I don’t understand this universe any more

[Bullbasket]

Another little snippet that the instructors imparted was to do with those who were left handed. They wanted to know if they would be able to fire the SLR left handed, and were told in no uncertain terms, NO!!. The thinking was that yes, maybe it was possible, but if you tried the same tactic with the SMG, the cocking handle would take your eye out, so everyone would fire every weapon right handed.

 

John.

[Biggles87]

My apologies for my dismissive remarks about the SLR gents, I never got to fire one and didn’t realise what a powerful beast it could be.

Did fire the Sten though, ‘orrible thing.

 

John

[stuartp]

On one of the very few occasions I was allowed to do anything interesting in the ATC we were let loose on the range at Finningley. We were used to cadet rifles (re-bored .303s?) but they let us have a go with an SLR as well. I thought my shoulder had actually come off, I had no idea where the round went and neither had the spotter, it certainly didn't go anywhere near the target. Tremendous fun !

[treker_ed]

6 hours ago, stuartp said:

On one of the very few occasions I was allowed to do anything interesting in the ATC we were let loose on the range at Finningley. We were used to cadet rifles (re-bored .303s?) but they let us have a go with an SLR as well. I thought my shoulder had actually come off, I had no idea where the round went and neither had the spotter, it certainly didn't go anywhere near the target. Tremendous fun !

One our ATC Cadet Corporals was allowed to fire the SLR back in the 80's when I was a cadet. He used his beret as cushioning between the butt and his shoulder... Only problem was it was badge cap down... Which left a perfect impression of the ATC cap badge in the flesh of his shoulder😁 

(He never repeated that mistake - and was regularly reminded about it😆)

[JohnT]

All sounds like the horror stories my Dad told about having the privilege of firing the Boyes anti tank rifle. He said if not done right a broken collar bone could result

[Biggles87]

9 hours ago, treker_ed said:

One our ATC Cadet Corporals was allowed to fire the SLR back in the 80's when I was a cadet. He used his beret as cushioning between the butt and his shoulder... Only problem was it was badge cap down... Which left a perfect impression of the ATC cap badge in the flesh of his shoulder😁 

(He never repeated that mistake - and was regularly reminded about it😆)

One of our cadets did exactly the same with his beret with a .303 on the first day of our annual ATC camp, it took the rest of the week for the marks to disappear.

[hairystick]

On 2/20/2022 at 12:13 AM, Wez said:

One thing I didn't learn until very late in the SLRs life was that it came with various lengths of butt...

Really? I didn't know that was possible since the recoil spring tube runs down the center of the butt stock and it then has a fixed length screw fitting to hold the springs in.

 

Perhaps the Argentinian version of the FN-FAL with the folding stock (para version?) had that varying stock lengths option?

Edited February 23, 2022 by hairystick

[593jones]

4 hours ago, hairystick said:

Really? I didn't know that was possible since the recoil spring tube runs down the center of the butt stock and it then has a fixed length screw fitting to hold the springs in.

 

Perhaps the Argentinian version of the FN-FAL with the folding stock (para version?) had that varying stock lengths option?

 

According to that fount of all knowledge Wikepedia:  'Later production weapons were produced with synthetic furniture.[36] The material used was Maranyl, a nylon 6-6 and fiberglass composite. The Maranyl parts have a "pebbled" anti-slip texture along with a butt has a separate butt-pad, available in four lengths to allow the rifle to be fitted to individual users.'

 

The SLR I used had wooden furniture and I always found it pleasant rifle to shoot.

[Julien]

On 19/02/2022 at 22:36, JohnT said:

All sounds like the horror stories my Dad told about having the privilege of firing the Boyes anti tank rifle. He said if not done right a broken collar bone could result

Having fired one even hanging on for dear life it was like being kicked in the shoulder 

[stevehnz]

8 hours ago, Julien said:

Having fired one even hanging on for dear life it was like being kicked in the shoulder 

Seemed like a good idea at the time did it?  

