L1A1 fitted with a No.32 Scope

[skiprat]

I've been doing a bit of digging...
the photo of the "chef" was taken from Divis tower in 1972 (Divis flats still been built in the fore ground) and the soldier was from the Glostershire Regiment. on the regimental museum website there is another photo of the same soldier as part of the CO's rover group, still with the No32 scope fitted. (not a suit sight rubber eye piece)
It looks like the same type of mount as the rifle at the start of this thread,

A pressed steel bracket spot welded midway on the topcover with the scope rings fixed to this bracket, the rings look like a butchered No 32 bracket.

I think 3 years into the "troubles" the soldiers had found the need for optics to aid target identification (prior to the SUIT sight been introduced in 1972 (I think)) and had started to come up with thier own solutions, I have even seen photos of IWS's been used in daylight to identify firing points.

the nature of the conflict changed so quickly in the first few years anything was worth trying, it may have just given the soldier "the edge"

As a young Armourer before a tour of Northern Ireland I was warned by my boss about the "illegal" modifications that used to be done, including the fitting of single point sights and pistol grips fitted to handguards.

[Brit plumber]

I think this may be the type of sight in post #33 (the clear plastic front came in truncated cone or ball type)

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Used BSA l1a1 7.62 mm Machine Guns For Sale in Hertfordshire :: GunStar

Attachment 48876

[Gil Boyd]

I thought we had the chance of all sights on trial in NI between 71-74.
I found this one in the pile of me evaluating a Trilux sight on the border in 1973.
For those nature lovers the first shot is at Belleek crossroads and the second the beautiful mountains of Mourne O.P where the scenery made me lay my weapon down for two minutes

[Peter Laidler]

There was always a great push for any form of red-dot type of sight. The problem was that at whatever range you used it at, the bullet ramained at 7.62mm or .300" in diameter. You couldn't say the same for the red dot. At 30 yards or so - SMG range - it was a little dot but at anything over that, as the target got smaller, the dot stayed the same size and at 50 yards, almost covered the top half of the person you were shooting at! And the bullet was STILL small......

Be iunterested to know what you felt about the SUIT Gil. I say '...better than nothing I suppose!'

That top cover in thread 62 was made/adapted to take the SUSAT sight/base. Recently the XXXX tested a..... I think I need a bit of advice/clearance before I go further

[Gil Boyd]

L12A1
SUSAT – which stood for: SIGHT UNIT SMALL ARMS TRILUX

Peter,
OVERVIEW
I know we instigated a battle sight on the top of the body of the SUIT due to the original issue of the sight in 1972 having a fixed corrugated rubber eyepiece as my earlier pics show on the border in NI, as it was diffcult to acquire a target and therefore unable to have a "quick shot" without it.

This was replaced mid stream by a fixed open rubber eyepiece, as it was difficult when the proverbial hit the fan to acquire the pointer/pillar in the sight.

Like many sights before including the No32 sight it had a defined pointer/pillar which was highly visible in the sight at a central position.
The beauty of this sight was that in low light or dark conditions the pointer/pillar was illuminated by the Trilux lamp and lit up the pointer as a good strong reference, which did not light up the firer at night, even with the new rubber “open”eyepiece cup. Red used for obvious reasons involving the spectrum and the omitted frequency for tactical ops.

This particular sight was really advanced for the time, insofar, that you had total control operationally on the level of light from the Trilux lamp on the pointers illumination, with a simple brightness turn screw on the side. This was easy to use even when leather gloves were soaked as it stood out proud from the body. I remember that it never seemed to stop raining in S.Armagh every time we went ha ha!!

Now which Regiment had the bright idea also of removing doors and covers from the L/R in those early days, yes you guessed it. Garrot angle iron at the front and just a few panels and an engine that was us.....lol
It soon caught on though in those early Apocalypse Now sessions on the border as a young Tom.(name for a Parachute Regiment soldier)

The strong alloy hood over hung the lens for about an inch, so provided a great shade to those few sunny days I saw there. Again this was way ahead of its time and a good innovation. There was never any fogging, and the sight was totally waterproof. We were given the usual unit armourers warning not to ever drop the sight, and if we did, get it back quick!!!

Tritium Gas was a dangerous hazard in those days and a lot of kit had it with the usual symbols of danger marked on the side for the know all with a screwdriver to keep out. I remember that a card I was given excluded me from smoking whilst using it, which I never did anyway, I just **** my pants if I was nervous!!

Having zero’d it at Ballykinler twice I remember, on the SLR pictured I had good groups at 500-600 metres with about 180 degrees field of view. So for the Border area it was quite a good sight to have fitted to such a hardy rifle as the SLR. It was also consistant in reminding the trained firer that the range drum was marked in 3-8 increments of 100 metres which again was most helpful when used in open ground in all conditions.
I can only speak for my Regiment, as many sights were issued to those trained riflemen to evaluate in those early heady days who could hold good grouping, This may account for the other single point sight on the earlier images, but I know the L12A1 was the most reliable and was adopted for many years thereafter especially in bandit country, but was also effective in certain parts of the cities. The opposition were gagging to know what it was I remember, that’s how state of the art it was!!

[skiprat]

The bracket in post #62 looks to be a modified IWS mount ( the pressed steel bracket welded on to the top cover, is not the one for the SUIT sight. )

[Peter Laidler]

Re thread 66 and 62 Skippy, that cover ans welded top piece attachment were used on a few different variants such as the IIW cover, the No78 sight cover and the SUSAT rail type cover yes? or no?

Gil, the sight on your L1A1rifle as shown during the NI period wasn't the SUSAT. It is the SUIT that stood for Shooter Usually In Trouble.

There has been a fair bit written about the SUIT in this forum section. Not a patch on the later incarnation, the SUSAT as fitted to the little L85.

I have an adaptor rail on my SA80/L98 that takes a S&B 6x 42 greenie with a recalibrated range drum. I also got one of the trials adaptor plates that converts the SA80 dovetail/SUSAT rails to picatinny format. That allows me to use a US M-16 Trijicon or ANY picatinny railed sight.

[Gil Boyd]

SUIT Shooter Usually in trouble, love it.............long time ago and a lot of sights under the bridge to remember all details but I do remember the parts.
The sight had a fixed plate on the top cover, which you then could detach the sight by turning two knobs by hand.
To refit the reverse, with a spring loaded spigot, popping up in the middle of the two knobs and locking it in position very clever for the day

[Peter Laidler]

Nope.......... wracking my brain and can't think of a SUIT sort of sight attached using that configuratiopn. All the ones in the systen (the system that was adopted) seem to have that crap spring loaded lever thinggy and the..............O' don't get me going about the SUIT. OK sight but didn't go a bundle on the downward pointing grat post, good rifle, but what a bag of sh......., er............ rubbish joining the two bits together

[skiprat]

Gil that sounds like the SUSAT in post #68 with the centre spring loaded plunger and 2 wing nuts...

(Sorry Peter I liked the down pointing grat. On the Suit. I found it better to hold a point of aim above the target at longer ranges. than cover the target with the pointer as on the SUSAT. (I was always to forgetful..to change the range drum)