L1A1 SELF LOADING RIFLE 7.62MM / L12A1 .22 CONVERSION CHALLENGE

[Gil Boyd]

HISTORY

John Clark and Gil Boyd, both members of Milsurps and avid L1A1 rifle lovers, set about the particularly vexing challenge of finding a Gunsmith/Engineer in the UK, who could produce a really high quality straight pull L1A1.

A. that would not start to jam solid after a few rounds.

B. be as close to the original production rifle as the UK law would allow.

While there have been other builders of Straight Pull L1A1’s, the quality of the builds varied massively, from functioning ‘as required’ to being really fussy regarding ammunition.

The second part (and Holy Grail) was to fabricate a new .22 Semi-Automatic Conversion kit, along the lines of the original Heckler & Koch L12A1 kit, issued to the British and Commonwealth forces and in a slightly modified form, to users of the Metric Fal.

This kit, consisting of blow back bolt group, bore liner with integral chamber insert and specially adapted magazines, allows the 7.62 x 51mm rifle to operate in .22LR Semi-Automatic.

All of this during the world’s COVID pandemic of 2020/2021.

We turned to master engineer Peter Sarony of Armalon Ltd, on the former RAF Bampton Castle site in Oxfordshire, and laid down the gauntlet, which he ably accepted!

This long held ‘back burner’ project was brought about primarily by the lack of conversion units in the UK and the rest of the world that would utilise the strict parameters of the 7.62mm L1A1 rifled barrel.

As stated, H&K had previously produced .22 conversion units for the Ministry of Defence, but they had all since disappeared over time and very few were left in circulation, those that were out there, were either shot out with damaged and missing parts, or simply kept in private hands. Picture of the H&K kit shown below.

The very few complete original L12A1 kits that come onto the market sell for prices that have more Zeros than Pearl Harbour!

With a .22 liner sample supplied to Peter via John and an original bolt group supplied by Gil, Peter set about designing and building a brand new .22 conversion kit for those out there who wanted to simply drop it into their L1A1 for a more sedate (and far cheaper) shooting experience!

It had to be reliable, as we all know, "reliability and semi-automatic" don’t necessarily come hand in hand regarding .22LR.

It had to be able to be readily swapped out by the operator at the shooting range, without special tools.

Anyone who has tried placing an original L12A1 .22 liner into an original L1A1 barrel will be well reminded of the old “throwing a sausage down the high Street” adage, as it clanks its way down the barrel with enough spare room to drive a London bus alongside it!

With the above in mind, Peter studied the original set up and made adjustments to the materials and construction. In qualitative terms, Peter’s conversion kits are miles ahead.
I am certainly not knocking the original H&K units, these were always reliable units, but mass produced, with a design suitable for mass production.

Peter makes the barrels for his L1A1’s on the original Parker Hale plant that produced the last FTR and rebarrelling for the MoD’s L1A1s. They are identical to the original production barrels and having inspected them in ‘the white’, they are of the extremely high quality you would expect from Armalon.

The Barrel liners for Peter’s conversion kits are individually adjusted to the bore of the designated rifle, this ensures a snug liner to bore fit, that keeps the liner firmly supported by the concentric rifling and eliminates the old bulging issues caused by a loose fit … but also caused by service, heavy handed misuse in days gone by!

It’s probably a good time to tell you that Armalon bought most of the fine machinery used by Parker Hale for decades in producing its firearms, and the cream of this machinery together with Armalon’s CNC Machining centres, was used to produce the finished conversion unit and liner for this specific task. Top Left Photo.

Attachment 117033
Just two standard lathes in a workshop full of sheer quality machinery

I wanted an L1A1 straight pull (legal requirement in the UK) under current Firearms Law, that did not jam up after a number of rounds and fail to eject, but I also wanted the added facility of a .22 liner and action that could simply be slid into the L1A1 barrel on a quick and simple conversion from 7.62mm to .22.

The rounds used throughout were GGG 7.62mm rounds and any full power .22 Rim fire, but ELEY were used for the trials. GGG were found to be the most tolerant and suitable for the task, with no jamming experienced or ejection problems.

Peter and his engineer, spent a lot of time honing the action and barrel to ensure the GGG worked 100% efficiently, but also the ejection claws of both full and small bore actions were finely tuned to achieve the aim of producing a reliable solution to this age old problem.


Attachment 117190
Newly hammer forged barrels banks await for their new homes

With an L1A1 parts kit purchased from Helston Gunsmiths Ltd, the challenge was set. Peter set about sorting out all the tolerances of the parts required, and also manufacturing, brand new parts that were different to those made by leading manufacturers in the past. Second article show photos of new manufactured parts built by Armalon and existing H&K actions as a comparison.

CNC machines were tasked with producing the core of the .22 actions and all the ancillaries that go with that, to a new and higher standard, including a new magazine. All were produced in the best metals and produced to a very high standard.

Attachment 117034
The .22 block and follower machined to the highest standard

ASSEMBLY

After a gruelling year of business lockdowns and disruptions during the COVID pandemic of 2020/2021 and the work being carried out, the challenge began to come together, and finely manufactured parts started to emerge from the Armalon factory.

The following picture shows the comparison H&K .22 parts used by the British Army and other countries in the 1970’s known as ‘Conversion kit 7.62 Millimetre rifle .22 Inch Calibre(L12A1) NSN 1005-21-864-5568’ in its wooden chest, supplied with two magazines. The barrel liner can be seen above the magazines and the NSN label and the working parts at the lower quadrant of the chest. This was the most common .22 conversion solution using the L1A1 rifle at the time.

Attachment 117035
H&K .22 parts used by the British Army and other countries in the 1970’s known as ‘Conversion kit 7.62 Millimetre rifle .22 Inch Calibre(L12A1) NSN 1005-21-864-5568’

Attachment 117037
The .22 HK conversion unit and liner fitted into Johns L1A1 rifle with the top cover removed.

Attachment 117036
The .22 HK liner entering the L1A1 barrel.

Attachment 117039
The HK .22 working parts in the rifle without the top cover

Attachment 117040
The top image shows the H&K conversion unit and the Armalon (partially assembled) conversion unit below

Attachment 117041
Image shows the new Armalon .22 magazine insert and outer casing less spring, with the barrel liner shown below

Attachment 117042
Showing all the parts that make up the new Armalon .22 conversion for the L1A1 rifle on the right which will be sold as a kit


Clearly, Peter Sarony and Armalon, wanted to build something new and refreshing and that is what they certainly achieved.

The quality is exceptional, the conversion kit allows rifle flexibility, providing a finely tuned kit which could be used in any existing L1A1 7.62mm barrelled rifle (liner made to the dimensions required) or built to order, as a rifle and conversion kit, paired engineering perfection!

The challenge was to also keep the overall cost at an acceptable level, and this has been achieved at £1500 including VAT to the buyer all proof tested and marked accordingly. All parts provided will also be housed in a protective case.

To secure your order contact Peter Sarony personally at:

peter.sarony@armalon.com
Telephone for enquiries 020 7262 1881
Armalon Limited, Unit 3 Bampton Business Centre North, Weald, Oxon, OX18 2ET. (01993)852788

Gil and John

Information

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