The C3 is based on the Parker Hale M82, and was adopted in 1972. The C3A1 was the replacement rifle, that came out around 1988. It was supposed to be an upgrade to the existing C3 rifles but there are conflicting reports to exactly what happened. Some people think that parker hale kept only the bolt, and replaced everything else with a Parker Hale M85. Some reports have said its based on a Parker Hale M87. Others think it’s a combination of M85 and M87. Most distinctive difference is that the C3 rifle was built with a wood stock, had a hinged floorplate magazine, was issued with a Kahles ZF 69 6X42mm scope, and was not originally issued with a bipod. The C3A1 had a McMillan synthetic stock, a detached magazine, was issued with a Unertl 10X scope (similar to the USMC M40 scope), barrel was shortened to 24inches from the original which had a 26 or 28 inch barrel (reports posted online vary between the two lengths) and was issued with a bipod. The C3A1 was also fitted with a completely different trigger as well.
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