That was our Rifle in the sixties, I was Royal Marine and used it in Borneo and Yemen . Never failed me, one hundred percent reliable and if you hit someone with a 7.62 it was end of story. If I was fighting long distance, I used to put a couple of tracers in to see the fall of shot but not often. I ate with it , slept with it whilst in the jungle, it was a Rifle for the fighting man,no doubt about it.
Hearing you man. Saved my arse in Vietnam a few times with the gas fully cranked up. Not for sissies like that. Made the US M16 look like a rifle for girlie men. Real US soldiers would have given their eye teeth to get their hands on an SLR.
@@samhunt9380 Americans used to be fighting with the M14 while Australians were there with the FAL by their side. Big mistake on the Americans for choosing the M14 over the FAL.
I know Im asking randomly but does anybody know a method to log back into an instagram account? I was dumb lost the account password. I would love any help you can give me.
River crossing on exercise in Germany. Dropped bloody paddle and wasn't allowed to go back for it. Used L1A1 to paddle across river. Got out of boat and went face down in mud. Rifle under me. Got dragged out and my ear shouted in and then fired full magazine without a jam. Come here you sexy beast!
THX for Service here in the Cold War Times!! As a young Boy we enjoed everytime the Autum Trainings of you Brits here serving in the Rhine Army! Will never forget that great Times...
Hi, I served in the British army in the 80's. The L1A1 never let me down once. Great powerful, robust weapon 7.62 far superior round over the crappy little 5.56. I was gutted when they replaced them with the little shitty SA80! 5.56. I would take the L1A1 into battle, over the British modern replacement, anytime.
One of the very best rifles we had in the British Armed Forces. I wouldn't have traded mine for anything, least of all the 5.56mm SA80 that replaced it. That is a peashooter by comparison to our L1A1 SLRs!
Apparently, some DID keep their FALs right up until 1994 and used them in the Gulf War. In many ways it was a mistake to do away with it because long range engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq proved that even a bolt action Enfield could be lethal in the right hands at long range.
Royalhighlander I carried that rifle through basic, and loved it. I would give my right arm to get my hands on one, and would carry it to hell and back. Great rifle. Kick like a mule, and punch like a battleship.
Never fired the SLR but would love to yes the sa80 a1 was a bit pants but the A2 is good rifle m8 All of the promblems from the A1 got iron out in the A2
Love the old British SLR/FAL... had four years of using one before we went to the SA80A1... much rather have an SLR though.. Thanks for taking time to make the vid and posting....
Used the L1A1 version within the Aus Army, loved it. With some very minor mods it was lethal. No comparison to the M16 we also used, the M16 was rubbish, cooked 2 off & useless at any significant distance. The good old SLR was excellent out to 500 yards. Just needed to wind the gas up to prevent jams, nothing over 6 & after many rounds down to 0. Excellent rifle.
The L1A1 SLR 7.62...cut my teeth on this rifle. I have a profound respect for it and so did a great many on the other end of it. I'd much rather my respect for it than their respect for it... I see it's in very goods hands again. This guy manages a weapon like very, very few and it's amazing to watch. He never fumbles. The weapon is secure at all times. Quite extraordinary. The 7.62...I saw a man struck in the shin from about 780 yards. Fatal. Heart failure from the impact. Another who had an accidental discharge at the end of a very long walk, flopped onto the ground with the weapon primed and a piece of wood came into contact with the trigger. The round entered the heel of his foot, traveled through his leg and torso and exited through his shoulder. Fatal. In this clip you can see the impact the round has first hand. I've always felt a little more at ease with the extra wallop this round has than the 5.56 for reasons of my own. Great video. I love this channel big time. I'm trying to save them up. Awesome work!
Mine was built by NECG and inch pattern (not metric), perfect. Simply a perfect rifle. Served in SADF in Namibia. Yup used the old smoke pole hundreds of times. If you hit it it goes down. That 7.62x51 is a deadly round. Love my old beast!
As a Canadian, and one that has used the FN C1 and FN C2 service rifles. i can tell you that this is NOT the Canadian version. There are similarities, but so does almost all of them. We started at a setting of 4 on the gas plug setting. I never had to change it and the recoil was not a problem. Brutally tough weapon, reliable as it gets (the FN ones, NOT century city). Never had a single stoppage or misfire. always accurate past how far I can see. I absolutely loved this weapon.
I too loved my Canadian issued FN, best rifle I have ever used. Shame when they withdrew them we weren't given an option of buying our service rifle instead of the government locking them up to rust.
Ex Brit Airborne 22 yrs. The SLR Blunderbuss is awesome. Any squaddie I know would swap it for the SA80 anyday. SA80, good piece of kit BUT, you want a target dropped, choose the SLR. 7.62 long, targest will disolve when hit.....
I totally agree. I carried one of these around for a number of years. It was a real delight to fire, easy to operate and carry with a real punch. Accurate too. Bit of a bugger when doing FIBUA though. Overall I would prefer to go to war armed with an L1A1 rather than a SA 80.
My Uncle was int Army; he said the SLR was an absolute 'man-stopper' easily shooting through cover but too big for the streets of Belfast and the SA80 was better for room clearing, CQB etc. The squaddie accuracy rates on the range improved dramatically when the lower recoil SA80 was introduced, which keeps the politicians/statisticians/ bean counters happy.
R1A1 South African FAL made under licence. The one I first used was battered and didn't work well. Then I received a brand new one out of the box. That 7.62 mm [.308] shot like a beauty. I am left eye dominant which caused the instructors a few problems with my stance yet I achieved my marksman badge with that rifle. I have to thank the instructor I had who was a South African Champion Competitive shooter for the tips he gave us especially for the night exercises.
Loved how safety has been drilled into that kids head, good teaching... I love my SLR in the British Army I knew if I hit the target it was going down.
I have a fond spot for that rifle . It was the first rifle placed in my hands as a 16 yr old. It saw me thro 9 yrs of service & luckily I only had to use it once in anger . I only fired two shots.. but it worked ... the message was sent ... Im here today & I have no idea what number the gas reg was on ha ha.
I carried mine in the Oz Army Reserve in '72 , loved it, great to fire. 7.62x51 wins the argument every time I think. I hated the way they made the grunts move over to the 5.56. I have seen what an SLR can do to a tree....
The FN is left hand operated, the kid charged it using his right hand . I used them in our high school cadet unit when I was 14yrs old. Boy, would that gas piston fly if you were careless removing the gas plug.
stainsteelman.....it's always cool to know that people from other countries are watching my videos. Thanks for watching and I really appreciate the informative comment.
Used the Brit Army SLR for 12 years, a beautiful gun, used to reverse the gas plug when firing blanks on exercise to reduce cleaning of the piston and spring ...
Used the FN version of the FAL designated R1 during the bushwar,Have put 250 rounds downrange in about 10 minutes and no problems,helped prevent me getting my butt shot off. Loved it.
I hope someday you will get one. Not only is it a great investment, who knows what's coming down the road in the future. Thanks for watching and commenting on my video.
mixup98 I served 15 years in the British army. The parachute regiment and the SBS (special boat service) I used the British FN Fal in many conflicts like Kosovo, Falklands conflict and others. I only used British ammunition which was always great. The best thing about this rifle is that it hits hard with the British .308 so when you hit them you know there staying down. And it's reliable with had ours through water, dirt etc and fired every time. I brought it to conflict with me before and would gladly again it's an over looked rifle these days but still a great one. I hope you really enjoy yours.
Nice Jay, we (SADF) developed our own version, the R1, but it was still susceptable to our dusty desert like conditions. From '85 the entire SADF used R4's(Isreali Galil), a pop gun using the 5.56mm round, but it had a 30 and a 50 round mag so it was fine.
Karl Oelofse nice Karl, started British army would use 20 round but the parachute and SBS would use the 30 round magazine. And you would really notice The difference lol. Never used a 50 round though, and I am familiar with the Israeli military type never got to shoot it though.
The Mr's pic ,anyway did 78 to 84 SADF had a few jams as well over the years ,but awesome for shooting mortars from the gas chamber time change 4 sec .In our section ten guys from 1 SSP support troops two use M 's two firing out on the flanks and 5 moving up to engage and repeat .Keeps their heads down or off and less chance getting hit from own guys .
