Australia's FAL-Based L2A1 Heavy Automatic Rifle

[@duncancargill6371]

I used one of these in the New Zealand army. We had 30 round magazines the were very heavy. They were good to shoot, accurate and durable.

[@joshburke4083]

I thought we used the Bren over this.

[@wookie-zh7go]

I was thinking it's basically a better bren

[@Simmo_NZL]

@@joshburke4083 from what I understand the Bren's were still used at the same time. My father has some pics of his unit from the early to mid 80s. There is a mix of M16 with grenade launcher, Sterling SMG, SLR and Bren. He said the M16 was given to the point man, and in the event of ambush he was to dump the the mag and launch the grenades giving time for the others to position and return fire.

[@skozlozlaurie712]

It's the intimate details from experienced soldiers that reinforce how effective these firearms can be in trained hands. Thank you for your servive to this country. ✌

[@bungarraoz254]

@@joshburke4083 yes, we had 1945 Brens converted to 7.62 in Aust. in 1974/75

[@cynicalfox190]

SLR!! The Australians always refer to the L1A1 and its derivatives as the SLR. You could also modify a regular L1A1 with a matchstick to give it the ability for automatic fire.

[@ausmax1972]

Better to use some hootchie cord that's been heated a little to harden it up. Matchstick was super blatant, easier to make the offending item disappear before the inevitable inspection...

[@bigbird2170]

Pronounced "Slar". Yes, I was shown that too!

[@cynicalfox190]

@@ausmax1972 that’s a neat little trick, I’ve only ever seen and heard about the matchstick. Either way kicks like a mule in automatic so I guess there’s a reason it wasn’t standard😂

[@smurfo4078]

@@bigbird2170 we pronounced it “slur” but I was just a chocco.

[@juhasznagyjozsef]

The ATF will classify matchsticks from now on as machine guns...

[@gooondie]

That’s got to be the most fashionable FAL with that matching wood bipod 😎

[@matthayward7889]

It’s gorgeous!

[@talktoyoutoo405]

@Taylor Gates or the vietcong.

[@robertdevito5001]

talktoyoutoo or the emus

[@talktoyoutoo405]

@@robertdevito5001 emus are more important tbh 😋

[@tomplevey8265]

If you're wondering, the timber on it is coachwood - Ceratopetalum apetalum. As used in Court Room 3 of the Australian High Court.

[@c1ph3rpunk]

Mr. Armorer: supersize me baby! “You sure about that son”...

[@jeffveraart2695]

Funny you say that. In Vietnam the SASR gave their L1A1 rifles to their armorers and they converted them to automatic, cut down the barrel length and put front grips on them and gave them 30 round mags. They called it "the bitch."

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@jeffveraart2695 often with an underbarrel m203, because the rifle wasn't heavy enough.

[@mercenaryTendencies]

@@jeffveraart2695 I know of that gun because of the NIArms weapon pack for ArmA 3. They called it the 'L1A1 Chopmod' and I'd always run it when the FAL was mandated to us for a mission

[@DeepseaSteve]

I was in the R. A. N and we had these with 30 round mags and I personally never had a drama with them. Also the L2A1 had a different rear sight to this one, it was graduated in meters not yards and ran out to about 1200 meters it was also mounted on the dust cover.

[@opiumtrail7032]

Metres*

[@mangoman9290]

I had to go check some old photos but yes, the rear sight was mounted on the slide cover.

[@sanguinius6815]

I've never actually heard an Australian call the L1A1 anything other than SLR.

