Have an L1A1 now and was thinking about trying to find a decent SUIT to use on it.

Had one briefly on a metric FAL but the mount was all loose and it wouldn't group.

Thinking about giving one another try since it would be correct for my L1A1.
I really think they are cool and I like the historic aspect.

Do any of ya'll actually shoot with that optic and have decent results?

I know a decent example is going to be expensive so I thought I'd get some
range reports prior to spending the money.

Was going to ask over on the Falfiles but I figured us Arfcom L1A1/FAL owners actually
shoot our FALs more. Or did until ammo got scarce.

@TurbineBoiler

TurbineBoiler, I saw your pics of your L1A1s with SUITs mounted.
How they work for you?

I’ve got a UK Trilux on my L1A1. It’s fine. I’m sure there are better options out there but my eyes are old and I prefer historic accuracy over best option for functionality. There’s no adjustment for ergonomics, the eye cup on mine is fairly hard, so honestly not ideal, but it’s got a good, solid top cover mount (I’ve heard the mounts on these can loosen) and get good groups. I got an after market illumination vial and it does give the pointer a mild glow.

So yeah, if you’re looking for mid 70s Belfast, go for it. If you’re looking for a really good optic, definitely better options out there.

For sure I'm interested in the 70's Belfast or Falklands look.

But I also want to be able to shoot a pig or white tail with it if the opportunity presents.

Mostly want to be able to bang some steel at 200 yds at the range we go to.
That's the most distant target berm we can use there.

I had a good mount (real military cover, not aftermarket that have a habit of rivets coming loose) and a good suit and 200 yard steel was not an issue.  I wear glasses and the eyecup was uncomfortable since the L1A1 has a fair mount of recoil, didnt really enjoy it.  I ended up removing the eyecup.  I have had a couple trilux scopes and maybe I was just unlucky but both were out of focus, I think they may have been adjusted to individual soldiers with less than perfect vision.  Easy enough to fix by loosening a tiny allen screw under the eye cup and adjusting the rear lens, dont really know why they werent focused for 20/20 vision.

I had one on the FAL but the mount/rivets would work loose after a couple/three range trips.  Got some really small screws/lock nuts to try to fix that but never got around to it.

Switched the SUIT to an AR15 and really fell in love with it.  Bought another one and put that on an AR15, too.

On my 5.45X39 AR15, with russian surplus it will shoot groups at 300 yds. that are about 4" wide and 6" tall.  I think that is from the difficulty of putting the tip of the pointer on the same spot on the target for ever shot.  No issues left/right, but I tend to let it float some up and down as that very tip/point will sink into the dot on the target.  This is sling supported prone position, not off a bench.

I love those things.

I don't have an issue with mine anymore due to my glasses.  It's been years ago, but I sat down one cold dry winter day and took them apart.  Removed the eye cup, removed/loosened the locking screws in the boddy at the rear and adjusted/checked clarity/focus and repeated till I got a nice clear "picture" out to 100 yds. and then retightened the lock screws in the body around the rear lens assembly and put the eye cup back on.  No fogging issues since then and it's been years.

One of mine was converted to battery lighting for the pointer before I got it.  The other one I "repaired" with one of those fishing tritium "bulbs."  Both work fine.  

2 MOA or less at 300 yds. with surplus Russian ammo is fine by me.  Might be better with a scope, but doesn't need to be.

And, in my experience, the SUIT has pretty darned good low light capabilities.  I always thought it was pretty cool to look out in my back lot and see just a dark shadow under the trees along the fence line.  Then grab the AR with the SUIT, look through the SUIT at the same fence line and see the posts, the tree trunks, etc. where it had just been a dark shadow.

I, too, appreciate the nostalgia of the SUIT, so I had to have a couple.  You can get tritium vials & install them to illuminate the aiming pointer.  This works great.

From a shooting perspective, I'd say they're OK. Dismounting from the top cover resulted in loss of zero, & I am skeptical of the robustness of these systems for practical use/abuse.  The aiming pointer & low magnification are not meant for precision work, by most modern standards, but are intuitive & I can see where they'd be advantageous in certain conditions.

In summary, I highly recommend getting one for a range toy. Once zeroed, mine is plenty good for banging steel @ 200-300. I haven't tried further.

I'll see if I can work in more T&E with mine, soon, & report back with pictures & a write-up. There's surprisingly few, detailed, reviews on the SUIT.

Thanks guys.

It's true you don't see many range reports on actual use of the SUIT.

I had poor luck the first time I tried one.
Mount was bad so never would zero up.

