[MG Note: This is the first of four installments on the C1A1 and L1A1 series rifles. I want to thank all of those individuals and businesses that brought this project from a concept stage to actual shooting hardware.]
Commonwealth C1A1 and L1A1 Rifle Characteristics
The following is an informal guide for users of the various types of Commonwealth C1A1 and L1A1 series rifles. Four rifles will be described and illustrated.
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The Australian L1A1 rifle (in its Vietnam-era configuration)
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The Australian L1A1-F1 rifle (as built for the Papua New Guinea Defence Force)
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The British L1A1 rifle (in its late 1970's and 1980's configuration)
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The Canadian C1A1 rifle (in the 8L-serial number configuration)
The rifles pictured here are selected actual production Commonwealth rifles and replicas of them. The Replicas differ from the originals in minor details. For example, the bolt hold open is the wide Type B metric-pattern that keeps the bolt open on the last shot; L1A1 rifles allow the bolt to close on the last shot, while C1A1 rifles lock back on the last shot.
Other differences are the location of engraving on the upper receiver (or body). There are subtle differences in the location and shape of the lightening cuts on the upper receiver between the ABC rifles. On the replica rifles, all upper receivers come from one manufacturer who chose an Australian-style receiver to manufacture.
Above (from top): Australian, British, and Canadian rifle receivers showing differences in the right side machining, magazine well lightening cuts, and upper receiver contours. Compare Australian and British bolt carriers and top covers with the Canadian counterpart. Note the C1A1 thumb cutout. (Photo: Kevin Adams)
Below (from top): Australian, British, and Canadian rifle receivers showing differences in the left side machining, marking, and contours. The Australian rifle has the old grooved wooden carrying handle, while the British and Canadian rifles have plastic carrying handles. Australian (pre-1970) and Canadian rifles are phosphated, while the British is phosphate and paint. Note the shortened takedown latch lever of the C1A1 compared to the L1A1's. This latch was developed especially for Canadian airborne troops. (Photo: Kevin Adams)
Australian L1A1 (Vietnam-era)
Australian rifles manufactured from 1959 to 1970 had Parkerized (or phosphated) metal parts. The butt stock, pistol grip, carrying handle (1959 to 1965), and handguards were made of wood. The handguards had two horizontal cooling slots and had the end reinforced with sheet metal inserts backed with asbestos material beneath to protect the wood from being burned as the gas block heated up from firing.
Above: A typical L1A1 rifle as it appeared during the Vietnam War. All furniture including the carrying handle was wood and the finish was phosphated. The stronger, composite laminate wood and steel handguards appeared in 1968, and the green plastic carrying handle in 1965. (Photo: Kevin Adams)
Below: The replica Australian L1A1 from the right side. Compare details. (Photo: Bob Stoner)
Australia built its version of the FAL rifle in two models. The L1A1 was a semi-automatic only infantry rifle with a 20-round magazine. The L2A1 was an automatic rifle (select fire) similar to the Browning Automatic Rifle in the rifle squad or section and had a straight, 30-round magazine.
Above: An Australian L2A1 automatic rifle. It was replaced by the American M60 belt-fed General Purpose Machine Gun in Vietnam. The Canadian C2A1 automatic rifle was very similar. Both rifles used the straight 30-round magazine as shown in the photo; both rifles had heavier barrels than the standard rifle; both rifles had bipods; and both rifles had carrying handles that were slightly different from standard to allow for the center of gravity change caused by the bipod and heavier barrel. The rear sight on the L2A1 automatic rifle was mounted on the top cover rather than on the lower receiver as in the case of the standard rifle. The C2A1 had a special, 1,000-meter rotary disc or diopter sight. (Photo: Kevin Adams)
The L2A1 could also take the rifle's 20-round magazine. Lower receivers were marked S (safe), R (repetition or semi-automatic), and A (automatic). The L1A1 selector was designed so it could only move between the first two settings; L2A1 selectors could move between all three.
Upper and lower receivers were stamped on the right sides with matching serial numbers of the form: AD6512345. The prefix AD was for Australian Defence Forces. The next two digits (65) represented the year of manufacture -- 1965. The last digits represented the rifle's serial number -- 12345.
Above: The replica Australian L1A1 showing the location of the matching serial numbers. (Photo: Bob Stoner)
(Continued in installment 2 of 4)
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