My New British L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle

Bartok5

Bartok5

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Here are a couple of photos of my new (to me) Prohibited OIC 12(5) British L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), which is a Commonwealth Inch/Standard-Pattern, semi-automatic-only FN FAL. I won the rifle at auction in August 2022, with the Registration Transfer finally approved 3 days ago. It was a local pickup from Ward's Auctions here in Edmonton. The gavel price was $550, plus 15% Buyer's Premium, plus 5% GST for a total right around $650. This is a mis-matched example with different serial numbers on the Upper and Lower Receivers, strongly suggesting that this was a Century Arms "parts gun" assembled from surplussed British SLRs without regard for serial numbers back in the early 1990s when these rifles sold for the Princely sum of $115! The Sight Unit Infantry Trilux (SUIT Sight) was purchased in Excellent condition at auction years ago and has since been awaiting the day when it would finally be mated to a decent SLR. Today was that day!


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Correct - available only to a small and ever-shrinking pool of potential owners. At least until such time as it is deactivated, at which point it will become available (albeit inert) for anyone to own at an approximate value of $1200 without the optic. Basically, it is worth twice what I paid for it dead, rather than live. The optic will be sold separately for $800-$1K give or take, most likely on Gunbroker to obtain a sale to a US FAL collector. Thankfully that will all occur after I am dead and gone, with the firearms dealt with by a knowledgable friend.
 
This is a mis-matched example with different serial numbers on the Upper and Lower Receivers, strongly suggesting that this was a Century Arms "parts gun" assembled from surplussed British SLRs without regard for serial numbers back in the early 1990s when these rifles sold for the Princely sum of $115!
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I have this exact same rifle ... minus the sight. Mine is also mismatched receiver numbers and I paid all of $125 for it near 20 years ago. :)

I trained with a C1 in the CF and basically hated that clunky, heavy lump. It took me a long time to get over my hate for the C1, but I quite like my L1A1. It is considerably lighter and feels more svelt than a wood stocked rifle.

I'm keeping mine till the end days, when it will once more become the right arm of the free world. ;)
 
I had L1 both in wood and plastic, there is a bit of difference in weight , But never put them on a scale to weigh them.
I remember $ 90.oo for them
 
Yeah, as I said in my OP, the Century mis-match L1A1s sold for $115 at the LGS where my buddy and I each bought one just a couple of weeks before we were hit with the first requirement to "register" our newly-restricted rifles. A few years later on they prohibited the FALs along with converted-automatics, most of the other semi-auto Battle Rifles and the growing segment of 5.56mm Military-Style Semi-Automatics (MSSAs). Then in 2005 they stopped issuing Special Authority to Possess permits allowing us to take them to the range and the 12(3), (4), and (5) classes were relegated to trigger locks and gun cabinets across the land.

Anyways, with inflation and the greater value of those 1991 dollars in mind, I didn't mind paying $650 in 2022 for this very clean example of a Century rifle, most likely a hand-select example at the time. This particular L1A1 has a professionally-applied coat of fresh "Sunkorite" enamel over parkerizing and the best set of excellent-condition Plastic "Pebble" Furniture that I have ever seen. There is none of the typical wear behind the Cocking Handle or the Take-Down Lever from basic use, indicating a recent refurb or (far more likely), a well-protected safe-queen for the past 30 years. Depending on how you look at it, I just paid the former owner the equivalent of $20 a year for 30 years of "storage" in pristine condition.....������

Now I patiently await the Transfer Notification for the Australian/New Zealand L1A1 that I more recently won in early December, in order to complete my "Commonwealth FN FAL Trifecta"! Together with my FN C1A1 and alongside the German FN G1, HK G3, TRW M14 and AI AR10, the British and Aussie/Kiwi Inch-Pattern FALs will cover off most of the key "Battle Rifle" designs of the latter half of the 20th Century within my overall collection. Cool!


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There are a lot of the L1A1 rifles in Canada
A lot came from Europe then Singapore sold
their Police guns, mostly vg/exc condition
Allen Lever sold them in boxes of six with accessories
 
can14 said:
There are a lot of the L1A1 rifles in Canada
A lot came from Europe then Singapore sold
their Police guns, mostly vg/exc condition
Allen Lever sold them in boxes of six with accessories
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The vast majority of the Aussie L1A1s that I have owned or otherwise experienced over the years were ex-Singapore Police Force rifles and were duly "SPF" stamped. Some, like the one I have coming, also have parts electro-pencilled with the rifle's serial number. In the case of my rifle, you can just make out the electo-pencilling on the Bolt Carrier. Most came through the hands of Alan Lever, who first sourced the Singapore rifles. Not sure if Peter Wiilke managed to get his hands in on that deal or not. I owned an L2A1 which was a dead-ringer for a C2 once fitted with the Canadian Carry Handle, Body Cover and the special 1000m "Rear Folding Disc Sight of the Aperture Type". It eventually found its way to a collector in MB, and who knows where it went from there. It was a cool gun, if a bit of a pig to lug around.
 
I had a TRW M14 back in the day. I used to take it to Service Rifle matches and shoot both Sniper and Service Rifle with it. I was the only person using the same rifle for both matches. ;)

The M14 was a decent target range rifle but it would have sucked to carry around and use in combat.
 
Ahh, the good old days. Back when a Chinese T56 AK was under $500, an SKS was $250, and an perfectly usable L1A1 was $115. A collector pack of M14's (one of each maker) could be had for $1K. I'm amazed that society survived with all of those "military grade killing machines" going off to the range on Saturdays.
 
dan belisle said:
I have one of those Aussie/NZ L1A1's. Still has the rock and roll switch on the side. Nice rifle to shoot. - dan
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My L2A1 also had the "giggle switch". however the auto feature had been disabled with a blob of weld in the Sear Pocket of the Change Lever, grinding-off the Auto-Trip on the Left side of the Breech Block Carrier, Replacing the short L2 Trigger Pin with the longer Semi-Auto Trigger Pin, and removal of the Safety Sear. The latter modification actually made the rifles hazardous to shoot, as they could then easily fire out of battery. You'd think that the "engineer" professional tinkerers at the RCMP Lab would have thought that deliberately removing a SAFETY FEATURE from a firearm would be a bad idea, but not our own "special"-ists at the National Lab. Oh, no, couldn't happen, they're the experts.....
 
Bartok5 said:
My L2A1 also had the "giggle switch". however the auto feature had been disabled with a blob of weld in the Sear Pocket of the Change Lever, grinding-off the Auto-Trip on the Left side of the Breech Block Carrier, Replacing the short L2 Trigger Pin with the longer Semi-Auto Trigger Pin, and removal of the Safety Sear. The latter modification actually made the rifles hazardous to shoot, as they could then easily fire out of battery. You'd think that the "engineer" professional tinkerers at the RCMP Lab would have thought that deliberately removing a SAFETY FEATURE from a firearm would be a bad idea, but not our own "special"-ists at the National Lab. Oh, no, couldn't happen, they're the experts.....
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Yeah, mine too. Has had more 12 (x) classifications than any other firearm I own, government just couldnt figure out where they wanted to pidgeon hole it. - dan
 
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