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Posted: 1/5/2025 5:01:53 AM EDT
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Title says all. I am looking for a period correct FAL from The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Any advice is appreciated. |
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Originally Posted By RifleCal30m1n00b: L1A1 SLR. Pretty much the only model they had in general issue. Yup. Inch pattern. Trilux scopes were pretty common from photos of those times and theater. |
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CO, MI, OR - Please lobby your legislators to end discrimination against non-resident CCW permit holders
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Originally Posted By H2K: No, mainly Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) or Enfield. Ahhh, many thanks. Unfortunately I am not seeing any of those on any of the marketplaces. Are they extremely rare? |
What is a democrat? Someone who wants everything you have, except for your job.
Politicians should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could see their corporate sponsors.
Politicians should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could see their corporate sponsors.
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Originally Posted By ZW17: Ahhh, many thanks. Unfortunately I am not seeing any of those on any of the marketplaces. Are they extremely rare? You and I are peasants, they’re a machine gun according to the BATFE even though the L1A1 SLR was a semi. The FN models had selectors that had full auto. There are a very few inch pattern (Commonwealth guns) that came in and were sold to law enforcement. Those are legal but expensive unless you get real lucky and find one on the used market and they don’t know what they have. The best you can do generally is a clone. You will find DSA, Coonan, Enterprise, Century or Century/Imbel inch pattern clones. There are a couple others not coming to mind but hen’s teeth. Only the DSA is periodically available new. I tucked a DSA Australian pattern receiver away for a rainy day. Get in the weeds and read up on the inch guns. If you want a Brit style gun you do not want a much more common metric FN pattern. Fastest way, after you get a bit up to speed is buy a clone already built. There are still inch kits around but the days of $200 kits and a $200 receiver to build on are long gone. A mostly complete kit is as much as the used Century brit on Imbel Inch receiver rifle I bought back in the day. Good luck on your research and satisfying your itch. Check the EE, gun joker, and sign up on Fal files website. It was a hot place years ago but it’s still running with the die hard fans. You will see a fair amount of various rifles for sale. Sign up, read the old info posts, ask questions. They’re a fine bunch. edit,…the Falfiles has a moderately busy Marketplace where you may find a good clone to scratch your itch. |
The only hyphenated names I like are cartridge names......30-06, 30-40, 38-55 etc.
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https://www.falfiles.com/forum/the-l1a1-inch-pattern-and-indian-files.154/ The Trilux would certainly be correct for the latter period but they kind of suck and are expensive. I wanted one for years until I learned how bad the mount is, especially surplus state. Most of what are around actually were Israeli Trilux scopes. Personally I would not waste the money on that scope. Now if you wanted it more for show and tell than shooting, then by all means. |
The only hyphenated names I like are cartridge names......30-06, 30-40, 38-55 etc.
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Originally Posted By SteelonSteel: https://www.falfiles.com/forum/the-l1a1-inch-pattern-and-indian-files.154/ The Trilux would certainly be correct for the latter period but they kind of suck and are expensive. I wanted one for years until I learned how bad the mount is, especially surplus state. Most of what are around actually were Israeli Trilux scopes. Personally I would not waste the money on that scope. Now if you wanted it more for show and tell than shooting, then by all means. Thank you for the link. I am seeing those scopes (well, one anyway on GB) going for $1000. Pretty steep for a 50yr old scope. |
What is a democrat? Someone who wants everything you have, except for your job.
Politicians should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could see their corporate sponsors.
Politicians should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could see their corporate sponsors.
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You can occasionally find L1A1 rifles for decent prices - mostly Century builds on Argie & Imbel receivers. They are not as popular as metric rifles - I see them pop up on local sale boards at reasonable prices. Here is one on GB - looks mostly correct except for handguards (easily replaced). https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1078629088 This one has a neutered barrel from ban- era https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1082359835 |
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Originally Posted By ZW17: Thank you for the link. I am seeing those scopes (well, one anyway on GB) going for $1000. Pretty steep for a 50yr old scope. I’d stick with irons for a early variant look. The Trilux is a floppy mount that never returns to rest consistently. Age only made that worse as the spring wore. The originals had a tritium glow pointer needle for a reticle. The tritium is decades dead. Not period correct but a modern DSA or other mount and a low power optic or a red dot would be miles and miles ahead of the trilux if one wanted to have an optic for its own benefits that would spoil the as issued look. If you look at Century Imbel and Argentine receivers be aware they have features that may vary between inch and metric rifle patterns. Besides the cosmetic lightening cuts there are the magazine cut, inch has a wide shelf and the metric has the small tilted cylinder cut, the charging handle cut would be relief cut for a folding charging handle on inch adjusted receivers, and the slot for the dust cover would have tab clearance cuts for inch dust covers that come with tabs. An unmolested trilux scope mount would need those cuts to be there. Many trilux mounts were modified for metric receivers and had their tabs cut off. Century and Argentine inch cuts were metric receivers ordered from the factory for their part kits. They lack the cosmetic lightening cuts of the inch cuts. Many Fal afficianato has had cuts replicating the lightening cuts to improve the clone look but most you will find do not. The magazine type is the biggest thing to know. You generally want inch mags for an inch cut metric receiver as the fit of the magazine is tight whereas they say you can use a metric in the inch cut but in practice you will generally find they fit sloppy enough to cause issues. Inch magazines generally run $35-50 last I looked. |
The only hyphenated names I like are cartridge names......30-06, 30-40, 38-55 etc.
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If looks of the receiver are really important to you you can do what many have done with those early century guns. Buy the century gun and swap in a more accurate looking inch style receiver. DSA is a current maker. Those receivers are $6-700 alone now if I am not mistaken. Edit, a quick look and the SUIT Trilux sight wasn’t produced until 1976 if that helps. |
The only hyphenated names I like are cartridge names......30-06, 30-40, 38-55 etc.