The procedure according to the Manuel to adjust the gas system to lessen fouling and heat is to fire single rounds while adjusting one click per round until the rifle no longer cycles then turn it back three clicks. It also keeps the action from slamming all the way to the rear lessening recoil and wear. The gas plug flips over for launching grenades. The reason for all of this adjust-ability is that this is a rifle that was designed to be used with ammo produced all over the world and still operate with the same reliability. A true battle rifle that earned its name " The right arm of the free world". You decide would you rather stake you life on a .30 cal rifle designed and tested by folks in a military setting or a .22 cal toy pushed into service by politicians looking to save dollars. God bless all our troops!
Are you joking about the m16? It was sabotaged by the government from the start. I would rather take an m4 than a 308 nowadays. There's a reason every switched.
taipan.....as much as I love my AR-15's, when I want a rifle that is extremely dependable, accurate and produces impressive energy I always reach for my L1A1. Thanks for the great comment.
Love the style of these rifles. Bought one at an online auction they said wouldn't eject. Gambled on it and made the purchase. Then I found your video, you saved the day! The part for the piston was upside down. Thank you!
I have an L1A1 made by Century. Put a DSA rail on top and mounted the SUIT scope. Ass-kicking weapon and very reliable. I have shot a couple of thousand rounds through it and it functions superbly. Thanks for the video.
used by both sides in the Falkland's anyone who has used a FN FAL, L1A1 SLR or C1, C2 always rates them as awesome guns. My Dad used a RAAF FN FAL as a roo gun in the sixties.
+pweter351 I use to fire them quite a bit back when I was a cadet here in Canada. We switched to the C-7 just as I was leaving. Seemed like everyone preferred the FN better.
+Mr. Anderson Yes...I too operated these as a Royal Canadian Army Cadet, Militia and Soldier during the transition to the dreaded Mattel Toy C7 Rifle. I really missed my FN C1A1...I could also get it to Full Auto with a piece of a Match Stick!
+Darrin Gould The mattel toy stories were American hand me downs from 1965 !!!!! The C7 even of the mid 1980s was NOT the same rifle as the M16A1. I believed the fairy tales just like everyone else.
martK banjoboy You're correct. But I'm just being humorous about it. The "Mattel Toy' remark was more used in reference to the Plastic's and Stock Material's used in the weapon. The metal qualities were fine enough. But in the beginning with the C7 Variant...there were a few issue's that surfaced. (ie) The Locking Nub on the Magazine breaking off in extreme cold conditions...that rendered the Magazine virtually useless. They've since reinforced this small detail...in order for it to stand up to severe cold conditions. Yes...the C7's are not exactly M16A1's by any stretch. But these Rifles, and many like them...have evolved from the M16A1's designs that were originally featured in Stoners Rifle. In many Military's in the Western World that use these patterns...there have been quite a few modification's in one form or another! Probably as many variants as the FN Rifle.
Indeed. There are many stories and media illustrating the killing and wounding capacity of the FAL, all of them true. To be fair, there were stories about Australian soldiers in Vietnam. The Australian forces still used the excellent Owen smg at this time. One anecdotal report from an Australian soldier said that Nigel (their nickname for the enemy) would lust get up and run away when hit with a burst from an Owen. When hit with rounds from an M16 or FAL, they would go down. I hope none of us has to be faced with such a dreadful reality. Cheers.
Had a L1A1 built by NECG. Work of art! Be careful in selecting a lower receiver. Avoid anything other than milled steel. Mine shoots as well as my service R1 in SADF. Keep them clean, no oil in the chamber! Oil in chamber when it gets really hot results in stuck case with rim ripped off , bad news in a fire fight!
I have shot this rifle as a boy entree in the paratroopers, we were tort to lean in to the stance, as the recoil will push you back, but the real joy was when I got to shoot the G P M G , with my toes dug in and leaning agains the push of the recoil, with mixed rounds and joining the belts together, on full auto shooting at the targets down range at250yards, it is a living wall of death no good hiding be hind a wall or a car that 7.62 nato round H /V went right through them.
Great video. The Australian Army used the semi auto FN FAL in Vietnam, and swore by it. Unfortunately as hunters and target shooters, we can't get anything this bad ass since the 90s. It's all bolt action for us, unless you're a professional hunter. Enjoy the FAL!
Which ever one you decide to buy I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine. Thanks for watching my video and thanks for a great comment. Have fun and be safe.
A friend of mine bought a Century-Arms FN (Steyr type). He hates it. When we tried to sight it in, we often had to literally STAND on the bolt handle to get it to eject a round or an empty shell casing! I had the gas set on the 5 setting. I bought a new FN-FAL (SA-58) in the 90's from DSA & love the weapon. Good accuracy & reliability. It was worth the 6 month wait, & sells today at about twice what I gave for mine. I keep my gas setting at 6, because at 5, it will double fire. The 10 rd mag that came with it was junk, but it has always fed fine through the 20 rd. mags, new or used. I put a hooded rear sight aperature on it for a much better sight picture. The trigger pull is good, I wish it had a click adjustable windage knob on it like our M-14 or M-16, but it's still easy to use as it is, unlike the HK-91 I once used. It's a keeper.
Century Arms is coming up with a new .308 which is based off the HK G3 design called the C308, at $700.00, which is a delayed roller blowback rifle. PTR91 Industries has a much better "original" clone design based off HK blue prints and made directly off purchased HK original tooling. Century Arms says that their version's receiver is made by PTR91 Industries out of SC. :) Last year I had called Century Arms and asked them why they discontinued the R1A1 Sporter and they told me that they could no longer find the parts to build the R1A1 Kit. Hope this does not happen to the C308 ! But to be honest, I prefer a FN FAL gas piston operated rifle over a delayed roller blowback rifle, so I may be looking at the DSA SA58 FAL .308 at Atlantic Firearms.
Carried an SLR for 4 years and no matter how many cool new firearms I see in videos I always end up watching L1A1 videos wishing that I still had my issued SLR. The beauty of that rifle is that I had absolute faith in it to do what we were trained to do.
Richard.....I appreciate the info on my rifle not working correctly. I'll have to check it out and see if I can fix it. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching my video.
The Century Arms R1A1 is built around surplus British and possibly other Commonwealth rifle parts, but they are mish-mashed together and I believe I read somewhere that they might also have some parts from metric pattern rifles, though I wouldn't swear to this.
The US types are built on original kits only with US receivers. The Australian one I have is all original other than the US receiver including and original Lingthrow barrel.
Bought a Century R1A1 FAL with the Century receiver years ago and it also runs like a champ. Have 5 cheap 20 round surplus Metric FAL mags that all fit very tightly. The gas system has been set to 3 since day one and shots everything from Monarch Steel Case, Silver Bear FMJ/SP to Hornady Match without ever touching it. It is also one of the mildest shooting .308s I've ever shot. The furniture may look a little cheap, but easily works its function. The chamber entrance in the barrel was completely fluted and polished on mine as it came new from Century. Runs as good as any FAL I've ever seen including Springfield Armory and DSAs. It will even do a sub MOA group on match ammo. The cheap stuff, it tends to group at 1.5-2". I believe a lot of the issues others are having are mag related and not an issue with the actual gun.
My constant companion for 3½ years. If you want to stop something hit it with a 7.62! It ain't gonna get up. Saw a guys arm torn off when he got hit in the shoulder at long distance, well over 400 yards! Used it in hot/dry, hot/humid, cold, wet never a problem if you looked after it. Magazine could jam if used in sandy conditions. Heavy enough to use as a club if you ran out of rounds! We had wood butt & fore end. RAF Regiment mid 80's.
I remember when these could be had for like 4-500 bucks, early 2000s maybe. I looked at one of these and a century arms CETME that was a bit cheaper and came with a bunch of mags so I got it. I remember thinking I’d go back and grab one of the r1a1 rifles as well but never did and regret it. I have since sold the CETME, actually kind of regret selling it as it had no issues other than ugly welds.
Ditto New Zealand Army. I trained with the SLR - didn't go to Vietnam - and had not second's trouble with it. Simple, rugged, reliable and accurate. A lot of our instructors had done a tour in Vietnam and were scathing of the Armalite the Americans used - they called it the Lincoln Toy Armalite. Still the Americans persevered with the Lincoln Toy and its descendant is still their main battle rifle.
