I've never been a cloner. I honestly never understood it... but back in February of this year I got an incredible opportunity to hang out with some guys in the British Army and even take a shot at running a course of fire with the L85A3. This is where my love affair with British rifles started.

I had always wanted an AR pattern rifle in 7.62NATO but for some reason that seemed like a massive ordeal, jumping into another caliber and platform. But after hanging out with the Brits and seeing their L129A1, I knew that I needed to make it happen.

While I'm not completely done acquiring all the pieces required, the rifle has definitely taken shape and for the most part resembles the L129A1.



Parts currently en-route to be installed:

- Larue mount for the ACOG: While not "correct", Larue refuses to sell me the correct part as it is for MIL only. Oh well, not a big deal!
- Surefire 3 Prong Flash Hider + SOCOM 7.62 Mini 2: Also not the correct parts but I'm looking to keep this rifle relatively easy to move around with. While the performance of the Mini-2 is not nearly as good as a full size suppressor, it will decrease the signature of the rifle greatly and is relatively short and lightweight.

Parts to be ordered:

- Harris Bipod w/ ARMS Mount
- LMT Rail Grabbing QD Mount
- Either the KAC or LMT Sights. Seems as though the Gen 2 rifles are issued with the LMT irons and Gen 1s are the Knights.

I have both the 1:11.25 SS and 1:10 CL barrels and as it currently sits my plan is to find a 155 gr match round to pair with the 1:11.25 barrel and to run 175 gr Federal Gold Medal Match through the 1:10. The only testing done so far has been with the latter and the rifle can consistently produce sub MOA groups with the 175s.

Just figured this might inspire someone else to jump into the L129A1 game as it seems to be a small crowd of players. If anyone has any questions, feel free to reach out. Definitely not an expert by any means but I can always forward any questions you may have to a few of guys in the British Army.









Misc photos from the trip:

This is the way.

AZ always knows how to party when it comes to guns.

@AZ2A

While I'm not going down the gun build route, I had a small package show up today, containing three of the issue mag pouches for the Sharp Shooter model.
Happy to help you out if you need to source some...there's a couple of sources and they are not expensive, far from it.

I know someone who is building a L129A1 themed gun too - but in .280-EM2 cal.

ETA: I may show this to another mate, as he's a serving armourer....he may have ideas or tips, etc.

Why not use 175gr for the 11 twist?

Thanks guys, appreciate the support.

@saddler I'll shoot you a dm, thank you!

Regarding the 175s, the 1:10 twist just seems to group a little tighter than the 1:11.25, so just personal preference

That is a fantastic rifle!

That is an effin sweet set up OP!

Thanks for sharing it with us.

Nice build!

I've long thought that to be a versatile and practical setup as a general-purpose/DMR.

Thanks guys, really appreciate it!

The rifle is a sweet shooter for sure. Still can't believe I own it!

For those interested, here's a few photos of the L129A1 from my friend serving in the British Army. He goes by "EVOS_Media" on Instagram so give him a follow if you're on Instagram!

Nice scope on that last photo - I've got a similar AI marked S&B on one of my BMS CAMs, though mine is the 10x42 version

Armourer mate had a look at your pics, as he's trained on the L129 series.
He really liked the build - only comment - when pushed, was "he needs a SureFire flash hider" (as you already knew!)

PM's you re. the issue Sharp Shooter mag. pouches on Ebay
Let me know if you need a hand sourcing a few

Beautiful rifle OP. The l129a1 is a dream rifle for me. Some day I’ll own one.