NZ contact L2A1

[browningautorifle]

The curved magazines were for the L4 Bren gun, although they were fully interchangeable with the L1 & L2A1's.

That's right...I had a couple from BATUS that I used for some time before dealing them away for far more valuable cockarockca...that I eventually dealt away too.

Information

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[CINDERS]

Bit of a grainy pic of my B/in law with his L 2A1 on his Asian holiday (not) around about 1970 ~ '71
(I had mis-designated the weapon having the numerals ar*se about this was corrected by forumers earlier on)

[mrclark303]

Cheers Cinders, great picture mate..

[Peter Laidler]

Are you sure about the straight 30rd magazines only being produced in Canada? I'd be surprised at that as the new ones all seemed to be in the standard Aust Ordnance type NSN's and wrapping. And Oz were already producing zillions of the standard mags...... The reason Australia didn't produce the curved magazine was, as I understand it and told to me while in Oz, was that the RSAF held the IPR on all things Bren INCLUDING those for the UK designed curved 30 round magazine. That's why Oz produced something similar..... but! Simply in order to by-pass the formalities. There was a fair bit of this underhand (but clever.....) dealing when it came to the L4 Bren of course. A good example of how NOT to treat your allies I say! Maybe RSAF should have acted more like Sterling and the F1 magazine saga. I rarely saw an L2 in Malaya with Aust, NZ, Gurkha or Malayan Infantry (although there were a couple with the Aust and NZArtillery somewhere). It all seemed to be Mk3 Brens and L4's. Maybe that was a strategic move - above my pay grade.

[mrclark303]

Are you sure about the straight 30rd magazines only being produced in Canada

Morning Peter,

No, not 100% sure, but I think that's the case, can anyone confirm?

[Woodsy]

Morning Peter,

No, not 100% sure, but I think that's the case, can anyone confirm?

According to Skennerton ('SLR, Australia's FN FAL') the Canadians only supplied the rear sights and gas blocks, everything else was Aussie manufacture. Lithgow made 9,557 L2A1's and 30 rd magazines were issued in converted Bren mag boxes at the rate of 10 per gun (plus replacements as required) so it makes sense to tool up to make such a large number of magazines.

[browningautorifle]

Lithgow made 9,557 L2A1's and 30 rd magazines

Do we have any pics of the markings? I'm guessing they are marked like the UK did theirs?

[mrclark303]

Do we have any pics of the markings? I'm guessing they are marked like the UK did theirs?

Here's the markings on my Malay contract example Jim, with regard to the magazines, there is no information on them whatsoever. I have two straight 30rd mags, both identical.

You can clearly see the pin stop hole, pinned at one time to prevent full auto operation (that and the longer L1A1 trigger plunger). A reminder of a time when common sense was applied to firearms legislation in the UK, a time sadly now long gone!

Attachment 78200Attachment 78201Attachment 78202

[Peter Laidler]

I indented for an L2 bipod for some obscure reason while I was in NZ and it eventually came in and that was definately Canadian as were some of the new gas block parts that came in at the same time.

[Peter Laidler]

Someone remind me but........ Am I correct in that I seem to recall that our L2's had screw-on replacement foresight protector ears? At unit and Field level we used to replace the (common.....) broken L1 protector ears with square section spring washers welded on as a temporary fix. Same as No5's. Same old story.... and bayonet crosspieces. They bend or get damaged sliding about in the back of the vehicles so someone with the pliers tries to straighten it out and SNAP!