[@martinmckowen1588]

I do cringe whenever I hear it called a FAL

[@martinmckowen1588]

@@daviddou1408 exactly. The L1A1 self loading rifle

[@khuti007]

Thats right, The L1A1 was called the SLR, and these were called the L2. I used to carry this around the bush. You know small fact, that manual hold back lever, that locks the action back. Was NEVER pushed back down to release the action...lol, we only ever pulled the cocking lever back and released it that way, I never saw anyone ever do it...except for this video, I didnt even know you could lol Oh yeah, Im liking that M60 in the background...we loved that

[@arthurpearce8539]

As a soldier in the Australian Army, yes it was the SLR or even Slur in general usage. In any formal training situation especially promotion subjects it was referred to as an L1A1 SLR or self loading rifle, the better to maintain a professional trainer attitude. The L2A1 was used rarely in Battalion service and most riflemen didn't see then except in passing. 1 or 2 in Coy Q Stores for playing enemy when you didn't want to mess up an extra M60. While I was in SFMG Pln, we had these as an extra weapon but they rarely came out of the Q as jacking up an SLR was much easier for training purposes. The L2A1 was not a good weapon for sustained live fire.The barrel, while heavier than the rifle was not up to GPMG grade and suffered from prolonged usage. We did occasionally use them an with 30 rnd magazines but for limited short bursts to cover barrel changes, IAs or feeding new belts. The L4A4 (Bren)was used in preference. But that's another story.

[@martinmckowen1588]

@@arthurpearce8539 excellent response. I remember that 10IRC used Brens as enemy.

[@PJA264]

I literally just learned about this thing yesterday playing Rising Storm 2.

[@davidmarcello1165]

My fav gun to use in the game

[@skrimper]

@@davidmarcello1165 likewise, shit smacks so hard

[@ruslanhouk]

That game smacks, love using the mosin and m2 carbine, so satisfying

[@Jack.Offerman]

For all of the Xbox live 🙌 and the latest news 😀 and has a great 👍 of the bad 👎!

[@carlmcmuffin7443]

@@Jack.Offerman wtf are you trying to say?

[@briananddianehardy8598]

Love your reviews. I’m sure in Australia these were L2A2 in Australia. Loved shooting these at Pukapunyal when i was in the CMF.

[@SurvivethePoleShift]

G'Day, Used these as an Able Seaman Radio Operator Submariner on Aussie Oberon Class Submarines in the 1970's. Our small arms complement was 2 x L2A1's 8 x F1 SMG's, some 9mm Hi Power Brownings and two Auto Shotguns....Doing Boardings the Signalman [RO] on the Fin would have an L2A1, with the other one manned by a Seaman type in the Accommodation Space hatchwell. For covering fire if needed...the Borders would get F1's and Shotties....I argued with the Torpedo Officer He needed to get O Boats issued with a belt fed 30 Calibur for the Bridge but nooooo....[The army had Browning 30 Cals for the M-113's and Tanks]....but nooooo.

[@gregbriggs7979]

played the enemy with SLR L1A2 on army exercise against 2nd transport company, in Pucka ,way back in the 80sfull of blanks with an attached BFA 40 rounds mag and 5 full mags,it was great fun opened up fully auto standing position took over a week for my shoulder to stop hurting

[@anthonyburke5656]

Ian, check the barrels out, I suspect a lot more barrels were made than L2s were made, then the L1A1 was “converted”. We simply got the heavy barrel, cut it down, changed the Safety to single and auto (very easy).

[@keithad6485]

i remember semi to auto required the addition of a shortened match stick!

[@anthonyburke5656]

@@keithad6485 Hi Keith, that was one way, but a few problems, you couldn’t go to semi-automatic other than by trigger control, the match shredded and in the middle of a burst it would revert to semi-auto. I preferred the Armourer solution with a safety that went to semi then to full auto. Kinda wished it had a 3 round burst capacity like the Stg 90.

[@chrisbrent7487]

The hold open can be re fitted to Aussie rifles. It was done by armorers in Vietnam. The manual hold open is very useful on parade for “for inspection port arms” as it is tiring holding the action open until it is inspected. Often a couple of tracers would be loaded before the last round and you were taught to keep count of your rounds as you let them go.

[@Parawingdelta2]

Great video. I carted an L1A1 around in the Australian army for two years in the early seventies. The L2A1 was always featured in our infantry training manual, but I never actually saw one. The American made M60 GPMG was the section fire machine gun at the time and apart from the occasional over heating problem was a great weapon to deal with the bad guys.

