Shortened SLR

[Gil Boyd]

Jim,
If you kept the rubber cover on regardless with the pinhole centre, it was a fairly robust piece if I remember rightly, none of those GEN 1 tubes could withstand any direct light, but when I was instructing on NVG many years later, GEN 1 tubes took a lot of beating as they performed where GEN 11 stuff didn't ie that extra light for photographic work, no honeycombing as an example. Peter might cast his mind back as to what issues surrounded them, but they were heavily in demand in OP's in the Province, so from my memory banks they did what they said on the box I believe!!

[browningautorifle]

If you kept the rubber cover on regardless with the pinhole centre, it was a fairly robust piece

Yes, that was how we zeroed them during daylight too, of course. There would always be one that would follow movement after a flare went off and run onto the trip flare, or looking around engage a vehicle with white lights. Sometimes the safety shutoff would work and sometimes the bulb would give.

[Paul S.]

Jim,
. . . but they were heavily in demand in OP's in the Province, so from my memory banks they did what they said on the box I believe!!

Gil, Early 1969, we had a Gen 1 Starlite Scope that had "US Property" marked on it for some strange reason. We used it exclusively for OPs as a hand-held spotting scope.

[Gil Boyd]

Used right up to and past the dispute down south into the late 80's. Here's a picture of the unit in use with 2 SCOTS on Tumbledown Mountain morning after the night before 14th June 1982. You can see it mounted on the GPMG in the background.
I have one of a 2 PARA lad also mounted on his SLR but the site wouldn't allow its down load apologies.
In the early days of NI and talking about US Property, all we had was dirty heavily used ex Vietnam flak jackets to wear. First thing we did was cut the collars off and give them a good wash............they were so heavily drawn on with Ace of Clubs images etc by their previous owners, we soon wore them under our smocks to hide the crap on them.

[Peter Laidler]

That one (thread 14) is a VERY old/early night sight. It is definately a UK made SS20 Rank Precision one that didn't have the auto brightness control to shut it down or dim it when the flares went up. That was the killer for these.

Even the tiny hole in the shutter that you kept on for zeroing in daylight wasn't certain to prevent damage. In several instances where the night IIW was left with the shutter on and facing a window, the sun would shine into the hole and start to burn the electronic phosphorence tube. When it stopped working - as it would after a few hours - you would see an arc as the sun had magnified and burned its way across the screen. There goes another £1,200 IIW tube.............

[browningautorifle]

2 SCOTS

What a history those guys have...the unit I mean... I remember all that, I was a young Sargent then waiting and eager to go help you guys, but the gov't didn't see it that way.

[Peter Laidler]

I understand that the R NZ Navy were the first units to go 'on-station' and ready for action down there. I wonder whether those RNZN blokes got the medal

[browningautorifle]

I wonder whether those RNZN blokes got the medal

I found this Peter, I think it shows they did... The institution of new campaign medals in New Zealand and the United Kingdom- part 2

[DocAV]

Well, I have built Two of these, sacrificing Two Lithgow (Aussie) SLRs...for Movie Use

First, Barrel was shortened in Lathe to 1 inch past Front sling swivel Barrel Lug; Then
Trigger mechanism was modified by replacing L1 Selector with L2 Selector, and Trigger stop pin was shortened appropriately. The selector stop ( after Semi Auto) was removed, and a new one installed at FA.

Gas Port and Gas valve left as is.

Since the Heat of FA fire (Both Ball and Blank) would soon roast a wooden Handguard, a new Handguard was made in Aluminium Tube, fitted with Picatinny rails (Sides and Underneath) for adding "Accessories". This was also slotted, for Gas and air circulation.

Magazine used was the Curved L4 7,62 Bren Mag ( not the straight L2A1 mag)

Firing: All my Movie Guns (built from real Live Ones) are tested for strength before Blank Fire Conversion by having several Hundred Rounds of Ball ammo put though them ( semi auto slow fire, Full auto Slow fire Bursts, full auto "Magazine dump" ( full 30 rds in one trigger Pull). If the Gun survives this, it is considered "proofed" and given our "In House" Proof Mark.

Blank fire adaptation consists of fitting a 3/8"x24 UNF grub screw to the Muzzle ( about 1 inch (25mm) In from the Muzzle itself. The Vent is calibrated for the Blank Loading used
(AVB Standard Blank, equal to ADI F8; Case is full profile, 13-14 grains Fast Powder. And the best rate of fire reached by adjusting the Gas control ring on the Front sight Block.

It is a combination of "Science" and "Black Art" (* and a lot of drilled, tested and rejected Vented Grubscrews ) even 1/10 mm difference in vent diameter can mean the difference between reliable operation and constant jams, or worst still, a runaway hammered gun.

In Film Screen tests, it reliably dumps a full mag of blanks at about 800 rpm; but the heat expelled requires the use of a forward hand grip (Hence the underneath Picatinny rail.)

The amazing thing, in regular repetitive semi-auto fire, it sounds like an MG08 (tat-tat-tat- etc) and has been used at a Military re-enactment of "The Hindenburg Line" hidden in a concrete bunker. The Crowd thought it was a Maxim...( so did the re-enactors, until they over-ran the German Position.!!)

We have a couple of "Modern" films coming up...the all-black Short SLR will feature as an "Entry Weapon", complete with Laser sights, special Optics, etc...and "All Black"

Video clips of action will show up soon on our "FilmGuns" Webpage ( in the new Year.)

Doc AV
AVB FilmGuns
Brisbane Australia

[Gil Boyd]

Jim,
Yes a Regiment steeped in history, ironically, and not wishing to hijack the thread by going off the topic, last week I actually spoke to the sniper from 2 SCOTS who was one of the three Battalion snipers on Tumbledown on that eventful night in 1982.

To top it all, he was the owner of my L42A1 too. He had it over his back and was using an SMG during the attack, and was wounded in the back and head. His rifle action took the direct strike, and it was the history I have been seeking for many years which is now totally clarified as authentic.

All that was ever recorded was it was damaged/written off by Peter L ironically. Somewhere a long the line it was brought back on stream.
To cut to the chase, the lad in question is coming to fire the rifle after all these years at our shoot in January 900 metre range, he won't be dissapointed, she shoots like a dream