L96A1 Purchase? or New Accuracy International AW

[Peter Laidler]

Yet more mysteries are starting to emerge regarding the actual barrels. Someone ought to start writing all this down and recording it while the rifles are here and available for comparison. For example. On mine, the length of muzzles protruding ahead of the foresight blocks is exactly .95" whereas the example in thread 69 above looks much longer - unless that is camera angle.

On Paul's L96 (thread 67) it shows a barrel with the solid foresight block PLUS the swirly flash eliminator (SFE). Until now I had only seen
a) usual Army foresight block bare muzzle or
b) no foresight block with SFE and
c) no foresight block, no SFE but threaded sleeve screwed on covering thread, painted barrel colour and noticeable by thin joint line.

Any more variables for the pot?

I read what you say Gil, but really, while the P-H was the accurate one, that's really all it had going for it. I'd say that P-H were flogging a dead horse......... Just like Rover were still basically trying to flog 1960 Mini's in 2000. Got my steel helmet on and awaiting the incoming mortars......

[Gil Boyd]

its like many things in life Peter, its a personal thing, and besides if I don't defend PH noone else will, especially now I have recorded all their records for prosterity or whats left of them!
However, rifles are a funny breed, just like the Mini, that always conjures up a large portfolio of views............many good ones too!!

Rifling and general husbandry on bondooks excelled after 1900, and as competition between manufacturers to obtain those lucrative arms contracts, up to, and including the wars that followed, we saw some ingenius methods used in the construction of each jigsaw.

One such piece of the jigsaw was the Santa Barbra bolt in my view, which does appear on many rifle frames during and since the war. Besides refinement on rounds and the exceptional magazine feeding techniques developed since, I see the same overall shape in nearly all rifles where plastic has overtaken wood as the alternative, and they do pretty much what everyone else does.........yes I am generalising, but am I right?

Been working on the Charlie G and supped a few glasses, so hopefully this will read right in the morning, regardless, the L96 for what is worth, made the grade, chosen in preference to the M85, and deserved to be part of the Armies rifling history.

In any case, the new mini isn't a patch on the original either in my view.

[bigduke6]

Any more variables for the pot?

Only thing that stands out to me is one or two have the engraving on a machined recess (similar to the Enforcer.....) the others engraved straight on to the body, anybody in know ?

[Peter Laidler]

That made me chuckle Gil but more power to your elbow having recorded what remains of the P-H rifle archives. Maybe Chosenman can do the same with the AI stuff.

[Gil Boyd]

Peter,
All joking aside, it does need recording and PH is a good example of that, where individual records to each rifle produced were destroyed out of hand. I was lucky that Bill Smallwood kept a lot of the records out of site when PH were sold off and we knew each other.
Its all on Excel now, so unless we get a touch of EMP from a Nuke, they'll stay there for generations to come.

AI should be a peace of cake to record, being such a young company if someone starts now
Simon??

[Simon]

Gil,

I'm sure there's plenty younger than me who can take on the project .

Simon.

[Gil Boyd]

Simon,
Surely its just a case of asking numbers of production on each model. David probably won't tell ANYONE how many "Coverts" he's produced, but hey ho its a start!!

[Peter Laidler]

I have a feeling that the commercial/confidential clause will arise. But maybe not on the L96's and the various L96 that aren't L96's but ARE L96's....... If you understand what I mean as they're all old hat now. Maybe not as common as I suggested but still reasonably available with the right money - or right contacts - or right place at the right time - or................ Simon, Chosenman?

I have some of the L96 trials microfisches and all of the technical stuff.

There were also 3 (or 4?) different magazine configurations too that AI introduced without so much as a thought. The changes were slight but seemingly they were sent out to Ord when spares were demanded by the MoD! That caused some problems too. Major John McXXXXXX had to sort that out and mention not to diplomatically that the specification set is the spec demanded! Someone mention some of the ancilliary* kit too.......

Strange......., it keeps red-lining ancilliary which my dictionary says is correct but lets ancillary go - which the book doesn't recognise!

[RossM10]

It's probably a naive question, but what is the significance of the CR number on the "real" L96s? I always thought that CR numbers referred to Enfield drawings.

[blurrededge]

Be interesting to see if AI is forthcoming with any info, they've not been exactly helpful the two times I've asked them a question and one of those was simply the exact compound they use to bond the L96 chassis too the action, I have the company name but not the exact product from their range.
Also I noticed the mag on the Devizes L96 is different to the two types I have.