Posted a question on FALs in .280 British. On reflection, I should have posted it as a reply here, not a separate question. Please have a look and add whatever information you can.
The L1A1 with L2A2 Trilux scope was the first rifle I bought here in Holland. Back in 2000, the cost approximately €440,- with scope! I sold the L1A1 (because I couldn't score high with this rifle during matches). I still own the scope with dust cover. There is just something about it and I can't get it over heart to sell it.
Good Gods! A SUIT! I would imagine that the actual Tritium Trilux has decayed to a point where it is not illuminated at all - but at least there'll be no RadHaz... Always shot well with a SUIT, but it took some getting used to, having the pointer coming down, not going up - a design that doesn't seem to have caught on, oddly enough.
The SLR has a terrible history in the mass murder of civilians in Northern Ireland Henry. During two specific executions during august 1971 Ballymurphy, the lesser know of the two. And the world known one from January 30th 1972. Is a weapon of terror and seeing how it fires, is frightening of all guns I detest seeing. The terror on community’s all over N. Ireland this weapon caused, paralysing fear which I seen every day in our towns and cities that had Catholic majority’s. British soldiers standing on streets looking down their sights directly at you, is a sight I never want to endure or see my children see. What that time brought to all was nothing short of racial abuse on religious hate. Both my late parents went through many times as I grew up not your skin colour or tone. It was what religion were you Henry that was disturbing. That our parents gave us Protestant second names, and surname was not spelt the normal Catholic way. That is true what our parents done to protect us growing up is crazy to write here. That’s how bad it was in the 60’s to late eighties before it started to slow down some Belford the endless slaughter close to the final putting of weapons down. Still love your outstanding work, and your natural marksman’s skills Henry and Josh!
sorry i could have done that differently. If i recall our wind jam blew off/ came off of the lav mic and we didn't know, so we had to switch audio to our camera audio... which was also just a mess in the wind but less of a mess.
@@9HoleReviews You guys do have some 'interesting' weather, and I say that as a Scot. We don't exactly go short of wind & rain, but it's mostly spread out evenly over the whole year so it's just constantly miserable instead of being dumped out in short periods. Great video anyway (as always), we can handle a few seconds of minor imperfection.
@@theritchie2173 Hah, do you like Count Dankula too? He's likely the Scot that I watch most on RUclips, very based and hilarious guy, helps me to keep up on news in the UK and EU. Also, and again this is TOTALLY without context to the original message or this video, the following is perhaps the first/oldest bit of exposure to an historic event that was prominently populated with Scots and also is in line with Military history which I am very interested in. It's a novel by Bernard Cornwell, one of his Sharpe novels. I think it's one of the earlier ones (in terms of the chronology of the actual storyline within the series as it follows the Napoleonic Wars) and it takes place during the Battle of Assaye. I just looked up the battle, 1803, India, in fact come September within 2 months it will be the 220th Anniversary of the battle by the looks of it. Anyhow, in it, Cornwell describes the Scottish soldiers fighting with INCREDIBLE bravery and valor, following orders perfectly, possibly demonstrating fearlessness even as the battle intensified and intensified, it was brutal and seems to have been quite costly, but it was a British Victory in the end with the enemy enduring FAR greater losses than the British did. And of course, great Scottish presence in the trenches of WWI where there also fought English and French and Americans and Canadians and Newfoundlanders before Newfoundland joined Canada after WWII. So yeah, wicked stuff, cheers from Canada. I mean, it sucks that I'm in Canada, but cheers from Canada regardless lmao
I carried a slur in the Aussie army and loved them, what got hit stayed in the lying, screaming, bleeding position on the ground. I almost died from the nostalgia watching this video. Ya made an old digger happy, thanks fellas.
@@King.Leonidas Our slurs weren't much chop for that sort of work as they are a bit long by todays standards so we never used them that way. Having said that, throw a can on a shortened barrel and I can't see why not.
@King.Leonidas There are 2 automatic SLRs. One is the manufactured heavy barrel version with a bipod instead of a handguard, the L1A2. The other is a field conversion of a semi-auto L1A1 that was used by some Aussie troops in Vietnam. They'd lighten an L1A1 a bit by chopping the barrel and taking the handguard off and work some in the field magic to convert the normally semi-auto rifle to automatic only. Then they'd stick a 30 round mag from an L4A1 BREN in it. Was typically used to hose down thick brush with lead when advancing or retreating. I believe the nickname for such a conversion was "the bitch".
During my time in the Cadets and later the Army Reserve, the SLR was my primary weapon... and I loved it. I managed to win a couple of trophies shooting the SLR so have a significant soft spot for it. We used to have an ex SAS signaler come alone and assist with our cadet training and we would hang on every word of his Vietnam stories. He told us that the Americans could always tell if it was the Aussies involved on a contact because of the sound of those "God damned cannons...".
@@HarryP457Was this SAS guy by any chance Sgt John Pert? Served with the Australian army at the end of Vietnam and Cambodia. Told loads of no bullshit stories about heads on poles, snakes in trees and poisonous ambush pits...
@@carlteacherman194 No, his name was Nev Thring. His stories tended towards the funny shit that hapenned over there. He caught a back full of grenade fragments half way through his second tour and got invalided out. Lived in Central Qld and died a few years ago.
24:31 Definitely worth mentioning the silhouette of the warriors from the way the SLR was typically carried on the march cradled in the arms and almost never slung. The marines demonstrate it well, with the rifle resting on their forearms and their hands clasped together around the magazine and the ejection port, with the butt out past the elbow. The SLR just was so well balanced and comfortable to hold like that. Marched many hours like that.
That was known as the ‘Belfast Carry’ Sloppy and unprofessional. Never did it once during my time in Belfast. Always carried slung across the chest in Norway unless advancing to contact. Ditto in mountain training when moving where both hands are required. In short; you don’t know what you are talking about.
@@paulsaunders6536 Ermm... All the marines in green berets are doing the cradling in the arms thing in the video? Or do you mean the bit about sticking the pistol grip in the belt?
I learned to shoot with the SLR (wooden furniture) in the reserves and competed in many competitions with it. Joined the regulars and was issued with a plastic furniture model. I shot out one barrel. Misfeeds were inevitably down to gas or not cleaning it. I have fired 100's of thousands of rounds through them and if UK law allowed, I would have one in a heart beat. Well done guys great to listen to you!
I love the SLR too, used it to start off with, in the Cadets on the range at RAF Cosford, then joined up and then used it while serving as an adult. However, saying that, we did some CQB/FIBUA work ( Northern Ireland Street scene set-up, moving targets, etc) on an indoor range at Swynnerrton, when we had conversion kits for our SLR's to .22 ,we had to recock the SLR after every shot, as there wasn't the gas pressure of the 7.62 round. Could you get an SLR converted to .22, with the conversion kit on a Firearms Certificate ?
Ditto! I spent 18 years+ in the reserves and spent the first 3-4 years using and loving the L1A1 SLR. Hewn from granite, easy to maintain and clean, great patrol wpn, and it hit's like a sledgehammer. I recall two SNCO's from the Warminster unit that test every wpn system either in use, or proposed for use by the BA. They gave a presentation on the SA80, which left me decidedly underwhelmed. They gave us the presentation, then took questions. I asked, "What do you really think of it?" The reply was, "I think it's a load of crap and would rather keep the SLR." That said it all really. I held an FAC in the early to mid 90, but for Michael Ryan, I would have applied to have an L1A1 in a heartbeat. It's an iconic rifle and it would still be my wpn of choice- albeit with a Trilux sight fitted. I recall hitting tgts on an ETR range in Sennybridge at 600m Fig 11's. I always kept tobasco sauce in my webbing- not for food, but for cleaning the SLR gas plug! Put some TS on it, let it soak for 3-5 mins, then wipe the carbon off! No need to use the matchstick and soil trick! ;)
@@liverpoolscottish6430Hadn't heard of the tobasco trick, we were using brasso. Not good for the gas plugs or pistons, but the powers that be wanted 'em all nice and shiny. Never used an SA80, but I think the Aussie Steyr likewise left experienced NCO's "underwhelmed". I too would own an SLR if local laws allowed.
I never had a problem with my SLR, never failed, I used the 30 round mag, upon occasion I fired enough rounds to make the wood furniture smoke. This was back in the early 1970's and I served for six years.
The old Bren mag trick. Used to put a tracer round as the penultimate round incase I broke the golden rule of not counting your rounds when firing and didn’t change mag.
You fricking lair the SLR did nit have a 39 round mag or we be all issued with it and to use a bren mad woukd be ok fir first 3 shots then you get stoppages due the the mag is gravity feed to stop bull shifting and BTW I used it in the fslklands war 82
@evans0109 Try doing some research on the countries of the Commonwealth and the military small arms of each before you get nasty. A number of Commonwealth countries produced a heavy barrel FN FAL HEAVY BARREL full auto version of the FN FAL complete with an attached bipod and a 30-round magazine, countries that used this version as a light infantry support weapon included Israel, Peru, Canada and Australia, to name a few they varied from country to country but were extremely common although somewhat heavier than the standard Battle Rifle SLR.
During my time in her majesty's service, my 'department' (which wasn't infantry) designated the slr as a group fire weapon from 300yds onwards. Henry, in those conditions you did the equivalent of winning nascar in a pinto. I'll send you & Josh a few English pounds, buy some bovril with it - it keeps you going on cold days on the range 😉
Thank you! I'm trying to find more of the "old and brave" to document their time with the SLR, let me know if you're interested in recounting some memories! 9holereviews@gmail.com no pressure! just an open invite :)
@@9HoleReviews all I dare offer you is a question. As mentioned earlier I wasn't Infantry, but from time to time we would (begrudgingly) have to put on a parade for visiting so called VIPs (usually people we'd never heard of!) for my comrades that are part of this conversation: To make 2 or 3 hours square bashing rehearsals more tolerable how many will confess to removing bolt, carrier, piston & spring & then cammo the ejection port with blacked out cardboard? 😉
Am an ex RGJ Rifleman I did a lot of running around with one for 6 years before the L85 became a thing, back then the weapon was properly fitted for length of pull for each individual, being in the regiment that has the lineage of being the 1st to use a rifle, as a high standard of marksmanship were expected, - the one thing I can tell you is the weapon unlike the L85A1 that replaced it, was pretty soldier proof, things never fell off of it when you weren't looking and it was used to be commonly used as a step over for obstacles with another tom in the field, it was easy to maintain, it was common practice in the field to do the gas parts separate to the internals so in the field you only had half the weapon striped at any time, it also had no tiny bits to lose when field stripping. A gas setting of 6 or 7 was a common setting for our Brit ones.. maximum was 12, gas system could be turned off by turning the gas plug upside down too... believe it or not stoppages were not as common as you may think, or at least they weren't in my unit as bad magazines were exchanged in the arms court, not reporting issues with your personal firearm could drop you in hot water, but when the L85 came in with the thin Radway Green mags with the horrible plastic follower gave a lot more trouble, so much so a lot of us ended up buying Colt magazines. in the lead up to a shooting competitions we never touched the takedown lever to open the weapon, instead we cleaned them as best we could without opening the action incase it shifted zero, a common issue was the rear sight if worn could wobble a bit, and not all all SLR's were identical, within the battalion either, not all had 'night apertures' some had the rear sights graduated in yards others in meters, some had the 'A' stamped on the receiver but you couldnt physically move the lever to that setting, not that you could control it in full auto reliably anyway, 30rd LMG were Gucci kit too back in the day. BTW unlike other units RGJ and LI were taught to use the carry handle as a stand when laying the weapon down on the deck to keep dirt getting in the ejection port, by pulling it out a little then laying the weapon on its right side, other units lay it down on the left side laying on its safety catch which could lead to an issue if someone trips or kicks it, back then it was drummed in that 'slings were for lazy people'
When you mention wood furniture on the SLRs in the Falklands, It was largely due to the fact that both 42 and 45 Commando were Arctic trained units and the early issue replacement Plastic furniture was not fit for use in Arctic conditions, the plastic furniture became brittle and broke with small knocks. So all the replaced wood furniture was collected for those units that deployed to the Arctic. I remember it taking 4 or 5 years for the development of plastic furniture that was suitable for the low temperatures. The LMG was used in the Arctic instead of the GPMG because is was Mag fed, the belts on a GPMG were prone to freezing causing stoppages, hence the abundance of LMG mags with those Arctic Units
My 1980's baby. Absolutely shot to bits, after years on the shooting team, I could easily pull through with 3 by 4, it also fell apart if tapped butt backwards off the ground, The armourer at Bisley near had kittens when I demonstrated this trick, but ultra reliable, coughing empties out into a beret sized pile a couple of feet from the breach. I simply loved it. P.S. I cant remember which were the best barrels, BSA or Royal Enfield. But 1 of the 2 suppliers was reckoned to be much better. Green spot ammo from Radway Green was also much sought after. P S. One memory was while part of the RE Troop, QUB OTC, I was carrying a goodly bundle of angle iron pickets over my shoulder, with my SLR slung across my chest, these pickets to be used to demarcate a minefield. When, in the dark I stepped into an unseen trench or pit. I went down heavy, across the SLR which bridged the gap with a distinct creak. Shit I thought, that gotta be my zero fornicated. But a couple of days later on the range, NOPE my zero was quite unaffected. Wow I remember thinking, that is a seriously well engineered battle rifle.
