20 Rnd Smle Magazines

[Mk VII]

Have heard using the 30 rd mags in the SLR can also be a problem as the spring is designed to force the rounds DOWN not UP, though that never stopped anyone from trying it on.(will have to try that someday as I have 4 new ones)

Yes, it was not allowed. And the reverse was true too; the SLR ones were not supposed to be used on the LMG except emergency use on active service only, 'owing to the stoppages and damage to the weapon which will occur'. Though I've seen that done as well, when somebody forgot to bring the right ones on a weekend exercise.

[Peter Laidler]

The old 30 round Bren/L4 v 20 round SLR L1A1 mags need a little correction. They were MADE to be fully interchangeable and were fully interchangeable. They both worked as well as each other in the other. In fact, the rifle sections carried spare Bren mags that they'd use as a matter of course and if the Bren gunners shouted for more ammo, then it didn't matter if you chucked him a few rifle or Bren mags

By Bren in this context, I mean L4/7.62mm Bren or LMG

[John Sukey (Deceased)]

Well I have 4 NEW 30 rounders, but just don't see any reason to use them in the SLR.

Oh Peter, I suppose you also know the match trick with a SLR to make it go-fast.

[Peter Laidler]

What match trick is that John......... not the match stick between trigger and the sear is it?

What 30 rounders do you have John. As I remember it, we had two sorts in Australia. The curved pom L4 magazines and the straight Australian (or were they Canadian) 30 rounders. Didint see the straight Aust magazines back home but they all seemed to work OK in the L1A1's L1A2's and the pom issue L4's that we had.

[John Sukey (Deceased)]

Not sure, I just heard talk about it from some ex-army folks. Have no idea of how it works.

The 30 rounders I have are curved (Magazine 7.62 L4A1 in a 4 pouch web carrier)

[Lithy]

For a period when I carried the Queen's shilling, the Oz Army was stoney broke, and on occaision, we had to make do with second grade gear i.e 7.62 Brens and the L1A2 which we called the AR.

The benefit of this (in hindsight) was we got to play with gear that had come out of stores and was invariably in better condition and more reliable than the stuff in our unit armoury.

To cut a long story short, the 30rnd mags would interchange readily between rifles and LMGs without fault.

[Peter Laidler]

I'm glad to hear that Lithy, that's how they were made/formulated. However, when I was in Australia, the rest of the RAEME Armourers shop wasted no time in telling 'Pete the Pom' that the Australian made 30 rounders were superior to the pom made curved offerings!

[Lithy]

I'm glad to hear that Lithy, that's how they were made/formulated. However, when I was in Australia, the rest of the RAEME Armourers shop wasted no time in telling 'Pete the Pom' that the Australian made 30 rounders were superior to the pom made curved offerings!

...and I'm not silly enough to believe the reverse would happen in an REME shop

[John Sukey (Deceased)]

Lithy, BRENS are second grade gear?
Good enough for the first go in the sand box when that miserable abortion , the L86A1 was foisted on the army by the politicians. The BRENS went up front and the L86 went to the rear echelon troops!

From what I was told, the BRENS were supposed to be defensive weapons for the APC's but instead the APC's were stuffed FULL of BRENS which were issued to the infantry on arrival.

[Lithy]

Sorry John. Incorrect terminology on my part. I should have written second LINE gear. The 7.62 Brens we had were a top bit of kit, especially after using M60s that were well and truly past their use by date and no FTR program to fix them.