Slr l1a1 straight pull

[Gil Boyd]

Thought this video link would make a few laugh Peter L you probably know the CSM doing the demo
LiveLeak.com - SLR .308 Rifle british FAL Variant.

Anybody have any views on the Tony Buckland special having had it in service for a year or so now?
Personally can't get over the monstrosity of the cocking handle, as it appears to restrict coupling anything to it or am I way off base?

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[tankhunter]

Well,.........According to the Sgt Major. When you 'Strip' this particular Weapon. All you do Is remove the Carrier & breech Block?.......................

Seems he forgot to mention that you ALSO remove the top cover, Gas Plug, Gas Piston & Spring!...............LOVE The Accent! LOL. Bang On Old Boy, Simply Spiffing. What?.........

[Peter Laidler]

I'll have to ask who those two SASC blokes were. They sounded like jolly spiffing types...........

[Gil Boyd]

Thought that would make you chuckle. The CSM had probably only seen and held the rifle for a short time, before they had to sit down and knock out the Pamphlet correctly or the rest of the British Army

[Peter Laidler]

I read a long official review of that unit sight fitted to that FAL and the previous EM rifles where a proportion would have them fitted (a bit like SA80 and SUSAT.....). I seem to recall that they were made by R.J Beck and Co (from Sydendam ?). Not a good review for several reasons, the main ones being that a unit mag sight didn't increase the magnification but just put a pointer on the image you saw in 'real' size without the bother of parallax! When for the same money you could have a x3 optical sight - again, without parallax! This matter raised its head again many years later during the single-point sight trials. The pointer (or the red dot) was fixed in size so while it might be ideal at, say, 100 yards, at 500 yards, it covered the target.

The second stumbling block was the ocular opening was so small that the question of getting off several quick, well aimed shots was nigh on impossible. The L1A1 was deemed to be not accurate enough to warrant an optical sight but some 'selected' (L1A1 ?) rifles would be earmarked for fitting with the 'proposed sight'. I just assumed that the 'proposed sight' was the No74 sight that didn't fare too well either. Well, the sight was OK but if the rifle isn't accurate enough, then it still ain't accurate enough with a x3 No74 sight on a flimsy cover I'd venture to suggest......, but there you go!

I rummaged around for ages trying to find those papers but couldn't find them. Also couldn't find some papers that IU'd seen relating to trials with the No5 but they pretty well repeated what we'd already learned in Malaya anyway

[Gil Boyd]

Peter,
Here you go, now thats what I call an original L1A1 for him to have his name tag on BD's crikey unheard of, perhaps he wanted MGM to spot him or something ha ha!:

LiveLeak.com - 7.62mm SLR Rifle Drills 1956.

[Peter Laidler]

That name was chalked inside the box that the rifle came in as we had some of the original boxes in the store. That was filmed on the MT Square at Warminster and you can see the ridge of Battlesbury Bowl in the background and the old tank sheds (now C vehicle bays) in view. The School of Infantry used to use soldiers from the Wiltshire Regt Depot at nearby Devizes as the soldiers in most of these films and the training pamphlets. They were old trials FN's with a cover that would take charger clips. Not a good idea because the open top just allowed the dust and shi.............. er......... dust to enter into the mechanism. Bayonet has flash eliminator prongs fitted until someone presumably wondered how you supressed the flash when the bayonet wasn't fitted!

Loads of these rifles were converted into DP's and Skeletonised training versions although hundreds were still in service in Malaya.

Little known fact but the very first unit to get British made/Enfield/BSA L1A1's were the South Wales Borderers in Malaya who got them freighted by air to do the acceptance trials based on their experience with the FN's.

[tankhunter]

Pete, The background in the Film Stirred many Memories for Me! I remember my Time at the School (As it was then) Now called 'The Land Warfare Centre'. VERY Grand! LOL.

My Old Chap said that these bayonets caused problems when incorrectly attached to the Rifle. If not fixed on in an absolute Straight plane. The Bullet would exit the muzzle & hit the spine of the Bayonet. Shattering the Blade!
There are quite a number of the scabbards for these bayonets 'Floating About'. On the Militaria Circuit here in the UK. They are ALL XL Trials Numbered, to the Trials Rifles that existed back then. MOST of the Bayonets (Not all) were Destroyed.
He was attached to the Royal West African Frontier Force. In Nigeria at one time in the Fifties, & had both the A&B Rifles on user trials out there then.

---------- Post added at 02:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:02 AM ----------

Pete, The background in the Film Stirred many Memories for Me! I remember my Time at the School (As it was then) Now called 'The Land Warfare Centre'. VERY Grand! LOL.

My Old Chap said that these bayonets caused problems when incorrectly attached to the Rifle. If not fixed on in an absolute Straight plane. The Bullet would exit the muzzle & hit the spine of the Bayonet. Shattering the Blade!
There are quite a number of the scabbards for these bayonets 'Floating About'. On the Militaria Circuit here in the UK. They are ALL XL Trials Numbered, to the Trials Rifles that existed back then. MOST of the Bayonets (Not all) were Destroyed.
He was attached to the Royal West African Frontier Force. In Nigeria at one time in the Fifties, & had both the A&B Rifles on user trials out there then.

Notice how the 'Present Arms' being executed. Is only TWO Movements! As you will 'Fondly' Remember, later on, THREE Movements were introduced. To add extra 'Military Movement' on a Parade! LOL.

[Gil Boyd]

Yes Tanky that would be the Guards influence at Pirbright me thinks........talking about the worst course I have been on.........Drill Instructors Course DIC for short and for good reason

[Peter Laidler]

The bayonets allowed a degree of spring loaded fore-and-aft movement when they were fitted. This spring loaded movement was said to allow the bayonet to allow the barrel to recoil BUT the accuracy would not be influenced by the bayonet being fixed. Quite how this worked in practice is beyond me because the effect of recoil works in many ways, including upwards (in a rotational arc) so the actual mass/weight of the bayonet - or any attachment - will still affect it!

A couple of interesting film clips Gil!

Talking of the MT Square where the film was taken. While there in the 60's the REME had parked the big recovery Scammell up, backed up close to the cycle racks to the rear of where the sort of grandstand is shown. The ASM, Mr Shepherd, known to us all as 'the good shepherd' due to his kindly outlook and great age (I think he was in his early 40's.......but a very nice person) put his Army issue/LAD bike at the rear of the Scammell, in a bike rack and locked it in place through the frame and cycle rack with a bit of bike lock chain - as you do. Somehow one of the towing hawsers from the Scammell got itself entangled with the bike due to the close proximity of the Scammell, the bike and the bike shed/rack.

Anyway after an hour of so, 'Taffy' Bills the Scammell driver drives the Scammell off in convoy with the rest of the crap on its way out onto deepest Salisbury Plain, behind the fitters trucks and half track (used to aid re-tracking the Centurions when a track was thrown). You've got it......... The scammell was followed by the bike and the complete cycle rack and cycle shed! No amount of light flashing or tooting of horns could overaw the noise inside the Scammell drivers cab. Well, not for about 25 yards. By which time the bike had 'stretched' to about twice its length along with the bike shed which had been pulled from its moorings! Funny how quickly a sense of humour can fail isn't it?

Would I do it all again.............? Maybe not.