I remember in the very late eighties going from a Regular unit armoury into a TA armoury and being amazed by the amount of wood-stocked SLRs that they had, probably about half their inventory. And most of them were in very good condition too. It was such a shame to see them go in favour of the SA80. I did enjoy shooting the SLR as it 'felt' like a proper rifle, certainly over the SA80.
The TA had some mixed SLR configurations with plastic butt & wooden stock & vice versa . The full wooden stock & butt rifles were prized personal weapons by those lucky enough to be issued one ..
When it comes to its historical and cultural impact, the SLR was THE image of the UK army and marines through the 60,s 70,s and 80,s. As a small boy, I had action man figures, and action man always had either an SLR or an SMG, possibly a GPMG. The Falklands war made it an even more iconic image, royal marines and paras with the SLR and huge night sights or the smaller SUIT sight fitted. I can remember when my unit transitioned to the SA80 I really didn't want to give my SLR up, and my brother went to operation Granby with his SLR because the SA80 hadn't fully replaced it in his unit, he said he was far happier knowing he had the range and stopping power ,which in a desert conflict could have made the difference.
The only good thing about the SA80 was that you could jump in a Landrover easliy without punching a hole in the canvas! Our squadron (RCT) was already equiped with 'gun plastic cheap and nasty' by Gulf War 1, luckily we didn't go and fight with it.
The Northern Ireland conflict too. The soldiers carrying the SLR were iconic in the 70s and 80s..as well as the the hand-me-down US flak-jackets from Vietnam!
We received our SLR’s in Gibraltar in 1968. The crew went in shifts to the range at Gib airport for a practice shoot. Powerful rifle and much lighter than the old lee enfield. Our instructor demonstrated the armor piercing capability by punching through 1/4 inch steel from 500 yards.
The NZDF only ever used the L1A1 as a DMR in a special operations capacity as a stop gap on operations in afghanistan, much the same as the M14 was in the early GWOT - there was a lack of capability so the dust got blown off old stocks in an effort to close that gap. The work was done by MAE in Auckland New Zealand to 'accurise' them, which included a picatinny top cover , picatinny handguard and a suppressor. As a DMR it was never issued to general Infantry , apart from maybe a few Trilux' and early NVG scopes in the 80s. This was all superceded in 1988 with the adoption of the F88 AUSTEYR in general service. The DMW / LMT308MWS (L129) was actually adopted circa 2008, approximately 10 years before the MARS-L was adopted as a line weapon. There is much evidence of AUGs and the LMT DMW on operations with general kiwi soldiers in Afghanistan between 2008 - 2014.
I loved shooting the SLR when I was in the Royal Navy (1978-88), it was comfortable to shoot it absorbed the recoil especially if you wrapped the sling around arm on the fore-stock.
My fav wpn, i used the L1 from the early 70's to its retirement. I joined the British Army in 73 and retired in 2017, it was a man stopper of a wpn. Always preferred the plastic furniture but the wood was very nostalgic. They were very particular on gas settings. Very easy to turn them into an auto, which many people did especially when using blank rds.
Dial your gas regulator down two clicks the help with the stopages. It looks like the gas piston isnt pushing far enough to properly eject the rounds. This happens after the first 10 shots and the gas parts heat up. You could have a worn out gas piston. I was trained on the SLR in the REME. We were also the last unit in the British army to still have the SLR in 1993.
The first thing I thought was Mag Spring or Gas issue. IA drills at that point would require an adjustment to the gas regulator and carry out with no repeats. Problem resolved so carry on! Spent almost 10 years on the SLR and loved it.
I was in 3 para and slings were verboten on both tne SLR and SA80, like you said the weapon was always ready to go even on long marches and 10 mile tabs despite the fact it would have been easier to sling it.
I was a Kiwi Infanteer circa early 90's, the only time we were permitted to use slings was while we were putting up concertina wire obstacles. We weren't allowed full fingered gloves either, regardless of weather conditions.
Brings back memories, I got my crossed rifles with this rifle, started at 800yds shooting then running forward for every 100 yds and shooting either kneeling or prone, when I got to 100yds the target seemed huge, human silhouette. Great fun it was in the military.
I loved the SLR (and the .22lr conversion), I shot for the regiment back in the 80s, and the competition we used it in involved two riflemen putting a targets down at 600m, and it did it with ease.
The .22lr for the SLR was the H&K conversion kit. The kit was used as a training tool for Northern Ireland training whereby you fired at a projector screen. Once fired the film would stop and the instructors would show you the hit spot and if it was a kill or wound.
@@pappap3788 I only got to use it on the gallery range above the drill hall, the SLR hardly moves when it fires. There's an RFD near where I live which is selling straight pull SLRs and the H&K .22 kit. I often wondered what it would be like as a rabbit rifle though I doubt it would take subsonic ammo.
My weapon when I was a squaddie in the British Army we used to go up and down the distances on the range until we had fine tuned the zeroing , I could get a 7" group at 200 metres with my own rifle :) Our rifles sights were marked in metres not yards and also when we had zeroed our personal weapon we used a special glue to lock the sight screws in position .
Hi, I will have to take you up on your criticism of this rifle. I have served in different armies and am an ex Brit Para. I started my riflemen training in Africa on the Enfield 303 and progressed to the Brit SLR. I was a marksman on SMG, LMG, SLR and Browning 9mm in the British Army at the start of my service. I have worked with French, Brit, US, Canadian, Norwegian, Arab, Malayan, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Australian and New Zealanders. In other words, been there, done that, got the scars to prove it. Never have I had problems with my magazines, mind you I rejected anything that was looking at being worn out. When you are on “ Stand To” most of your service life you have to have gear ready to go. I use to think of being a shit hot marksman having shot at the Bisley competition! When I joined the Kiwi Army I found myself on the rifle ranges in Rotorua with a platoon of Territorial soldiers, all straight out of the bush for their annual camp. We started at zeroing our weapons in at 200 yards ( yes 200) then shot in the Standing Position ( training for work in the bush or jungles) at 300, 400 & 500 yards. Every soldier hit the figure 11 target. Then for the fun of it we went to the 600 mark and I had three soldiers hitting the target 8 out of 10 rounds! All three were deer cullers working for the government. Yes gentlemen, this is the pool of soldiers that we drew our volunteers from to go to Vietnam, their fathers had served in Malaya and Borneo. You always think of yourself as the best, until you meet those that are the best. Don’t blame the rifle, the mag, the gas pressure or the ammo. You use what you get issued and find a way to make it work for you. The Kiwis and the Australians found that the stopping power of the SLR gave them the confidence to take on the so called professionals. Cheers mate. Harera
Here in Brazil, our military and police use the FN Fal a lot, but it is the semi and automatic version, mainly the folding Para-Fal version. It's a good rifle, but it's old-fashioned. A compact AR-15 in 5.56 is better for patrol work, while the military has developed its own weapon based on Fal parts, the Imbel IA2, which is nothing revolutionary but works well. In addition, the FN Fal is a great battle rifle in 7.62x51 caliber, unrivaled accuracy. Hugs from a Brazilian police officer!
Probably one of the rarest, if not the rarest variant of the FAL was a 7.62x39 rifle made by Lyttelton Engineering Works of South Africa in the 1970's. They were manufactured for an undisclosed client, twenty-seven were made and twenty were delivered. They used a modified AK magazine,and apart from that and a much shorter barrel and shorter stock, they looked the same as the R1 (licence made FAL). (From "Firearms Developed and Manufactured in Southern Africa 1949-2000").
So if you were an ultra rich fal collector you can get one in 308, 7.62x39, 556, 280 British, and 9mm (though that last one is just homebuilds or guns that use some fal parts for cheaper production)
They were initially made as a replacement for the R1, then were dropped in favour of the Israeli Galil R4 version. R1 was a bit difficult on long patrols, ammo weight and barrel length in the Angolan bush war. Hi from a South African troepie....😁🇿🇦🍻👍
Great video both! Many thanks. For those who love to see these iconic rifles on screen in their natural habitat, I recommend the made for TV film, An Ungentlemanly Act, all about the Falklands war. It is an excellent film which is also very funny in places. Staring the much missed brilliant actor, Bob Peck. (RIP). It is great to see SLR rifles throughout and of course, a DPM and period kit fest!
You need to put a message out telling folks you have an audio recording problem due to high winds. Make sure that it keeps flashing up throughout the vid. Its very helpful!!!!
The SLR was the weapon i used for 16 years in the armed forces and it never let me down. When i served on TCW i had my own tailored SLR and it was zeroed to only me which got me my marksman badge.
I grew up in Northern Ireland during the troubles, little town called Derry, the SLR was everywhere, it's my abiding memory of British soldiers, that and the Sterling SMG. There was a lot of hate for the rifle due to this . . . I always thought it was sexy AF 😁 still do, great video guys 👍
@abefroman3466 the difference between you and me Abe is that I'll not try and correct what you call it . . . because I really don't mind 🤷🏼♀️ hope you're having a great day 👍
I've managed 200m (220yd) with irons and 300m (330yd) with my 3.5x replica PU scope of my ol' Mosin. Never had the pleasure to try farther, but past experience within about 150-200m has been good, and I also managed pretty darn good at 200-300m as well :) I am confident I can manage 400, but well, that doesn't mean anything especially given I have not so much as fired a rifle in years. Someday, I will legally get to America... greatest nation on the planet...
@kilgor5793 If it were 5MOA, then by 600yd (550m) the grouping will have stretched to about 30" or around 75cm which is 0.75m which can be roughly translated to around 0.825yd or so, I think. Also in the video, both Bloke (Mike, but I always referred to him as Bloke due to his handle Bloke on the Range, awesome dude), they referred to Henry's rifle being about 2.5-3MOA which even fanboying Bloke conceded as being quite nice, can't complain about that, and perhaps also made reference to 3-4MOA. I'm not certain if I had heard 5MOA referenced. As for controllability, well yeah I cannot argue that one bit if you're referring to recoil while rapid-firing haha Seems pretty consistent at the time; shoulder-fired rifles using full-sized rifle cartridges ESPECIALLY if a 'fun switch' is handy, is little more than a really effective means of magazine-emptying and barrel heating with a whole lot of 'fuck you' (about 20 'fuck yous,' to be more precise) launched in a rather large general area to likely very minimal gain/effect other than the bis stupid smile because that might be unavoidable given the context. I, for one, would be quite giddy at the opportunity to try and hold onto THAT bucking bronco, which I believe is likely an American term.
