I Have This Old Gun: L1A1 SLR (British FAL)
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- Опубликовано: 7 янв 2019
- The less recognizably named cousin of the FN FAL, the L1A1 SLR (or British FAL) equipped her majesty's troops from 1954 until its replacement by the Royal Ordinance L85 bullpup.
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As a ex British squaddie. I carried my SLR in the cold of a German winter. The heat of the Libyan desert. And the troubles of Northern Ireland. It was my bestfriend. It never let me down.
The Troubles was in Ireland not Northern Ireland
Thank you 🙏
Roger that. Me too, but not onto a two way firing range though. Respect to you mate 👍🏼
@@cathanmccann1769 Pretty sure it’s the North eastern corner that is Troubled …
@@cathanmccann1769 Spot the taig
7.62 every time when you need something to stay dead.
I've seen an arm removed by one round.
Marvellous what a little extra punch does😁
Watching a fire power demo where the GPMG demolished a brick wall was always impressive!
When you hit them their deeeeed
1st time fired i closed my eyes falling plates
Having been a rifleman in the Australian Army, I remember how easy it was to strip and assemble plus clean the SLR. No little pins or parts that could easily be lost in the dark or mud. The 7.62mm rounds had tremendous hitting power which could lift a full 44 gallon drum off the ground. A round could easily go through most average size trees plus it also had a descent long range. I always reckoned that they should have made a lighter version with maybe telescope sighting and other updated modifications. Semi automatic firing is good, it teaches soldiers good fire discipline and not to waste ammunition. Also teaching correct aiming methods before shooting. I preferred the SLR to the 5.56mm AUS Steyer that replaced it.
🍻🇦🇺
@Graham HUNT Could be modified to fire on automatic by the judicious use of a match stick. CO & RSM - not amused.
The upgrade to 7.62mm meant a kill at 500 yards was possible unlike with 5.56mm ammo.
@Jayke Craig and thanks to 300blkout the 308 can now be loaded up to 220g. I'm not sure if .308 shoots flatter than .223 that little round zips along, however I agree that going into battle
With .308 over a .223 will help my nerves.
100 % Mate, great for waking in tent pegs also. I had one at my side from 1974-88 in New Zealand, When we decided to go to the styer I got out.
@@glennwilliams6522 This is also the reason why civilians in Canada cannot currently acquire any FN FAL variant. The FN FAL and all its variants is prohibited, but to avoid costly buyback schemes, the government grandfathered existing owners of the FN FAL (most of the FN's in civilian hands,were ex-military FN C1 and FN C1A1 rifles) with the understanding that the rifles would have to remain in a closet and never see any range time, and could only be sold or transferred to other grandfathered owners of FN's. The exemption also stipulated that when the grandfathered owners died, the rifle would have to be turned in by the owner's estate to the police, to be destroyed.
I was at one of those D-Day miltary shows a couple of years ago, re-enactors etc. Guy had a display of deactivated weapons. I asked if I could strip and assemble his SLR. He smiled...my young kids were open mouthed. Things you never forget.
Can you still do it blindfolded.😉
@anthony turner Of course he can - hard to forget your IA’s.
They’re called ‘drills’ for a reason 👍👍
I can still do it in the dark AND blindfolded in 2 mins, I could have it firing single shot in 30 secs.🤣🤣
@Simon Leib 54 years for me.!
I was issued with a L1A1 when I first joined the British Army in 1987 and I really liked the weapon. We were then inflicted with the SA80 and to be honest I wanted my SLR back so bad. They were reliable, easily field stripped, great accuracy and good stopping power. The exact opposite of the first A1 SA80
I was in the British Territorial Army in the early 80's and we were issued with L1A1 SLR's. During our last few weeks of training a Corporal from another company showed us how to modify the SLR to fire on full automatic. If I remember rightly, it was a proper beast on full auto. Happy days...........
Was that done with a match stick by any chance? Read it somewhere
@@twowheelexploration9228that's usual way, not that I ever got caught doing that😁😁 RNZIR
@@twowheelexploration9228yes
We used these in the ATC in the 80,s ,we were shown the match stick mod by a squadie who came shooting at the same range one day,never tried it though.
I absolutely loved this weapon. I carried it for nearly two decades until they replaced it with a child's cap gun in 1988. It broke my heart. I wish I had the foresight to have obtained an old-spec deactivated L1Ai to display above my fireplace, to take down now and again to play with it. A weapon sadly missed.
My mate has one, the lucky bastard. Had it about 10 yrs now. Its EXCELLENT. Strips down EXACTLY as it used to do despite it being deactivated. The muscle memory was still there even after me leaving 2 Para in 97. Load, unload, make safe ..still as fast as I used to be. Deactivated ones now adher to different rules. They are just a lump of SLR shaped metal and not worth having IMHO. I do miss the old Blunderbuss.
Where can you buy these in USA? Are they better than FN FAL?