I just spent an hour over on the FALfiles looking at old posts re. SUIT and
I may just get an ACOG instead and run it on a DSA mount NZ SAS style.
At least the mount and optic will be solid.

That's what I would do for serious use. I have, both,  ARMS & DSA mounts for my FALs, but haven't tried them.

Need to get an ARMS for the SAR48 cause the DSA mount will scratch the finish and this one is in
LNIB condition. Can't let anything scratch "my precious".

I've got a vintage 4x Weaver to go on the SAR48.

Do you plan on shooting it? If so:

Well maybe LNIB was a misnomer, it was basically in unfired condition when I rescued it from a local pawn shop here.
However I don't have the box or paperwork/accessories.

I was amazed to see an SAR48 in the pawn shop to begin with, let alone in such pristine condition.
I do shoot it from time to time. But rest assured, she is very pampered and well cared for.

After further study the vintage Weaver 4x will go on the L1A1 and play the role of a No.32 Enfield scope
that the British and Aussies did mount on L1A1s in various ways.  

I do plan on shooting the L1A1 more since I like the ergonomics of the inch version a little better
and my L1A1 kit build basically has no collector value.

I'll get an ARMS or DSA mount for it and try it out in the next few months.

At 59 my eyes are still decent enough to use iron sights be I do find that I prefer optics
on my rifles now. So that's what's behind my desire for on optic on my FAL or L1A1 that's
at least sort of correct for the period in history these rifles represent.

Like this but with the old weaver scope.
Perhaps I can find one of my aircraft mechanic
friends to fab up a mount like the one in the pic?

Attached File

Attached File

Notice the wood butt stock and the  pebble grain plastic hand guards. I believe he has a fore grip also mounted onthe hand guards some how.

Looks like a sheet metal band around the handguards. I've seen that on some Rhodesian rifles.

I have one but don't use it because the rivets worked loose and NOS trilux top covers are unobtainable.

+3 on eye cup it sucks with glasses. Take it off to shoot.

Good FAL pics with those scopes.

I’ve used one for years.

Something to keep in mind with L1A1s and SUIT sights: there were different length buttplates(for plastic stocks) or stocks(wood) for different sized troops. So if you’re using a stock that’s too short for you, the SUIT is going to be uncomfortable and beat you up when you shoot with it.

On the mounts, they’re riveted on. Eventually the rivers will let go. But when mine did, I had it welded on(this was before I went to trade school and could do it myself), been fine since.

I do still want one thanks for the insight.

I just sold one in VGC to a guy for 520 with a rebuilt a refinished top cover mount ( machine screws replacing the rivets) Worked well on my Metric FAL I had. I even shot a deer with it about 15 years ago at a range of 140 yrds.

Accuracy was always minute of bad guy with them, there was a resource on the Files many years ago with the zeroing procedure and target download.

Attached File
I have one on my LEO SLR.

It works well and I had the tritium redone.

I did a 3 gun match and PR with it and also did a veteran iron man sorta match with a long range 300 to 500 yards match.

It ran well on my rifle.

the mount sucks so I had mines welded on the rivets and it has held zero just fine for many years.


Attached File


There is an English guy in the US who made an updated one and it works well, I am buying one for my other L1A1.

@jozsi, Where can I find him, I know a member from the falfiles was in contact with someone, unfortunately that member passed away recently, he was a great guy. I was going to order one of the trilux top covers from him.

It was Graham Neal and yes he passed away last month from cancer.

He was such a nice man and I'm glad I had the chance to meet him in person earlier this year.

The FAL community has suffered a sad loss.

I found one in the original box. Was a bit pricy, but had to have it for of my FAL's

Beautiful

I have a NOS suit top cover that has the wobbles.
I was thinking of having one of the really good welders I know at work hit the rivets.
What is the correct course of action to fix it?

I would like to get a vial for my suit scope, I was going to do it all those years ago when I got the scope and mount from the Falfiles.
But after a couple trips the rivets loosened up and I never did the tritium

I'm still working on mounting a vintage Weaver 4x I have.

I have an ARMS mount on back order so I can at least try it on the rifle.
If I like it I may get an extra L1A1 dust cover and have someone fabricate
a reproduction of the mount the Aussies used on their rifles in VN, as in the picture.

I tack welded mine in 4 places because of the loose rivets, seems to be holding up.

this is what I was planning to have done to it, not something that I am good enough to do myself

Just go to any welder and ask them to tack weld it.

I had mines done years ago and it has held fine.

yeah I can't take it out blah blah blah....for what occasion am I gonna take the mount from the top cover anyways......but the purist are just.....ugh...not thinking correctly.