[@And_rew92]

I'm so happy that you're pronouncing Lithgow correctly

[@ryanmchugh306]

My old man worked at the Lithgow SAF/ADI for 15 years and during the Vietnam war as a First Class Machinist and leading hand tool setter, he’s got many stories of the place. Probably handles some of the components on that very rifle or at least set up the machines used to manufacture the components.

[@andrew051968]

Common Australian practice with the SLR was to put a tracer as the second last round in the magazine. When you saw the tracer go the magazine was empty.

[@boingkster]

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! S - L - R ! / Aussie - S! / Aussie - L! / Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, S - L - R !

[@fenderfetish]

Ya bogan 😄😄

[@mrkanangra]

We still used these in the early 90s in The Australian Army when I was in. We just called it the AR.

[@raystanley8584]

Yes commonly that's all we knew it as..

[@RARDingo]

These things were insanely accurate on the bipod. Mine had the option for a slide-cover mounted C2 scope. The smallest grouping (5 rnds) I've ever seen by an auto weapon burst.

[@davidbuck5864]

Certainly not my experience with the C2 in Canada. They were OK in Repetition, but in Automatic it was first round of the burst in the general area of the target, and the rest of the burst scared birds in flight! Not my idea of a good weapon.

[@doctorscoot]

I was trained on these, 1981, R.A.N. ... the SLR (the L1A1) was our standard rifle, we were trained on these (the L2) but I never saw one in a ship's armory.

[@Frost1945-s7w]

the more and more i see FAL related videos the more and more its becoming my dream gun.

[@andersjjensen]

By today's standard they are heavy and hard kicking. Just like the G3 which I happen to love for exactly those reasons...

[@mickhelliar2502]

30 round was a right pain in the ass to use. Also you had to sit quite high just to get a sight picture. It was bloody awesome as a marksmanship rifle. Sustained semi auto accurate suppressing fire it was great at. We used to load the 30 round MAG with 27 to prevent double feeding issues.

[@marcosdantas384]

Brazilian Army did something similar. It was called FAP (Fuzil Automático Pesado / Heavy Automatic Rifle).

[@AirsoftReviewArgentina]

(Aus) L2a1 = FAP (ARG + Bra)

[@Wolfsschanze99]

I carried one quite a bit in the late 70's early 80's, the little bit of extra weight was worth it for the fire power & accuracy. Usually it was made available if we played enemy instead of the M60, I carried one for 4 weeks at Shoal water KI 81, live fire demo's were fun. I only ever used 30 round mags with 28 rounds in it, never had a stoppage. Tried Bren gun mags as they were interchangeable, had a curve & looked good, Armourers said I will get stoppages as they have a weaker spring as their more gravity fed but again, no issues so Bren mags were usually my first choice.

[@keithoades5516]

The "problems" with the 30 round mags came from trying to use the Bren gun mags on the L2A1. Bren mags had a slightly weaker spring because they fed from the top, so when we used them in the rifles we had issues with feeding. Tried various things and this was the only reason we could find. Turned the rifle upside down with a Bren mag and worked great so mag springs had to be the problem.

[@JohnSmith-pl2bk]

Could you do a video of shooting the L2A1 upside down...please...

[@datpolakmike]

I know it's impractically wobbly, but the folded up bipod as a forend does look nice. Blocky done right.

[@duanepigden1337]

In Canada we called it the C2. The C1 was semi auto. Loved them both.

[@rexbarron4873]

In the New Zealand army these were never issued to Infantry only as a self defence weapon for Battalion transport platoon and the Arty/ RNZASC . It was the perfect weapon, better than a rifle without the hassle of a belt fed machine gun.

[@MBkufel]

I usually don't like referring to videogames, but this time I feel obliged. The L2A1 is the most underrated gun in the most underrated shooter ever. Rising Storm 2: Vietnam - forever in our hearts.

[@R0gue0ne]

Carried this in my Infantry training days. We all used to try to pinch the magazines because they had a greater capacity than the ones issued (L1A1 SLR).