Great rifle, I used it in the Canadian army and was on the rifle team for years and put more rounds down range than I could could count,we never broke down the weapons we used on the rifle team for cleaning just clean the gas plug and a little oil on the piston the older rifles gas setting was 3 or4 and the newer rifles used 7 or 8 any more or less and you could get stoppages, the only issue was sometimes when cleaning with the wood removed the pin that holds the gas tube from rotating would accidentally fall out and go unnoticed the result the tube could rotate and cover the gas vent so you will have no gas vent and the rounds would eject a long way and would get stoppages, happened on more than one rifle and an easy fix, the first one was perplexing as you couldn’t tell by looking at it but the rifle team armorer figured it out
I used an L1A1 for 11 years in the British Army, it was a brilliant bit of kit. We used to shoot at 600 metres using the iron sights during inter-unit competitions. It was an almost indestructable rifle and I never had a fault on any of mine.
The setting for the 7.62 x51 is 4 or 5, when you need to change the setting, it is necessary to return to the FN 49 to understand each country has certain ammunition 8 mm other 7 mm or 308, short Too fast to the ball of the ball, in the Fnc it is very important for gust of 3 shots or double the speed of the full auto. NATO to regulate the calibres to this order, and to benefit their M14
Excellent video - - I'm pleased to see how well this rifle functions with a variety of the less expensive ammo. I know this has been up for a few years, but let me offer a tardy "Thank You" for posting this!
I carried one for 2 years in the South African army. Nothing better, reliable and unlike the 5.56 (223) that everyone raves about this one does the job. I would rather carry the heavier ammo.
when i served in the Light Infantry the gas setting was 5, it never ever jammed and rapid fire like you did was never done, single time shots for effect......kept clean it was a perfect infantry rifle...SLR
Love that sound! Fired these a lot as British Army reservist 1983-90.We were told a round from it would go through a double brick wall at 30m. If it jams there are several stoppage drills that you can try before rushing off to the gunsmith . I never fired the SA80 but guys who use them tell me 'It''s just an air rifle compared to the SLR.' Helluva rifle- and it was a huge mistake to ever bin them IMO.
Burt Hulbert Yup, that's my experience from using one in the South African Army 30 years ago. Keeping the gas chamber clean and adjusting it properly is key to keeping this rifle functioning properly.
That is awesome how you are teaching zach the art of marksmanship. I started teaching my daughter at age 8. I purchased a walther p22 for her and she loved it. Since she was so tiny and could not hold up a Ruger 10/22, I got her a Marlin Papoose take down rifle. It is very tiny and light and semi auto. She would go to town with that thing. Our children and young ones are the future of this country. God Bless you sir for carrying on the American tradition of shooting and supporting the second amendment.
skyym3 ..Zach has been shooting since about the age of six and he loves it. I have him in about half a dozen youtube videos and he'll be in more of them this summer. Our children are the future protectors of the 2nd Amendment and I thank you for teaching your daughter how to shoot. I really appreciate the great comment and I thank you for watching our video.
Best elephant rifle ever made. Used it for 6 yrs. before they brought in a piece o' crap called the SA 80 MK 1, MK 2 not much better!! When ye got hit with the old SLR on arm or leg you were then minus arm or leg!! A wee beastie of a weapon.
If they are inch pattern FALs, most of them were semi-auto, so there is a lot less fiddling required to make them legal. It is sad they had to remove the bayonet lugs. We used them in Rhodie, and they worked flawlessly. Although I live not far from Century's plant, in the past, their quality control has been very spotty at best.
Aussie army 1969-71. SLR F1A1 7.62 rifle. Bad news from the business end, effective from my end. I remember the annoyingly long time it took me to clean the preservative grease from my new one. Vietnam 70 - 71.
miche turner....you can buy an extended scope mount at MidwayUSA. They start at about $90 and go up from there. I really do like my rifle and I'm hoping to do another video on it very soon. Thanks for your great comment and thanks for watching my video..
the empty cases are ejecting to far he should knock the gas up to five and adjust from there,less recoil.i used this weapon shooting for my battalion at bisley never a problem with stoppages and very accurate.
nuff sed ...when I first got my rifle I adjusted my gas port starting with six, then five, then four and when I finally set it at three I started to get 100% feeding and ejection.
mixup98 yes depending on the age and use of the weapon. we had a saying five to stay alive four to be sure.but down to three was the norm.mine was good at five.but remmy had given it a good overhaul it was lightly ejecting just as i wanted shooting at bisley. regards
Loved the video of what was my personal weapon when I was helping keep the Soviets out.A tip you might find useful is that the very large headed screw below the ejection port is in your weapon the wrong way round. The screw head should be on the other side of the rifle below the cocking handle slide. The screw is easier to put in the wrong way round because it goes through the center of the safety sear which it catches on when you put it in correctly you have to tease it through. It goes in that way so that you don,t catch your hand when cocking the rifle.Thanks again Andy Jacobs Nottingham
I'm sure other will have suggested it but we were told to srart the gas valve on 6. If there was an issue, not cycling properly, close it off two notches then try again. This usually fixed it. In eight years I never had any issues with that weapon. Awesome peice of kit.
I bought mine in 2002 for $449. Best 449 I ever spent. Thanks for watching my video. I see you have a nice collection of videos on UA-cam. Have fun and be safe.
Greg....I have replaced the mag hold open pin and the bolt now stay opens when I pull out the magazine. I appreciate the advice. I agree, it is the BEST battle rifle ever made and I'm glad you enjoyed my video. Thanks for the great comment and thanks for watching my video.
I trained in the New Zealand Army in 1968 and my platoon sergeant didn't like using the bayonet on the rifle - he said there was too much chance of bending the barrel. He preferred to use the bayonet as a knife, but then he was SAS and we all know how they do things...
The SLR 7.62mm Rifle was my constant companion from 1972 through the years until the late 1980s when the AUSSteyr 5.56mm Assault Rifle replaced it. The venerable SLR was a rugged reliable Soldiers weapon, anyone who states otherwise obviously never carried one.
Mike Berg Did you ever get a chance to try the Steyr rifle, Mike? If so, what did you think of it? I've never had the opportunity to handle one myself but always imagined the magazine location would make it a bit tricky to fire from a true prone position. Anyway, I see the Kiwi's are getting a new rifle made by Lewis Machine Tools and from what info I've been able to find, it should serve them very well. Cheers mate.
rubbish! I served in somalia with the steyr when they first came into service. Prior to that I was trained on the SLR. The styer im sad to say is a significantly superior rifle. As much as I loved the boom of the SLR, the styer is much easier to maintain, has a fixed optic rather than peep sight, has the option of full auto, is overall shorter in length, without compromising the barrel length, and the SS109 5.56 rnd we used had significantly greater killing power than the 7.62 that punched through the body, instead of fragmenting like the SS109. I took a series of photos comparing the SS109 to that of the 7.62 for body shots and the SS109 is significantly more destructive. No bad guy shot in Somalia from a styre lived to tell the story, thats a fact. No matter where the initial injury was sustained.
I posted this incredible weapon in the Brazilian army. Too bad that here in Brazil, we do not have the freedom that civilians the United States Of America has, being able to buy basically all calibers.
Imbel is an authorized producer of the FN FAL in Brazil. Their version is the most wanted rifle by the cops and also the the robbers/thiefs in Brasil. But like Guilherme said, Brazilian citizens are not allowed by law to carry rifles(Irony!), only hand guns. Unless the fellow individual is about that crime life.
Yes, here in Brazil to have a firearm, we have several certificates, it is a staggering bureaucracy !!! Still if you shoot a thug who invaded your home, you will need to provide information at the station, if the bandit is disarmed and is a minor, oh you're fucked up !!! Unfortunately this is my country, where there are many good people but our government destroy our nation. Once finished my college of Physiotherapy, seriously I think of going to the United States Of America. Logico, I have to improve my English that sucks, I apologize! But this time with a practicing believe will improve.
guilherme ferreira Trust me when I say that your English is better than many Americans. XD Sad fact, but if you're a productive member of society, you should have no trouble getting into the US especially holding a degree.
My SLR was so reliable, the only time I ever had a stoppage on it was when firing blanks and even then you could fanny on with the gas plug to fix it. You could also insert a wooden match into the working parts which made it full auto, couldn't hit a cow in the arse but it could be done. It was also the most ergonomic thing to carry about, you could snug the rear of the pistol grip into the crook of your elbow and wrap your hand around the front of the mag and it was almost like it wasn't there, we were issued slings but they stayed coiled up in our lockers for all time. Fond memories. I'm no steely eyed sniper type but could hit plates at 600m regularly. The only problem I had with it was the bottom plate of the older more worn out magazines could sometimes decide to ping off under spring pressure dumping your twenty rounds on the deck, not the best form of entertainment on a cold shitty pitch black night.