Take it over that cheap M-16 any day
@@charleswest6372 I understand you. Many American soldiers that served in WW2, and Korea didn't like the M-16 as well. It didn't feel like a real mans Battle Rifle. They preferred the M-14, or the M-1 Garand. Two heavy hard hitting Battle Rifles. The problem with the M-14 was that it really wasn't suitable for the jungles of Vietnam. It was made for a war in Europe. The M-16 was very suitable for the hot jungle climate. By 1967, if you were going to Vietnam. You would be issued an M-16. If you were going to Europe. You got the M-14. To this day the M-14 has never been officially phased out of service. We still got government warehouses full of them. It's the perfect weapon for Sharpshooters. The US military really don't use the M-16 often anymore. It's not phased out of service... yet. The vast majority of Marine, and Army infantry use the M-4 Carbine, and HK-416.
@@black10872 I agree if you are fighting in more open spaces, and shooting over longer ranges, a 7.62 rifle does make sense. But a big advantage of 5.56 is that a soldier can carry about 30% more ammo, and it is still a very lethal round with kills reported as far out as 1km. In a fire fight you never want to run out of ammo, so 5.56 probably makes more sense for infantry units. I thought this was a big part of the logic for switching NATO to 5.56mm.
The SLR stopped everything it hit. A number Rhodesian rebels killing the farmers we were trying to protect found out they couldn’t hide behind Buttrose tree roots. We just shot them through the tree root. They stopped attacking pretty quickly when they knew we were there. We called it the Elephant Gun. Btw, we put a match stick under the trigger sear to make it auto. It was a beast on auto.
Dean Munro 🤣🤣🤣🤣👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Many thanks 👍. My family were forced out of Rhodesia, some were killed but they killed many of the attackers.
Match stick auto brings back happy memories.
thank you sir
You are a real rifleman if you know the match stick/ sear trick..
I recall with great clarity my first live shoot with an SLR. I was only three months past my 15th birthday and, as a boy soldier, we were on the range for the first time.
"With a magazine of five rounds - LOAD"
"Five rounds at your target in front, in your own time - Fire"
Bang
Bang
Bang
Bang
Bang
Click
I looked to my left where my platoon Sgt was laying as my coach
"It won't shoot Sergeant"
There followed a smack to the back of my head and the advice
"Count your fucking rounds Price!"
Happy days. It was 1967 so I might have the commands a bit wrong.
I'd been in about 3 years and was on the ranges. We'd had a young lad join the Unit just a week or two before and he was on the firing point in the same detail as me. He too forgot the number of rounds he'd fired and in truth, I think he'd forgotten the firing orders anyway because he stopped firing, stood up, turned around and said, "I've run out of bullets, Sergeant." I've forgotten the Sergeant's response but there would have been a few astrisks in it if it had been written down!
Which unit. I was a boy soldier in 1967 - Junior Para.
@@rayjennings3637 I.A. Drills - 'Rifle firing, rifle firing, rifle stops. Cock, hook and look. Chamber empty, no rounds in the magazine. Change magazine, continue firing.' It's been over 40 years, but you don't forget. (Since the beginning of 2024 I have been the proud owner of an SLR which I shoot regularly. For me it's like wearing the poppy - in memory.
My partner from 1972 and 1976 in the Royal Engineers and did infantry role in 1974 in Northern Ireland in the 'bad times'.. Targets DO fall when hit. A monster of a weapon !
I was 1970-76 RE. 1970 I joined and went to Chepstow on my 16th birthday ( at the strong recommendation of a judge) Then Bergan Belson, NI. 30 Squadren. I've lived in Canada for the last 42 years.
Did my first tour as a sapper in ballykelly but as engineers in 75.
Loved this weapon but with the wooden stock.
I so loved my SLR. when I fired the L85A1 for the first time, after a couple of rounds down range, I put the new rifle on safe and turned to the NCO in charge of the range and commented that I thought that these rounds weren't firing right and were weak discharges. He just smiled and said Your firing a 5.56 now, not the good old 7.62 round. I grew to like the L85 series, but never loved it as I did the SLR.
As a left hander I remember having to do right hand drills until I had to fire it. But I loved it, it never let you down if you kept it clean.
@Ewen 6177 The point of the 5.56 over the 7.62 is that there was more chance of immobilising rather than killing. The reason? A corpse is a corpse. Can't do a thing with it. In a battle.. crack on, leave him there. An injured comrade will take out at least one, possibly two other soldiers dragging him to cover.
@@TheRealist2022 Not sure where that started but it's a complete fallacy. The 5.56mm was selected for two main reasons..1) Soldiers could carry more ammo for the same weight, and 2) it was considered easier to shoot accurately. Had things gone to plan, the British Army would have gone with a 7mm , but the US adapted the 7.62 and steam rollered NATO into the same. The rifle the Brits were developing in 7mm could not easily be rechambered to 7.62, so we went with a slightly reworked FN Fal instead. Once most of NATO had adopted service rifles in 7.62mm, the Yanks dropped it and went to 5.56mm instead!
@@TheRealist2022 My father told me that too and the only rifle I know he ever used was a .22 short at a fairground.
@@TheRealist2022 I´ve heard that one to, but if someone is trying to kill you would you prefer to be armed with a rifle that is more designed to immobilise or to kill. The answer is rather obvious.
The right arm of the free world will always be an iconic and legendary rifle
Australian soldiers used the SLR to great effect in Vietnam. Ours had wooden stocks, pistol grips, and foregrips.