[@aynjeleyes]

They are great hand warmers on a cold live fire day. They always had 30 rd mags though never saw them not issued without them. Oz ARes units had them, support units etc

[@rosswilliams2328]

I did use it once myself when in NZ army too, but later change to using M16 when I was transfer to rations section.

[@phillipsampson4001]

I used the L1A1 back in the day. Boot like hell, as far as 308 goes. Was a bugger to clean the breach too. If they were legal to own, I’d definitely have one in my safe.

[@MartintheTinman]

I owned an L1A1. Bought it brand new. Cost $2300 Also learnt to shoot at RAAF base Edinburgh while in the Air Training Corp when I was thirteen with one. I still have the foam box it came in

[@TooDeepForSleep]

the bipod looks so cool

[@joshkent4888]

I like that someone has taught Gun Jesus how to pronounce Lithgow the proper Aussie way.

[@nickdougan394]

The British said "nah" because they were converting thousands of Brens into "LMGs". Probably a much better compromise between a BAR-type heavy automatic rifle and a proper(?) light role machine gun like the GPMG. I was interested by the comment about the 30 round 7.62mm Bren/LMG mag causing stoppages because of the weight of the extra ten rounds. I had no experience of that using 30 round mags with the SLR - then I remembered that that was mainly - maybe exclusively - when firing blank ammo. I'm not sure I ever fired ball with the SLR/Bren magazine combo; if I ever did it ws only very rarely. The magazine was the wrong way up from its original design intention.

[@tflemming287]

L86A2 LSW. Very similar and only left service a few years ago.

[@ScottKenny1978]

I thought a few were lurking around as DMRs, still?

[@helikos1]

It's funny, the British went all in with the L85. There's a similar conversion for the A1/A2 for use a squad support. Wish we just stuck with the SLR.

[@philaandrew100]

This bought back some good memories. Coupled with a platoon of Riflemen and a M60 or two at a good old fashioned Aussie Yipee Shoot aka Range Practice, equaled a hell of a lot of lead heading down range. And boy did we have some serious amounts of ammo to burn just before the phase out of the L1 Rifles :)

[@mickhelliar2502]

Hey dude....we used to load 27 rounds into the 30 round mags. With that we got alot less double feeds, and as said, with the 20, you were not as high off the ground when prone. Normal No1 rifleman would carry it, or the section marksman. I carried it as a marksman, as you state, you could put down more accurate suppressive semi auto fire for longer. Good to carry but have a few burn scars from missplacing ones hand on the foregrip..... Also, in Australian service this was called the AR, for automatic rifle.......

[@01glenn0101]

i remember that bipod kept coming undone, just looking at it wrong.....

[@dmg4415]

This is what the BAR was intended to be? Or an upside down BREN?

[@fortawesome1974]

I consider myself lucky enough to have fired one of these!! Back in 1991!! They really were great to shoot and worked well for their intended role.They also had 30 round mags for them!! Not sure where you got the info for the 30 round mags but I can tell you we never had a problem with them and I haven't heard anything to the contrary until I saw this video!!

[@rayne2714]

The LSW was a assault rifle with a longer barrel and a bipod to be a support weapon and it worked out ok for many years

[@phillloyd7359]

Well I remember still using the 30 round mag in the late 1970's and into the early 1980's. Mind you by then they appear to be relegated to training command units as well as logistic/support units. Where as in combat units we tendered to use either the 7.62 Bren or the M60 until the MAG 58 started to be introduced circa 1984. I don't recall anyone being particularly fond of them.

[@stevenhoman2253]

Hi ian, it has been frequently reported on, that one major advantage the British had over Argentine in the Falklands war, was simply that the Argentinian fal was that the fal adopted by Argentina, was limited to full automatic fire, whereas the British version was selectable to semi automatic fire. Thus the Argentinian had a severe drawback to single fire the British had available to them. That is an crippling setback for the enemy. Accuracy was the British aim, not lots of brass and muzzle lift.

[@XxPYTHONREDxX]

Lot of Aussie vets here, just want to thank them for their service and their continuation of the ANZAC spirit.