Used one for 16 years in the British Army in all conditions. It looked right, it felt right, went bang every time it had to, easy to strip, clean and reassemble, simple to learn IA's and safety procedures. Never once heard any complaints from anybody about it. The best version I used was a Belgian Army weapon which had a bipod - fantastic accuracy with that bipod. US troops training with us when given the chance to use it far preferred ti to their M14 and M16's. Would love to have even a decommissioned one for above my mantlepeice. Might have to use it on the wife to get her permission but you get the drift.
It's not for nothing that the L1A1 is the most mystical firearm of the British Army! I actually had the "honour" to fire it on more than one occasion during my service. Fucking magic! MsG
It's not junk ammo when fired in my gun.....all the ammo went "bang" everytime I pulled the trigger, the cost was right, and accuracy is acceptable. Try finding "junk" ammo on dealers shelves now.
30 years since I left the Army but you *never* forget the crack-thump of that rifle. I have little doubt that this rifle - in its various configurations - has been responsible for a lot of deaths on the battlefield - I've used an old Lee Enfield .303 on pigs and they drop like a stone, regardless of size. The high-velocity, smaller calibre bullpup undoubtedly has its place, but this was a serious assault rifle.
+Arthur Watts Interesting! Did you use the SL or automatic version? On a battlefield which one would you recommend, and besides that, the rifle has a bad name for being very vulnerable for dirt, dust and humidity. Is this correct?
We were taught to use the SLR as a semi-automatic, and the tried-and-tested double tap was part of that tutelage, but I never fired a shot in anger. Re dirt, I only know that anytime you ran a cleaning kit through the barrel you usually got plenty of muck out the other end, but we were told they had performed very well for our troops in the jungles of SEA. The SLR was replaced by the Steyr Aug shortly before I left at the end of '91, so its all just a footnote now. This is the kind of weapon I'd want to hunt wild boar, but modern soldier have access to much more compact assault rifles : this is an interesting relic, but a relic nonetheless, regardless of it's undeniable lethality in various warzones.
Lovely old school rifel, simple to field strip, accurate & targets stay down when hit! Used these in both the British & Australian Armies, never had a serious problem. Gas setting was always set on 5.
Those were our guns in the South African Defense Force when I did my service from 1969 - 1977. Our wives. They were part of us and we had to know them inside out. In 1969 they were still imported from Belgium, with a wooden butt-end and we knew it as the FN. But from the early seventies onward they were made in South Africa as the R1 and came out with tough black plastic butt-ends. The 7.62 (.308) caliber can't be beaten. Nowhere to hide for the enemy! Between 1969 and 1977 I was issued with 5 different ones and not one of them gave me any trouble. Not ever. The best rifle in the world, far better than the toy 5.56 caliber R4 and R5 that replaced it. The communist regime ruling this country (given to them on a political plate by treason in 1994, without one shot fired) at the moment, a moment that will soon be over, are still using 5.56 caliber toys. I love the 7.62 R1 (FN FAL) and I am dreaming of holding one in my hands again some day...
I had the same L1 from joining my Regiment in 1983 until replaced by the SA80. I was devestated to lose it as that 7.62mm round made all the difference over the 5.56mm of the SA80. My L1 (Fanny) got me out of more than one scrape.
I did National Service in Burnham in early 1968. We got very used to our SLRs and never had a moment's trouble with them. When we were issued with them our first firing exercise was sighting them in on the 25-yard range. Then we were trucked out to the range at West Melton and continued on the 100, 200 and 300-yard mounds. Good fun as most of us had never fired anything like it. Then the fun stopped, because they made us walk back to camp - thirteen miles. As time went by, we got better at the walking...
That was our Rifle in the sixties, I was Royal Marine and used it in Borneo and Yemen . Never failed me, one hundred percent reliable and if you hit someone with a 7.62 it was end of story. If I was fighting long distance, I used to put a couple of tracers in to see the fall of shot but not often. I ate with it , slept with it whilst in the jungle, it was a Rifle for the fighting man,no doubt about it.
Hearing you man. Saved my arse in Vietnam a few times with the gas fully cranked up. Not for sissies like that. Made the US M16 look like a rifle for girlie men. Real US soldiers would have given their eye teeth to get their hands on an SLR.
@@samhunt9380 Americans used to be fighting with the M14 while Australians were there with the FAL by their side. Big mistake on the Americans for choosing the M14 over the FAL.
@@broes1962 I was bitterly disappointed when because I was an army pilot, I was issued with an M16 and had to give up my beloved SLR. ..
The South African produced FAL was called the R1 or R2 if it was the paratrooper model.
I know Im asking randomly but does anybody know a method to log back into an instagram account?
I was dumb lost the account password. I would love any help you can give me.
River crossing on exercise in Germany. Dropped bloody paddle and wasn't allowed to go back for it. Used L1A1 to paddle across river. Got out of boat and went face down in mud. Rifle under me. Got dragged out and my ear shouted in and then fired full magazine without a jam. Come here you sexy beast!
THX for Service here in the Cold War Times!! As a young Boy we enjoed everytime the Autum Trainings of you Brits here serving in the Rhine Army! Will never forget that great Times...
Hi, I served in the British army in the 80's. The L1A1 never let me down once. Great powerful, robust weapon 7.62 far superior round over the crappy little 5.56. I was gutted when they replaced them with the little shitty SA80! 5.56. I would take the L1A1 into battle, over the British modern replacement, anytime.
One of the very best rifles we had in the British Armed Forces. I wouldn't have traded mine for anything, least of all the 5.56mm SA80 that replaced it. That is a peashooter by comparison to our L1A1 SLRs!
Amen Brother !!!!
Apparently, some DID keep their FALs right up until 1994 and used them in the Gulf War. In many ways it was a mistake to do away with it because long range engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq proved that even a bolt action Enfield could be lethal in the right hands at long range.
Here in Canada it was known as the FN C1 A1, the C2 was the fully auto support weapon..Easy to maintain and very dependable..
Royalhighlander I carried that rifle through basic, and loved it. I would give my right arm to get my hands on one, and would carry it to hell and back. Great rifle. Kick like a mule, and punch like a battleship.
Never fired the SLR but would love to yes the sa80 a1 was a bit pants but the A2 is good rifle m8 All of the promblems from the A1 got iron out in the A2
Love the old British SLR/FAL... had four years of using one before we went to the SA80A1... much rather have an SLR though..
Thanks for taking time to make the vid and posting....
Vulcan558B2 ...you're welcome. Thank you for the sub and for watching and commenting on my video.
Paul....The FAL is absolutely my favorite rifle. Excellent shooting at 600m. Thanks for the sub and thanks for watching my video.
Used the L1A1 version within the Aus Army, loved it. With some very minor mods it was lethal. No comparison to the M16 we also used, the M16 was rubbish, cooked 2 off & useless at any significant distance. The good old SLR was excellent out to 500 yards. Just needed to wind the gas up to prevent jams, nothing over 6 & after many rounds down to 0. Excellent rifle.
Well said ❤️💯👍👍🔥
The L1A1 SLR 7.62...cut my teeth on this rifle. I have a profound respect for it and so did a great many on the other end of it. I'd much rather my respect for it than their respect for it... I see it's in very goods hands again. This guy manages a weapon like very, very few and it's amazing to watch. He never fumbles. The weapon is secure at all times. Quite extraordinary. The 7.62...I saw a man struck in the shin from about 780 yards. Fatal. Heart failure from the impact. Another who had an accidental discharge at the end of a very long walk, flopped onto the ground with the weapon primed and a piece of wood came into contact with the trigger. The round entered the heel of his foot, traveled through his leg and torso and exited through his shoulder. Fatal. In this clip you can see the impact the round has first hand. I've always felt a little more at ease with the extra wallop this round has than the 5.56 for reasons of my own. Great video. I love this channel big time. I'm trying to save them up. Awesome work!
Mine was built by NECG and inch pattern (not metric), perfect. Simply a perfect rifle. Served in SADF in Namibia. Yup used the old smoke pole hundreds of times. If you hit it it goes down. That 7.62x51 is a deadly round. Love my old beast!
