoming. I noticed a little cartouche just above the lower receiver serial number--some sort of CAL thing.

Cheers

Ed

[boltaction]

Should anyone want any closeup photos of the breech block or anything else, let me know. I'm going to have surgery on my knee tomorrow, so will have some time on my hands in the next few days where I probably won't be able to do much other than take photos. Come to think of it, if anyone wants photos of my FG 42 I could do that too. It's a CA, so doesn't have the external selector anymore, but everything else is original WWII.

Ed

[browningautorifle]

There goes my service rifle...yes, I carried the C2 as well as the C1. I far prefered the C1 because most of our C2s seemed to have seen better days. I never liked the bipod either. I used to use a hose clamp to keep it in place and shoot it like a rifle. (Don't tell the armourer, unauthorised mod...)

[The Wizard]

It may say C1 but it is actually in C2A1 configuration.

[browningautorifle]

It may say C1 but it is actually in C2A1 configuration.

That's the point through the whole thread. It started as a civilian owned C1 and is now a CA /C2.

[enbloc8]

Would a C2 have been legal for Canadian service rifle competition? I can see some benefit to the idea...effectively it's a heavy-barrel SLR. The fellow who built my C1A1 also built a semiauto C2 for somebody else, and he was raving that it was the only FAL he'd built that shot better than the C1A1 he sold to me.

And are C1s still legal under current service rifle rules?

[Lee Enfield]

Would a C2 have been legal for Canadian service rifle competition? I can see some benefit to the idea...effectively it's a heavy-barrel SLR. The fellow who built my C1A1 also built a semiauto C2 for somebody else, and he was raving that it was the only FAL he'd built that shot better than the C1A1 he sold to me.

And are C1s still legal under current service rifle rules?

Yes they would be, however the "powers that be" won't issue a permit to shoot the gun.

In fact you can get a permit to take it to the range, however the permit will specifically exclude firing....

Lovely to live in a "free" country eh??

[browningautorifle]

There was also a C2 competition.

[sandstorm]

i remember a militia's C2 beat a bren in a competition in chilliwack .