AR15 british trials questions

[jacksonsmith]

Gentlemen!
In 1964-1965 Colt AR15 rifle has been tested in GB. Which 40mm launcher attachment for the XM16E1 Rifle was tested? What infra-red light should been attached to the Colt AR15 Rifle with special bracket?

Information

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[RCS]

I have a 1967 newspaper photo of two US Marines at Khe Sanh using AN/PVS-1 night vision starlight scopes on the M16, these being first generation, while the second generation was designed for the M16.

[Brian Dick]

The British had a special carry handle bracket for the IWS/Pilkington SS20 night sight. There are also brackets for the L1A1 SLR, L7A2 GPMG, and Carl Gustav rocket launcher included in the case. I have some excellent reprint 1975 British Infantry Training Pams available for the AR15-M16. I also have the User Handbook and Infantry Training Pam for the IWS night sight in stock if interested.

[browningautorifle]

Peter should be privy to more of that info...maybe he'll be along? We still had all those mounts in the cases when we got the next generations of the same night sight. Then we had to re-invent things when we got the A2 type.

[Peter Laidler]

I don't remember any grenade launchers with the first batches of the old AR15's we had. To be honest, I wonder if we had them because any sort of rifle launched grenades weren't popular in Malaya due to the close proximity of dense bush/jungle/foliage.

As for the IIW/NV. All we had at the time were - firstly, the US AN/PVS1's that went onto a special mount that attached to the rifle body/rearsight handle. The zeroing was done by moving the bracket. To be honest, while the sight was sort-of OK, the sight bracket between the sight and rifle bracket was crap and pretty fragile. Mind you, so was the sight until we got some with light shutters that would stop-down when a flare went up. Then, later we got the UK RP-SS20 similar type with the zeroing adjustment built in. This was the L1A1 type that went on until it's L1A7 version up to 2005 or so. Tough and hardy kit. But you would still see the US ANPVS type into the 80's or so.

We also had a smaller Oude de Delft Dutch night vision that was VERY good but they didn't seem to be around for long as I think SF had them and they were the fitting for the L34 silenced guns.

SVN and Malaya were very harsh environments for optical kit

[Kev G]

jacksonsmith,the time frame you mention would have been the IR sight XL2E1



This covers the SLR,GPMG,CG and AR15.





The Colt Armalite AR15 assault rifle: trials and procurement file has photographs of the 40mm launcher attachment for the XM16E1 Rifle.



Alas, haven't got round to copying it all yet (inc launcher info) as it's quite large !

ATB Kevin

[Peter Laidler]

That will have been the last throw of the dice for Infra red as in '68 we saw the first of the US IIW's. Amazing that we were still faffing around with non passive IR and the US had passive night vision/IIW. That's an amazing file. We had our AR15's before we had XM-16's that had the enclosed flash hider and a bit later we had the first M-16's with forward assist

[pzluchs]

I Think only one grenade launcher could be tested in Britain at this time - CGL-4(XM-148)

ATB, Andrey