Fortunate to shoot & carry the FN C1A1 as a recruit in the Canadian Forces back in the day. Canadian Forces were among the 1st to adopt this fine firearm & did much of the grunt work converting the metric blueprints to inch pattern. As a future Air Force Technician, I didn't get to shoot it regularly. Never had a feed problem when I did. As soon as I saw you experiencing feed issues my 1st thought was to up the gas. This was drilled into us in basic training. The fact that it happened with the 2nd magazine is likely co-incidental, or the gas ports were starting to foul up having seen a number of rounds thru the action. Rear sight on our versions were a rotating circular type with various size holes for different ranges. It was a well-liked piece of hardware in the CF. Magazines not an issue to the best of my knowledge...... except for one time when I left mine in (empty) putting it on the rack outside the classroom we were going to, Extra duties for that little faux pas.... ;).
@9HoleReviews In 20 years of service I never had a mag problem, never had personal mags either, although I did have my own personal double leaf rear sight and wooden triangular stock with Bren gun sling. Used to shoot "Champion Shot" matches with the SLR.
Consider that the mags we get in the U.S. are former UK mil magazines, AFTER the rifles had completed their service lives. That said, as much as i love the SLR, the G3 mags were better designed IMO.
@@9HoleReviews Im sure the mags and weapons are getting long in the tooth, however in service the mags were never an issue. I had /havegreat respect for the SLR but in truth by the end of service many rifles were simply worn out, reliability was becoming a real issue and we were looking forward to a new more modern weapon. (A fact forgotten by many) the SA80 and its issues soon caused the SLRs aging faults to be conveniently forgotten.
Brought back many memories of lugging a wood kitted FN around the bush........ When you went out with it, common was to tighten the gas completely so you dont have ejection issues The person on the receiving end can deal with the recoil because its coming your way consistently A lot of our squad were used to bolt action 3006 hunting rifles so the recoil from the smaller brother was not a bother at all...... To cradle carry the FN and hook your hands into your pattern 58 webbing was easy carry all day over long distances.....
The 'look' of the FAL was inspiring to me as a youth. Something about it just hit that spot in my heart and mind, that the other rifles of the era didn't quite capture. I haven't had the pleasure to actually fire one, but I'm guessing I'd enjoy it mightily!
G'day guys, very interesting video about the "Slur". My father (Former British Army) carried one during the Malaya Emergency in the fifties and early sixties. I am a veteran of the Australian Military (Infantry), 1975-1993, and I too carried and loved the S.L.R. In my humble opinion this was the best rifle I ever carried (on par with the M60) during my time in the Forces. Thanks for the trip down memory lane guys, just wish I could buy one in Oz. Cheers fella's.
I'm only 170cm and I find the length of pull on the G3 to be perfectly fine. It allows you to really JAM it into your shoulder without using much force. Especially combined with the good old sling wrap around your arm you get a good geometry for shooting upright or squatting. But I hear this a lot. People who were initially trained on G3s and had to switch to ARs (or similar) miss the length of pull, whereas people going the other way find it odd.
When I was in the Canadian army I used both the Fn c1a1 and the C7/C8. I do prefer the FN C1A1. I found the FN move reilaby the the c7. I got my marksmanship expert class1(cross rifles with crowns class1). Lots of love from Canada 🇨🇦
Blessed to have two L1A1 SLR. One is a Lithgow LEO L1A1 and the other is a British B61 on a Coonan Brit cut receiver. It performs well and is pretty solid.
I remember like it was yesterday firing the SLR for the first time way back in 1971 when I joined the Army ( The Royal Green Jackets ) and boy what a weapon it was, I loved every minute on the ranges, now not blowing my own trumpet but I got quite good at shooting in fact I became the company sniper after a long and hard course and using the L42A1 with a big brass scope mounted which all in all was a converted .303 British chambered Lee-Enfield Rifle and also got picked to be in the British Army shooting team but since I left in 1979 I have not even picked up a high velocity weapon. I am now almost 70 and would love to have a go in firing one of these again to see if I still have the knack. as
I wish you would do a review on a G 43 and the scope that was paired with it? It is one of the few combat rifles you have not reviewed. Love your vids, and the wide range of rifles you test.
I'd especially wish it to be tested alongside SVT40, the closest equivalent. And both were used with both ironsights and scopes, so there's a great topic for big video
Ohh man this brings back memories. Way back in the day I was in the CAF reserve. Honestly I don't remember all that much. Didn't have anything to measure it against. The thing that stood out was heavy recoil. Was still a lovely thing to shoot.
When I was in the OTC some of our SLR's had double leaf rear sights but I'm can't remember if they we "hide" sights as illustrated. From memory (30 years later) they were just the standard sight but with a second flip up leaf with a pinhole for greater accuracy - hence they tended to be issued to our shooting team.
Back at the onset of Clinton AWB an order of Springfield Armory FAL receivers got caught up in customs. Springfield tired of arguing with the Feds and sold them to Dave at DSA. He worked through the paperwork and sold retailed them. My friends an I bought 5 and 5 British FAL parts sets. I called Springfield and spoke with the shop manager and he agreed to build them but not quite to completion I had them all parkerized. When I picked up the guns they were all with an unattached butt stock. However they threw in the special wrench for attachment. To this day it's my favorite shooter. I
I.have an Australian L1A1 built on an Embel receiver with all wood furniture. I think its my favorite 7.62x51 rifle. Mine has an original Australian bipod. My biggest complaint is the expense and scarcity of inch magazines for its. unfortunate the barrel was cut and threaded to take an M16 flash hider and other flask hiders with the thread.
I'm not into guns, but as a kid in the 60's I had a plastic one with it's folding handle and so it was a great pleasure seeing something of the real thing. Thanks gentlemen for such an informative video.
Back when I was in the Australian Army we had the M16A1 & the L1A1SLR. I preferred the SLR. After using SMLE's back in cadets which is a great rifle, the SLR took it up a notch. One of the tricks we did to make it fully automatic was the matchstick mod. You had to hold down a safety sear which allowed the safety catch to move to that third position. Then since this sear was held back while the trigger remained pressed the hammer remained free to move without a separate trigger press to operate said sear.
Tried that once playing the 'enemy' in the reserves, the officer in charge decided to put mine on auto and I went out and 'ambushed' a section, had a tripod on the barrel as well, when I fired at them they couldn't believe they were taking on a 'machine gun' and their section commander said "We don't take on a machine gun with just a section, we wait for heavier back up" never to say the officer who auto-ed mine got into trouble, it was fun but cleaning that gas plug was a nightmare!
I was waiting for someone to mention the matchstick trick only those people in the know have learned that trick it apparently came from Aussies who served in Vietnam!!!!!!
God help you if you put the pull through in the wrong tube the shit you would get into then the rifle had to be sent back to the armoury and have it removed!!!!!!
Anyone heard of filing the top off of a "spare" safety catch so that it could be pushed fully forward to the auto position? I never tried removing mine, so wouldn't know
@@terry1447 I've heard of doing that but never tried it they are French made rifles and they do have a auto function the Aussie ones still had Safe Safetey off and Auto on the selector but never went auto maybe that trick would work????
As a kid back in the 70s had a wonderful sight of L1A1, Sterling Sub Machine guns and Browning HP all in racks within the Armoury at my Dads (WO2) barracks.
@@thegael1996 I never had a problem with it, very reliable, even thought it spent a lot of time soaking wet. The only annoyance was the cocking handle was like a small doorknob, and the rear sights didn't fold down. If you carelessly slung it over your shoulder the handle would dig you in the back. It was handy to be able to quickly shove a clip into your magazine through the open top cover as the breech block remained open after the last round was fired. Non of the older men in my troop missed the No 4 and I had only used one with a .22 insert for target shooting
I sold my HK91 decades ago and kept my Springfield SAR-48. In retrospect it was not the wisest financial move, but the FAL remains the most pleasant shooting battle rifle I've ever owned.
The conflict that I was involved in took place in dry hot desert Savannah with lots of middling tall bush and trees. It was neither forest nor jungle and extremely dry and bright. Our R1 rifles(South African License built copy of the Belgian FN) all had the standard small aperture which worked extremely well in the good light conditions. Wherever short range ambushes took place the fire was point blank and often instinctive , but our chaps were totally familiar with that and did very well even then. If your enemy is only 20 meters away you rarely have time to shoulder ,pick up your sights and aim before loosing. Instead you hip or shoulder if you have time, look over the rifle at the enemy with both eyes open and BANG, BANG, BANG....And all of our chaps could make hits that way..
I. Can attest. 1969. My military training. With then. Wonderful eyesight. And with a gun-familiar background. There was NO one in our battalion to even see my dust trail. What a remarkable weapon. On a pinpoint. No matter the distance up to 600m. The South African R1. Especially so being manufactured en masse. Wonderful memories. Thanks! God bless!!
I have one with the issued sling and manual not with wood furniture. You had a stove pipe I also have an Israeli heavy barrel FAL with wood furniture. You are correct they had to cut the flash hider thread off. We were able to put the entire rifle in a lathe (did not have to remove the barrel) and Re thread the barrel and put the flash hider back on. Ricky from IBM
The photo is of the 1st. Argentinian Prisoner, by Bob Watson a Sgt. in Mortar Plt. in 3Para. In ‘63 1 Para had already been issued the SLR, IT WAS BRILLIANT. 👍🪂🫡
Henry's FAL is one of the most beautiful guns ever. There is something about a battle rifle with wood furniture that just hits the asthetic sweet spot. I am green with envy.
There was a sergeant in knew in the Australian army who was not only something of a legend for his actions in Vietnam but also because he was the most incredible shot. He’s the only person I’ve seen who was fairly accurate with this weapon over 500 yards using open sights. Interestingly in normal practice over normal ranges he used to fold down his rear sight. He was also very effective with this weapon firing from the hip. BTW, he was a very modest and unassuming fellow.
When I went through training we still used SLRs, I have no idea how you’re having problems with the mags though. We used the mags for everything from hammers to bottle openers and I never even heard of problems with them. The only thing I can think of is that after be8ng loaded onto the weapon someone is smacking the bottom of the mag and damaging the feed guides on it. We had always been taught to rock the magazine into place and then after securing it we check it by trying to rock it back out and off the weapon. Also, the rear sights you showed aren’t correct. It was a single leaf that slid up a ramp from 200-600yds (going metric in later versions). With regards to the sling, it was only ever placed in the rear fitting for parades, otherwise it was either attached to your wrist or secured around the small of the butt to allow you to carry it sling over your shoulder with the muzzle still pointing down.
We also have to factor in the fact that some of these mags can be 50 years old and much used, worn in fact. Slapping the mag bottom bad, using mag as hammer, bottle opener etc. bad. Springs also get fatigued by use and wear. Other than that great rifle, carried and fired often by me, FAL 7.62 X 51. And don't forget, if you're out of ammo and bayonet you can beat someone to death with it, unlike modern "plastic" rifles. When hit by 7.62 x51 what got hit stayed down.
It's a Hythe rearsight, beloved of battalion shooting teams. The sling on the wrist thing was Public Order duties specific, and whatever your unit did with the sling around the small of the butt I've never seen in a picture, training film or the pamphlet. The mags are most definitely the weak point.
@@BlokeontheRange The mags were not an issue in service, there are numerous people on here saying they had no mag issues in years of service. As the SLRs wore out which they did, reliability became a problem, at the end of service many rifles were frequent stoppers but it was not down to mag failures. The magazines had a hard life but I never had a failure or know of one due to the design, yes a mag could become damaged and end up written off but that goes for any mag. You were issued with your own mags, they were stripped and cleaned along with the weapon, you knew if a mag was bad. Honestly the life most SLR mags went through was in no means gentle but ithey were not an issue. Is it the most effective mag design? No. However they worked in rain, snow, sand, seawater during a life of abuse.
@@andysykes4328 ..your on point here; the problem's not the tool, it's the user. Rarely did I encounter any issues with the magazine, but I did witness a lot of poor shots. Fig. 11's at 400M with iron sights meant you rarely missed a Fig. 12 at 500m with SUIT Sight. The wear & tear of (how badly worn) this rifle is/was, we don't know.
My Father was the PSI with a TA Battalion. I remember every Sunday morning he would empty the Armoury In the drill hall and clean every weapon, just a pull through, parts and function check. I was field stripping and cleaning the SLR at nine years old, fired it for the first time at aged ten and hit the figure nine at 200m. Years later I was carrying one of them. I loved this rifle.