I used this in the south african army in the late 70 early 80s nice rifle in the Angolan war
@@frankmurphy7234 lol why would you say that ? What a prick
@@liamkisbee8117 he is antifa
@@frankmurphy7234 hahaha
@@dawiebenjamin3249 because so so many commenters claim to be a veteran of this very obscure small war that's now being romanticized
Did you kill anyone?
As a Canadian, and one that has used the FN C1 and FN C2 service rifles. i can tell you that this is NOT the Canadian version. There are similarities, but so does almost all of them. We started at a setting of 4 on the gas plug setting. I never had to change it and the recoil was not a problem. Brutally tough weapon, reliable as it gets (the FN ones, NOT century city).
Never had a single stoppage or misfire. always accurate past how far I can see. I absolutely loved this weapon.
I too loved my Canadian issued FN, best rifle I have ever used. Shame when they withdrew them we weren't given an option of buying our service rifle instead of the government locking them up to rust.
@@BigLisaFan Yes that would have been great, loved my C1.
I liked the fact that you could charger load them to top up your magazine. Sad that I can't buy a Canadian FNC1A1, but I can buy an M-14.
Canadian FN C1 and C2 7.62 of mayhem never had an issue . Lugged that for days heavy but reliable
The young man has it owing for him ! I sure he has a great mentor too. Nice to see him excited about shooting.
Ex Brit Airborne 22 yrs. The SLR Blunderbuss is awesome. Any squaddie I know would swap it for the SA80 anyday. SA80, good piece of kit BUT, you want a target dropped, choose the SLR. 7.62 long, targest will disolve when hit.....
Ex-RAN loved my SLR, L1A1
With my old SLR you hit someone with it breaking into a million pieces
I totally agree. I carried one of these around for a number of years. It was a real delight to fire, easy to operate and carry with a real punch. Accurate too. Bit of a bugger when doing FIBUA though. Overall I would prefer to go to war armed with an L1A1 rather than a SA 80.
My Uncle was int Army; he said the SLR was an absolute 'man-stopper' easily shooting through cover but too big for the streets of Belfast and the SA80 was better for room clearing, CQB etc. The squaddie accuracy rates on the range improved dramatically when the lower recoil SA80 was introduced, which keeps the politicians/statisticians/ bean counters happy.
I agree, I was in the Royal Artillery for 7 years and had the SLR for 2 of those years, I hated the SA80.
R1A1 South African FAL made under licence. The one I first used was battered and didn't work well. Then I received a brand new one out of the box. That 7.62 mm [.308] shot like a beauty. I am left eye dominant which caused the instructors a few problems with my stance yet I achieved my marksman badge with that rifle. I have to thank the instructor I had who was a South African Champion Competitive shooter for the tips he gave us especially for the night exercises.
This was a bad variant? I heard not to many was manufactured at the time instead they went with R2 and continued shorting the weapon.
I too am right handed with a left eye dominance. I have a 16" Austrian STG58C and I got real good with it. I used to competition shoot with it.
Re Gas regulator setting, we were always taught "Gas at 5 Stay Alive"
Loved how safety has been drilled into that kids head, good teaching... I love my SLR in the British Army I knew if I hit the target it was going down.
I have a fond spot for that rifle . It was the first rifle placed in my hands as a 16 yr old. It saw me thro 9 yrs of service & luckily I only had to use it once in anger . I only fired two shots.. but it worked ... the message was sent ... Im here today & I have no idea what number the gas reg was on ha ha.
I used these in the Australian army in the late 80's. Its a great rifle they called it the L1A1 SLR. It was replaced by the Steyr AUG.
I carried mine in the Oz Army Reserve in '72 , loved it, great to fire. 7.62x51 wins the argument every time I think. I hated the way they made the grunts move over to the 5.56. I have seen what an SLR can do to a tree....
y'all were attacked by trees too? .50 cal works great on trees and you don't need no steenking chainsaw
where still using 7.62's the M14 EBR SR25 and especially HK417 our tactics have changed as well.
kevin vincent....kev the ONLY thing you shot was a tree!!!!??? lmfao hopefully you found out what it does to a human 🙈
Flip465 Why did they swap to the American junk, i heard stories of soldiers in Vietnam ditching the m16 for Ak47's.
That is some beautiful territory you got for shooting! Your living m dream. Thanks for all the great viewing pleasure!.
My God, that kid at the end handled a FAL better than I've seen most adults do.
The FN is left hand operated, the kid charged it using his right hand . I used them in our high school cadet unit when I was 14yrs old. Boy, would that gas piston fly if you were careless removing the gas plug.
That was so beautifull.
TheJubbert Yeah! He shot better than the Adult in the show!
Glad to see you're taking the time to educate kids on shooting and gun safety. Nice video.
What makes you think the video is directed towards kids lol is is telling people what to do when they buy the gun kids cant buy guns
stainsteelman.....it's always cool to know that people from other countries are watching my videos. Thanks for watching and I really appreciate the informative comment.
Used the Brit Army SLR for 12 years, a beautiful gun, used to reverse the gas plug when firing blanks on exercise to reduce cleaning of the piston and spring ...
We had blank firing attachments, so *everything* had to be cleaned afterwards. Bummer.
Also good for smacking rioters over the head with, the bayonet boss on the end was a useful tool.
dislike injustice you got that right mate..this is a rifle this is a gun..this is for fighting this is for fun..bet you know what I am referring to.
Is that the Tony I know from 1SG...
dislike injustice ok mate.
Worked pretty well in '82.....
King Barry Scott and if you know how to shoot would do the same in 2017✌
Picture Me Trolling My father qualified Marksman with it, great rifle.
BTFLK82
SMA
You SADF???
Falklands?
Used the FN version of the FAL designated R1 during the bushwar,Have put 250 rounds downrange in about 10 minutes and no problems,helped prevent me getting my butt shot off. Loved it.
And extremely accurate even with open sights.
I hope someday you will get one. Not only is it a great investment, who knows what's coming down the road in the future. Thanks for watching and commenting on my video.
I served with an R1 in the SADF from '84 to '86, that was an enjoyable video, thankyou!
You're welcome Karl and thank you for watching.
mixup98 I served 15 years in the British army. The parachute regiment and the SBS (special boat service) I used the British FN Fal in many conflicts like Kosovo, Falklands conflict and others. I only used British ammunition which was always great. The best thing about this rifle is that it hits hard with the British .308 so when you hit them you know there staying down. And it's reliable with had ours through water, dirt etc and fired every time. I brought it to conflict with me before and would gladly again it's an over looked rifle these days but still a great one. I hope you really enjoy yours.
Nice Jay, we (SADF) developed our own version, the R1, but it was still susceptable to our dusty desert like conditions. From '85 the entire SADF used R4's(Isreali Galil), a pop gun using the 5.56mm round, but it had a 30 and a 50 round mag so it was fine.
Karl Oelofse nice Karl, started British army would use 20 round but the parachute and SBS would use the 30 round magazine. And you would really notice The difference lol. Never used a 50 round though, and I am familiar with the Israeli military type never got to shoot it though.
The Mr's pic ,anyway did 78 to 84 SADF had a few jams as well over the years ,but awesome for shooting mortars from the gas chamber time change 4 sec .In our section ten guys from 1 SSP support troops two use M 's two firing out on the flanks and 5 moving up to engage and repeat .Keeps their heads down or off and less chance getting hit from own guys .
The procedure according to the Manuel to adjust the gas system to lessen fouling and heat is to fire single rounds while adjusting one click per round until the rifle no longer cycles then turn it back three clicks. It also keeps the action from slamming all the way to the rear lessening recoil and wear. The gas plug flips over for launching grenades. The reason for all of this adjust-ability is that this is a rifle that was designed to be used with ammo produced all over the world and still operate with the same reliability. A true battle rifle that earned its name " The right arm of the free world". You decide would you rather stake you life on a .30 cal rifle designed and tested by folks in a military setting or a .22 cal toy pushed into service by politicians looking to save dollars. God bless all our troops!
I agree , but don't forget Eugene Stoner's AR10 barrled for Nato 7.62x51 is up there with the L1A1 , and a better weapon than the M14
That Manuel guy knew his stuff.
I don't think I ever saw a manual, it was taught to us in small arms training and then honed on the ranges.
Are you joking about the m16? It was sabotaged by the government from the start. I would rather take an m4 than a 308 nowadays. There's a reason every switched.
