SLR film prop - suggestions needed

[Tony B]

It was a piece of kit! Airfix used to make a very good kids toy version. I'll bet there are a lot still operating around the world. Our Navy range master had a dirty trick, if he thought you wern't paying attention he'd shut the gas vent. If before firing you didn't check, well you only did it once.

[Bazz]

One of my old SAA Inst used to put the gas plug in upside down for the same reason.

 

Bazz

[Tony B]

Yeah but you learnt bloody quick!:cool2:

[Bazz]

you certainly did.:shocked:

 

Bazz

[Snapper]

I'm sure I remember someone launching a gas rod into the ceiling once, when we were learning how to do basic stripping and cleaning, circa 1977.

I try not to be a gun nut, but recently reading A Long Long War (review appearing soon) and then visiting Paul, Clive and chums display at Beltring (complete with bird hide for Kate Humble and Odd Billie). I'm not sure I can run to a deact at the moment - but may plumb for an airsoft next year. I saw a fantastic example at Beltring. Money had run out, though.

 

MB

[AlienFTM]

One of my old SAA Inst used to put the gas plug in upside down for the same reason.

 

Bazz

 

My SLR alternative personal weapon training was at Catterick courtesy of 5 Innis DG. My instructor told us that the normal gas setting was about 6 or 7, but he personally preferred 4. I adopted this, which meant the SLR had a fair old recoil and whever I fired, I went down with rifle rash, a big bruise under the right eye where the rifle recoiled into the cheek bone. IMO it was no worse than a 303 that I'd fired in the ACF anyway.

 

But I never had a misfire and it cannot have adversely affected my shooting as I have a series of 15/19H Regimental- and RAPC Corps-level shooting trophies for SLR (, LMG, SMG and pistol).

 

Only years later did I ever stop to wonder whether we had been kidded by our instructor.

[abn deuce]

I take it that the lower the number to greater the recoil ......the more exhaust gas traped to chamber the next round ?

[AlienFTM]

Correct

[ArtistsRifles]

Whilst doing basic Skill At Arms with 215 Sqdn RCT(VR)we were taught the "normal" setting for the gas regulator was 4.

 

After transfer to 21 we were subsequently taught the "normal" setting for 21's SLR's was "G". Needless to say this was one bit of information that did not go down too well as you might guess.... Mind you - the DS used to carry out spot checks on personal weapons and the consequences of being found with the regulatator anywhere but "G" were not pretty. Luckily I managed to avoid that one!!

 

FWIW too - we had an odd-ball sight mounted to the top slide, we were allowed to invest in it ourselves and the armourer would fit it to a spare slide. Looked like a smaller version of the SUIT but had a red point in the centre of the optices. Once zeroed where the red spot lay is where the round went...... Worked at night as well..... Damned if I can recall the make/model now though - old age is a terrible thing..

[Tony B]

In the eightes the sight was probably a 'Red Dot' that being the trade name of the first reflex sight. Used with both eyes open the sight palces a red dot within the vision. Unforunatley with short sight I can't use them.

[AlienFTM]

In the eightes the sight was probably a 'Red Dot' that being the trade name of the first reflex sight. Used with both eyes open the sight palces a red dot within the vision. Unforunatley with short sight I can't use them.

 

You need a pair of John Lennons mate. I was issued two pairs of NBC glasses, a pair of John Lennons that had soft bendy metal sides and hooks over the ears like the National Health glasses I got aged about 7. But the respirator would seal over the top of them, they wouldn't fall off the nose due to the sweat from the exertion of running downrange and they saved you getting chips in the right lens of your own glasses because you had the gas port set to 4 and every round down caused the backsight to smack the lens.

 

The other pair were legless ("Haven't touched a drop orificer") with a connector that plugged into one of a series of holes in the nose bridge of the S6 so that they were permanently mounted.