[@dave1234aust]

And how many people on viewing the rear sight automatically closed one eye to get a picture of the target. Loved using the SLR, felt like a rifle should, not plastic like the Steyr or M16

[@tristacker]

It wasn't just the Australians who chose to ditch the last round hold open. I used the UK L1A2 which was the same. You had to count your rounds or get an embarrassing click which if the weapons instructors heard would cause you some grief.

[@privateinvestigator4442]

And yes, most people just called them the AR, but knew they were technically an L2A1. Had to remember it right, because an L1A2 was the bayonet! Can't remember calling the 7.62 Bren anything but 'the Bren'.

[@Akaoushi]

I loved packing the FN-C2

[@YosheetaBoneeta]

Got the pronunciation of Lithgow right, shows he dose his research

[@dansmith9724]

Australia still had plenty of bren guns reconfigured to fire 7.62 30 rnd mags, so no real need for the slr squad light machine gun. Also m60 was used by the aussies, so plenty of options for a squad machine gun.

[@bravo-six1941]

*FIRST ONE TO SPOT THE ENEMY FINDS THE BEER*

[@marcellone1986]

Australia's FAL- *Based* L2A1 Heavy Automatic Rifle

[@auscam6666]

and as for malfunctions this was why the 30rd mags were slanted slightly and the 9 years i used these only had two double feeds with live rounds, never anything else issue wise with live ammo, plastic blanks were different of course. loads of space with firing in prone position. never used as a section LMG but only to suppliment a GPMG or in non-infantry roles. then near the end you state that production ran till 1982, but the at the beginning you state this top receiver was made in 1985??

[@karter969]

Glad to hear the proper pronunciation of Lithgow for once!

[@jussayinmipeece1069]

that was our light machine gun in the Jamaica Defense Force as well.

[@earlwyss520]

Ian, turn around, there are two .30 caliber class General Purpose Machine Guns on the wall behind you, an American M-60 in 7.62×51mm NATO, and a German MG-42 style GPMG, caliber questionable, because while the MG-42 is in 7.92×57mm Mauser, the MG-42/59 & the MG-3 are both in 7.62×51mm NATO.

[@patrickshannon4854]

What is the logic behind deciding NOT to have automatic bolt hold open? Particularly, when considering that the rifle is designed with this feature.

[@leighneil]

This rifle has the incorrect rear sight fitted. L2 rear sights were graduated to a longer range with smaller increments. I don't know where you got your information about the L2 30 round magazines from, but it is incorrect. These were always issued with their L2 30 round magazines (which were different from the 30rd 7.62mm Bren magazines - which sometimes functioned problematically when used in an SLR). I can tell you for a fact that the 30 round L2 magazines always worked reliably. The 30 round magazines worked so reliably that we were always trying to source them for our L1A1 SLRs. Even a casual look at photos of Australian Infantry in Vietnam will reveal that the L2 30 round magazines were much sort after and used often.

[@henryrodgers7386]

I wonder if the Aussies ever considered tha L2 for use as a DMR? Longer barrel, bipod, fairly accurate... Plus, an "oh shite Bruce, they're BEHIND US!" fire mode. Very important. I very much want an FAL of some sort... An L2A1 would be very cool, even in semiauto.

[@markreardon6663]

Wow, this brings back memories

[@Tragon-p8m]

The Belize military used the Australian L1A1 late 70s, early 80s.

[@davidjrule66]

We had a 30 mag for it. Most did not like them(the bipod was bad). most used in second rounds eg.Transports.

[@johntowner1893]

Ian - thanks for covering another Australian production. We love to see what limited history of firearm production occurred here. Btw - “Lithgow” is pronounced Lith-go.

