L1A1 Single Shot "UK" spec?? Any ideas?

[daryldiane]

Tony you may want to order some other bits from Brad, what about a long butt plate or a butt removal tool. He also has Trilux mount plates. Unfortunately no wood furniture except for pistol grips. Spare used mags often surface at arms fairs. I've picked up some at £5 and the used ones seem to feed better than the new.
Good hunting.

[tailz]

Tony you may want to order some other bits from Brad, what about a long butt plate or a butt removal tool. He also has Trilux mount plates. Unfortunately no wood furniture except for pistol grips. Spare used mags often surface at arms fairs. I've picked up some at £5 and the used ones seem to feed better than the new.
Good hunting.

Hi Daryl,

Is there a problem with the butt plate that comes as standard? I must admit to a prference for the plastic furniture, it's what was on my father's FN FAL when we lived abroad, so is more sentimental for that reason, hence no need to a removal tool. If there is anything needed by anyone, I am happy to add it to my order to save the postage costs etc. I have added the picatinny cover to my order from Gavin, so at some point I will look at scope options although I am a bit of a purist and prefer iron sights, however I want to shoot at longer ranges in the future hence looking at scope options.

Cheers for the advice.

Tony

[daryldiane]

Just find the standard butt a bit short.I like the look of the wood and have been given a butt from an ex Royal Artillery friend who kept his when they switched over to plastic. Will probably revert to plastic in the end.

[OxfordAndy]

So....the odyssey is ended.

I have decided to cal it a day on this ACR L1A1.

Why?

I hav rarely come across a company that are as hard to deal with as this bunch.

From the very start of my communication with them thy have been uncommunicative, sometimes bordering on evasive, and unreliable.

Whether this relates to the actual details of the firearm they are offering (origins, legality) to prices, to availability to delivery schedule - they have been shambolic in the extreme.

They have displayed a pityful knowledge of how to run and manage a supplier chain and their grasp of managing customer expectations and relationships is non-existent.

When questioning Mr Haywood about any concerns regarding the rifle or delivery, his stock reaction is come back with attitude, say how lucky I am to be in the queue when he has a list of guys wanting these rifles, some of whom have waited 30 years for the chance and to to immediately and unilaterally to make a refund (requested or otherwise) rather than face up to his responsibilities and try to resolve the issue.

The second time he has done this I have gladly accepted - I firmly believe I am better off out of this (no matter how interesting the rifle may be), than in having any further dealings with this inept and unprofessional company.

Mr Haywod comes across as arrogant and detatched - maybe he s too ficussed on other areas of his business activities and ACR is a part-time venture or he is too stressed by the rod he has made? I don't know and don't care.

Maybe ACR think that taking a £1000 deposit (without issuing either an invoice or receipt of any kind) does not imply any obligation to perform the contract or offer anything other than empty promises to his customers.

Personally I think it does. And I am sure I am not alone in this belief.

[xa-coupe]

It blows my mind how people from all types of businesses work so hard to lose customers.

[OxfordAndy]

This line from his most recent email to me really sums up Mr Haywood's attitude to his customers:

"I have two dozen others waiting and a list of reserves who understand that after waiting 30 years to get one of these a few more months will not hurt. "

So that makes around a £24,000 interest free loan/ pre-finance package he has had from his customers on this batch alone......wonder if they really don't mind being kept waiting indefinitely without any definite date for delivery?

I could tell you the most recent info Mr Haywood has given me regarding LW's progress on the barrels, but the synopsis (again from his email) is:

"unfortunately due to me being beholden to a third party I am unable to meet your needs"

He beleives "I have done my best to keep everyone informed ", the reality is IME that he does not communicate unless you contact him and then he only issues vague statements like " I have no update other than he (barrel maker) says they are almost done".

His concept of doing his best falls a long way short of what most people might reasonably expect.

The bottom line is that he can probably sell more of these than he can supply so doesn't give a damn about offering any sort of customer service or feel any pressing responsibility towards those whose cash he has banked months ago. It's clearly easier or him just to walk away and find another sucker rather than deal with the problem.......

[David TS]

As one that did wait, and seven months, for mine, my experience wasn't the same as Andy's.