Steve.

[stever219]

On 2/19/2022 at 10:33 PM, treker_ed said:

One our ATC Cadet Corporals was allowed to fire the SLR back in the 80's when I was a cadet. He used his beret as cushioning between the butt and his shoulder... Only problem was it was badge cap down... Which left a perfect impression of the ATC cap badge in the flesh of his shoulder😁 

(He never repeated that mistake - and was regularly reminded about it😆)

That reminds me of the pre-flight briefing before aviation in Chipmunks which went along the lines of “in the event of a forced landing cross your arms on top of the instrument panel coming and press your forehead against them.  Ensure that, if you are wearing a wristwatch, it is on the lower arm or you will forever have the time of the impact embossed into your forehead.”

 

As far as the SLR is concerned I found it a far pleasanter weapon to fire than either the .22 or .303.  Thankfully on my first excursion to the range the instructor showed us the “right” way to use our berets as shoulder protection.  

[treker_ed]

10 hours ago, 593jones said:

 I always found it pleasant rifle to shoot.

I hated shooting the damn thing! I'm quite short at 5' 6" (or 165cms in new money!) and with the bayonet added to the SLR, the damn rifle was nearly as tall as me! I found it heavy, and unwieldy, and when added to my very slight frame at the time (I was only around 9 1/2 Stone at the time) not a great combination!  Absolutely hated firing it due to the recoil on the thing. During my Live Armed Qual during recruit training, I was getting a rather good prone shooting grouping when I got a jam, notified the range officer (they had to clear the jam - not us at that time) and on recommencing firing, my final few shots were off. Still managed to pass the live armed part of the range qual though (thankfully!)

 

I personally much preferred the SA-80 when I finally converted - much lighter, and much less recoil - which suited my short stature, and very light weight.

[Julien]

2 hours ago, stevehnz said:

Seemed like a good idea at the time did it?  

Steve.

Yes it did, when you are offered a go on something you have never fired before as a gun nut its something you have to do. Was not using the AP ammunition though as you cant hold AP in the UK even though the owner of the gun had a Section 5 Fire Arms Licence. 

 

Loved firing the .303 if handled correctly the recoil is acceptable. Apart from the Jungle Version with the cut down barrel, that thing is lethal.  SLR is a good gun for fire, only ever managed the single shot cadet version of the SA-80 and not a fan. 

[stevehnz]

3 hours ago, Julien said:

Yes it did, when you are offered a go on something you have never fired before as a gun nut its something you have to do. Was not using the AP ammunition though as you cant hold AP in the UK even though the owner of the gun had a Section 5 Fire Arms Licence. 

 

Loved firing the .303 if handled correctly the recoil is acceptable. Apart from the Jungle Version with the cut down barrel, that thing is lethal.  SLR is a good gun for fire, only ever managed the single shot cadet version of the SA-80 and not a fan. 

I'd have probably done the same aways back, maybe not so much now. I like firing the 303, I have several including a N0.5 Jungle carbine but it has has its butt pad removed & replaced with an insert to which I have screwed a decelerator pad, gives me a bit more length in the stock & a helluva lot less bite. 👍

Steve.

[Julien]

29 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

I'd have probably done the same aways back, maybe not so much now. I like firing the 303, I have several including a N0.5 Jungle carbine but it has has its butt pad removed & replaced with an insert to which I have screwed a decelerator pad, gives me a bit more length in the stock & a helluva lot less bite. 👍

Steve.

Good idea on the No.5. My friend I go shooting with has several but not the No.5 I had a chance to buy a L42A1 in the late 90s which I regret not buying now.

[Biggles87]

A couple of the members of the club here have AK47s, an ex Royal Marine who has an original, and the other a Chinese copy. I’ve fired the Chinese one and found the recoil surprisingly light, about  the same as my Winchester 30-30. The ex marine uses what he calls ‘fat’ russian rounds which eject the cases almost all the way across the range so it’s wise not to stand too close when he’s shooting!

