L96A1 Purchase? or New Accuracy International AW

[Simon]

On the subject of AI L96 mags Peter, I'm assuming the mag capacity was 11 rounds so as not to completely compress the mag spring?

[Peter Laidler]

The CR is the Ordnance identifier. A left-over from the old B1/CR VAOS type number or B4 number in this case.

Magazines, yes...., not quite sure of all the comings an goings there but the requirement for the UK Military was 10 rounds. The mag springs were another unannounced change for some obscure reason. I will check the paperwork and come back. Blurred edge has pinpointed the mag differences but the MoD want standardisation for a very good reason - and not mix and match as we always have to look at the bigger picture. I will come back with the bonding material. I have to be diplomatic and sort of agree that communication with AI could be a tad difficult as some US owners will testify. It was always as though their people thought that they should be speaking to someone of higher er......., social standing! There........., said enough! A bit like speaking to upmarket car salesmen. Good products but.........

[Brian Dick]

RE: Peter's thread #82. Down here in the south we call it "crap higher than you can wipe syndrome". Oops!

[Peter Laidler]

I was thinking about you when I mentioned the US owners....... Thread 82, para 2, line 5.

[Brian Dick]

Yep, three years to acquire the small CES items for my SR98 was a bit ridiculous. They did give me a free hat when I saw them in Las Vegas at the SHOT Show. I think they suffer from the same problem that has affected Colt here in the USA. Putting all of their marbles in one place with government will get you bankrupt eventually! It's done just that to both companies. Colt has been bankrupt several times and are in bankruptcy court again "as we speak". I will say they are trying to bring back commercial customers that have been lost over the years but they've got a long road ahead with all of the competition. Better late than never!

[m4carbine]

When I visited AI 3 years ago, I was told their were 52 L96A1 covers made. Then there was some confusion, the question was posed was it 52 for the Irish contract or 52 total.

Still waiting on the answer.

[S12A]

Yep, three years to acquire the small CES items for my SR98 was a bit ridiculous.!

G'day Brian , firstly very jealous of your SR98, well done on grabbing one of those. did you end up getting full CES sorted?
would love to see a pic some time of your kit.

being somewhat of an AI fan i would like to start a collection. 15 thousand pounds is a bit out of my range currently maybe in the future. will be looking at getting AW's and AE's as well as the L96 if possible and SR 98 would be great.
i got myself an AX 308 though not a milsurp i am very happy with it and it has helped me win a few comps this year.

[Brian Dick]

The acquisition was a total fluke as Simon can attest to. I was actually hired to export it to England but the U.S. Department of State refused to approve the permanent export license. After three failed attempts and a pleasant warning from the Chief of DDTC, we surrendered and I wound up buying it for myself. It's one of only ten imported through AI in Oak Ridge Tennessee before AI went bankrupt. Thanks to Simon and others, (you all know who you are), it has the original numbered transit chest which was still in England and I poked and prodded the guys at AI to finally piece together the missing CES which took the better part of three years. I bought one of the civvie variants of the USMC S&B PMII scopes since it's original was either long gone or never there in the first place as it came originally equipped with a Night Force. It has a special place in my small collection right next to a real Remington M24 that I lost my mind and purchased new in 2005 along with the complete deployment kit. They are probably the only two modern tactical rifles I'll ever own.

---------- Post added at 09:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:44 AM ----------

I'll have to take some photos as I have yet to do so.

[Roy W]

Attachment 77281Attachment 77282

I was lucky enough to get these today, they are interesting because they show the different versions of the AI Rifle that were marketed.

It shows the Swirly flash eliminator, Std L96 and the mix of the two.

The person who gave them to me says they are circa 1986 and the PM Counter Terrorist version is the model first supplied to the SAS/SBS before the L96A1 was adopted.

[Brian Dick]

I have a few sets of L96A1 EMER's left if anyone is in need. There won't be any more when they're gone.