Anyone Seen These Drawings Before?

[Lithy]

Thanks all for a very interesting thread.

I'm very envious of Woodsy's early SLR. Sadly, I currently can't own one due to it's military pedigree and my location, but I'm working on it.

Back to the original question, the bloke got back to me on the origins of the drawings and I quote; "It's a copy of plans for a DMR version of an SLR, tested and trialled by Lithgow in 1973, before the term DMR was invented".

DMR to the best of my knowledge stands for Defence Materials Review or something similar. Something akin to our current DSTC.

Thanks again to all the contributors to this very enjoyable thread.

[mrclark303]

Morning all,

As I managed to get away from my office at 5pm yesterday I hightailed it over to my local range to test the scope (and my new L12A1 magazine, cheers Mike), just me and the skylarks in the gathering September haze ... cracking way to end the day!

Very pleased to report that at 25yds the scope mount combo worked a treat, though as you correctly predicted Peter, the scope was at the very limits of its vertical adjustment at 25yds.

After some zeroing the rifle L12A1/ scope / mount combo was printing very satisfactory and consistent groups, only limited by the L1 trigger and the poor operator at the controls!

When I can get down to Severnside next I shall move back to 50 then 100yds to see how she works at more realistic ranges..

[aiae308]

DMR - Designated Marksmans Rifle.

If you look closely at the drawings they show that the scope mount is actually attached to the RHS of the upper body ( upper receiver for some ) and does not rely on a dust cover solution as that had been tried and failed. There is a re inforce that goes into the removed carry handle slot.

It was never intended to be a sniper rifle, just a more accurate L1A1 with an optical sight. Some of the mods pioneered in this then became commercially available in the "Target Shooters Package" that used to be put together by the now deceased Des Batcheldor when he was at SAF Lithgow. Back in the 80's you could pay $125.00 more for your SLR and Des wound do a trigger job, tighten the headspace, smooth the action rails and bolt carrier, and generally tighten up a few more bits to get the rifles shooting a little better. And they did shoot better. He was a lovely guy and a craftsman in every sense of the word.

What should be done with the drawings - maybe give them to the SAF Museum at Lithgow ?

Thanks all for a very interesting thread.

I'm very envious of Woodsy's early SLR. Sadly, I currently can't own one due to it's military pedigree and my location, but I'm working on it.

Back to the original question, the bloke got back to me on the origins of the drawings and I quote; "It's a copy of plans for a DMR version of an SLR, tested and trialled by Lithgow in 1973, before the term DMR was invented".

DMR to the best of my knowledge stands for Defence Materials Review or something similar. Something akin to our current DSTC.

Thanks again to all the contributors to this very enjoyable thread.

[Peter Laidler]

I wondered whether anyone would come up with mounting the tele and mount onto the bodyside. I would say that a telescope/mount screwed into either side of the L1A1 body is also doomed to fail for the simple reason that the anti-clockwise moments about the mount/telescope during recoil are still the same as those that plagued the top cover mount idea. But in this bodyside mount notion, this leverage is applied to the two or three (or four?) screws that are threaded into the 1/8" / 4mm maximum steel bodyside material. And what about the breech block carrier guiode rails machined internally too?

No need to get 'machineries' out chaps.........., Once again, I've done the maths for you. If it will tear/shear the screws from the pad and body of a No4T AND shear the spigot/locating lug off suddenly and without warning, you just ask yourself how long the screws (?) will last in a 4mm thick bodyside before total shear takes place. Bigger screws? Think about it!

[mrclark303]

What should be done with the drawings - maybe give them to the SAF Museum at Lithgow ?

I would agree that that's the best place for them, they need to be properly achieved and preserved.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

The factory at Lithgow, now owned by the French Thales conglomerate, seems to have a limited interest in history, especially of the documentary kind.

Unfortunately, ALL of the previously surviving paperwork, including ALL of the microfilm aperture cards and a couple of truckloads of paper and ancient waxed linen drawings from the old "towers", were sent to the "Powerhouse Museum' in Sydney. Sadly, this organisation has a big reputation for being "anti-gun' and it is not likely you will get access to anything there, in the unlikely event that any of the stuff from Lithgow even survives.

[nzl1a1collector]

I'll look after the plan :-)

[Peter Laidler]

The big three have taken over the asylum here too. H&K, RO/BAE and Thales

[Paul S.]

. . .
Unfortunately, ALL of the previously surviving paperwork, including ALL of the microfilm aperture cards and a couple of truckloads of paper and ancient waxed linen drawings from the old "towers", were sent to the "Powerhouse Museum' in Sydney. . . .

I would think a better place for all that would be the National Archives or National Library in Canberra.

[mrclark303]

I would have to agree, its terrible if achieved materials important to Australian history (though I am sure the tree huggers would disagree) are allowed to disappear, the National Archives would seem the best place, I think our Antipodean members should start lobbying!