[@mfactor88]

Australian army 78-84. I was never impressed by these. They were quite heavy, compared to an L1A1, especially with the 30 round mag attached! The bipod had a mind of its own, frequently popping open when carried on patrol. Being spring loaded, if you squeezed it like a normal forearm grip. Rarely used, the ones i carried or saw were nearly always in mint condition. The earlier ones appeared black also (including the 20 and 30 round mags), compared to this one in a greyish colour

[@mcqueenfanman]

The thing about these and the M15 is that everyone in the fire team/squad/platoon is an ammo bearer with the same mags. The BAR men didn't have that luxury.

[@richarddicktaylor219]

Pronounced Lith(go)w (silent W) not Lithgow (like cow). Used L1A1 (& M16) in cadets . A very good weapon & popular in Vietnam and later as it packed a lot more punch than a 5.56mm M16.

[@thebigchip1711]

Rising Storm 2: Vietnam really sparked my interest in this gun and I really wanted to see a video about it

[@richardmeyer418]

South African army had a few of the metric equivalent. It was OK - not greatly liked. The troops preferred the Bren (in 7.62) or the MAG.

[@lessayers8653]

Hi Ian. Basically they should have bought the Bren. We tried 30 round mags on our SLRs (FALS) and had the same issues.

[@trooperdgb9722]

Should have bought the Bren? AUSTRALIA should have "bought" the Bren? Lithgow BUILT over 17,000 of them during WW2....

[@TheCartoonHead]

The Australian SASR use to shorten the barrels and convert these to full-auto during the Viet Nam war.

[@alanbrazil3249]

It was used by the Australian Military...and the 30rd Magazine was always used in my time,as opposed to what this guy says in this clip...

[@badpossum440]

PNG also got an L1A1-f1. A short barrel version L1A1. The L2A1 was not well liked. The best part of the L2A1 was the safety which if changed to a L1A1 the SLR went full auto. Every L2A1 i ever saw used 30 round magazine. This was used mainly as a Reserve weapon not Regular army. It was very easy to burn yourself on the hot barrel & was generally disliked.

[@tdb7992]

back when these were being built, Australia was trying to exert a lot of influence over SE Asia as the British Empire was falling apart and Australia was worried about growing Communist presence within what had now become Australia's "sphere of influence". That is perhaps one of the reasons why so many were sent to former British colonies like Malaysia, Singapore etc. - Australia knew a power vacuum was being created and decided to step in rather than letting the Soviets or Beijing call the shots. Even these days, Australia still spends a lot of money training the armies of SE Asia.

[@matty730]

I love forgotten weapons so I got really excited when I saw this video as I'm from Australia :D.

[@simonwhite1909]

The SLR is a great weapon. It can stop an elephant compared to the M16

[@ballsrocketry5179]

I used the L2A1 in the Royal Australian Air Force with the 30 round mag. It was HUGE fun. I didn't have problems with jamming or misfeeds that I remember...but it was a heavy piece of metal for what you could use it for. Using it as a rifle with the fore grip folded was awkward as it moved so much but on its bipod, it was epic. As a burst weapon, it was great...the M60 was a better at throwing massive quantities of lead down range though (another story). I also used the L1A1 rifle, which was BRILLIANT! That was a proper weapon!! You shot something with that and it STAYED shot!

[@MythicMagus]

This is an interesting case study on why you can't just give something a larger magazine and have it work the same way.

[@munkbok]

that bipod is THICK

[@TheWozWizard]

Wrong dustcover and rear sight for a L2A1!

[@Outerwebs]

Ian reviews an Australian weapon and the standard of grammar and spelling in the comment section takes a dramatic nose dive LOL

[@paulryan915]

Never a popular weapon in the ARA in the 60's to 80's years. In my own years in RAE they were supposed to be the section LMG, but thankfully replaced with the M60.

[@simperous4308]

Hands up who has grabbed the hot barrel when getting up from prone...

[@parallel-knight]

I don’t get heavy barrel support mag fed guns likes this and the RPK. When you could have something like the RPD, mini me or even something old like RP-46. Better sustained fire, can often use same ammo type as main rifle, down side tends to be heavier but again it seems to suit its role better? Why do armies keep switching between them. Aren’t US marines doing it now with the M27?

[@garynew9637]

Saw plenty of mags falling out on parade. Hilarious.