Shorter barrel too I believe
@@s4ss.m8 Nope...we had barrel choices but the standard was the same as the Brits.
The British army during the Malay campaign had wooden stocks and butts.
I spent 10yrs in uniform and was issued the same rifle for that whole time. I loved it and never once regretted the weight of it. It was utterly reliable, never once jammed, we learnt jamming drills but never needed them. As for it being semi-auto only, well, if you're handing out well aimed 7.62 you don't feel the need for fully auto too often
They are reputed to be uncontrollable on full auto, like the M14, a testament to their layout and lack of a recoil buffer I assume because the German FG43 of WWII had similar power but is reputed to be easily controlled from the shoulder on full noise. Stoner copied the layout for his AR10.
The cocking lever when extended was perfect for opening beer bottles.
would you expect anything less.
Unfortunately a lot of blokes would use the lips of the magazines....
Hits very hard, 7.62! Accurate & reliable if looked after. I used my SLR in Gibraltar, Belize, Germany, Cyprus & Northern Ireland
I hadn't been issued the SA80 when I went to the gulf so still had my SLR. And I was pleased with that happenstance.
The reason you had the SLR, was because the L85 was garbage in the desert! I know we offered you guys M-16A2s, but your side said they'd reuse the SLR... good call!
He still had the SLR as it was still in service, and would remain in service with support, rear echelon and reserves until 1995.
Had nothing to do with the SA80 being crap in the desert.
It was a brand new weapon and was at that time prioritized to regular Infantry.
It isn't possible to issue a new piece of kit and instantly phase out the "old" kit overnight.
@@PieAndChips True. We also deployed to the gulf armed with SMGs and SLRs.
I loved this weapon, and I thought great to drill with. Loathed the transition between this and the SA80. Gave us a popgun instead of an elephant gun!
Go on 51...
Mr D the SA80 was improved later on.
Your absolutely right, the SLR Was a beast, the first time I fired it, the recoil cracked my shoulder bad, tucked it well in afterwards.
Excellent rifle, I used one from 1978 to 1982 with 2 Wessex.
Better than the SA80 as you knew targets weren’t going to get up again any time soon with the SLR.
Thanks for your service I’m a cadet and we use l98a2 but basically even crappier sa80s I really wish we would adopt a new version of the l1a1
Kyle Swanson 0207 thank you for your cervix
i was in 2 wessex form 87 to 91 2nd bat b coy 5pl winchester
@@PieAndChips Among many other units, I served with F Coy, 1 Wessex.
My first SLR was pretty much junk - old and worn out. I could take the top cover off and wiggle it from side to side by the pistol grip and the whole fore-end would move..
Move on to the run-out period prior to the introduction of the L85, and my worn-out old rifle was replaced from war stocks by a 'brand new' SLR: the serial showed it was actually a year older than I was - but it had never been issued and was, effectively, brand new. A real Rolls-Royce of a rifle. And suddenly, I was hitting figure 11 targets at 500 meters with the iron sights. I loved that rifle. I know the latest incarnation of the L85 is supposed to be really good, but never having had the chance to try it I can only say that I'd take my old SLR every time...
Loved my SLR.
G'day from Australia 🇦🇺
G'day to you digger!
@@MrLorenzovanmatterho me too. ADF 1976-2006.
I joined the army in the mid 80's and I loved the SLR and I mean loved. It was a fantastic weapon, very accurate even to 600 meters with iron sites. The 7.62 mm would not only stop a man but would blow him backwards. When we swapped to the SA80 it was a sad day, that POS rifle was useless.
L85A3, as remade by H&K now a much better weapon.
@@davidpage4005 Not at ranges of 600 meters
metres*
I slept with this weapon more than I slept with my ex wife..
Ray Stewart ditto
Ray Stewart same
Why would you sleep with your ex wife
Your comment makes me think that you are either Rhodesian or South African?
@@someshghumaria4512 British Army SOP, lol...
A good overview!
The SLR was fine weapon and I miss it. I used iit while in the Paras, 1980-83. Had a good, long range and the 7.62 round could penetrate several layers of bricks/walls, so superior to Armalites, AKs etc. An injury from a hit even to a limb often resulted in death from shock as a result of the sheer force. With their length, two rifles threaded through the sleeves of smocks could be used as a makeshift stretcher for a casuslty.
Long live the SLR!
Yep. My dad was a Para too. He told me it would penetrate the width of 3 standard house bricks. And it was accurate.
No pissing about with this bad boy, carried it for 10 years, never failed me.....
Phased out when I joined the Army but there where a few examples lurking in our armoury and I did get to fire one, excellent weapon.
I loved the SLR. Would love to get another chance on the range with one.
Brilliant 7.62 mm of lethality. The one shot stop.
The Aussie’s and Kiwi’s used the L1A1 SLR effectively in the Vietnam War
The Rhodesian army was equipped with the same weapon, albeit a fully auto Belgium model
I joined the RAAF in 1984 and that was the basic weapon then. It was only replaced by the F88 Austeyr in the 1990s. Anyone who used the SLR much prefers everything about them (except their weight!).
