ARSENAL Sy Cari il. Srhuster GAS ADJUSTMENT END Agas regulator system A tilting breechblock locking could be adlusted for mechanism dropped down varied environmental into a solid shoulder of metal conditions or closed to in the heavy receiver to lock fire grenades. the for firing,

VARIABLE MAGAZINES FIXED OR FOLDING The 20-round detachable The recoil spring was housed was standard in the . Folding-stock for the Self-Loading Rifle, versions used a modified but 5-,10- and 30-round receiver cover, lower receiver, magazines were also used. bolt carrier and recoil spring.

Australia's FN FAL LlAl Rifle

he Australian Army's standard infantry rifle Australia s Special Air Service personnel modified traced its roots to 1942 when the Belgian arms their , cutting the barrel off immediately in front manufacturer Fabrique National de Herstal of the gas block and mounting a U.S.-provided XM- ,I (FN) its prototlpe selfJoading rifle, the FN 148 40mm . They also filed down l completed FAL (Fusil Automatique L6ger). It was initially cham- the selector switches on their SLRs to make them firlly was un- 1 for the German "short" 7 .92x33mmround- automatic. This modified automatic version i bered I called "the Bitch;'because the bolt's twist- il the basis for the round used in the AK-47-but nei- officially and the barrel's light weight made it all it ther the U.S. nor Britain was willing to buy a weapon ing motion I centered on the short round. That led FN to redesign but impossible to hold the gun on target. Finally' I it around what would become the NAIO standard Australia produced a shortened version for jungle I 7.62 x 5tmm round, which entered production in warfare designated the L1A1-F1. The Fl used the 1953. Britain eventually acquired a license to produce shortest stock available and a shortened flash suppres- I the LlAl Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), offering it to the sor, reducing the rifle's overall lengthby 2.7 5 inches. Commonwealth countries. Australia gained a manu- Australian troops preferred their rifle to the M-16, facturing license in 1958; production began in 1959. believing it was more reliable and powerful' The FN's Canada, then pro- heavier round would pass through elephant grass .III Australia, in coordination with riil duced a heavier-barreled designated and shrubberythatwould make the M-16's 5.56mm the L2Al in 1962. Different from the Belgian ver- projectile veer off course. The Australian rifle was ll sions, it had a unique combined /hand guard more robust, although in muddy conditions the gas regulator tended to jam. Operationally, the LlAl was rE and a Canadian-built receiver-dust-cover-mounted tangent rear sight. Intended as a squad automatic more accurate than the American M-14 when fired I since the rifleman could reduce I weapon, the L2Al was not very accurate in full au- semi-automatically lacked a quick-change barrel' limiting recoil by bleeding off excess gas. il tomatic and Arms Factory produced about ll its ability to maintain a better continuous rate of fire. Australia's Small ll Both versions were gas-operated, using a short- 220,0Q0 LlAls and 10,000 L2Als before production tl stroke, spring-loaded piston housed above the barrel. ceased in 1986 and 1982, respectively. New Zealand's ll It remained in Australian ll The L2A1 used a unique straight 3O-round maga- troops also used the rifle. zine that was essentially an extended LlAl magazine. front-line service until 1988. 'f

58 VIETNAM / OCTOBER 2OI]