[@procariama8217]

isn't it a bit coincidental that this vid came out right after RS2's last update?

[@python27au]

In the late 80s to early 90s i only saw 30 rnd mags. Australian army.

[@SaulKopfenjager]

That 3 line arrow mark is an old Australian convict mark - as in convicts transported from Britain had many of them on their cloths & others things, funny to see again TBH ( as a descendent of convict ancestors! )

[@farmerbrown84]

Yeah, it means your arse belongs to the crown.

[@SnoopReddogg]

Arrowmark was also called the 'Dad & Dave'

[@andrewdare1157]

Arrow mark wasn't just convict. It was on all government property

[@crazyfvck]

That's a nice looking rifle :) I really love the combination of the heavy barrel with the special handguard/bipod assembly.

[@killmesoft64]

we had the C2A1 in the Canadian Forces, sure glad we never had to go to war with those things. after firing about 3 or 4 mags on full auto, the barrel was smoking hot with no way to replace it. never understood why we adopted them rather than rebarreling the Bren to 7.62 Nato.

[@steeleallen177]

The Australian BAR.

[@chuxxsss]

They where good to shot, very accurate. Great weapon. The 30 round double feed sometimes. The 60 was a better weapon.

[@alwayscensored6871]

Not forgotten by this Ozzie trooper. We got to use some new ones that just got taken out of storage. Long time ago now.

[@trooperdgb9722]

I'm feeling old too. I got OUT of the RAN before the Steyr was introduced!

[@bungarraoz254]

Me too, 1972 to 75, but never even saw one of these, i carried L1A1, But had heard about them. Loved L1A1.

[@donaldsievers8988]

We used them at Kapooka in 1988

[@itstrilby2037]

Love the SLR

[@alwayscensored6871]

@@donaldsievers8988 Pucka, a bit earlier.

[@BillHalliwell]

G’day Ian, I’m in my ‘retirement’ years and for the last 15 or so I’ve been a military historian. I’ve found your firearms histories incredibly helpful whenever I need to clear up the fine historical detail of certain weapons. I served in the RAAF in the late 60s to late 70s. Our standard issue weapon, at basic training, was the L1A1 SLR from Lithgow Small Arms Factory (The old title, I think). Our ‘shorthand’ for this rifle was just “SLR” but we sure had to know the full title if ever asked. Interestingly, these training rifles all had the ‘automatic’ option disengaged. Probably, they didn’t want a bunch of, recently private citizens having the capability of accidentally ‘spraying’ an entire mag’s worth of rounds which might have resulted in unfortunate accidents. That was my only guess. It was never explained to us. I must add that our instructors were all ADGs who had seen extensive active duty in Vietnam. They were a good men and had our complete respect. I’ll never forget the first day of training on the range and our instructor fired a single 7.62 round into a 5 gallon tin of water. Clean, small entry point resulting in the entire back of the can blown clean off! It was a brilliant way of showing us trainees the powerful effect of this weapon. I enlisted for a non-combat mustering (we called different jobs in the RAAF ‘Musterings’); so, I was only trained on the SLR. My only previous experience with firearms was with a mate’s .22; a short 310 Martini action and I later I also privately purchased an unissued ex-WW2 Lee Enfield .303 in pristine condition. A beautiful, if heavy, weapon but excellent for target shooting. I had been invited by a farmer friend to help out with a ‘plague’ of wallabies on his property, in a couple of night shoots. Truth be told, I found this personally distasteful as a .303 round sometimes blew a wallaby to ‘pieces’ depending on the range. This was, a waste as one of the great local ‘delicacies’ back then were ‘Forester Patties’. Fortunately, the locally, infamous, mass ‘wallaby/kangaroo’ shoots that occurred in our State were outlawed. I’m reminded of this, lately, every time I drive down our street, in suburban Hobart, at night, one has to be extra careful not to collide with a Wallaby or Pottaroo jumping ‘out of nowhere’. Just the other night I encountered 4 marsupials barely 200 yards from our driveway! Later on in our history, sadly, it became increasingly difficult to own a private ex-military firearm unless one was a collector or just happened to have an old weapon handed down in one’s family. After a shaky start, I really got to like using the SLR, unfortunately, in basic training in the Air Force we weren’t issued a specific weapon for the duration of our course so, one couldn’t become familiarised with the minor characteristics of a particular rifle. I surprised myself in that I became, over the short basic course, quite proficient with the SLR. The standard sidearm issue back then was the 9mm Browning, however, only those slotted for certain musterings, received training with those, at a later stage, like would be Airfield Defence Guards (ADGs - again, an old term these days), certain officers, Police Dog Handlers and our Service Police. Sorry, Ian for the rambling stroll down memory lane but I saw your thumbnail for this video and it brought back some highlights of my earliest days in the Service. Cheers, mate! I truly appreciate your videos and your attention to detail greatly. Bill H.