@@simonnormand2813 Remember Rhodesia
Because they’re british colonised
@@goofygoobers4850 and?
this was my weapon and i used it on active service with the british army i wish i could have used it more very reliable
Also known as the R1 in South Africa and Rhodesia. It has the advantage (unlike the M16) of being able to club someone into submission.
At that point it's primary purpose, of killing at several hundred yards, has probably been rendered obsolete.
@WE WUZ VIKANGS!!! n shiet. They did also chamber the galil in 308 (7.62x51 NATO). Maybe you would have liked that a bit more.
I used the R1 in the SAP in the late 80's. Loved it, excellent at distance, enough punch to hit your target thru a tree (or a wall) at closer ranges and whatever you hit really tended to not get up again. I get why some preferred the R4 but for me the R1 was simply the best.
We had the heavy wood Rifles...bayonet drill was fun...I would never want to be clubbed by an FNC1A1
@@PsilocybinCocktail As a Brit infantryman, you were always taught that your primary weapon was a "rifle and bayonet"!! Fixing bayonets conveys a certain message to the enemy, and puts the soldier in the right mind set.....
Most dependable, most powerful infantry issued firearm...
I was in the Australian regular army for 3 years. I remember that the SLR - L1A1 was a reliable weapon. At basic training, whilst we had just completed a fast run so that we were breathing heavy. We had to load a magazine (20 bullets) then shoot down 2 head size targets at the 100 meter range in less than 20 seconds. The bullets were laying in a pile on the grass. I remember not even cleaning off the bits of grass, but loading the bullets and grass straight into the mag and firing away. It had no stoppages whatsoever, that's a testament to the SLR's well designed bolt and breach block etc... Perhaps also, because I used to shoot with the gas regulator fully closed, minimizing the chances of a stoppage.
Are you G.Evans who done recruit training at Kapooka with 1 platoon back in 1988.
Awesome
I did the same with my SLR too. I first handled an SLR in my reserve days, and it'd been extensively shot before I got my hands on it. I had to close the gas plug completely to get decent reliability, and just kept up the habit in my regular days. At one point I was issued an L2A1, a fully auto SLR complete with 30 round mags and a built in bipod. Really loved it, but didn't want to fire more than 2 round bursts.
The fun days of Kapooka,hahahaha,1969.
You load rounds and fire bullets.
British grit and this baby won us the Falklands
My weapon as a rifleman in the British Army! Powerful and reliable !
when i was in the british army in the 60s and 70 s my SLRs were all wood stocks.
Canadian FN's never had any plastic furniture. I suspect that plastic wasn't used as it would be too likely to crack in arctic or severe cold conditions, although I don't know what the British experience was like with severe cold conditions when the L1A1 was being used.
@@stevestruthers6180 Interesting. Were the Canadians secretly fighting the Soviets?
The UK L1A1 (RSAF) that I have has the ICI polymer furniture. The Australian one (unissued) has coachwood furniture and is finished in a greenish oxide. My grandfather (a LTG) acquired them for me when I was a kid. I love them.
Cool
I had a wooden stock version in the early 90’s before we flipped to the bag of shite SA80.
As Engineers we were one of the last Regiments to use the SLR.
The SLR did sterling service here in Australia to going through Vietnam with us.
The Australian army also had a similar Australian built version SLR. Used in Vietnam and other conflicts it was popular with the soldiers and gave great service. Accurate and reliable, ex servicemen have fond memories of the SLR.
Used in India till now as a platoon level equipment (along with some modern one's). They call it "hathimaar" or elephant killer due to its stopping power.
Not anymore . Army retired its last SLRs in 2003
Poos spotted 💩
Put on the gas masks
A proven battlefield weapon, accurate and hard hitting over distance, an old soldiers favourite and it was needed in the Falklands.
Yeah my dad loved his, served him well in the Falklands
The Argies used it too I seem to remember along with the M16. Although the Argentine version was full auto which was a beast
@@nigeh5326 FN fal you can convert the SLR to full auto aswell easy no tools needed takes less than 5 minutes 😀
Handy that the Argies used the same ammo as our guys.
Lucky for us in Oz we had the wooden stock. Great looking rifle and never missed a beat.
That last soldier seen carrying his personal weapon by the sling would have his arse rebored for doing that in my day! When they needed them rather than feeded them.
We were issued slings for our jungle training and put them straight into our packs and left them there. I don't think I ever carried my SLR by the carry handle, either.
First thing I noticed (apart from the unorthodox large magazine being used in some shots.) Drag a weapon around like that in my Regiment and you`d get a boot up the arse.
@Andy MacKay We kept them because in close in stuff like Northern Ireland, if you had the sling around your wrist and attached to the butt of the weapon, if the crowd got hold of you and tried to get your weapon, by you pulling back on the sling, it made sure the weapon was always pointing away from you and they couldnt slot you with your own weapon (as long as your were concious of course)
@@peterstubbs5934 N I sling it was called the carrying handles were broken of in the falklands and LMG mags were used with a stretched spring and were converted to full auto no tools needed just know how
Fully automatic weapons encourage soldiers to "spray" the place up, using a great deal of ammunition. A semi-automatic weapon causes the soldier to slow the rate of fire and make them think about their targets.