I write not to criticise Andy, nor defend Gavin, but merely to state my experience.

One of the reasons I had to wait seven months was because it was the first batch, and it was an unknown quantity.

The rifles are supplied by Luxembourg Defence Techniques (LuxDefTec, or LDT) in Luxembourg.

They are modified with a new Lothar Walther barrel, welded up gas block, the gas tube/piston is removed, and the breech block and carrier are modified. LuxDefTec sell these in Europe, but I believe they have to be then specially modified for the UK market to get round the Section 5 issue.

The paperwork then has to be arranged to import them into the UK.

Gavin effectively has no control whatsoever over the process. He can order one/ten or whatever from LDT, and they will turn up when LDT say they are shipping them.

He is as open as he can be, but if the question is asked "when will my SLR arrive?", effectively he won't know the answer until LDT tell him it is shipped.

I wasn't asked to pay a deposit on mine until the barrel was going to be made, and no doubt Gavin, in turn, had to put money up for these. I don't believe he was sitting on my £1000 for months, nor anyone else's.

As Andy says Gavin has always offered to return anyone's deposit if they are not happy, and I haven't heard of anyone else that has asked for it back and not received it.

Gavin works full time in another profession (by coincidence his employer and mine do business together, one of the reasons I was happy to take his word on events - although I didn't know this until after I had ordered one), and over the last few months he has moved house plus become a father. I suspect like me, he hasn't enough hours in the day.

I am an inquisitive person, so I did ask a million questions. To be honest, they weren't always answered 100%, but I suspect that was partly because Gavin did not know the answers, and partly because he was probably besieged by hundreds and hundreds of emails over the period they were announced and when the first batch delivered.

Like I said, I'm not defending him, just the facts, and just my experience.

Would I have liked to buy one off the shelf? Yes, of course. Was it really a big deal I had to wait? No - it's now in my cabinet, and I love the bloody thing.

I haven't heard one person that has had one delivered say they regret it, nor say it wasn't what they were expecting. The only complaint I have heard, which is also the only one issue I have had with mine, is that the rear sight climbs up to 600 under recoil. I cured it by slapping a scope on.....

Andy, the outcome IS worth the wait........

Before and after conversion to wood......

[OxfordAndy]

David - thanks for your perspective. I have very much appreciathed your help and questions in our PM's.

I am sure that once you receive the rifle, the wait seems inconsequential.

I've worked in sales and manufacturing for over 25 years....this is not how it should or has to be.

[littlefraggle]

I'm not going to anything other than state a few facts here. I have supplied all the details on delivery as they have come to me. The barrels are made by one company and that company is having issues around demand and they are issues that are not under my control.
I have always stated that the timeframes given to me are not under my control and I can only go on their say so. I am on no position to force them to deliver as they would simply be unable to do so.
I offered (twice now) to refund your deposit (despite the fact that it guaranteed a rifle) because expectations were not being met. I have juggled others around who were happy to wait a bit longer just to get someone up the list but unfortunately that has not worked and despite our efforts it seems there is simply no pleasing someone who expects to be treated differently than others.
If you want to ring Frank Lothar and shout at him then that's your business but I am not going to do so as his military contract is fr more important than me (andim happy to accept that). I've always said that if anyone is in any way unhappy I would refund them. I actually offered to reimburse Andy for his ancillary kit too despite the fact that it has not actually been purchased as claimed.
The bottom line is that the problem can only be sorted by the barrel supplier stopping a military order to accommodate me. In the interim I offered to refund anyone who could not wait. I gave no guarantees as to delivery on a date as I was in no position to do so. That is not being arrogant, that is being straight. There are plenty of guys on here who know what the deal is and are very happy to work with us on this. You can't wait, that's OK you get your money back and can spend as long as you like badmouthing us. I'll say no more on this on open forum, you say what you like.

[littlefraggle]

... And for the record you need to amend your post to reflect the actual truth, you didn't call it a day at all. I explained I wanted to return your deposit despite your rifle being here. The reason being laid out in my email. Why don't you post your email to me and my response as well as your emails of before in full and then see what response you get. Your post states that you've decided not to go ahead when in reality we have decided we do not wish to supply you as we are unable to meet your demands that are out of are control and which you are well aware of.