firstly admins, my apologies feel free to move this, but as most the enfield lot seem to also be interested in the L96 I thought I could get away with posting here.
so to my question. The AI PM when not shipped to the MOD seems to have had the a swirly muzzle compensator / dash suppressor.
Did the MOD ever evaluate it and if so does any one know of details of why it wasn’t incorporated into the L96?
cheers
Information
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The reason why that swirly-whirly muzzle attachment wasn't attached to the general issue L96's was because the scientists at Shrivenham including Lt Col Txxxxx said quite clearly that as a reverse swirl thing, so-said designed to break up the directional flow of the expelled gas/propellant and therefore break up the flash was based on fuzzy logic and achieved nothing. I never saw one on any L96's that I saw and I owned one that WAS a former '....special forces...' one. Sorry to semi-diisagree with others
I suspect that the police had the swirly curlly whirly attachment was because it looked good and while the Army had no need for such fripperies, being experts in such matters, they certainly did!
cheers Peter, interesting that your SF one didn’t have on either, was that one of the early pre trials PMs? leaving the police issue compensator out, do you know what happened to the original flash hider on the 84 trials rifles?
Last edited by Micheal Doyne; 12-12-2022 at 03:59 PM.
Mine was a very late L96, up close to the end of the 2000 purchased. To be honest, I don't know what happened to any of the trials rifles. The barrels will have been changed for sure because removal left the threads exposed. That said. I did see an ex threaded barrel with a smooth finish sleeve threaded on. But this meant that the foresight block couldn't be removed. So far as my memory of them goes.
I have/had the trials report for the L96's on microfische and have a funny feeling that I put a precis summary of them on the forum several years ago. Anyone out there......
cheers Peter, interesting that your SF one didn’t have on either, was that one of the early pre trials PMs? leaving the police issue compensator out, do you know what happened to the original flash hider on the 84 trials rifles?
Michael
You are confusing L96A1 issued rifles, L96A1 Trials rifles and special purchase PM/S rifles.
The SBS and SAS have their own funding and a Special Projects Team. They ordered PM rifles before the L96 was ever designed, trialled or ordered. The exact numbers are in Steve's book, but numbered around the 20's for each unit from memory. The SAS ones specified an Ambidextrous safety as well.
These rifles are different to L96's because the L96 didn't exist at the time.
Once the trial had been completed and the contract issued, then none of the issued L96 rifles would have had the flash hider because it was never part of the Spec.
So the rifles that the SF may have had with swirly flash hiders were PM/S not L96's. Nor were they standard Military Issue.
I expect the early PM rifles were destroyed and replaced by the L96. I can't recall ever seeing an ambidextrous safety on any rifle in civvy hands.
Police Rifles have been seen with them, so it remained a commercial option.
PM
Originally Posted by Roy W