 

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Okay. How many of you people with S6 respirators have just opened the respirator bag, looked inside the S6, found a set of little holes in the nose bridge and thought, "So THAT's what they are for"?

[ArtistsRifles]

In the eightes the sight was probably a 'Red Dot' that being the trade name of the first reflex sight. Used with both eyes open the sight palces a red dot within the vision. Unforunatley with short sight I can't use them.

 

The "Red Dot" bit sounds familiar - thanks Tony!

Why couldn't you use it being short-sighted?? I am - and did with great success... ISTR the rear optic could be adjusted to correct but mine wasn't as I wore specs anyway. For me this sight was great advantage as the iron sights used to chip or even crack the spec's lenses,

[Tony B]

My problem is one eye is very dominant. All those reflex sights work by projecting the sight line across the dominant eye, then when you have both eyes open you move the dot till it balances across the two eyes. , similar to prefocus binoculars. Haven't tried the latest ones but the early ones wouldn't adjust enough. The idea was that with both eyes open you had a greater feild of view,obviously . The Americans had a diffrent system of training the called Quick kill, it was devised by the Daisy company, and marketed as Quick Skill. The idea is that you use a Dasiy BB gun, very slow trajactory, you can baiscally see the pellet in flight. First take sights off a la shotgun, then a second person throws up a target, paper plates were recommended for intial targets, at a range of about fifteen feet. Bring gun up both eyes open and shoot. With a bit of practice I got to the point I could hit a ping pong ball eight out of ten times. Very good system. The Army had a commercial screen shoot on the computer at Chatham Vetran's Day, eventually they prized the gun out of my hands and kicked me off. :cry: That was brilliant.

http://www.i-kirk.info/misc/quickkill/qwikill.htm

[Snapper]

Now you see, this is the power of HMVF. I come along to ask for opinions on tarting up a lump of wood and iron. You lot go all mushy on the glory days of gas settings and all manner of musketry. Top hole. What has any of this got to do with MY SLR? Don't care. As you were. Carry on....:-D

[Tony B]

Well I still want one. At least you will be able to lecture the great unwashed on it!:cool2:

[ArtistsRifles]

Now you see, this is the power of HMVF. I come along to ask for opinions on tarting up a lump of wood and iron. You lot go all mushy on the glory days of gas settings and all manner of musketry. Top hole. What has any of this got to do with MY SLR? Don't care. As you were. Carry on....:-D

 

Thats cos the SLR is one of the few weapons worth "going mushy" over!! It was ever my favourite for it's accuracy and stopping power. You really need to have seen a group of US forces with M16's peppering a wall with the target hiding behind it then one round from an SLR go through the wall AND the target to appreciate how good it really was... :evil:

[AlienFTM]

My problem is one eye is very dominant.

 

My ophthalmologist did that for me. I decided to revert to contact lenses after a good few years back in glasses, then I developed astigmatism and far-sight, whilst deciding I wanted to go to continuous-wear lenses (put them in first of the month; throw them away end of the month; don't touch them in between).

 

To solve all my issues I wear a distance lens in my right eye and a reading lens in my left. Whether driving, reading or whatever, the brain compensates for the eye that is out of focus from the information coming in the good eye. If I need to boost this, I simply favour the appropriate-range eye.

 

There, Snapper, is that off-topic enough for you? lol

[Tony B]

OK Alien, I'll take your word for it. My last eye test nade it official, I have a skewed way of looking at the world. :-D Back on target, I do have a reasonable copy of the sight that came with an airsoft MP38. If you want it Snapper just say.

[Adam Elsdon]

The Airsoft types have a very good copy of the L1A1 SLR as used by the British Army, while it is not massively cheap, it is however alot cheaper than a Deac, and would look right in a vehicle or for re-enactment.

 

It is made by a company called Star

[Marmite!!]

The Airsoft types have a very good copy of the L1A1 SLR as used by the British Army, while it is not massively cheap, it is however alot cheaper than a Deac, and would look right in a vehicle or for re-enactment.

