How many C1A1's made it?

Man I haven't shot an FN since I was in sea cadets almost 30 years ago. Now that was a gun to have!
 
paul: is the bayo blade in black?

Not quite. The bayo blade is parkerized, but the handle is black brit style black baked on paint, and the blade near the tang also got sprayed (first inch or so). The bayonet is from my Aussie rifle (haven't got around to buying a Canadian bayonet yet).
 
Very nice...

For those unaware....I cant own a C1....just a C2

dont our gun (un)laws suck?

Absolutely they do. I would LOVE a C-2 to add to my collection. Unfortunately I can't, and the few C-one-and-a-halfs (C-2 parts on a C-1 receiver) out there are rare and expensive!

I can't shoot my "babies" and I can't buy any 12-3s to add to my collection. Most of the really cool metric rifles (G-1 etc) are 12-3, and those that aren't are rare and don't last even a day when they hit the EE. Grrrrrr.
 
The FNC1A1 is my favorite gun of all time. It is my "if I could pick only one" gun to have gun.

I agree completely. My first FN was an ex Singapore Police Ausie L1A1, which I bought because I couldn't find a C1 for sale at the time. I first fired one as an impressionable 13 year old Air Cadet at Borden, and after the first shot I needed to own one.
 
Say hello to my little friend.
fnsmg1.jpg


And then say hello to this behemoth.
fnoptic2.jpg


Bartok, good to see you back!



Nice era representitive collection.....I have a few left over C1 items if interested....original bandoleer with cardboard inserts and a combo tool and sling. PM me if wanted.

These I have carried around since my reserve days as we used the C1 then on my basic and switched to the C7 afterwards. It was funny as I did my basic with a C1 and when I got to my unit...I was issued a C7. I learned it pretty quick.

now a question...all the C1A1s I remember in the military had slots in the handguards and split sling swivels....true??
 
The Socialist F**ks had all remaining C1A1's chopped, long ago. A Reg Force guy told me 30 years ago, he had watched 'em(and No. 4 and No. 7 Lee-Enfields in perfect condition) being run over with a tank on CFB Borden.
The very last, documented, C1A1 made is in civilian hands. Know the guy who owns it. If his wife didn't make him sell it. Still in 'like new' condition the last time I saw it.
Gunparts bought most, if not all, remaining C1A1 and C2 parts.
 
Nice era representitive collection.....I have a few left over C1 items if interested....original bandoleer with cardboard inserts and a combo tool and sling. PM me if wanted.

These I have carried around since my reserve days as we used the C1 then on my basic and switched to the C7 afterwards. It was funny as I did my basic with a C1 and when I got to my unit...I was issued a C7. I learned it pretty quick.

now a question...all the C1A1s I remember in the military had slots in the handguards and split sling swivels....true??
Thanks for the offer, but I just don't have the room for more stuff. Someday if we get to take them to a range I might need it, but unfortunately, not right now. But thanks anyway.

The sling swivels are split. There were a couple different styles of handguards, but this is being the most common or at least the most recent and the same as when I did my basic in '78.
 
now a question...all the C1A1s I remember in the military had slots in the handguards and split sling swivels....true??

there are 2 version of HG , the slotted type is the early version .

yes, the front swivel has a split , the back does not.
 
FYI... serial #'s for C1's have the "L" ie: 1L2345 where as the C2's had the "LA".

PS: all these pics are bringing back some happy memories...
 
the Canadian military C1's , C2's went to the smelter. 1 OR 2 year's ago. only a 100 or so were saved for museams and such. appearently it cost too much to keep them in storage. the military wanted to sell off the spare parts . then other departments of the
goverment got involved. so the military said #### it .. and sent it all to the smelter..
I think the smg's went also. will try and find out what happened to them for sure
 
Dear Sirs
After reading this i sent off my renewal to the NRA i am from the states and where i live the weapon laws are very easy compared to what the people in Canada have to live with.
Myself i have nine Fals and L1A1s all were build on DSA receivers but i have always wanted a C1A1.
Now comes the 64 Dollar Question can you buy parts like barrels and stocks and handguards for the C1A1 in canada.I had found a company called MARSTAR but they have never answered my calls or emails. i have lots of friends in Canada and i work there in the summer.
Any help would be appreciated.
terry
 
Amigo,

It'll cost you a pile more than $64 to get the parts you're after.

There are few C1's around, (my guess would be under 1000 in Civilian hands) and of those, probably 1/4 are welded and useless to you (for the most part).

Of those that remain, many are owned by collectors such as myself or Koldt, who are unlikely to part with them, even though we cannot fire them, and we love them enough that we would be unwilling to consider parting one out.

A complete C1 will probably sell in the neighbourhood of $1K+ right now, even welded they command a premium.

Then you have to find someone who can strip it without damage, and ship the necessary parts to you.

If they can ship them....I don't know if the ITAR stuff applies to sending to the US or not.

Good luck! There have been a couple of "C1" clones I've seen on gunbroker.

NS
 
Sad though it is that they chopped up thousands of these old beauts, the reality of it is, that most of the ones that were put in storage were not properly preserved for 20+ years of storage...they were packaged and preserved for 2 years, with the intent that they'd be properly stored "later"....

Later never came.

Some of the guns that were destroyed were Brand New, in the wrap.

Others were surveyed and found to be rusting in the packaging, with serious metal fatigue and wear problems.

I'm damn sad that they didn't even consider stripping some for parts, but that was not what the decision was.

Some were saved, but most were destroyed, and many of those that were destroyed could not have ever been used again.

Oh, and for those that may say that we should bring them back for their fire-power, well, consider, they were withdrawn in the late 80's and early 90's, so anyone who remembers how to use them today would be pretty close to the end of their careers, and the corporate knowledge of the FN's is now mostly gone from the CF. There are very few people carrying a rifle in harms way on a daily basis today that would have regularly carried a C1 years ago.

Re-training an entire new generation on a rifle that's 50 years old....?

NS
 
Very first rifle I ever held and learned to field strip with a blindfold on was a FN. I was 6. I can still remember how much I loved that rifle. Then all the uber ### gun laws came into effect and it was sold to a friend of the family who was a CF Padre. He still has it, fully functional and in mint condition.
 
Here's some goober back in '78 in the big city of Cornholiss. Had a 6L gun.

I keep wondering about the "new" phenomenon of the AR10/7.62 craze of today's army. Seems we always had the answer.

I forgot to add, it's piston driven too. Wow.

Cornwallis 1.jpg
 
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Oh, and for those that may say that we should bring them back for their fire-power, well, consider, they were withdrawn in the late 80's and early 90's, so anyone who remembers how to use them today would be pretty close to the end of their careers, and the corporate knowledge of the FN's is now mostly gone from the CF. There are very few people carrying a rifle in harms way on a daily basis today that would have regularly carried a C1 years ago.

Re-training an entire new generation on a rifle that's 50 years old....?

NS

If we adopted a 7.62mm rifle, and there was nothing better, why not?

I would love to see what the old girl could do against a SCAR-H, HK-417, and the Sig SAPR. Of course, it would have to be an 18" FAL Para to be even considered.

Personally, I would love to see a 7.62mm rifle comeback, with the proper training and range time. It will never happen, but it would be cool.
 
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