It was a great tool, nice big heavy round, accurate, reliable and, only being semi auto, you didn't burn through magazines. You could also put the buttstock to very good use when required, something that isn't easy with the L85. I miss mine
Just loved that weapon. Easy to clean, reliable and accurate, In 1968 It got me my 'Marksman' badge when I was in the British Army even though I was a Vehicle Mechanic and not an infantryman. About the only thing wrong with it was its tendency to rip the web between your thumb and index finger when standing at ease and going through the motions to shoulder arms although you soon got used to it. Unfortunately, when I became an armoured vehicle mechanic and was attached to a tank regiment, I was issued with the 9mm Sterling SMG and I might just as well have thrown the rounds at a target. Good to about 30m it was only adequate for covering fire.
I was a cavalry man, on chieftain. The smg was a good weapon, we had to shoot out to 100yds to qualify every year. I was never anything but marksman with it just the groups were a little bigger than with slr at the same range. Which I used as a boy soldier, 1 1/2in group standing at 100 yds as opposed to about 4in group with smg.
Arte et Marte. But the SMG fitted into a lot of tool boxes on vehicles.
Used one for a few years in the British Army. It could stop a Rhino.
Yup, had one of these when I joined the TA (Army Reserve) in 88 they were being phased out in regular units. We then converted to SA80 a couple of years later. The SLRs were all plastic furniture by then. The SLR was particularly accurate when fitted with a SUIT (Sight Unit Infantry Trilux) x 4 magnification. It could be fitted with a night sight but was very heavy with it fitted. The SLR could get wet, muddy & still keep firing. If carbon build up started causing stoppages, just whack up the gas regulator and it would keep going.
I used this rifle in the Royal Marines in the 1970s. At that time it’s disadvantages were weight and it’s average sights. It’s length meant it could get cumbersome in non-firefight civil order situations eg Northern Ireland. However, for bayonet activity, it was an advantage. As a killing machine, it is very effective. The 7.62 round is much weightier than the Armalite 5.56 (I think) round which some specialist units had. Get hit anywhere with a 7.62 and you are most likely out of the fight even if you’re still alive. A troop of nine Marines with SLRs and a GPMG was formidable in terms of firepower.
Love this weapon! In Canadian service the SLR was the C1 and the selective fire, heavy barrel, squad support variant, was the C2. I was a C2 gunner and didn't mind the extra weight I had to pack. I enjoyed my role and this weapon was a tool seemingly made for me.
The Canadian model had the charging strip guides on the breech cover which made loading very easy and faster in the heat of battle rather than trying to reload magazines individually. Some said it allowed more dirt in, which is true, but then just change the gas selector for a real punch until you can clean later. That’s MHO having carried it for 5 years. Some even complained it was too heavy and as answer, all I can think of is a line from the 13th Warrior, “then grow stronger.”
Ah, I remember it well. Was standard issue rifle when I was in the T.A. back in the 80's. Once had an old one all day on the ranges at Barry Buddon on the Angus coast. Had to turn the gas right up to keep it from stopping and ended up with a black and blue shoulder! Ouch!
That GAS PORT mine was always set half way
You DON'T need full auto.when you have 7.62......you use too much ammo and that"s heavy.....
besides you learn to double-tap if necessary......
The existence of the GPMG would disagree with that assesment but alas
bigrobnz correct
@colin minhinnick Correct, but big Kiwis know, double-tap is good bro.
They also used the bren in the falklands brilliant weapon my grandfather was a bren gunner in ww2 with the KRRC He loved the bren
bigrobnz You don’t need to double tap with this piece.
The best weapon ever used in the uk, standard in the field 60 rounds in 3 mags also the 7.62 round is used in the gpmg so the platoon only had to carry 1 size of ammo
we carried 4 mags but plenty of loose to top them up during "luls" a skill that seams to be lost now
While I was in the Canadian military we used the C1 semi auto and the C2 that could fire fully auto. Loved both. Great stopping power and accuracy.
My time in the RRF this was the weapon we were issued with. A solid weapon and very reliable, unlike the mk1 version of the SA80 that replaced it. However, nothing beats the distinctive sound of the GPMG used to love the distant sound of that in the night air whilst on exercise on Salisbury Plain.
i "had" one of those for 9 years,great gun only problem was getting in out of vehicles,and in and out of buildings,we called it the hand held howitzer and if you put a round into somebody they went down
Exactly! Unlike the 5.56mm mouse round!
In the UK our action man ( G I Joe ) came with an SLR in the 1970s
You could also buy a toy SLR from Airfix that came with plastic bullets a removable mag and I loved mine. As a kid I reigned supreme in army battles against friends after my Dad bought me one.
As an ex U K serviceman in the 70 s I always had full wood structures to the weapon composite ones were rare !!.
Beautiful and deadly, I miss my SLR
My father loved his R1 ( Rhodesia BSAP )
Easy to use and adjust to
Me too! She was my first love, and she´ll be my last..............
L1A1 SLR. Iconic Cold War primary weapon.