 

John

[Giorgio N]

1 hour ago, Beermonster1958 said:

Once you got used to the recoil, I'd agree with you! 👍😊.

But then, was a hefty recoil not actually common to all rifles using the powerful 7.62mm round?

Mine also had the wooden furniture. It was certainly a SERIOUS rifle and, I'm glad it didn't have the option for fully automatic fire!!

I had the opportunity on a couple of occasions to fire the AK-47. Thats a rifle I'd have been quite happy to use

 

John

 

It was and some were even worse than the SLR, reason why sometime I wonder if we're not getting too much into the old "ah those were the tough days..." 😄

I shot plenty of BM59s and Garands in the army, never used anything to absorb the recoil. The BM59 was good from this point of view as the compensator worked very well (it was only the few 7.62 NATO rifle that could be somewhat useful in full auto thanks to this), the Garand kicked a bit more as had no form of compensator, flash hider or anything.  Yes, shoulders were a bit achy after a day at the range but that was just part of the fun. The Garand in the original 30.06 chambering was even stronger kicking but I never heard anyone complain.

Short bolt actions with older rounds, like the Enfield Mk.V and similar, are the really unpleasant ones to shoot ! 7.62 NATO battle rifles in comparison are nothing to worry about.. and I'm talking as a 1.70 tall small framed person.... Today we talk of the 7.62 NATO round as an all powerful thing but when issued it was actually supposed to be an "intermediate" round compared to the earlier calibres. Of course things like the Boys and similar antitank rifles are in a totally different league

I keep saying that I should buy a Garand to have some fun on the range (still legal to do here and plenty around in both chamberings), it's a great rifle for this kind of things, way better than an SLR.. that however I'd bring with me in a real war anytime compared to the Garand (but of course today I'd bring neither if I had to)

[Ratch]

What is this obsession with guns - who has the biggest? Which is the best to shoot most people with?

[Biggles87]

Apologies to @Ratch, for my part, it started ( for me ) in a jokey way, but probably not in the best of taste in the current circumstances.

 

John

[Pete in Lincs]

Changing the subject somewhat. 

Sky TV are plugging their Ultra HD in adverts. Now, they say lots of new colours? better picture etc.

Then they show you what it could look like.

Erm, My TV is HD. Not Ultra HD. So can I see a difference? No.

Am I missing something here? Or are they stupid?

[Dogtail2]

44 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Changing the subject somewhat. 

Sky TV are plugging their Ultra HD in adverts. Now, they say lots of new colours? better picture etc.

Then they show you what it could look like.

Erm, My TV is HD. Not Ultra HD. So can I see a difference? No.

Am I missing something here? Or are they stupid?

I think the answer here is, they think everyone else is stupid.

[Retired Bob]

1 hour ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Erm, My TV is HD. Not Ultra HD. So can I see a difference? No.

Hi Pete.

They are hoping you will have FOMO, Fear Of Missing Out, They are hoping that you will buy their tat so that you can find out how it looks in Ultra HD.

Then you can say "it's not worth the money" but by then it's too late. 

[Pete in Lincs]

Hey, Bob. They are on a loser then. At my age, I'll stick with what I have already. And that includes my money in my bank and not theirs.

I have a similar argument against the tube. The adverts that pop up all the time. You are annoying me, so no, I won't buy your product!

[Black Knight]

Emptying my vac cleaner cylinder today I found a model part in the debris as I did a quick check of it.

Nowt strange in that you say

But . . . . that model part has been missing for over 10 years and went missing in a different place, over 52 miles away!

[brianthemodeller]

1 hour ago, Black Knight said:

Emptying my vac cleaner cylinder today I found a model part in the debris as I did a quick check of it.

Nowt strange in that you say

But . . . . that model part has been missing for over 10 years and went missing in a different place, over 52 miles away!

You need to clean out your vac more often or turn down the pressure a bit…