@@macy725 16 sucked,I wouldn't trust any derivation of it.
taipan.....as much as I love my AR-15's, when I want a rifle that is extremely dependable, accurate and produces impressive energy I always reach for my L1A1. Thanks for the great comment.
Man, you consistently review weapon systems I’m interested in. Thanks a lot buddy!
Love the style of these rifles. Bought one at an online auction they said wouldn't eject. Gambled on it and made the purchase. Then I found your video, you saved the day! The part for the piston was upside down. Thank you!
You're welcome Mike and I'm glad you were able to fix your rifle because of my video. Stay safe, enjoy your rifle and thanks for watching my video.
Zak is like his grandpa.....he loves to shoot. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment.
I have an L1A1 made by Century. Put a DSA rail on top and mounted the SUIT scope. Ass-kicking weapon and very reliable. I have shot a couple of thousand rounds through it and it functions superbly. Thanks for the video.
steve moren you're welcome Steve. I appreciate you watching and commenting on my video. Be safe and fun with your L1A1.
L
I like the fact you always got the family out . teaching skills great way to spend the day with family👍
Just glad she's working up to par and isn't giving you anymore grief. Glad I could help!
used by both sides in the Falkland's anyone who has used a FN FAL, L1A1 SLR or C1, C2 always rates them as awesome guns. My Dad used a RAAF FN FAL as a roo gun in the sixties.
+pweter351 I use to fire them quite a bit back when I was a cadet here in Canada. We switched to the C-7 just as I was leaving. Seemed like everyone preferred the FN better.
+Mr. Anderson Yes...I too operated these as a Royal Canadian Army Cadet, Militia and Soldier during the transition to the dreaded Mattel Toy C7 Rifle. I really missed my FN C1A1...I could also get it to Full Auto with a piece of a Match Stick!
+Darrin Gould The mattel toy stories were American hand me downs from 1965 !!!!! The C7 even of the mid 1980s was NOT the same rifle as the M16A1. I believed the fairy tales just like everyone else.
martK banjoboy You're correct. But I'm just being humorous about it. The "Mattel Toy' remark was more used in reference to the Plastic's and Stock Material's used in the weapon. The metal qualities were fine enough. But in the beginning with the C7 Variant...there were a few issue's that surfaced. (ie) The Locking Nub on the Magazine breaking off in extreme cold conditions...that rendered the Magazine virtually useless. They've since reinforced this small detail...in order for it to stand up to severe cold conditions.
Yes...the C7's are not exactly M16A1's by any stretch. But these Rifles, and many like them...have evolved from the M16A1's designs that were originally featured in Stoners Rifle. In many Military's in the Western World that use these patterns...there have been quite a few modification's in one form or another! Probably as many variants as the FN Rifle.
Indeed. There are many stories and media illustrating the killing and wounding capacity of the FAL, all of them true. To be fair, there were stories about Australian soldiers in Vietnam. The Australian forces still used the excellent Owen smg at this time. One anecdotal report from an Australian soldier said that Nigel (their nickname for the enemy) would lust get up and run away when hit with a burst from an Owen. When hit with rounds from an M16 or FAL, they would go down. I hope none of us has to be faced with such a dreadful reality. Cheers.
Had a L1A1 built by NECG. Work of art! Be careful in selecting a lower receiver. Avoid anything other than milled steel.
Mine shoots as well as my service R1 in SADF. Keep them clean, no oil in the chamber! Oil in chamber when it gets really hot results in stuck case with rim ripped off , bad news in a fire fight!
Your videos are some of the best out there. I the more I see the more I appreciate them.
Thanks Stephen. I appreciate the great comment. And thanks for the sub.
I have shot this rifle as a boy entree in the paratroopers, we were tort to lean in to the stance, as the recoil will push you back, but the real joy was when I got to shoot the G P M G , with my toes dug in and leaning agains the push of the recoil, with mixed rounds and joining the belts together, on full auto shooting at the targets down range at250yards, it is a living wall of death no good hiding be hind a wall or a car that 7.62 nato round H /V went right through them.
The SLR didn’t lock back on empty. That is why the IA is “weapon fires, weapon stops, tilt right, cock, lock, look”
Yup, but you could lock the action open with the lug at the back of the magazine.
@@colincampbell817 hence the “lock” part of the IA 😊 with the hold open device at the front of the magazine
Great video. The Australian Army used the semi auto FN FAL in Vietnam, and swore by it. Unfortunately as hunters and target shooters, we can't get anything this bad ass since the 90s. It's all bolt action for us, unless you're a professional hunter. Enjoy the FAL!
Which ever one you decide to buy I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine. Thanks for watching my video and thanks for a great comment. Have fun and be safe.
A friend of mine bought a Century-Arms FN (Steyr type). He hates it. When we tried to sight it in, we often had to literally STAND on the bolt handle to get it to eject a round or an empty shell casing! I had the gas set on the 5 setting. I bought a new FN-FAL (SA-58) in the 90's from DSA & love the weapon. Good accuracy & reliability. It was worth the 6 month wait, & sells today at about twice what I gave for mine. I keep my gas setting at 6, because at 5, it will double fire. The 10 rd mag that came with it was junk, but it has always fed fine through the 20 rd. mags, new or used. I put a hooded rear sight aperature on it for a much better sight picture. The trigger pull is good, I wish it had a click adjustable windage knob on it like our M-14 or M-16, but it's still easy to use as it is, unlike the HK-91 I once used. It's a keeper.
3 years Australian army fn l1a1 slr never gave me any problems
Century Arms is coming up with a new .308 which is based off the HK G3 design called the C308, at $700.00, which is a delayed roller blowback rifle. PTR91 Industries has a much better "original" clone design based off HK blue prints and made directly off purchased HK original tooling. Century Arms says that their version's receiver is made by PTR91 Industries out of SC. :)
Last year I had called Century Arms and asked them why they discontinued the R1A1 Sporter and they told me that they could no longer find the parts to build the R1A1 Kit. Hope this does not happen to the C308 ! But to be honest, I prefer a FN FAL gas piston operated rifle over a delayed roller blowback rifle, so I may be looking at the DSA SA58 FAL .308 at Atlantic Firearms.
Carried an SLR for 4 years and no matter how many cool new firearms I see in videos I always end up watching L1A1 videos wishing that I still had my issued SLR. The beauty of that rifle is that I had absolute faith in it to do what we were trained to do.
Richard.....I appreciate the info on my rifle not working correctly. I'll have to check it out and see if I can fix it. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching my video.
Loved my SLR 7.62 mm" Elephant gun"
This was my issue rifle (the Brit version) between 1960 to 1971 and never let me down. The US version appears to be a cheap copy.
It's not a US version; it's actually a surplus commonwealth version, usually with a mish-mash of parts, some of them from metric pattern rifles.
Yeah, if the parts from an "Inch Pattern" are mixed with the Metric you will have problems.
The Century Arms R1A1 is built around surplus British and possibly other Commonwealth rifle parts, but they are mish-mashed together and I believe I read somewhere that they might also have some parts from metric pattern rifles, though I wouldn't swear to this.
The US types are built on original kits only with US receivers. The Australian one I have is all original other than the US receiver including and original Lingthrow barrel.
Amen!! Very crude and sloppy copy!! Not worth the association with the FN FAL!!
Bought a Century R1A1 FAL with the Century receiver years ago and it also runs like a champ. Have 5 cheap 20 round surplus Metric FAL mags that all fit very tightly. The gas system has been set to 3 since day one and shots everything from Monarch Steel Case, Silver Bear FMJ/SP to Hornady Match without ever touching it. It is also one of the mildest shooting .308s I've ever shot. The furniture may look a little cheap, but easily works its function. The chamber entrance in the barrel was completely fluted and polished on mine as it came new from Century. Runs as good as any FAL I've ever seen including Springfield Armory and DSAs. It will even do a sub MOA group on match ammo. The cheap stuff, it tends to group at 1.5-2". I believe a lot of the issues others are having are mag related and not an issue with the actual gun.
I think you're probably onto something
My constant companion for 3½ years. If you want to stop something hit it with a 7.62! It ain't gonna get up. Saw a guys arm torn off when he got hit in the shoulder at long distance, well over 400 yards! Used it in hot/dry, hot/humid, cold, wet never a problem if you looked after it. Magazine could jam if used in sandy conditions. Heavy enough to use as a club if you ran out of rounds! We had wood butt & fore end. RAF Regiment mid 80's.
