CWS on L42A1

[55recce]

Hello, wondering if the CWS KITE sight was used on the L42. Thanks!

Information

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[bravo2zero]

Good question but I think the L42 was out of service by the time the Kite came along

[GeeRam]

Good question but I think the L42 was out of service by the time the Kite came along

L42 was gone long before the CWS came out?

[chosenman]

CWS was designed in combination with the SA80 and when it entered service it wasn’t compatible with the L96 until the mount was developed.

[Alan de Enfield]

Hello, wondering if the CWS KITE sight was used on the L42. Thanks!

The sight shown listed in the CES is the L5A1

There is an article on the subject by Peter Laidler here :

https://www.milsurps.com/content.php...-Peter-Laidler)

[waco16]

The sight shown listed in the CES is the L5A1

There is an article on the subject by Peter Laidler here :

https://www.milsurps.com/content.php...-Peter-Laidler)

L5A1 is the mount, not the sight

The sights full terminology was
Weapon Sight, Image Intensified
L1A1 Individual Weapon Sight (IWS)

[Alan de Enfield]

L5A1 is the mount, not the sight

The sights full terminology was
Weapon Sight, Image Intensified
L1A1 Individual Weapon Sight (IWS)

Are you sure ?

I'm obviously not the only one to get it wrong.


Companies selling them :


BRITISH ISSUE L5A1 NIGHT SIGHT WITH M16A1 MOUNT military spec in good working order showing some signs of use to body, comes complete with original British manufactured mount for use on the M16A1/2 rifles and nylon carry bag (not pictured) these sights use the standard camera CR123 batteries so no need to search for funny sized out of date batteries, can be used during daylight as they are fitted with daylight filters. Priced £1295

BRITISH ISSUE L5A1 NIGHT SIGHT WITH L1A1 MOUNT military spec in good working order showing some signs of use to body, comes complete with reproduction mount to fit the British L1a1 rifle and nylon carry bag (not pictured) these sight use the standard camera battery so no need to search for funny sized batteries, can be used during daylight as they are fitted with daylight filters. Priced £1495

They also have the bag for the L5A1

SCARCE BRITISH ISSUE L5A1 NIGHT SIGHT NYLON CARRY BAG in good order with signs of use, more than 1 in stock. Priced £45

Scopes and Sights

[waco16]

Are you sure ?

I'm obviously not the only one to get it wrong.

Yes
The only night sight used in service on the L42A1 was the L1A1 IWS, mounted to the rifle using the L5A1 mount

#Attachment 109091Attachment 109092Attachment 109093Attachment 109094Attachment 109095

The 'L' designations used in weapon/sight terminology can be confusing, with the same designation used for different items (L1A1 can refer to the SLR, the IWS etc etc) - this link goes some way to describing how they were used:

List of British weapon L numbers - Wikipedia

But in the case of the L42A1, the Image Intensifier was L1A1 and its mount was L5A1

[Alan de Enfield]

Yes
The only night sight used in service on the L42A1 was the L1A1 IWS, mounted to the rifle using the L5A1 mount

#Attachment 109091Attachment 109092Attachment 109093Attachment 109094Attachment 109095

The 'L' designations used in weapon/sight terminology can be confusing, with the same designation used for different items (L1A1 can refer to the SLR, the IWS etc etc) - this link goes some way to describing how they were used:

List of British weapon L numbers - Wikipedia

But in the case of the L42A1, the Image Intensifier was L1A1 and its mount was L5A1

Thanks for taking the time to explain it.

As I said - it looks as if others are as confused as I.

[bravo2zero]

What was the L5A1 sight used on other than the M16? Looks more compact than the IWS sight?