You need to try Canadian rotating disk aperture rear sights. I lugged the FAL around during my first 5 yrs in the infantry. The Canadian FALs (C1 A1) are very difficult to get hold of. Sights used to be readily available throughout the 90s.
@@geegaw14 Nope. They were refurbished and tossed into storage as war stocks. Over the decades they've been ill cared (apparently) and are in real crap state. In 1999 DND donated a thousand to an 'artist' in Edmonton who was building a gun sculpture as a millennium art project. Essentially a hollow cube constructed of welded gun parts to form a 'prison cell'. In addition to the donated C1s, he also received a millennium grant for his piece. If I recall correctly, it was $120,000. The scarcity of C1s on the market stems from a weird phobia surrounding their ownership. In the 1978 gun law, FALs became restricted. No good explanation was ever made as to why except that the prevailing fear was the ease at which they could be made automatic. As time went on, the policy was to rarely, if ever, sell former mil C1s to civilians. However, the Ontario Prov Police have several and they sold them to the public when they were disposing of them. I have a few friends who were lucky enough to obtain some for themselves. What should have happened was that all surplus C1s be sold to Canadian citizens in a scheme similar to the CMP in the US. This would ensure thousands of private citizens had them as an unofficial militia. If not this, then sell them at fair market value and reap the profit. 100,000 FALs at $1,000 apiece.... hmm.
I am EX-RAF and loved my SLR. It was always a pleasure to fire it. If you put a piece of a match behind the firing pin, you could make it a full auto 😁. Some even could do so if you forced the safety catch. Wood was always preferable, there was always a scramble when a wood one became available. For myself being left sighted, I never used the rear sight, only ever the front. Got good groupings with it. Another bonus with the SLR, it could be fired left or right handed, just by changing the shroud guard above the breachblock
This gun used to being my country's service rifle before we changed to HK33 and later M16A1. Works pretty well in our tropical jungle combat situation. Even Vietcong will expect an intense hardcore fight whenever they heard the sound of this gun in their battle zone.
I carried the FN C1A1 in the Canadian Army from 1977-85. Great rifle, but the few times I shot it out to 600 metres I could confidently say that I had a hard time hitting a 4’x4’ target. I think it was more my lack of skill rather than the capability of the weapon. It was quite similar to the L1A1 except our dust cover only went half way, and had a slot for loading using 5 round clips rather than an ejection port on the right side. We also didn’t have grooves in the breechblock carrier but was smooth instead. I believe the rear sight was different as well, but other than that it was the same weapon. Most of the misfires I had were ammo-related (faulty primers mostly). Due to the open breech area we did experience stovepiping where the spent casing didn’t fully eject and was caught vertically when the action tried to close resembling a stove pipe sticking out of a cabin. Mag problems were mostly due to the lips being bent by being dropped one time too many. Sad to see them go. They were just manufacturing the replacement rifle the C7 when I left the Regular Army, so I never became as acquainted with it. It’s a pity that our government doesn’t trust us enough to permit us to own them, because I would like to.
I never had or heard of mag problems, even with worn out SLRs at the end of their service. In fact compared to other weapons I used, the SLR mags were excellent. Gas related stoppages were the most common problem as the rifles wore out and reliability did become a problem but it was not due to the mags. Accuracy was never a problem, even with old rifles, my best groups ever were with this rifle. CQB, helicopter and mounted use was not a problem, you trained with it and got used to it.
You know that this could be due to to wear and tear on this specific rifle and that specific mag. Plus there are plenty of non select fire (Fixed to semi) that ended up here in the US and while not a hugely talked about issue, it is known to be one of the lesser accurate and reliable FAL variants. With surplus it's luck of the draw sometimes.
Intreresting - Thank-you. I was one of the last batch of users of the SLR in the late 70s - mid 80s and in my (TA) company shooting team. They were all, but a few, shot out so it was really hard to keep tight groups with by then. Had only 1 bad mag which after 2-3 mishaps ended its life under the Sargents boot! Definitely prefered the wooden version to the pastic especially in winter, trained in -15C and it still did not frost
I have very fond memories of the L1A1 this was my main weapon as a company signaller in the British Army. When you were having problems with jams i found my self shouting out THE I.A's . loved watching this one , Great channel thankyou.All the best mate😎👍
Loved my SLAR! With regards to the Australian grip being of all wood, that's not entirely true. The 2 slot grips were wood, but there were also the 3 hole variety that was metal at the retaining screw. The 3 hole type also had a metal heat shield inside, whereas the 2 slot type didn't. Brilliant to see the old girl again! Great job👍
I also have a Century Frankenfal L1A1 "sporter" which I converted back to the original configuration (although I used plastic furniture and I have not yet re-threaded the muzzle). It runs very well.
In my army days I could put 10 rounds in an orange at 600 yards using the SLR. my snipers rifle in one theatre was a Lee Enfield .303 converted to 7.62..same as SLR .Great weapons!
I used the slr and smg in the British army in the 80s, the magazine issue was known in my unit, we used to suss out which magazines were dodgy, deliberately "lose" them on an exercise, take the jail time for it and hopefully get new decent mags.
Ive been to a fair number of shooting matches and you always see a ton of guys with adjustable gas systems that are having nothing but problems but the gun had “worked the day before”.
The shooting teams tended to have more problems than guys in the field as they would set there gas to minimise recoil while in the field would set to much higher levels. “5 and stay alive”
Every time I fired SLR on ranges, my glasses broke from delayed shock. Made little tiny pits in the lenses after the recoil. 24 hours later, they suddenly shattered. Luckily for me, the 9mm Browning SMG was the standard issue weapon for Royal Engineers and spectacles were issued free 😀 Before anyone casts any dispersions regarding my eyesight, I did achieve marksman twice (on the SMG)
I guess the only limited option here is to buy a purpose built straight pull version.....not exactly a genuine vintage rifle, and a shame it isn't a proper semi auto, but allows the look and feel. I have never fired one, but would like to try. I have a couple of 7.62mm slots to fill on my FAC.....just need the cash!
My father used the slr in Vietnam and all through his 23 year army service .he loved the slr he said he always had the gas turned up to avoid feed issues
I regularly hit five V bulls over a thousand yards, using a Lee Enfield Mark IV with Parker Hale iron peep sight. No telescopes. A thousand yards. Wind causes interesting conditions over that distance, then it also warbles the mirage. One must know how to read those conditions. I also have some bush warfare experience with a FN 7,62mm just as in the video. That magazine feeds well when the gas controller is set to 3.5
I've been pretty happy with my L1A1. It's not an SLR, but the previous owner used it in 3 gun and I'm quite impressed with how soft the recoil is for something in 7.62 NATO. I ditched the 1x dot that the PO had on it in favor of a 3-9x Leupold, but it's overall it's something I'm very comfortable with for a variety of purposes. Honestly, I'd probably prefer it (with an appropriate optic) over the M16A4 that I was issued when I went through the designated marksman course when I was in.
Lovely blast from the past - as a young soldier in the late 70s/early 80s this was my wepon - took one to the Falklands. Always loved the SLR even I did break the lens in my glasses in basic training. Only ever trained to 300 yards and like its length with bayonet fitted for poking things! You magazines look odd and tinny compared to what I remember - and have no memories of any problem with them. In Catterick in 77 we were actually taught to carry them with the butt on the hip, one end of the sling around your writs with the other end attached to rifle. Dong the "Shankhill shuffle" he called it.
![MP5SD [GSG9’s "Silent Sniper" SMG] to 500yds: Practical Accuracy](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xgV8ZByAF4s/mqdefault.jpg)
![MP5SD [GSG9’s "Silent Sniper" SMG] to 500yds: Practical Accuracy](/img/tr.png)
Watch the same rifle with the issued 4x optic, the L2A2 SUIT "Trilux" scope and discussion with Mike at: ruclips.net/video/4ZcuaRfBY0A/видео.html
Posted a question on FALs in .280 British. On reflection, I should have posted it as a reply here, not a separate question. Please have a look and add whatever information you can.
The L1A1 with L2A2 Trilux scope was the first rifle I bought here in Holland. Back in 2000, the cost approximately €440,- with scope! I sold the L1A1 (because I couldn't score high with this rifle during matches). I still own the scope with dust cover. There is just something about it and I can't get it over heart to sell it.
SUIT better than iron sights but could have been better.
Good Gods! A SUIT! I would imagine that the actual Tritium Trilux has decayed to a point where it is not illuminated at all - but at least there'll be no RadHaz...
Always shot well with a SUIT, but it took some getting used to, having the pointer coming down, not going up - a design that doesn't seem to have caught on, oddly enough.
The SLR has a terrible history in the mass murder of civilians in Northern Ireland Henry. During two specific executions during august 1971 Ballymurphy, the lesser know of the two. And the world known one from January 30th 1972.
Is a weapon of terror and seeing how it fires, is frightening of all guns I detest seeing. The terror on community’s all over N. Ireland this weapon caused, paralysing fear which I seen every day in our towns and cities that had Catholic majority’s.
British soldiers standing on streets looking down their sights directly at you, is a sight I never want to endure or see my children see.
What that time brought to all was nothing short of racial abuse on religious hate. Both my late parents went through many times as I grew up not your skin colour or tone. It was what religion were you Henry that was disturbing. That our parents gave us Protestant second names, and surname was not spelt the normal Catholic way. That is true what our parents done to protect us growing up is crazy to write here. That’s how bad it was in the 60’s to late eighties before it started to slow down some Belford the endless slaughter close to the final putting of weapons down.
Still love your outstanding work, and your natural marksman’s skills Henry and Josh!
That "Audio recording problem due to high winds" popup flashing in & out right over the target was giving me more stress than Henry's dodgy magazine.
sorry i could have done that differently. If i recall our wind jam blew off/ came off of the lav mic and we didn't know, so we had to switch audio to our camera audio... which was also just a mess in the wind but less of a mess.
@@9HoleReviews You guys do have some 'interesting' weather, and I say that as a Scot. We don't exactly go short of wind & rain, but it's mostly spread out evenly over the whole year so it's just constantly miserable instead of being dumped out in short periods.
Great video anyway (as always), we can handle a few seconds of minor imperfection.
@@theritchie2173
Hah, do you like Count Dankula too? He's likely the Scot that I watch most on RUclips, very based and hilarious guy, helps me to keep up on news in the UK and EU.
Also, and again this is TOTALLY without context to the original message or this video, the following is perhaps the first/oldest bit of exposure to an historic event that was prominently populated with Scots and also is in line with Military history which I am very interested in.
It's a novel by Bernard Cornwell, one of his Sharpe novels. I think it's one of the earlier ones (in terms of the chronology of the actual storyline within the series as it follows the Napoleonic Wars) and it takes place during the Battle of Assaye. I just looked up the battle, 1803, India, in fact come September within 2 months it will be the 220th Anniversary of the battle by the looks of it. Anyhow, in it, Cornwell describes the Scottish soldiers fighting with INCREDIBLE bravery and valor, following orders perfectly, possibly demonstrating fearlessness even as the battle intensified and intensified, it was brutal and seems to have been quite costly, but it was a British Victory in the end with the enemy enduring FAR greater losses than the British did.
And of course, great Scottish presence in the trenches of WWI where there also fought English and French and Americans and Canadians and Newfoundlanders before Newfoundland joined Canada after WWII.
So yeah, wicked stuff, cheers from Canada. I mean, it sucks that I'm in Canada, but cheers from Canada regardless lmao
@@theritchie2173Scotland was one of my fav places to have visited. I really enjoyed taking advantage of your right to roam :)
When I was a boy my action man toy had a SLR nice to see the real thing being tested by an American and Brit great video
I carried a slur in the Aussie army and loved them, what got hit stayed in the lying, screaming, bleeding position on the ground.
I almost died from the nostalgia watching this video.
Ya made an old digger happy, thanks fellas.
How common was the conversion to full auto in the Aussie army? Was it a thing Diggers did when they went out into the jungles (Malaya/Borneo/Vietnam)?