I remember when these could be had for like 4-500 bucks, early 2000s maybe. I looked at one of these and a century arms CETME that was a bit cheaper and came with a bunch of mags so I got it. I remember thinking I’d go back and grab one of the r1a1 rifles as well but never did and regret it. I have since sold the CETME, actually kind of regret selling it as it had no issues other than ugly welds.
Just seen an r1a1 at a show today for 900 but the rear sight welds looked questionable and had to pass , still looking for a .308 beast
Vietnam...Australian Army....and the FN SLR :-)
Ditto New Zealand Army. I trained with the SLR - didn't go to Vietnam - and had not second's trouble with it. Simple, rugged, reliable and accurate.
A lot of our instructors had done a tour in Vietnam and were scathing of the Armalite the Americans used - they called it the Lincoln Toy Armalite.
Still the Americans persevered with the Lincoln Toy and its descendant is still their main battle rifle.
Great rifle, I used it in the Canadian army and was on the rifle team for years and put more rounds down range than I could could count,we never broke down the weapons we used on the rifle team for cleaning just clean the gas plug and a little oil on the piston the older rifles gas setting was 3 or4 and the newer rifles used 7 or 8 any more or less and you could get stoppages, the only issue was sometimes when cleaning with the wood removed the pin that holds the gas tube from rotating would accidentally fall out and go unnoticed the result the tube could rotate and cover the gas vent so you will have no gas vent and the rounds would eject a long way and would get stoppages, happened on more than one rifle and an easy fix, the first one was perplexing as you couldn’t tell by looking at it but the rifle team armorer figured it out
I used an L1A1 for 11 years in the British Army, it was a brilliant bit of kit. We used to shoot at 600 metres using the iron sights during inter-unit competitions. It was an almost indestructable rifle and I never had a fault on any of mine.
I had one....it NEVER jammed!!!
Me too, a brilliant weapon...
Why not adjust the gas piston before taking it to a gunsmith? It's adjustable for a reason!
IA drills :)
The setting for the 7.62 x51 is 4 or 5, when you need to change the setting, it is necessary to return to the FN 49 to understand each country has certain ammunition 8 mm other 7 mm or 308, short Too fast to the ball of the ball, in the Fnc it is very important for gust of 3 shots or double the speed of the full auto. NATO to regulate the calibres to this order, and to benefit their M14
@MARK JONES rounds in the magazine no rounds in the chamber, second time occurring.
Always had it cranked up for combat.....cleaned it with a match head lol....
Excellent video - - I'm pleased to see how well this rifle functions with a variety of the less expensive ammo. I know this has been up for a few years, but let me offer a tardy "Thank You" for posting this!
+jmfa57 ..thanks, I appreciate the comment.
About the gas regulator, typically it would fire just fine on 6. We used to use the gas regulator to count paces up to 1,200 😊
I carried one for 2 years in the South African army. Nothing better, reliable and unlike the 5.56 (223) that everyone raves about this one does the job. I would rather carry the heavier ammo.
when i served in the Light Infantry the gas setting was 5, it never ever jammed and rapid fire like you did was never done, single time shots for effect......kept clean it was a perfect infantry rifle...SLR
Love that sound! Fired these a lot as British Army reservist 1983-90.We were told a round from it would go through a double brick wall at 30m. If it jams there are several stoppage drills that you can try before rushing off to the gunsmith . I never fired the SA80 but guys who use them tell me 'It''s just an air rifle compared to the SLR.' Helluva rifle- and it was a huge mistake to ever bin them IMO.
Sorry about the late reply....been out of town. Thanks for the great comment, I really appreciate it. And thanks for watching my videos.
Specs call to adjust gas port for 100% reliable ejection and then go 2 more clicks for battlefield use.
Burt Hulbert Yup, that's my experience from using one in the South African Army 30 years ago. Keeping the gas chamber clean and adjusting it properly is key to keeping this rifle functioning properly.
FNC1 Canadian Airborne, early 1980's. Never failed.
But did they ever do anything to fail
That is awesome how you are teaching zach the art of marksmanship. I started teaching my daughter at age 8. I purchased a walther p22 for her and she loved it. Since she was so tiny and could not hold up a Ruger 10/22, I got her a Marlin Papoose take down rifle. It is very tiny and light and semi auto. She would go to town with that thing. Our children and young ones are the future of this country. God Bless you sir for carrying on the American tradition of shooting and supporting the second amendment.
skyym3 ..Zach has been shooting since about the age of six and he loves it. I have him in about half a dozen youtube videos and he'll be in more of them this summer. Our children are the future protectors of the 2nd Amendment and I thank you for teaching your daughter how to shoot. I really appreciate the great comment and I thank you for watching our video.
You and Paul Harrell are the only good gun channels on UA-cam these days!
Thanks Jim :>)
Best elephant rifle ever made. Used it for 6 yrs. before they brought in a piece o' crap called the SA 80 MK 1, MK 2 not much better!! When ye got hit with the old SLR on arm or leg you were then minus arm or leg!! A wee beastie of a weapon.
A2 is considerably better. Its actually one of the most reliable Infantry rifles going.
If they are inch pattern FALs, most of them were semi-auto, so there is a lot less fiddling required to make them legal. It is sad they had to remove the bayonet lugs. We used them in Rhodie, and they worked flawlessly. Although I live not far from Century's plant, in the past, their quality control has been very spotty at best.
Aussie army 1969-71. SLR F1A1 7.62 rifle. Bad news from the business end, effective from my end. I remember the annoyingly long time it took me to clean the preservative grease from my new one. Vietnam 70 - 71.
miche turner....you can buy an extended scope mount at MidwayUSA. They start at about $90 and go up from there. I really do like my rifle and I'm hoping to do another video on it very soon. Thanks for your great comment and thanks for watching my video..
the empty cases are ejecting to far he should knock the gas up to five and adjust from there,less recoil.i used this weapon shooting for my battalion at bisley never a problem with stoppages and very accurate.
nuff sed ...when I first got my rifle I adjusted my gas port starting with six, then five, then four and when I finally set it at three I started to get 100% feeding and ejection.
mixup98 yes depending on the age and use of the weapon. we had a saying five to stay alive four to be sure.but down to three was the norm.mine was good at five.but remmy had given it a good overhaul it was lightly ejecting just as i wanted shooting at bisley. regards
nuff sed ...Standard for the Canadian army was a setting of 4
Loved the video of what was my personal weapon when I was helping keep the Soviets out.A tip you might find useful is that the very large headed screw below the ejection port is in your weapon the wrong way round. The screw head should be on the other side of the rifle below the cocking handle slide. The screw is easier to put in the wrong way round because it goes through the center of the safety sear which it catches on when you put it in correctly you have to tease it through. It goes in that way so that you don,t catch your hand when cocking the rifle.Thanks again Andy Jacobs Nottingham
I'm sure other will have suggested it but we were told to srart the gas valve on 6. If there was an issue, not cycling properly, close it off two notches then try again. This usually fixed it. In eight years I never had any issues with that weapon. Awesome peice of kit.
I bought mine in 2002 for $449. Best 449 I ever spent. Thanks for watching my video. I see you have a nice collection of videos on UA-cam. Have fun and be safe.
I remember it was quite heavy but boy, did it have some punch.
It's punch made the weight worth it to me. Don't know about you though.
@@raspiankiado4658 The SA-80 is only a pound lighter - less with the SUSAT sight fitted.
Favorite 308 cal style rifle
Thanks Graham, You taught me more in 30 seconds than I could find out in my gun books.
Greg....I have replaced the mag hold open pin and the bolt now stay opens when I pull out the magazine. I appreciate the advice. I agree, it is the BEST battle rifle ever made and I'm glad you enjoyed my video. Thanks for the great comment and thanks for watching my video.
One Great Thing about the FN Rifle...You could knock a guy through 10 Brick Shit Houses with it. Out of Ammo? Doubles for a good Heavy Club!!!
Eagle Man nonsense, its a fantastic, well proven, tried and tested battle rifle! Far better than the m16..i know from experience, used both!
Darrin 1965 the bayonet was pretty good too.
I trained in the New Zealand Army in 1968 and my platoon sergeant didn't like using the bayonet on the rifle - he said there was too much chance of bending the barrel. He preferred to use the bayonet as a knife, but then he was SAS and we all know how they do things...
I have seen teeth flying because of the butt of FAL.
Fuck yes! Who needs a bayonet? Especially if you're a big burly Afrikaner / Maori type bloke.
