Viewpoint - British Army Contract for L96A1 Sniper Rifle (by Gil Boyd B.E.M)

[Peter Laidler]

I was involved three times in the loss of a weapon. First a DP Bren that was in a wet muddy snow filled trench which was filled in - and never found. But even though it was an unfireable DP, heaven and earth was moved to locate it using engineers with mine detectors. Never located and written off as an exercise loss at Warcop in the 60's The Browning MG from the tank and later the loss of PART of an SA80 although not as the loser in this case. And believe me the reperciussions are sooooooooo great and the penalties sooooooooo severe that....... Look, you just don't loose them! And as C-Man says (thread 39) come to that, try losing a pair of Binos or compass or any of the other what we call 'starred' or WOCS/controlled stores stuff.

And you now know the reason why the L42 was withdrawn. It was at the end of its life and new barrels and new bolts could not cure old worn bodies.

M85's in Military service. I would/will believe it when I a) see documentary evidence (but I don't think that there will be any) b) see one that is UK Military proofed. There definately WAS a delay in the implementation of the L96 following the L42 and the few L96's in service were withdrawn for crack testing/metallurgy injvestigation but as I said, there was a rebuild programme for L42'ds to make sure that the small stocks remaining remained acceptable. Not only were new brackets obtained but a small relaxation was allowed for the fitting of the fore-ends. Won't go into that here but......

Just as a matter of interest the reason why there is a letter C stamped or engraved after the serial number and a crack test mark on the body is to show that the L96 has been tested and re-proofed following three catastrophic early failures during the trials/proof stage.

I realise that several forumers take my 'what a load of bollocks......' answers to heart, I only want to say it as it REALLY is, on the shop floor. Re the L1A1's and the matchstick farce/fallacy, maybe someone could resurrect the thread or point it out. I'd like to read it again for a laugh.

Anyway, it's absolutely pi........ er........ pouring down with more rain here in dull, dark, dismal and overcast Oxfordshire