@@Kelvin_Foo We had a full auto version, the L2A2 I think, but for the most part none of us did it, unless of course it wasn't unheard of🤔😈😈
@@screwyu1329full auto for clearing trenches and buildings? i mean like short controlled bursts
@@King.Leonidas Our slurs weren't much chop for that sort of work as they are a bit long by todays standards so we never used them that way. Having said that, throw a can on a shortened barrel and I can't see why not.
@King.Leonidas There are 2 automatic SLRs. One is the manufactured heavy barrel version with a bipod instead of a handguard, the L1A2. The other is a field conversion of a semi-auto L1A1 that was used by some Aussie troops in Vietnam. They'd lighten an L1A1 a bit by chopping the barrel and taking the handguard off and work some in the field magic to convert the normally semi-auto rifle to automatic only. Then they'd stick a 30 round mag from an L4A1 BREN in it. Was typically used to hose down thick brush with lead when advancing or retreating. I believe the nickname for such a conversion was "the bitch".
During my time in the Cadets and later the Army Reserve, the SLR was my primary weapon... and I loved it. I managed to win a couple of trophies shooting the SLR so have a significant soft spot for it. We used to have an ex SAS signaler come alone and assist with our cadet training and we would hang on every word of his Vietnam stories. He told us that the Americans could always tell if it was the Aussies involved on a contact because of the sound of those "God damned cannons...".
US kiwis too remember....:)
Was this ‘ex SAS signaller’ an Aussie or a Kiwi?
@@bob_the_bomb4508 Aussie.
@@HarryP457Was this SAS guy by any chance Sgt John Pert? Served with the Australian army at the end of Vietnam and Cambodia. Told loads of no bullshit stories about heads on poles, snakes in trees and poisonous ambush pits...
@@carlteacherman194 No, his name was Nev Thring. His stories tended towards the funny shit that hapenned over there. He caught a back full of grenade fragments half way through his second tour and got invalided out. Lived in Central Qld and died a few years ago.
I could listen to Mike and Henry nerd out on rifles all day. Also, I think the 9 Hole crew needs to make a trip to Finland for a certain event.
Yes indeed
Yeah, I really wanna see how Josh would do
@@TheOz91Jari will run them ragged by inviting them to run a casual full marathon.
@@themastermason1 In full gear!
@@TheOz91 Carrying rocks
Wind, Bad Mags, Wrong target and Henry soldiers on with this classy looking rifle!
24:31 Definitely worth mentioning the silhouette of the warriors from the way the SLR was typically carried on the march cradled in the arms and almost never slung. The marines demonstrate it well, with the rifle resting on their forearms and their hands clasped together around the magazine and the ejection port, with the butt out past the elbow. The SLR just was so well balanced and comfortable to hold like that. Marched many hours like that.
It actually, to me, felt lighter than the SA80, even though the little lump was marginally lighter. As you say, better balanced.
Used to place the pistol grip in the belt of my 58 webbing on long rout marches.
That was known as the ‘Belfast Carry’
Sloppy and unprofessional. Never did it once during my time in Belfast.
Always carried slung across the chest in Norway unless advancing to contact. Ditto in mountain training when moving where both hands are required.
In short; you don’t know what you are talking about.
@@paulsaunders6536 Ermm... All the marines in green berets are doing the cradling in the arms thing in the video? Or do you mean the bit about sticking the pistol grip in the belt?
@@horsebattery9243grip in belt.
I learned to shoot with the SLR (wooden furniture) in the reserves and competed in many competitions with it. Joined the regulars and was issued with a plastic furniture model. I shot out one barrel. Misfeeds were inevitably down to gas or not cleaning it. I have fired 100's of thousands of rounds through them and if UK law allowed, I would have one in a heart beat. Well done guys great to listen to you!
I love the SLR too, used it to start off with, in the Cadets on the range at RAF Cosford, then joined up and then used it while serving as an adult. However, saying that, we did some CQB/FIBUA work ( Northern Ireland Street scene set-up, moving targets, etc) on an indoor range at Swynnerrton, when we had conversion kits for our SLR's to .22 ,we had to recock the SLR after every shot, as there wasn't the gas pressure of the 7.62 round. Could you get an SLR converted to .22, with the conversion kit on a Firearms Certificate ?
Ditto! I spent 18 years+ in the reserves and spent the first 3-4 years using and loving the L1A1 SLR. Hewn from granite, easy to maintain and clean, great patrol wpn, and it hit's like a sledgehammer. I recall two SNCO's from the Warminster unit that test every wpn system either in use, or proposed for use by the BA. They gave a presentation on the SA80, which left me decidedly underwhelmed. They gave us the presentation, then took questions. I asked, "What do you really think of it?" The reply was, "I think it's a load of crap and would rather keep the SLR." That said it all really. I held an FAC in the early to mid 90, but for Michael Ryan, I would have applied to have an L1A1 in a heartbeat. It's an iconic rifle and it would still be my wpn of choice- albeit with a Trilux sight fitted. I recall hitting tgts on an ETR range in Sennybridge at 600m Fig 11's. I always kept tobasco sauce in my webbing- not for food, but for cleaning the SLR gas plug! Put some TS on it, let it soak for 3-5 mins, then wipe the carbon off! No need to use the matchstick and soil trick! ;)
Ah, when in OTC we used the conversion kits (were they H&K?) on the indoor range. They weren't too bad and you might get half a mag before a stoppage
@@liverpoolscottish6430Hadn't heard of the tobasco trick, we were using brasso. Not good for the gas plugs or pistons, but the powers that be wanted 'em all nice and shiny. Never used an SA80, but I think the Aussie Steyr likewise left experienced NCO's "underwhelmed". I too would own an SLR if local laws allowed.
I never had a problem with my SLR, never failed, I used the 30 round mag, upon occasion I fired enough rounds to make the wood furniture smoke. This was back in the early 1970's and I served for six years.
The old Bren mag trick. Used to put a tracer round as the penultimate round incase I broke the golden rule of not counting your rounds when firing and didn’t change mag.
You fricking lair the SLR did nit have a 39 round mag or we be all issued with it and to use a bren mad woukd be ok fir first 3 shots then you get stoppages due the the mag is gravity feed to stop bull shifting and BTW I used it in the fslklands war 82
@evans0109 Try doing some research on the countries of the Commonwealth and the military small arms of each before you get nasty. A number of Commonwealth countries produced a heavy barrel FN FAL HEAVY BARREL full auto version of the FN FAL complete with an attached bipod and a 30-round magazine, countries that used this version as a light infantry support weapon included Israel, Peru, Canada and Australia, to name a few they varied from country to country but were extremely common although somewhat heavier than the standard Battle Rifle SLR.
So true my friend, Bren gun mag only worked going down hill.@@evans0109
During my time in her majesty's service, my 'department' (which wasn't infantry) designated the slr as a group fire weapon from 300yds onwards.
Henry, in those conditions you did the equivalent of winning nascar in a pinto.
I'll send you & Josh a few English pounds, buy some bovril with it - it keeps you going on cold days on the range 😉
Thank you! I'm trying to find more of the "old and brave" to document their time with the SLR, let me know if you're interested in recounting some memories! 9holereviews@gmail.com
no pressure! just an open invite :)
Don't drink the Bovril, guys 😬
Could be worse, could be brown biscuits AB. 😂
Bovril…firewater to the…
@@9HoleReviews all I dare offer you is a question. As mentioned earlier I wasn't Infantry, but from time to time we would (begrudgingly) have to put on a parade for visiting so called VIPs (usually people we'd never heard of!) for my comrades that are part of this conversation: To make 2 or 3 hours square bashing rehearsals more tolerable how many will confess to removing bolt, carrier, piston & spring & then cammo the ejection port with blacked out cardboard? 😉
Beautiful piece of kit, known to us in the British Army as the "one shot,one drop'' due to the 7.62mm stopping power!
"Targets will leap into the air and flap around screaming when hit"😄
Love it
We called it the paddy popper
@@wodens-hitman1552
No, we didn't.
Some guy's did, we called them boom boom sticks@@Mark-Haddow
Am an ex RGJ Rifleman I did a lot of running around with one for 6 years before the L85 became a thing, back then the weapon was properly fitted for length of pull for each individual, being in the regiment that has the lineage of being the 1st to use a rifle, as a high standard of marksmanship were expected, - the one thing I can tell you is the weapon unlike the L85A1 that replaced it, was pretty soldier proof, things never fell off of it when you weren't looking and it was used to be commonly used as a step over for obstacles with another tom in the field, it was easy to maintain, it was common practice in the field to do the gas parts separate to the internals so in the field you only had half the weapon striped at any time, it also had no tiny bits to lose when field stripping.
A gas setting of 6 or 7 was a common setting for our Brit ones.. maximum was 12, gas system could be turned off by turning the gas plug upside down too... believe it or not stoppages were not as common as you may think, or at least they weren't in my unit as bad magazines were exchanged in the arms court, not reporting issues with your personal firearm could drop you in hot water, but when the L85 came in with the thin Radway Green mags with the horrible plastic follower gave a lot more trouble, so much so a lot of us ended up buying Colt magazines.
in the lead up to a shooting competitions we never touched the takedown lever to open the weapon, instead we cleaned them as best we could without opening the action incase it shifted zero, a common issue was the rear sight if worn could wobble a bit, and not all all SLR's were identical, within the battalion either, not all had 'night apertures' some had the rear sights graduated in yards others in meters, some had the 'A' stamped on the receiver but you couldnt physically move the lever to that setting, not that you could control it in full auto reliably anyway, 30rd LMG were Gucci kit too back in the day.
BTW unlike other units RGJ and LI were taught to use the carry handle as a stand when laying the weapon down on the deck to keep dirt getting in the ejection port, by pulling it out a little then laying the weapon on its right side, other units lay it down on the left side laying on its safety catch which could lead to an issue if someone trips or kicks it, back then it was drummed in that 'slings were for lazy people'
Royal Green Jackets?
The Shovellers
One of the 12 Gunners from 1st RHA, with R & B Coy, 3RGY W-Belfast 1984-85; R.I.P. Tim Utteridge
S&B fella
Gentleman please!!!... This is not the time for it...
Great to see Bloke on here. Cross over videos are a real treat.
When you mention wood furniture on the SLRs in the Falklands, It was largely due to the fact that both 42 and 45 Commando were Arctic trained units and the early issue replacement Plastic furniture was not fit for use in Arctic conditions, the plastic furniture became brittle and broke with small knocks. So all the replaced wood furniture was collected for those units that deployed to the Arctic. I remember it taking 4 or 5 years for the development of plastic furniture that was suitable for the low temperatures. The LMG was used in the Arctic instead of the GPMG because is was Mag fed, the belts on a GPMG were prone to freezing causing stoppages, hence the abundance of LMG mags with those Arctic Units
Was my first weapon in the Royal marines. Still my favorite rifle.
I do
@StanlyStud, I do.
if you don't care don't comment @StanlyStud
@StanlyStudlike you would know Walter Mitty🤣
@StanlyStud..I do.
My 1980's baby. Absolutely shot to bits, after years on the shooting team, I could easily pull through with 3 by 4, it also fell apart if tapped butt backwards off the ground, The armourer at Bisley near had kittens when I demonstrated this trick, but ultra reliable, coughing empties out into a beret sized pile a couple of feet from the breach. I simply loved it. P.S. I cant remember which were the best barrels, BSA or Royal Enfield. But 1 of the 2 suppliers was reckoned to be much better. Green spot ammo from Radway Green was also much sought after.
P S.
One memory was while part of the RE Troop, QUB OTC, I was carrying a goodly bundle of angle iron pickets over my shoulder, with my SLR slung across my chest, these pickets to be used to demarcate a minefield.
When, in the dark I stepped into an unseen trench or pit.
I went down heavy, across the SLR which bridged the gap with a distinct creak.
Shit I thought, that gotta be my zero fornicated. But a couple of days later on the range, NOPE my zero was quite unaffected. Wow I remember thinking, that is a seriously well engineered battle rifle.
Check your gas block and gas feed, that was the only real problem when we were shooting with The FN SLR in New Zealand, I served 1978 to 1989.