I always were earplugs when I shoot but sometimes I forget to mention it in my videos. Always Wear Earplugs!
What?
Cool! Thanks for the show"Nice rifle" & your grandson handles the 308 like a pro ; ) Merry Christmas!
+proverbs 8 ....my grandson and I thank you for watching out video. Today is Christmas so "Merry Christmas"
The SLR 7.62mm Rifle was my constant companion from 1972 through the years until the late 1980s when the AUSSteyr 5.56mm Assault Rifle replaced it. The venerable SLR was a rugged reliable Soldiers weapon, anyone who states otherwise obviously never carried one.
I put my life on the line for 14 years with a L1A1 Australian made Lithgrow, and I would do it again with out a blink.
NZ,Malayan Emergency n Vietnam,most preferred SLR to the baby Armalite.
Theres me in me slouch hat with me SLR n 'greens,God help us I was only 19.
Mike Berg Did you ever get a chance to try the Steyr rifle, Mike? If so, what did you think of it? I've never had the opportunity to handle one myself but always imagined the magazine location would make it a bit tricky to fire from a true prone position.
Anyway, I see the Kiwi's are getting a new rifle made by Lewis Machine Tools and from what info I've been able to find, it should serve them very well.
Cheers mate.
Andrew Robertson Steyer aug,no,it loses its zero Iv heard younger guys say.
rubbish! I served in somalia with the steyr when they first came into service. Prior to that I was trained on the SLR. The styer im sad to say is a significantly superior rifle. As much as I loved the boom of the SLR, the styer is much easier to maintain, has a fixed optic rather than peep sight, has the option of full auto, is overall shorter in length, without compromising the barrel length, and the SS109 5.56 rnd we used had significantly greater killing power than the 7.62 that punched through the body, instead of fragmenting like the SS109. I took a series of photos comparing the SS109 to that of the 7.62 for body shots and the SS109 is significantly more destructive. No bad guy shot in Somalia from a styre lived to tell the story, thats a fact. No matter where the initial injury was sustained.
I posted this incredible weapon in the Brazilian army. Too bad that here in Brazil, we do not have the freedom that civilians the United States Of America has, being able to buy basically all calibers.
+Daniel G Corrigido parceiro.
Imbels are my favorites because their barrels are chrome lined.
Imbel is an authorized producer of the FN FAL in Brazil. Their version is the most wanted rifle by the cops and also the the robbers/thiefs in Brasil.
But like Guilherme said, Brazilian citizens are not allowed by law to carry rifles(Irony!), only hand guns. Unless the fellow individual is about that crime life.
Yes, here in Brazil to have a firearm, we have several certificates, it is a staggering bureaucracy !!! Still if you shoot a thug who invaded your home, you will need to provide information at the station, if the bandit is disarmed and is a minor, oh you're fucked up !!!
Unfortunately this is my country, where there are many good people but our government destroy our nation.
Once finished my college of Physiotherapy, seriously I think of going to the United States Of America. Logico, I have to improve my English that sucks, I apologize! But this time with a practicing believe will improve.
guilherme ferreira
Trust me when I say that your English is better than many Americans. XD Sad fact, but if you're a productive member of society, you should have no trouble getting into the US especially holding a degree.
My SLR was so reliable, the only time I ever had a stoppage on it was when firing blanks and even then you could fanny on with the gas plug to fix it.
You could also insert a wooden match into the working parts which made it full auto, couldn't hit a cow in the arse but it could be done.
It was also the most ergonomic thing to carry about, you could snug the rear of the pistol grip into the crook of your elbow and wrap your hand around the front of the mag and it was almost like it wasn't there, we were issued slings but they stayed coiled up in our lockers for all time.
Fond memories.
I'm no steely eyed sniper type but could hit plates at 600m regularly.
The only problem I had with it was the bottom plate of the older more worn out magazines could sometimes decide to ping off under spring pressure dumping your twenty rounds on the deck, not the best form of entertainment on a cold shitty pitch black night.
Used one for 16 years in the British Army in all conditions. It looked right, it felt right, went bang every time it had to, easy to strip, clean and reassemble, simple to learn IA's and safety procedures. Never once heard any complaints from anybody about it. The best version I used was a Belgian Army weapon which had a bipod - fantastic accuracy with that bipod. US troops training with us when given the chance to use it far preferred ti to their M14 and M16's. Would love to have even a decommissioned one for above my mantlepeice. Might have to use it on the wife to get her permission but you get the drift.
Mighty good shooting, Zach!
+slick4401 ....Zach says "thanks Slick" :>)
Zack is going to make somebody a great battle buddy one day, good shooting 👍😎
👍🤠 👍😊
I carried and used an slr in the eighties in the british army, a superb rifle, deadly accurate and it looks deadly, best rifle, ever.
It's not for nothing that the L1A1 is the most mystical firearm of the British Army! I actually had the "honour" to fire it on more than one occasion during my service. Fucking magic!
MsG
It's not junk ammo when fired in my gun.....all the ammo went "bang" everytime I pulled the trigger, the cost was right, and accuracy is acceptable. Try finding "junk" ammo on dealers shelves now.
30 years since I left the Army but you *never* forget the crack-thump of that rifle. I have little doubt that this rifle - in its various configurations - has been responsible for a lot of deaths on the battlefield - I've used an old Lee Enfield .303 on pigs and they drop like a stone, regardless of size. The high-velocity, smaller calibre bullpup undoubtedly has its place, but this was a serious assault rifle.
+Arthur Watts Interesting! Did you use the SL or automatic version? On a battlefield which one would you recommend, and besides that, the rifle has a bad name for being very vulnerable for dirt, dust and humidity. Is this correct?
We were taught to use the SLR as a semi-automatic, and the tried-and-tested double tap was part of that tutelage, but I never fired a shot in anger. Re dirt, I only know that anytime you ran a cleaning kit through the barrel you usually got plenty of muck out the other end, but we were told they had performed very well for our troops in the jungles of SEA. The SLR was replaced by the Steyr Aug shortly before I left at the end of '91, so its all just a footnote now. This is the kind of weapon I'd want to hunt wild boar, but modern soldier have access to much more compact assault rifles : this is an interesting relic, but a relic nonetheless, regardless of it's undeniable lethality in various warzones.
Thank you very much! :) I'm from Belgium so very interested in FN guns.
+Arthur Watts Used this during the bushwar,First thing we learned was keep it clean and then it was lethal.
shaun porter Hilarious note man :D.
That kid handle the 308 like a champ. Way to go kid!
My grandson says "thanks Alex".
Lovely old school rifel, simple to field strip, accurate & targets stay down when hit! Used these in both the British & Australian Armies, never had a serious problem. Gas setting was always set on 5.
Those were our guns in the South African Defense Force when I did my service from 1969 - 1977. Our wives. They were part of us and we had to know them inside out. In 1969 they were still imported from Belgium, with a wooden butt-end and we knew it as the FN. But from the early seventies onward they were made in South Africa as the R1 and came out with tough black plastic butt-ends. The 7.62 (.308) caliber can't be beaten. Nowhere to hide for the enemy! Between 1969 and 1977 I was issued with 5 different ones and not one of them gave me any trouble. Not ever. The best rifle in the world, far better than the toy 5.56 caliber R4 and R5 that replaced it. The communist regime ruling this country (given to them on a political plate by treason in 1994, without one shot fired) at the moment, a moment that will soon be over, are still using 5.56 caliber toys. I love the 7.62 R1 (FN FAL) and I am dreaming of holding one in my hands again some day...
L1A1 SLR...
A beautiful thing...
I’ve never seen a happy customer on the business end...
Its always a pleasure to discuss about interesting things as guns and its different experiences... Greetings
I had the same L1 from joining my Regiment in 1983 until replaced by the SA80. I was devestated to lose it as that 7.62mm round made all the difference over the 5.56mm of the SA80. My L1 (Fanny) got me out of more than one scrape.
Used the L1A1 SLR in NZ Army its built like a brick shithouse and reliable as hell
I did National Service in Burnham in early 1968. We got very used to our SLRs and never had a moment's trouble with them. When we were issued with them our first firing exercise was sighting them in on the 25-yard range. Then we were trucked out to the range at West Melton and continued on the 100, 200 and 300-yard mounds. Good fun as most of us had never fired anything like it.
Then the fun stopped, because they made us walk back to camp - thirteen miles. As time went by, we got better at the walking...