L85 rifle new manufacture receivers?

[mrclark303]

Peter
You are correct, the overall numbers stay the same - EXCEPT that the L98A1's allegedly went back into store and L85A2's were modified into L98A2's, so the MoD would be left with the remnants of the 21,707 L98A1's that couldn't be readily converted to L85/98A2's, because they have no ported barrel/gas block/gas parts in?

It might be that just certain now scarce parts have been remanufactured by HK - I would have thought that a lot of L85A2's would have shot out barrels long ago that were replaced from surplus stock (even L86A2's, if someone wanted to persevere with shooting them! ).

Parker Hale manufactured L1A1 barrel / Gas blocks assemblies, cocking handles etc (on former Enfield machinery I think) to keep the veteran L1 in service through the 1980's and into the 90's. It stands to reason someone (probably HK) must be manufacturing replacement barrels for the L85A2 by now, after all the base rifle has been in service for 25 plus years and is looking at a fair few years of service yet.

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[pbsmg]

Peter, the slop Jockeys are supposed to look after them but i always ended up servicing them. Same goes with the No5 Burners, which now run only on Gas.