I remember in the very late eighties going from a Regular unit armoury into a TA armoury and being amazed by the amount of wood-stocked SLRs that they had, probably about half their inventory. And most of them were in very good condition too. It was such a shame to see them go in favour of the SA80. I did enjoy shooting the SLR as it 'felt' like a proper rifle, certainly over the SA80.
The TA had some mixed SLR configurations with plastic butt & wooden stock & vice versa . The full wooden stock & butt rifles were prized personal weapons by those lucky enough to be issued one ..
Yes, SLR great weopan.
First time I fired the SA80, thought I had a miss fire, felt like a pea shooter.
When it comes to its historical and cultural impact, the SLR was THE image of the UK army and marines through the 60,s 70,s and 80,s. As a small boy, I had action man figures, and action man always had either an SLR or an SMG, possibly a GPMG. The Falklands war made it an even more iconic image, royal marines and paras with the SLR and huge night sights or the smaller SUIT sight fitted. I can remember when my unit transitioned to the SA80 I really didn't want to give my SLR up, and my brother went to operation Granby with his SLR because the SA80 hadn't fully replaced it in his unit, he said he was far happier knowing he had the range and stopping power ,which in a desert conflict could have made the difference.
The only good thing about the SA80 was that you could jump in a Landrover easliy without punching a hole in the canvas!
Our squadron (RCT) was already equiped with 'gun plastic cheap and nasty' by Gulf War 1, luckily we didn't go and fight with it.
The Northern Ireland conflict too. The soldiers carrying the SLR were iconic in the 70s and 80s..as well as the the hand-me-down US flak-jackets from Vietnam!
I was that soldier
@carlteacherman194 my brother was in 66 Squadron. Some of his Squadron had received the SA80, but he hadn't.
Love the L1A1! I recently sold My century Franken L1A1 but she was a lovely shooter, and will always have a soft spot with me.
We received our SLR’s in Gibraltar in 1968. The crew went in shifts to the range at Gib airport for a practice shoot. Powerful rifle and much lighter than the old lee enfield. Our instructor demonstrated the armor piercing capability by punching through 1/4 inch steel from 500 yards.
The NZDF only ever used the L1A1 as a DMR in a special operations capacity as a stop gap on operations in afghanistan, much the same as the M14 was in the early GWOT - there was a lack of capability so the dust got blown off old stocks in an effort to close that gap.
The work was done by MAE in Auckland New Zealand to 'accurise' them, which included a picatinny top cover , picatinny handguard and a suppressor.
As a DMR it was never issued to general Infantry , apart from maybe a few Trilux' and early NVG scopes in the 80s.
This was all superceded in 1988 with the adoption of the F88 AUSTEYR in general service.
The DMW / LMT308MWS (L129) was actually adopted circa 2008, approximately 10 years before the MARS-L was adopted as a line weapon.
There is much evidence of AUGs and the LMT DMW on operations with general kiwi soldiers in Afghanistan between 2008 - 2014.
And our DMW has a 20" barrel with a 'sniper' scope, rather than a 16" stubby with a machinegun scope as used by the Brits.
I loved shooting the SLR when I was in the Royal Navy (1978-88), it was comfortable to shoot it absorbed the recoil especially if you wrapped the sling around arm on the fore-stock.
My fav wpn, i used the L1 from the early 70's to its retirement. I joined the British Army in 73 and retired in 2017, it was a man stopper of a wpn. Always preferred the plastic furniture but the wood was very nostalgic. They were very particular on gas settings. Very easy to turn them into an auto, which many people did especially when using blank rds.
Haw did the sA 80 compare? I've heard the option of using the rifle but as a weapon was taken away with the intro of the sA 80
44 years in the army - you must have retired a Field Marshal 😅
@@stuartjarman4930😂😂
@stuartjarman4930 I had some time off in between, 36yrs in uniform finished as a Captain
@@taffdavies35 Haha I was going to say! That's still an extremely impressive record of service!
Dial your gas regulator down two clicks the help with the stopages.
It looks like the gas piston isnt pushing far enough to properly eject the rounds.
This happens after the first 10 shots and the gas parts heat up.
You could have a worn out gas piston.
I was trained on the SLR in the REME. We were also the last unit in the British army to still have the SLR in 1993.
The first thing I thought was Mag Spring or Gas issue. IA drills at that point would require an adjustment to the gas regulator and carry out with no repeats. Problem resolved so carry on! Spent almost 10 years on the SLR and loved it.
I was in 3 para and slings were verboten on both tne SLR and SA80, like you said the weapon was always ready to go even on long marches and 10 mile tabs despite the fact it would have been easier to sling it.
I was a Kiwi Infanteer circa early 90's, the only time we were permitted to use slings was while we were putting up concertina wire obstacles. We weren't allowed full fingered gloves either, regardless of weather conditions.
Brings back memories, I got my crossed rifles with this rifle, started at 800yds shooting then running forward for every 100 yds and shooting either kneeling or prone, when I got to 100yds the target seemed huge, human silhouette. Great fun it was in the military.
Got my Crossed Rifles with the SLR as well in 1991.
I loved the SLR (and the .22lr conversion), I shot for the regiment back in the 80s, and the competition we used it in involved two riflemen putting a targets down at 600m, and it did it with ease.
The .22lr for the SLR was the H&K conversion kit. The kit was used as a training tool for Northern Ireland training whereby you fired at a projector screen. Once fired the film would stop and the instructors would show you the hit spot and if it was a kill or wound.
@@pappap3788 I only got to use it on the gallery range above the drill hall, the SLR hardly moves when it fires. There's an RFD near where I live which is selling straight pull SLRs and the H&K .22 kit. I often wondered what it would be like as a rabbit rifle though I doubt it would take subsonic ammo.
The H&K conversion was used in NI training and was responsible the the multiple murders of Granny as she walked out onto the balcony!
My weapon when I was a squaddie in the British Army we used to go up and down the distances on the range until we had fine tuned the zeroing , I could get a 7" group at 200 metres with my own rifle :) Our rifles sights were marked in metres not yards and also when we had zeroed our personal weapon we used a special glue to lock the sight screws in position .
Hi, I will have to take you up on your criticism of this rifle. I have served in different armies and am an ex Brit Para. I started my riflemen training in Africa on the Enfield 303 and progressed to the Brit SLR. I was a marksman on SMG, LMG, SLR and Browning 9mm in the British Army at the start of my service. I have worked with French, Brit, US, Canadian, Norwegian, Arab, Malayan, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Australian and New Zealanders. In other words, been there, done that, got the scars to prove it.
Never have I had problems with my magazines, mind you I rejected anything that was looking at being worn out. When you are on “ Stand To” most of your service life you have to have gear ready to go. I use to think of being a shit hot marksman having shot at the Bisley competition! When I joined the Kiwi Army I found myself on the rifle ranges in Rotorua with a platoon of Territorial soldiers, all straight out of the bush for their annual camp. We started at zeroing our weapons in at 200 yards ( yes 200) then shot in the Standing Position ( training for work in the bush or jungles) at 300, 400 & 500 yards. Every soldier hit the figure 11 target. Then for the fun of it we went to the 600 mark and I had three soldiers hitting the target 8 out of 10 rounds! All three were deer cullers working for the government. Yes gentlemen, this is the pool of soldiers that we drew our volunteers from to go to Vietnam, their fathers had served in Malaya and Borneo. You always think of yourself as the best, until you meet those that are the best. Don’t blame the rifle, the mag, the gas pressure or the ammo. You use what you get issued and find a way to make it work for you. The Kiwis and the Australians found that the stopping power of the SLR gave them the confidence to take on the so called professionals. Cheers mate. Harera
Here in Brazil, our military and police use the FN Fal a lot, but it is the semi and automatic version, mainly the folding Para-Fal version. It's a good rifle, but it's old-fashioned. A compact AR-15 in 5.56 is better for patrol work, while the military has developed its own weapon based on Fal parts, the Imbel IA2, which is nothing revolutionary but works well. In addition, the FN Fal is a great battle rifle in 7.62x51 caliber, unrivaled accuracy. Hugs from a Brazilian police officer!
Probably one of the rarest, if not the rarest variant of the FAL was a 7.62x39 rifle made by Lyttelton Engineering Works of South Africa in the 1970's. They were manufactured for an undisclosed client, twenty-seven were made and twenty were delivered. They used a modified AK magazine,and apart from that and a much shorter barrel and shorter stock, they looked the same as the R1 (licence made FAL).
(From "Firearms Developed and Manufactured in Southern Africa 1949-2000").
So if you were an ultra rich fal collector you can get one in 308, 7.62x39, 556, 280 British, and 9mm (though that last one is just homebuilds or guns that use some fal parts for cheaper production)
Those 7.62x39 variants remind me a bit of the STG-44. They're pretty cool looking.
They were initially made as a replacement for the R1, then were dropped in favour of the Israeli Galil R4 version.
R1 was a bit difficult on long patrols, ammo weight and barrel length in the Angolan bush war.
Hi from a South African troepie....😁🇿🇦🍻👍
Great video both! Many thanks. For those who love to see these iconic rifles on screen in their natural habitat, I recommend the made for TV film, An Ungentlemanly Act, all about the Falklands war. It is an excellent film which is also very funny in places. Staring the much missed brilliant actor, Bob Peck. (RIP). It is great to see SLR rifles throughout and of course, a DPM and period kit fest!
You need to put a message out telling folks you have an audio recording problem due to high winds. Make sure that it keeps flashing up throughout the vid. Its very helpful!!!!
The SLR was the weapon i used for 16 years in the armed forces and it never let me down. When i served on TCW i had my own tailored SLR and it was zeroed to only me which got me my marksman badge.
Would that have been at Brize in hangar 86? I was in the other half of the hangar with 244.
I grew up in Northern Ireland during the troubles, little town called Derry, the SLR was everywhere, it's my abiding memory of British soldiers, that and the Sterling SMG. There was a lot of hate for the rifle due to this . . . I always thought it was sexy AF 😁 still do, great video guys 👍
@abefroman3466 the difference between you and me Abe is that I'll not try and correct what you call it . . . because I really don't mind 🤷🏼♀️ hope you're having a great day 👍
@@madeyoulook6392 well said.
Greetings from Belfast.
Henry is a beast.
I'm lucky to hit anything beyond 250 with the iron sights on my SLR.
practice makes perfect!
@@Swagdonaldzcouldn't have said it better myself! You got this man just take some extra time and practice you'll get better!
I used to be good to 400, younger eyes
I've managed 200m (220yd) with irons and 300m (330yd) with my 3.5x replica PU scope of my ol' Mosin. Never had the pleasure to try farther, but past experience within about 150-200m has been good, and I also managed pretty darn good at 200-300m as well :) I am confident I can manage 400, but well, that doesn't mean anything especially given I have not so much as fired a rifle in years.
Someday, I will legally get to America... greatest nation on the planet...
@kilgor5793
If it were 5MOA, then by 600yd (550m) the grouping will have stretched to about 30" or around 75cm which is 0.75m which can be roughly translated to around 0.825yd or so, I think.
Also in the video, both Bloke (Mike, but I always referred to him as Bloke due to his handle Bloke on the Range, awesome dude), they referred to Henry's rifle being about 2.5-3MOA which even fanboying Bloke conceded as being quite nice, can't complain about that, and perhaps also made reference to 3-4MOA. I'm not certain if I had heard 5MOA referenced.
As for controllability, well yeah I cannot argue that one bit if you're referring to recoil while rapid-firing haha Seems pretty consistent at the time; shoulder-fired rifles using full-sized rifle cartridges ESPECIALLY if a 'fun switch' is handy, is little more than a really effective means of magazine-emptying and barrel heating with a whole lot of 'fuck you' (about 20 'fuck yous,' to be more precise) launched in a rather large general area to likely very minimal gain/effect other than the bis stupid smile because that might be unavoidable given the context. I, for one, would be quite giddy at the opportunity to try and hold onto THAT bucking bronco, which I believe is likely an American term.