Drill with this rifle is fantastic to watch, and to perform drill with. So much so, that in the Aussie Army, the non combat parade unit for performing parade ground drill at special events, the Federation Guard based in Canberra, use the SLR for all parade ground drill in Canberra. This is 30 years after the SLR was withdrawn from service. Aussie govt ordered the destruction of all but 300 SLRs from War Stocks which took place around 2003, must have been hundreds of thousands destroyed. I was told this by the Army Captain at Small Arms Fleet Management at Victoria Barracks Melbourne given the task to oversea destruction. He said to me he had just monitored the destruction of the last 1500 rifles the Army held in War Stocks at a scrap metal facility. His task was to read each rifle serial number and note its destruction on a paper list of the serial numbers as he saw each rifle go into the furnace for melting.
I was a recruit instructor in the Aussie Army in the 1980s when the L1A1 SLR was the primary infantry weapon of the Australian Defence Force. Taught both parade ground drill and small arms instruction. SLR drill is 100 times better with drill than with the current primary infantry weapon, the F88SA2, a major redevelopment by the Aussies of the Austrian designed Steyr AUG.
40 odd years later, can still remember combat drills with the SLR. Stoppage - the IA - immediate Action for a stoppage drill was tilt, cock, lock, look (into the chamber), if ammo stoppage, no rounds in chamber, no rounds in mag - drill was - change mags, pull cocking handle fully rearwards, release, aim and continue firing.
Carry out Clear Weapons drill - move safety catch to safe, remove magazine, pull cocking handle rearward (so that any round in the chamber is ejected), visually check chamber is empty, if yes, then under control, ease cocking handle forward. Move safety catch to fire, press trigger, move safety catch to safe. Then call out (depending on situation) Gun Safe so that others around know you have cleared your rifle.
I was a big fan of the SLR which to me had only one negative. After range practice, I always had a sore cheek from the recoil. Never got this from the F88 Steyr.
One range practice, where I was one of several coaches one on one, guiding rear echelon soldiers who mostly worked in hospitals while they completed their obligatory annual range shoot, there was so much ammunition left over, we instructors/coaches were ordered, expend all ammunition as quickly as possible. The Senior NCO in charge of ammo did not want to have to deal with the paperwork and the journey to return unused ammo to the Ordnance base!
This range shoot event is when I learned what happens with an SLR and probably other rifles in a firefight against a massed infantry charge such as the massed Chinese bayonet charges against Aussies in the Korean War. The foregrip (made of timber) got so hot, I could not hold the rifle by the foregrip any more and resorted to supporting the SLR with my non trigger hand by the base of the magazine. We were never taught this might happen and what to do if it did, so we used common sense to maintain accuracy as best we could. Although we were told to expend remaining ammunition quickly, every shot I fired, was a properly aimed shot at the 200 metre targets.
Wasn't gonna waste such a rare opportunity as this a just have what we called a 'yippy' shoot (where no aims were taking and shoot as you pleased).
From a retired Aussie Armoured Corps soldier. Thank you for taking the time to read my comment.
Loved that SLR rifle you got shot with that you ain't getting up.
My drill Sargent always said Just cos that golly went behind that wall DONT STOP SHOOTING you will get him.KEN DUSBURY 2 FIELD SQ RAF ROCKAPES!!!
Damn good weapon though. Reliable if looked after (something that applies to all firearms), accurate and man-stopping.
Mine was called Samantha. She was nearly as tall as skinny 17 year old boy soldier me and boy did she kick. I carried her through Gulf War 1. I did quite like the SA80 in the end but Samantha was my first love.
I bought the American produced version, it's a great rifle. I can completely understand your love for it.
Tactical63 that's illegal.
Gulf war 1 in 1991 was a bit late for the SLR ?
We'll file this under "things that never happened"
anthony9thompson No some bods still had them, remember wishing we’d still got ours! The l85 wasn’t at home in the sandbox.
Gods own bang stick
I first encountered an SLR about 1960 in Primary School. A Royal Artillery Recruiting Van was set up in a park near the school. I had a look and the Recruiting Sergeant said "Try holding this, lad. It's the new rifle for the Army called the Self Loading Rifle!" Wooden furniture, heavy but felt right.
Ended joining the Royal Navy spent many hours drilling with the SLR. Only fired one once!
Decades later whilst serving in the Naval Reserve the SA80 replaced the SLR. Got mobilised in 2002 and had a crash course in the SA80 before going to ME. Couldn't believe how awkward the SA80 was to handle compared to the SLR.
I used the SLR for many years and I still love it. It could take rough handling and continue to put rounds on target. Transitioning to the L85 was hard. Bits fell off, most notoriously the magazine! But it had it's advantages and in it's new form, is a truly superb weapon.
Here in New Zealand we used the SLR till it was replaced by the AUG, which was then replaced by the LMT MARS-L.
I was issued and trained one of these in the Australian Defence Force and absolutely fell in love with it. I was devastated when we had to give them up for the plastic and underpowered 5.56 Austeyr. Give me my old SLR any day.
Being in NCC we carried and used this gun... It's old, heavy, feels solid in the hands. I loved this rifle.
First rifle I trained on when I enlisted. Very good rifle, loved it because I was left handed. Then they phased it out for the SA80 (L85) bull pup right handed shooters only. First L85’s were not a patch in regards to quality compared to the SLR.
