Inch pattern L1A1 barrels

[AK-103 Dude]

After doing alot of research on thefalfiles.com i have come to the conclusion that saf Lithgow made the best us made L1A1 barrels. I just ordered a brand new one from ernst armory if anybody is still looking. They are also available from rpospecialties page.

---------- Post added at 03:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:31 PM ----------

I dont believe there ever was any particular scope made for match L1A1 rifle but then again i could be wrong. I looked in Ian Skennerton's handbook as well as a few other books on the FAL and only saw the SUIT and a few one-off scope mounts issued in limited numbers.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Nice!! What kind of scope mounts were available for match L1A1s? I imagine we're not talking SUIT mounts....

I had one of the dreadful "Trilux" SUIT rigs to start with. The crappy alloy "chassis" was a serious problem, especially when it broke. Additionally, the local gun shop was not up to recharging the Tritium gas element, either.

A friend assembled several "spare" standard dust covers with mild-steel blocks which served as "platforms" on which the owner could attach "bases and rings"; Parker Hale, Leupold, Weaver, etc.. The trick was that the dust covers were slightly spread" before these profiled blocks were attached using silver-solder. Once the blocks were cool, the cover and blocks went into a fixture in the mill and the tops were machined true and ready to be drilled and tapped for the bases / rail of choice.

This modification process tightened the fit in the main body grooves and was quite stable with lighter optics, for example, Leupold's lovely little 2-7 x 32 variable. Finally, I found a genuine ex -Bundeswehr Hensholdt for their G1; ex Australian trials, apparently, in its proper carry case and complete with correct "special" dust cover and end caps. Robust and light-weight, it was probably too valuable to be bashing around the bush; but those were the REAL "good-old-days"!

[enbloc8]

Thanks for bumping up this thread...I was looking for that post on custom barreling for years!

And that reminds me, I have a Hensoldt scope I have yet to try out....