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I’m going to keep my eyes open for a period correct one with wood furniture. My budget is $2k. If anyone sees one, please let me know. @ncvdl I am watching that one. |
What is a democrat? Someone who wants everything you have, except for your job.
Politicians should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could see their corporate sponsors.
Politicians should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could see their corporate sponsors.
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Originally Posted By ZW17: I’m going to keep my eyes open for a period correct one with wood furniture. My budget is $2k. If anyone sees one, please let me know. @ncvdl I am watching that one. I don't think the Brits used wood furniture - there are a couple aussie builds with wood furniture on GB now |
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Originally Posted By nvcdl: I don't think the Brits used wood furniture - there are a couple aussie builds with wood furniture on GB now They absolutely did. Beautiful walnut. Then beech wood. The black Marnyl was later to avoid having to replace broken wood. iirc the Marnyl plastic was arriving Mid seventies. The rifles date back to 58 or 59 iirc. Since this is arfcom, a get both is fine. Either two rifles or you can play Barbie dress up games with one.  I deleted all my photos when photobucket became a joke so I don’t have a picture at hand but my Coonan Brit build has a great figured walnut butt. Wood is expensive if it’s not trashed but it should easily be within the OP’s budget. That’s a generous budget. Join and start posting on Falfiles. Guys trade often fals there first if they’re aficianados. More likely to see a special build with wood there than elsewhere. Imho. eta, Aussies used Coachwood with a creosote preservative. New Zealand used Aussie made rifles as did Malaysia iirc. Canada used Walnut. No idea what the Indian wood was. Beech? Indian rifles are mutts that aren’t commonwealth pattern at all. Too cheap to license so the got samples and kludged their own specs. The commonwealth rifles also can have any other commonwealth parts. In service they’d swap parts stocks or use each other’s armorer depot support if deployed and that was the most convenient support. So a bag of Aussie sling swivels etc could very well be in a British Hong Kong support workshop. I made up that example but that kind of thing. |
The only hyphenated names I like are cartridge names......30-06, 30-40, 38-55 etc.
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Be aware that most of the Century built up L1A1 kit guns (mainly on Imbel receivers, though some were Argy) are typically going to take a metric mag, as those were metric receivers. So it won’t have proper inch lightening cuts and shaping , and usually will take incorrect style mags. Good shooters, or can be fixed to be at least! Just something to be aware of- inch mags are actually better made (more rugged with the mag front lug) but more expensive and less common than metric mags. Also they might say “L1A1” on the receiver, but are still metric receivers… And to muddy the waters, Imbel made some metric type 3 style receivers that were machined for inch mags (have one), so it is possible to find one of those on an L1A1 kit build also. And to make it worse- Century also used US made receivers, which will also be metric pattern. Some are good, some are not so good. I would just avoid all US Century receivers, until you learn to tell which is which. Safety note- always check headspace on any garage kit build, or Century kit build… If it was me, I would buy a L1A1 kit that was built on an Imbel receiver by Century, then get a DSA Inch receiver, move the L1A1 parts to the DSA receiver, and sell off the Imbel receiver (or build an Imbel kit on it). That would get you as close as possible to a legit L1A1, fairly cheap. Otherwise, try to find one from somebody who did similar already. There were a lot of L1A1 kits built up like that, so you might find one still with a thumbhole stock, which might mean the lower will need a new grip piece to mount the grip onto. Also most had the muzzle cut down to remove threads during the ban if it was built by Century. Not a hard project, just a bit late in the game to get good deals on these kit build guns to start the project from. |
a loaded gun won’t set you free, so you say…
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Originally Posted By nvcdl: You can occasionally find L1A1 rifles for decent prices - mostly Century builds on Argie & Imbel receivers. They are not as popular as metric rifles - I see them pop up on local sale boards at reasonable prices. Here is one on GB - looks mostly correct except for handguards (easily replaced). https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1078629088 This one has a neutered barrel from ban- era https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1082359835 Neither of those is really correct for someone wanting an L1A1, as both are on metric type 3 receivers, and likely both take metric mags instead of inch. First is an Argy receiver, second is an Imbel (both are excellent metric receivers.) |
a loaded gun won’t set you free, so you say…
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I've always wanted a clone of a Falklands War era Brit L1A1, but it sounds like there isn't really an easy way to go about doing that. Bummer. Maybe I'll just settle for a current production DSA SA58 "Traditional" and be good with that. Won't look exactly like an L1A1, but I suppose it's close enough and will scratch that FAL itch I have. |
 L2A2 SUIT 4x Optical Sight: Sight Unit, Infantry, Trilux, On An L1A1 SLR The trilux mount really sucks. |
| In the late 1980's, a number (150 or so?) of Australian/Lithgow L1A1's were imported. IIRC, these were sometimes called "Poyer" guns, after their importer or seller. I believe they had coachwood furniture and looked quite nice. Not sure if they ever come up for sale very often. |
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Originally Posted By pb57: In the late 1980's, a number (150 or so?) of Australian/Lithgow L1A1's were imported. IIRC, these were sometimes called "Poyer" guns, after their importer or seller. I believe they had coachwood furniture and looked quite nice. Not sure if they ever come up for sale very often. @pb57 https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1082980172 |
What is a democrat? Someone who wants everything you have, except for your job.
Politicians should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could see their corporate sponsors.
Politicians should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could see their corporate sponsors.
|
Looks nice, but not the same gun as the Poyer/Lithgow imports. https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/rifles/tactical-rifles/lithgow--saf--small-arms-factory---nsw-australia--joe-poyer-imported---l1-a1a--7-62-caliber.cfm?gun_id=100801767 |
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