Oddly enough I joined the army in 1958 and fired left handed because of a weak right eye, we trained on the .303 but during training the SLR was introduced and I was given the option of discharge or transfer because at first you weren't allowed to fire the SLR left handed because of rounds ejecting in front of your eyes. I transferred to REME and oddly enough had the SLR as my personal weapon for years.
Superb presentation. Some of the early guns that had wooden furniture,saw service in Northern Ireland during operation Banner.
I would love 💓 to have one of these ‘Old’ Slurs. It’s a shame these fellas were faded out here in Aust. Although I have seen them on ceremonial parades. 👌🏻👍🏻👍🏻🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
Great rifle, standard issue when I joined the New Zealand Infantry in 1980,my weapon for the first year in Malaya .
Coincidence, I joined in 1980 too. Basic 166.
I had loads of these pointed at me growing up in Northern Ireland.
Big, beautiful, powerful, hunk of a weapon; I loved it. The kicker was, it can be fired lefthanded. It meant I could be as good a shot with it as anyone else. You could change hands in an instant, which was handy in the streets of NI.
yup cack hander like me -do all drills right handed throw her to left shoulder safety off and let the good times roll!! bloody M16 left me with a scar on my jaw where empty case ejecting 45'to rear caught in strap of my battle bowler!
solved that bu throwing shoulder forward like using the 12g shotty ,but gimme the SLR over M16 .steyr any day of week.
A fine weapon it was, but the real shame is that Britain lost the intermediate cartridge-firing EM2 which we should have had before that. The US is now showing considerable interest right now in adopting exactly such a cartridge.
My dad killed a ford escort with an SLR In Northern Ireland
My Dad fought in Northern Ireland as well, he still loves the SLR
Ford escort is a weird nickname for a provo
Revolver0cel0t He came from Betelgeuse, cousin to Ford Prefect.
Ford escorts deserve to be killed
@@Danno04_9 which side was he on?
It was also used by the Australian infantry in Vietnam
Standard issue in Singapore before the M16
I'm surprised they don't talk more about it, given it is a way to compare m16, ak47 and slr, oh well.
@Aragon Farseer DPM came in in 1968..
One reason for not having a automatic capability was accuracy. The British army prides itself on soldiers having good marksmanship principles using iron sights only. Very few military operations had optical sights fitted to the SLR.
A solid proven weapon.
In SA we had our version, which had a more effective flash hider, and a grenade launcher sight above the gas adjuster. It was called the R1. It kicked like a mule and a day on the range with it got a bit painful on your cheek! I remember during our basic training our instructer holding up an R4 (5.56) and saying, With this rifle, if a terr was behind a tree you couldnt do much, then he held up the R1 and said, But if you have this one, you shoot him right through the tree! :)
And the Australian and New Zealand military in Vietnam
you watched danger close
P H Yes, Mate, you are 100% correct...... “one shot, one kill”
south africa and rhodesia
Unlike the 5.56 M16, the 7.62 round went thru the rubber trees on many plantations in the Australian sphere of operations - no where to hide for Charlie.
Pity NZ only let their SAS on the frontline in Vietnam.
I used one and they were very accurate. In training, the cadre were telling us how powerful the 7.62mm round was, and one said if you stood 7 men in a line at 100 metres (strange how the British military went metric) the bullet would pass through the seventh man. I asked if the other six would be ok, which didn't go down well.
The British Armed Services went Metric in 1980 though in 1972 i and other NCO's went on a course to Netheravon ISW where we had to learn mils instead of degrees,we were pissed off but the MOD quickly reverted back to degrees as 360 is a very divisible number.
I carried this weapon through my 32 week commando course with the Royal Marines. After that I used it for 14 years, all over the world.
Now I am very old, but I can still feel the weapon in my hands, the heft, the balance and the feeling of absolute security it imparts to a marksman.
Joined the RAF in 84 . Memories of basic training and later stuck in a sanger on exercise. Always looked forward to time on the range. Great weapon. Was never keen on SA80
I fired a few hundred rounds with these on ranges during my service in the Royal Air Force 1980 to 1989. Though long (it used to be said that SLR stood for 'Stupidly Long Rifle') it was accurate, hard hitting and reliable if looked after (as applies to all firearms). As to it being semi-auto only, full auto would just have been a waste of ammunition, as it would be totally uncontrollable. In fact there is a video on YT about the FN FAL in which it is said that with a full-auto burst the first round hits the target, the second goes over the target and after that it's an anti-aircraft gun! Also, troops serving in Northern Ireland during the troubles found it too powerful, as a bullet was likely to go right through its target and hit an innocent person behind. And probably a third behind them.
Ex RAF and you fired a SLR,Bloody hell mate I thought you rock apes never left the base,Aldergrove in 80 you boys wouldn’t go anywhere near the trouble,anyway,the SLR was a great weapon,7.62..if you hit them they stayed down..
@@paulritchie5868 Rock apes did vehicle patrols, airport security and combo veh and foot patrols in their AOR between the west of Divis Mtn and the shores of Loch Neigh, on the lakes eastern coast, but yes they didn't have that big an AOR as there job was airfield defence, which kind of involves defending airfields.