[@andreluislimaa]

"When I was just a lil wee receiver, they said I could grow up and become anything....SO I'VE BECOME A BAR LIKE MY GRAMPA!!!!"

[@troy9477]

No kidding. Lol. I was thinking the same thing. I wish Ian would state the weight of guns. I know he can't take a scale with him, but weight is probably mentioned in his research. I imagine it is a lb or 2 lighter than the BAR.

[@svetovidarkonsky1670]

Just a small point but SAF stands for Small Arms Factory in Lithgow ( a city in regional NSW) where these were made, not Lithgow Arsenal. Love your channel, Ian!

[@starcorpvncj]

Hello sweetie puss

[@arttrashuberalles7223]

One of the most underrated weapons in Rising Storm 2: Vietnam

[@satisfaction3078]

Especially with semiauto fire I think.

[@Sir.suspicious]

My favourite there

[@MrGenoHydra]

@@satisfaction3078 I like it a lot more than the L1A1 for the selective fire when you have to absolutely make sure nobody is occupying a thatch hut.

[@bambibooza4921]

Dude yes, I hate when nobody votes for Australia though..

[@rayvansant671]

But nothing beats the IZh-58.

[@ReHerakhte]

Just a few comments on an otherwise fine video: - Despite the official blurb about how the L2A1 was "officially" used, the reality in Australia was that by the late 1970s and on, it was typically used as an automatic weapon for units or detachments that did not need the M60. For example, the L2 ARs were issued to the RAEME LIght Aid Detachment that supported the armoured recce unit I was in. They didn't need a GPMG but they did need some heavier firepower to complement the F1 SMGs they typically carried. The L2 ARs were most often used as a light automatic weapon and rarely as a heavy barrelled rifle. There's been a lot of talk about armourers converting L1A1 SLRs for the Australian SAS during the Vietnam War to be capable of full auto fire, the reality is that a good number of these rifles were actually L2A1 ARs modified to suit SAS needs (the rear sight is the obvious giveaway) As regards the 30-rd magazine, never in ten years did I see the L2A1 "officially" use the 20-rd magazine. The L2A1 had a wooden box of 30-rd magazines issued for it and for the two units I was in that had L2 ARs we always used the 30-rd mags. Other units had different situations and preferences and used one or the other or both, but what this all goes to show is that the use of 20-rd mags for the L2 was by no means universal or normal across Australia.

[@dsar9489]

All of this is indeed true... The 30 round magazine was VERY MUCH the norm for the L1A2. As you stated with second line units, Air Force and Navy were more common users of the L1A3 with M60s being prioritised to the Arms Corps units. I had a metal 30round magazine transited case in my possession last month actually.

[@brettdanvers9425]

I was a RAEME Qee in the 70's. All our L2A1's had 30 round mags.

[@jeffmoore2351]

Thank you.

[@steven-k.]

I used to f---ing hate those chests of 30-round magazines, they were a pig to carry even unloaded, when loaded it totally defeated the purpose of the thing being portable.

[@ReHerakhte]

@@steven-k. Oh hell yes! It surely had to be a rear echelon pogue who believed that the box was a good idea