Fortunate to shoot & carry the FN C1A1 as a recruit in the Canadian Forces back in the day. Canadian Forces were among the 1st to adopt this fine firearm & did much of the grunt work converting the metric blueprints to inch pattern. As a future Air Force Technician, I didn't get to shoot it regularly. Never had a feed problem when I did. As soon as I saw you experiencing feed issues my 1st thought was to up the gas. This was drilled into us in basic training. The fact that it happened with the 2nd magazine is likely co-incidental, or the gas ports were starting to foul up having seen a number of rounds thru the action.
Rear sight on our versions were a rotating circular type with various size holes for different ranges. It was a well-liked piece of hardware in the CF. Magazines not an issue to the best of my knowledge...... except for one time when I left mine in (empty) putting it on the rack outside the classroom we were going to, Extra duties for that little faux pas.... ;).
It sucked then and sucks now.
@9HoleReviews In 20 years of service I never had a mag problem, never had personal mags either, although I did have my own personal double leaf rear sight and wooden triangular stock with Bren gun sling. Used to shoot "Champion Shot" matches with the SLR.
No me neither, SLR mags were pretty sound. Never heard of an issue concerning mags either.
Consider that the mags we get in the U.S. are former UK mil magazines, AFTER the rifles had completed their service lives. That said, as much as i love the SLR, the G3 mags were better designed IMO.
@@9HoleReviews Im sure the mags and weapons are getting long in the tooth, however in service the mags were never an issue. I had /havegreat respect for the SLR but in truth by the end of service many rifles were simply worn out, reliability was becoming a real issue and we were looking forward to a new more modern weapon. (A fact forgotten by many) the SA80 and its issues soon caused the SLRs aging faults to be conveniently forgotten.
Wow, Josh's Bloke impression is spot on! You could've thought they brought Bloke himself onto the show.
I love my Malaysian contract Aussie L1A1 even if its on a Century receiver.
Brought back many memories of lugging a wood kitted FN around the bush........
When you went out with it, common was to tighten the gas completely so you dont have ejection issues
The person on the receiving end can deal with the recoil because its coming your way consistently
A lot of our squad were used to bolt action 3006 hunting rifles so the recoil from the smaller brother was not a bother at all......
To cradle carry the FN and hook your hands into your pattern 58 webbing was easy carry all day over long distances.....
The 'look' of the FAL was inspiring to me as a youth. Something about it just hit that spot in my heart and mind, that the other rifles of the era didn't quite capture. I haven't had the pleasure to actually fire one, but I'm guessing I'd enjoy it mightily!
Until you had to carry one on a long patrol in the Angolan bush.....🇿🇦🍻👍
@@richardwebb9532 I have PTR 91 a G3 clone.. yeah it's not a light rifle to carry, but it's as close to firing and using a FAL as I can afford!
@@wod5203 😁👍🍻
@@wod5203 I had an R1 from the SADF for two years service, it was my "wife", was later issued an R4 when I was posted to a commando...🍻👍🇿🇦
G'day guys, very interesting video about the "Slur". My father (Former British Army) carried one during the Malaya Emergency in the fifties and early sixties. I am a veteran of the Australian Military (Infantry), 1975-1993, and I too carried and loved the S.L.R. In my humble opinion this was the best rifle I ever carried (on par with the M60) during my time in the Forces. Thanks for the trip down memory lane guys, just wish I could buy one in Oz. Cheers fella's.
I'm only 170cm and I find the length of pull on the G3 to be perfectly fine. It allows you to really JAM it into your shoulder without using much force. Especially combined with the good old sling wrap around your arm you get a good geometry for shooting upright or squatting. But I hear this a lot. People who were initially trained on G3s and had to switch to ARs (or similar) miss the length of pull, whereas people going the other way find it odd.
Do you mean the G3's LOP is short or long? The AR has had many variations with varying LOPs.
When I was in the Canadian army I used both the Fn c1a1 and the C7/C8. I do prefer the FN C1A1. I found the FN move reilaby the the c7. I got my marksmanship expert class1(cross rifles with crowns class1). Lots of love from Canada 🇨🇦
Blessed to have two L1A1 SLR. One is a Lithgow LEO L1A1 and the other is a British B61 on a Coonan Brit cut receiver. It performs well and is pretty solid.
I remember like it was yesterday firing the SLR for the first time way back in 1971 when I joined the Army ( The Royal Green Jackets ) and boy what a weapon it was, I loved every minute on the ranges, now not blowing my own trumpet but I got quite good at shooting in fact I became the company sniper after a long and hard course and using the L42A1 with a big brass scope mounted which all in all was a converted .303 British chambered Lee-Enfield Rifle and also got picked to be in the British Army shooting team but since I left in 1979 I have not even picked up a high velocity weapon. I am now almost 70 and would love to have a go in firing one of these again to see if I still have the knack.
as
I wish you would do a review on a G 43 and the scope that was paired with it? It is one of the few combat rifles you have not reviewed. Love your vids, and the wide range of rifles you test.
I'd especially wish it to be tested alongside SVT40, the closest equivalent. And both were used with both ironsights and scopes, so there's a great topic for big video
Ohh man this brings back memories. Way back in the day I was in the CAF reserve. Honestly I don't remember all that much. Didn't have anything to measure it against. The thing that stood out was heavy recoil. Was still a lovely thing to shoot.
When I was in the OTC some of our SLR's had double leaf rear sights but I'm can't remember if they we "hide" sights as illustrated. From memory (30 years later) they were just the standard sight but with a second flip up leaf with a pinhole for greater accuracy - hence they tended to be issued to our shooting team.
Back at the onset of Clinton AWB an order of Springfield Armory FAL receivers got caught up in customs. Springfield tired of arguing with the Feds and sold them to Dave at DSA. He worked through the paperwork and sold retailed them. My friends an I bought 5 and 5 British FAL parts sets. I called Springfield and spoke with the shop manager and he agreed to build them but not quite to completion I had them all parkerized. When I picked up the guns they were all with an unattached butt stock. However they threw in the special wrench for attachment. To this day it's my favorite shooter. I
I.have an Australian L1A1 built on an Embel receiver with all wood furniture. I think its my favorite 7.62x51 rifle. Mine has an original Australian bipod. My biggest complaint is the expense and scarcity of inch magazines for its. unfortunate the barrel was cut and threaded to take an M16 flash hider and other flask hiders with the thread.
I'm not into guns, but as a kid in the 60's I had a plastic one with it's folding handle and so it was a great pleasure seeing something of the real thing. Thanks gentlemen for such an informative video.
Back when I was in the Australian Army we had the M16A1 & the L1A1SLR. I preferred the SLR. After using SMLE's back in cadets which is a great rifle, the SLR took it up a notch. One of the tricks we did to make it fully automatic was the matchstick mod. You had to hold down a safety sear which allowed the safety catch to move to that third position. Then since this sear was held back while the trigger remained pressed the hammer remained free to move without a separate trigger press to operate said sear.
Tried that once playing the 'enemy' in the reserves, the officer in charge decided to put mine on auto and I went out and 'ambushed' a section, had a tripod on the barrel as well, when I fired at them they couldn't believe they were taking on a 'machine gun' and their section commander said "We don't take on a machine gun with just a section, we wait for heavier back up" never to say the officer who auto-ed mine got into trouble, it was fun but cleaning that gas plug was a nightmare!
I was waiting for someone to mention the matchstick trick only those people in the know have learned that trick it apparently came from Aussies who served in Vietnam!!!!!!
God help you if you put the pull through in the wrong tube the shit you would get into then the rifle had to be sent back to the armoury and have it removed!!!!!!
Anyone heard of filing the top off of a "spare" safety catch so that it could be pushed fully forward to the auto position? I never tried removing mine, so wouldn't know
@@terry1447 I've heard of doing that but never tried it they are French made rifles and they do have a auto function the Aussie ones still had Safe Safetey off and Auto on the selector but never went auto maybe that trick would work????
As a kid back in the 70s had a wonderful sight of L1A1, Sterling Sub Machine guns and Browning HP all in racks within the Armoury at my Dads (WO2) barracks.
I had the X8E1 Type A when I was in Malaya. It didn't have the flash eliminator, so it was shorter than L1A1. As I'm only 5'5" it was ideal for me.
How well did it perform and did anyone miss the No4?
@@thegael1996 I never had a problem with it, very reliable, even thought it spent a lot of time soaking wet. The only annoyance was the cocking handle was like a small doorknob, and the rear sights didn't fold down. If you carelessly slung it over your shoulder the handle would dig you in the back. It was handy to be able to quickly shove a clip into your magazine through the open top cover as the breech block remained open after the last round was fired. Non of the older men in my troop missed the No 4 and I had only used one with a .22 insert for target shooting
My old Dad is ex Irish Guards, early 60’s when the SLR was phased in. He loved his range days!
Can’t believe you guys did a whole video on a British rifle and had no tea present! All jokes aside very cool video and great work
It's not a British rifle, one or two British mods, built in Britain but totally designed in Belgium by FN.
I sold my HK91 decades ago and kept my Springfield SAR-48. In retrospect it was not the wisest financial move, but the FAL remains the most pleasant shooting battle rifle I've ever owned.
Excellent. And Henry alluded to another appearance of this L1A1. I can't wait for the next installment.
The conflict that I was involved in took place in dry hot desert Savannah with lots of middling tall bush and trees. It was neither forest nor jungle and extremely dry and bright. Our R1 rifles(South African License built copy of the Belgian FN) all had the standard small aperture which worked extremely well in the good light conditions. Wherever short range ambushes took place the fire was point blank and often instinctive , but our chaps were totally familiar with that and did very well even then. If your enemy is only 20 meters away you rarely have time to shoulder ,pick up your sights and aim before loosing. Instead you hip or shoulder if you have time, look over the rifle at the enemy with both eyes open and BANG, BANG, BANG....And all of our chaps could make hits that way..
🇿🇦🍻👍
20:40 i get this reference and love that Henry even makes a poiint of making sure we notice it.
AUDIO RECORDING PROBLEM DUE TO HIGH WINDS
I think there's an audio recording problem due to high winds here..
@@kneerow4878I dunno. I couldnt hear any audio recording problems over the high wind sounds.
@@FortuneZer0what ?
What? Can't hear you over the high winds!
I. Can attest.
1969. My military training. With then. Wonderful eyesight. And with a gun-familiar background.
There was NO one in our battalion to even see my dust trail.
What a remarkable weapon. On a pinpoint. No matter the distance up to 600m. The South African R1. Especially so being manufactured en masse.
Wonderful memories.
Thanks!
God bless!!
The NZDF DMR L1s were replaced by LMT rifles. They were part of the reason the army also ended up replacing the Steyr with the MARS-L
And they were only used by the SAS.
I have one with the issued sling and manual not with wood furniture.
You had a stove pipe
I also have an Israeli heavy barrel FAL with wood furniture.
You are correct they had to cut the flash hider thread off. We were able to put the entire rifle in a lathe (did not have to remove the barrel) and Re thread the barrel and put the flash hider back on.
Ricky from IBM
The photo is of the 1st. Argentinian Prisoner, by Bob Watson a Sgt. in Mortar Plt. in 3Para. In ‘63 1 Para had already been issued the SLR, IT WAS BRILLIANT. 👍🪂🫡
Henry's FAL is one of the most beautiful guns ever. There is something about a battle rifle with wood furniture that just hits the asthetic sweet spot.
I am green with envy.
There was a sergeant in knew in the Australian army who was not only something of a legend for his actions in Vietnam but also because he was the most incredible shot. He’s the only person I’ve seen who was fairly accurate with this weapon over 500 yards using open sights. Interestingly in normal practice over normal ranges he used to fold down his rear sight. He was also very effective with this weapon firing from the hip. BTW, he was a very modest and unassuming fellow.
When I went through training we still used SLRs, I have no idea how you’re having problems with the mags though. We used the mags for everything from hammers to bottle openers and I never even heard of problems with them. The only thing I can think of is that after be8ng loaded onto the weapon someone is smacking the bottom of the mag and damaging the feed guides on it. We had always been taught to rock the magazine into place and then after securing it we check it by trying to rock it back out and off the weapon. Also, the rear sights you showed aren’t correct. It was a single leaf that slid up a ramp from 200-600yds (going metric in later versions). With regards to the sling, it was only ever placed in the rear fitting for parades, otherwise it was either attached to your wrist or secured around the small of the butt to allow you to carry it sling over your shoulder with the muzzle still pointing down.