Remember ADEN oops before your time. Just kiddin 2 FIELD SQUADRON ROCKS
In Canada we had the semi-auto and the bipod equipped fully auto version. Loved them.
During my service I was issued the 7.62 L1A1 SLR and in my opinion it was the best and most effective peace of kit. I finished my service in 2000 in which the L1A1 had been replaced by the 5.56 SA80 which I think was a step back. Who could forget the added instruction to forward assist the working parts to get the bloody thing to fire.
I was allocated the wooden stock version in 1979 when I was in the Territorial Army (National guard). Great rifle, 15 rounds in wet and sandy conditions and 20 in dry for the mags. Mine was a bit naughty as she’d only run at 7 on the gas adjuster and anything less and she’d throw stoppages at you left, right and centre. A pig to clean at that number with lots of carbon! But the noise she made was lovely and it was only a semi auto mode model. Good video and thanks. Lots of memories.
I loved this weapon, i never had stoppages and it never let me down..............
I carried one of these for quite a while and I still swear by the 7.62SLR
We unwrapped new ones in 2001 in Australian army. Old war stock. Cleaned them up and immediately checked them out with blanks. They were awesome. Never got qualified but still got to play with them.
I as a young recruit in 85 was 1st introduced with this long rifle that was totally dependable, and what you hit with it didnt want to get back up to play - was simple to maintain and had few parts to get lost, the only issues i seen with it were with accuracy on really old battered ones with battered locking shoulders and head space issues but even then they were still good enough to get you through your APWT's the issue was when you cleaned it you had to break the action which broke the sight alignment and when you closed it again it didnt always seem to line up exactly but would be out by a tiny amount for this reason in my unit while shooting them at competitions after the weapons were re zero'd the only way we would clean them was putting a pullthrough through the ejection port to clean the bore and to remove the gas parts and a tooth brush through the magwell anything that required using the takedown lever was forbidden until the competition was over
Can't imagine conducting room clearing with an L1A1. The L85A2 is s great rifle. It has a longer barrel than an M16 but its overall lenght is shorther than an M4. Accurate, high rate of fire, shit in the desert.
I have done room clearing with an SLR, back then it was called it FIBUA (Fighting in Built Up Areas) or as we called it FISH (Fighting in Someone's House). It could be difficult in some cases because of the length of the SLR in narrow corridors, stairways etc.
“ longer barrel than an m16” that is not true
“Shorter than m4” also not true
You also forget it weighs two metric tons and cannot be fired left handed not to mentions bad trigger slow reloads etc etc there’s a good reason the SAS dropped it as quick as they could
Horses for courses mate
man i loved my SLR - never let me down
I didn't use it in the same way as many of the guys commenting here. I was issued with a wooden stock version in the TA (53 Coy RAOC (V) in the mid 70's.In the indoor range in Romford, we used SLR's converted to .22 on a film type background. In the 1980's when I joined the Home Service Force (6 (HSF) Coy 5th (V) Bn The Royal Anglians), I was issued with the composite stock. I actually missed the weight of the wooden stock, but that was probably just in the mind.
I loved it's accuracy and power. I was in the shooting team in both units and while competition shoots included the Sterling and the Browning Hi-Power, my favourite part was using the SLR. Especially at 600 yards. I never had cause to use it it in anger, but preferred the idea of being able to hit a target powerfully at long distance if I had to. That 7.62mm round was amazing. I recall being in the butts while a GPMG was being used at 600 yards. Initially, the gun was being fired too low and hit the top of the butts showering us with crap. When the guy got his aim in the sound of the rounds passing overhead was quite something. I wouldn't have wanted to be on the wrong side facing that!
Kudos guys, great review of this awesome weapon.
Your right about guys wishing they had the SLR again when the L85 was released as it got though to service in the mid to late 80s with a host of issues. I loved the SLR during my service there.
Aussie soldiers (like myself) used the SLR as well. It was an awesome piece of kit.
The reason L1A1 SLR was built semi auto as we believed in single aimed shots not spray and pray, true its a big heavy beast but I'd give it safe space over an L85 anytime even if that L85 is the update version now coming on stream.
I was a member of the Australian Army in 1971, the standard issue rifle was the SLR we were lucky enough to have full wooden versions, none of the plastic fantastic rubbish issued later, the SLR was a fantastic weapon and on Anzac day there will always be a group of old Diggers talking about that rifle.
The SLR was my personal weapon and it was awesome giving decent accuracy at long ranges. Apart form it being quite heavy, it was hard to fault it. The 7.62 round did a lot of damage. The L85 that replaced it was known as the SA80 and it had a lot of problems initially. It used the NATO standard 5.56 round which is why I think they were keen to push it out. They clearly hadn't tested it sufficiently first.
I always loved firing my SLR when I was in the British Army in the 1980's and 90's but hated cleaning the gas plug it was so dam fiddly I found the SA80 easier to clean but to many small parts it wasnt squaddie proof
Should have used Jennolite rust killer. The carbon just wiped off.
Ex 1RJG shooting team
We used a match head in the gas plug groove. That cleaned it out just fine.
Gas plug - small amount of Vim and a match stick with chewed end 👍. Gas piston head stick in soft earth or sand and twist job done 🤛
Drop it in a glass of Coke. Worked a treat.