 

It is made by a company called Star

 

Why bother with a plastic one when late spec deacs can be had for around £350 if you shop around... same price as an airsoft & none of the problems associated with RIF's

[Sylvester]

Yep.... They most certainly did have both on the old beauty.... I used both at various times in NI, good fun but a bit grizzly !!

The night site II was really good except if some sod lit a fag!!! pooof! wait a while for it to come back up and ....Where did the bugger go???

 

I like the old SLR... A real Rifle ...not like the johny 7 that came in just as I was leaving!

 

Always puzzled me that...It took ages to get everyone in NATO to use the same Ammo, 7.62 then...Just when everyone is in sinc..... we change to another calibre???

 

Keep going with the SLR matey, they were a good looking bit of kit!

 

Fred

[Sylvester]

As Alien stated above, the SLR had a SUIT sight fitted.This was pre SA 80 days.

 

Bazz

 

I meant to add this to my entry !!! OOOps!!

Fred

[Snapper]

The rifle is stored at the moment. Need to get much in Barnesworld working. Maybe even me. I want a deact, but need the ££££. Not selling many pictures at the moment and Mr Murdoch has his axe poised at the day job.

[AlienFTM]

Always puzzled me that...It took ages to get everyone in NATO to use the same Ammo, 7.62 then...Just when everyone is in sinc..... we change to another calibre???

 

My understanding.

 

By the end of the Second World War, it had become clear to the British Army that .303" ammunition was ridiculously overpowered for the modern battlefield where visibility would rarely be greater than 400m metres through smoke, dust and other obscurations - it's not as if squaddies were still wearing brightly-coloured, non-camouflage kit.

 

So the EM-2 was commissioned, in, IIRC, 4.85mm calibre. It was a bull-pup which clearly gave inspiration to the SA80 thirty years later. But when the Americans heard about it, they pointed out that they had manufactured enormous quantities of 7.72mm ammunition in order that they could win the war and if NATO didn't standardise on their 7.62mm round, they'd throw their teddy bears out of the pram.

 

Even though there was nothing wrong with simply remanufacturing the EM-2 in 7.62mm, the MOD (War Office?) decided that too much time and money had been wasted developing the EM-2, so they turned to FN and bought a licence to manufacture a variation of one of their rifles, giving us the much-loved SLR.

 

Then the Americans went off to Korea and Vietnam and fired off a fortune in 7.62mm ammunition, only to realise that it was ridiculously overpowered for the modern battlefield where visibility would rarely be greater than 400m metres through smoke, dust and other obscurations - it's not as if Charlie were wearing brightly-coloured, non-camouflage kit.

 

So they decided to screw NATO and use their own 5.56mm ammunition and stuff the standards.

 

With a replacement becoming necessary (some thought) for the SLR, it didn't take much brain to dust off the concept of the EM-2, update it for the 1970s and churn out the SA80, standardising on the round the Americans had grown to love, even to the extent of building it around the Stanag (Standard NATO Agreement) magazine, now universal throughout NATO as I understand it apart from the French (le plus ca change ...). Certainly when I did my SA80 conversion a few months into my notice period, the only mags we had were plastic disposable Colt mags, designed to be pre-loaded, fitted, emptied and thrown away, but we re-used them over and over to save money.

[Tony B]

A couple of problems, first of all the US found that the nasty little VC using their far less advanced Nasty /commie 7.62 from unsophisticted AK47's were very unsportingly shooting through the trees which the GI's where hiding behind, secondly the much vaunted 'Advanced' M16, and its 'Advanced' amunition was jamming up for a pass time, this was due the originally 'No need to clean!' trumpeting being stymied by the ammunition manufactures changing the powder mix to make it cheaper, without telling anybody. As for L81A1,2 or any other mark of it, notice we have gone back to FN to buy the Minimi, as have our American cousins. Funny how the neutrals make the best guns.