We also have to factor in the fact that some of these mags can be 50 years old and much used, worn in fact. Slapping the mag bottom bad, using mag as hammer, bottle opener etc. bad. Springs also get fatigued by use and wear. Other than that great rifle, carried and fired often by me, FAL 7.62 X 51. And don't forget, if you're out of ammo and bayonet you can beat someone to death with it, unlike modern "plastic" rifles. When hit by 7.62 x51 what got hit stayed down.
It's a Hythe rearsight, beloved of battalion shooting teams. The sling on the wrist thing was Public Order duties specific, and whatever your unit did with the sling around the small of the butt I've never seen in a picture, training film or the pamphlet. The mags are most definitely the weak point.
@@BlokeontheRange The mags were not an issue in service, there are numerous people on here saying they had no mag issues in years of service. As the SLRs wore out which they did, reliability became a problem, at the end of service many rifles were frequent stoppers but it was not down to mag failures. The magazines had a hard life but I never had a failure or know of one due to the design, yes a mag could become damaged and end up written off but that goes for any mag. You were issued with your own mags, they were stripped and cleaned along with the weapon, you knew if a mag was bad. Honestly the life most SLR mags went through was in no means gentle but ithey were not an issue. Is it the most effective mag design? No. However they worked in rain, snow, sand, seawater during a life of abuse.
@@andysykes4328 ..your on point here; the problem's not the tool, it's the user. Rarely did I encounter any issues with the magazine, but I did witness a lot of poor shots. Fig. 11's at 400M with iron sights meant you rarely missed a Fig. 12 at 500m with SUIT Sight. The wear & tear of (how badly worn) this rifle is/was, we don't know.
One of the very best Assault Rifles ever .
Superb bit of kit!
Ive been sitting on an imbel kit for quite a while.
Sometime ill send it out so I can enjoy some FAL hoodness.
My Father was the PSI with a TA Battalion. I remember every Sunday morning he would empty the Armoury In the drill hall and clean every weapon, just a pull through, parts and function check. I was field stripping and cleaning the SLR at nine years old, fired it for the first time at aged ten and hit the figure nine at 200m. Years later I was carrying one of them. I loved this rifle.
You need to try Canadian rotating disk aperture rear sights. I lugged the FAL around during my first 5 yrs in the infantry. The Canadian FALs (C1 A1) are very difficult to get hold of. Sights used to be readily available throughout the 90s.
I think our great Canadian Govt. destroyed all the surplus C1A1s when they transitioned to the C7 (M16). Probably why they are pretty rare.
@@geegaw14 Nope. They were refurbished and tossed into storage as war stocks. Over the decades they've been ill cared (apparently) and are in real crap state. In 1999 DND donated a thousand to an 'artist' in Edmonton who was building a gun sculpture as a millennium art project. Essentially a hollow cube constructed of welded gun parts to form a 'prison cell'. In addition to the donated C1s, he also received a millennium grant for his piece. If I recall correctly, it was $120,000.
The scarcity of C1s on the market stems from a weird phobia surrounding their ownership. In the 1978 gun law, FALs became restricted. No good explanation was ever made as to why except that the prevailing fear was the ease at which they could be made automatic.
As time went on, the policy was to rarely, if ever, sell former mil C1s to civilians. However, the Ontario Prov Police have several and they sold them to the public when they were disposing of them. I have a few friends who were lucky enough to obtain some for themselves.
What should have happened was that all surplus C1s be sold to Canadian citizens in a scheme similar to the CMP in the US. This would ensure thousands of private citizens had them as an unofficial militia. If not this, then sell them at fair market value and reap the profit. 100,000 FALs at $1,000 apiece.... hmm.
Just loved shooting the SLR and kept retaining my marksman badge Great drill item as well. Cheers from New Zealand.
Giant "AUDIO ISSUES DUE TO WIND" message also provided us visual issues every second. 😂
I am EX-RAF and loved my SLR. It was always a pleasure to fire it. If you put a piece of a match behind the firing pin, you could make it a full auto 😁. Some even could do so if you forced the safety catch.
Wood was always preferable, there was always a scramble when a wood one became available.
For myself being left sighted, I never used the rear sight, only ever the front. Got good groupings with it.
Another bonus with the SLR, it could be fired left or right handed, just by changing the shroud guard above the breachblock
wood = ally 🤌
It's also funny how universal the military behavior is with trying to make all things full auto :)
This gun used to being my country's service rifle before we changed to HK33 and later M16A1. Works pretty well in our tropical jungle combat situation.
Even Vietcong will expect an intense hardcore fight whenever they heard the sound of this gun in their battle zone.
What country?
The G3 was the rifle the SLR could have been with a bit of work.
@@dude2765 The only countries using the SLR in Vietnam was the Aussies and Kiwis
Malaysia? Must have been during the Emergency era.
@@fryaduck OK but neither of them used the HK33, and used the M16A1 alongside the SLR, so the question remains, what country is he referencing?
I carried the FN C1A1 in the Canadian Army from 1977-85. Great rifle, but the few times I shot it out to 600 metres I could confidently say that I had a hard time hitting a 4’x4’ target. I think it was more my lack of skill rather than the capability of the weapon. It was quite similar to the L1A1 except our dust cover only went half way, and had a slot for loading using 5 round clips rather than an ejection port on the right side. We also didn’t have grooves in the breechblock carrier but was smooth instead. I believe the rear sight was different as well, but other than that it was the same weapon. Most of the misfires I had were ammo-related (faulty primers mostly). Due to the open breech area we did experience stovepiping where the spent casing didn’t fully eject and was caught vertically when the action tried to close resembling a stove pipe sticking out of a cabin. Mag problems were mostly due to the lips being bent by being dropped one time too many. Sad to see them go. They were just manufacturing the replacement rifle the C7 when I left the Regular Army, so I never became as acquainted with it. It’s a pity that our government doesn’t trust us enough to permit us to own them, because I would like to.
I never had or heard of mag problems, even with worn out SLRs at the end of their service. In fact compared to other weapons I used, the SLR mags were excellent. Gas related stoppages were the most common problem as the rifles wore out and reliability did become a problem but it was not due to the mags. Accuracy was never a problem, even with old rifles, my best groups ever were with this rifle. CQB, helicopter and mounted use was not a problem, you trained with it and got used to it.
You know that this could be due to to wear and tear on this specific rifle and that specific mag. Plus there are plenty of non select fire (Fixed to semi) that ended up here in the US and while not a hugely talked about issue, it is known to be one of the lesser accurate and reliable FAL variants. With surplus it's luck of the draw sometimes.
I had some bad experience with bent feed lips, until I sussed what to check for visually.
Totally agree. Like all weapons not 100% perfect but the bad mags thing was the German MP40 and M16 I thought ?
@@MrAvant123 Bad mags are a thing in every platform. You can get bad AK mags, believe it or not.
@@SlavicCeleryone dent in the side of an AK mag and next thing you know it only holds 23 rounds and gets stuck randomly lmao
Intreresting - Thank-you.
I was one of the last batch of users of the SLR in the late 70s - mid 80s and in my (TA) company shooting team.
They were all, but a few, shot out so it was really hard to keep tight groups with by then.
Had only 1 bad mag which after 2-3 mishaps ended its life under the Sargents boot!
Definitely prefered the wooden version to the pastic especially in winter, trained in -15C and it still did not frost
Imbel was never officially licensed I’ve been to the factory and I’ve also talked to the former FN South American former sales representative,
I have very fond memories of the L1A1 this was my main weapon as a company signaller in the British Army. When you were having problems with jams i found my self shouting out THE I.A's . loved watching this one , Great channel thankyou.All the best mate😎👍
Set my gas at 0 when we went to Ireland. Kicked like a mule, but never got a stoppage!
Loved my SLAR! With regards to the Australian grip being of all wood, that's not entirely true. The 2 slot grips were wood, but there were also the 3 hole variety that was metal at the retaining screw. The 3 hole type also had a metal heat shield inside, whereas the 2 slot type didn't. Brilliant to see the old girl again! Great job👍
I also have a Century Frankenfal L1A1 "sporter" which I converted back to the original configuration (although I used plastic furniture and I have not yet re-threaded the muzzle). It runs very well.
In my army days I could put 10 rounds in an orange at 600 yards using the SLR. my snipers rifle in one theatre was a Lee Enfield .303 converted to 7.62..same as SLR .Great weapons!
I used the slr and smg in the British army in the 80s, the magazine issue was known in my unit, we used to suss out which magazines were dodgy, deliberately "lose" them on an exercise, take the jail time for it and hopefully get new decent mags.
The issues with feed/ejecting seema good piece of evidence against systems with a lot of adjustments...
Ive been to a fair number of shooting matches and you always see a ton of guys with adjustable gas systems that are having nothing but problems but the gun had “worked the day before”.
The shooting teams tended to have more problems than guys in the field as they would set there gas to minimise recoil while in the field would set to much higher levels. “5 and stay alive”
This is one of your most enjoyable videos yet! The FAL is absolutely the most elegant, graceful looking combat rifle ever made.
Loved that gun when i used them in the 80s.
Used this rifle in the Australian army reserve back in 83-86. I loved it never ever had an issue.
I still have fond memories using it 41 years on.
I was in the Canadian army and loved the FN C1A1 and also the C2A1. Although I think they would have benefitted from a lighter cartridge.
Lighter everything! The C2 was a beast. Horrible recoiled...
Every time I fired SLR on ranges, my glasses broke from delayed shock. Made little tiny pits in the lenses after the recoil. 24 hours later, they suddenly shattered. Luckily for me, the 9mm Browning SMG was the standard issue weapon for Royal Engineers and spectacles were issued free 😀 Before anyone casts any dispersions regarding my eyesight, I did achieve marksman twice (on the SMG)
Great video at last a gun I have shot a lot of, such a shame the firearms laws in the UK prevent me from owning one 🇬🇧
All the more reason to work towards changing the laws. There should be organisations doing that, so joining them would be a good start.
@@joshklaver47 Lol, as if overturning the 1988 ban is even vaguely possible...
@@BlokeontheRange Stop being fatalistic. That kind of thinking is exactly what is holding us back. Stack up or fuck off.
I guess the only limited option here is to buy a purpose built straight pull version.....not exactly a genuine vintage rifle, and a shame it isn't a proper semi auto, but allows the look and feel. I have never fired one, but would like to try. I have a couple of 7.62mm slots to fill on my FAC.....just need the cash!
I do not think that will happen whoever is in Government @@BlokeontheRange
My father used the slr in Vietnam and all through his 23 year army service .he loved the slr he said he always had the gas turned up to avoid feed issues
The front sight screw was a problem & easy to forget about unfortunatly. Breach block dragging on feed lips or a spring issue? Love my DPM!
I regularly hit five V bulls over a thousand yards, using a Lee Enfield Mark IV with Parker Hale iron peep sight. No telescopes. A thousand yards. Wind causes interesting conditions over that distance, then it also warbles the mirage. One must know how to read those conditions.
I also have some bush warfare experience with a FN 7,62mm just as in the video. That magazine feeds well when the gas controller is set to 3.5
I've been pretty happy with my L1A1. It's not an SLR, but the previous owner used it in 3 gun and I'm quite impressed with how soft the recoil is for something in 7.62 NATO. I ditched the 1x dot that the PO had on it in favor of a 3-9x Leupold, but it's overall it's something I'm very comfortable with for a variety of purposes. Honestly, I'd probably prefer it (with an appropriate optic) over the M16A4 that I was issued when I went through the designated marksman course when I was in.
Lovely blast from the past - as a young soldier in the late 70s/early 80s this was my wepon - took one to the Falklands. Always loved the SLR even I did break the lens in my glasses in basic training. Only ever trained to 300 yards and like its length with bayonet fitted for poking things! You magazines look odd and tinny compared to what I remember - and have no memories of any problem with them. In Catterick in 77 we were actually taught to carry them with the butt on the hip, one end of the sling around your writs with the other end attached to rifle. Dong the "Shankhill shuffle" he called it.