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King Arms L1A1 SLR


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I've finally got hold of a KA L1A1, and was wondering if anyone has attempted to fit the wooden furniture to one? I've seen the parts on Ebay but I'm going to pop in and see a local gunsmith to see what he can get hold of and any advice he can come up with. I appreciate i'll have to hollow out the stock but might switch to lipo batteries to save space.

Any thoughts or advice would be very welcome.

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I have a KA L1A1 ith wooden furniture. You do have to hollow out the butt. What handguard will you be using (triangular or oval) if you use the triangualar one you have remove some of the wood by the gas return tube at the back. Once this is done its a peice of ###### to fit and it looks superb too. Will you also be going for a wooden or plastic carrying handle as well?

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no major wood work then. I tried to put a wood L1a1 stock on a king arms L1a1 and it was just not going to happen. I am looking forward to looking to putting wood on a L1a1. Quick question When did the British use wood set on there L1a1? and when about's did they switch to the plastic

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no major wood work then. I tried to put a wood L1a1 stock on a king arms L1a1 and it was just not going to happen. I am looking forward to looking to putting wood on a L1a1. Quick question When did the British use wood set on there L1a1? and when about's did they switch to the plastic

 

 

I read online somewhere recently that Maranyl was "authorised" for use in 1969. As to when it appeared in service...I have seen a pic taken in NI between 1970 and 1973 by David Barzilay in "The British Army in Ulster" volume 1 which is the earliest definite evidence I've seen of a plastic stock on an SLR, though this was not a full trawlthru all my photo sources. Pics of 1 Para on Bloody Sunday, Jan 72, seem to be all or nearly all wood stock but one or two MAY be plastic. From what I remember, wood was common up to about 1974-5, plastic increasingly common afterwards. The rounded "Australian" pattern wooden handguards were quite common in the early 1970s; from pics in "Four Months in Winter", 1RRF all seemed to have them, on their '71 Belfast "Op Banner" tour.

 

My unit (10UDR) had mostly plastic furniture with some wood, till some time in early 1977, when all the remaining wood furniture was replaced by plastic. My SLR (A53317, made in 1958) had a rounded wooden handguard and wooden carry handle, with plastic elsewhere, at first.

 

I've read on the net somewhere that not long before withdrawal of the SLR in the late 1980s/early 1990s, some guys were issued as-new wood stocked SLRs from war emergency stock. A mate who was a regular in the Royal Irish Rangers remembers getting one of these and wellchuffed he was with it, we both now have real wood handguards and butts fitted to out airsoft KA FALs (which were the only SLR-like AEGs for awhile).

 

If you're contemplating a real SUIT sight, be aware that while the real top cover with the cruciform SUIT sight mount definitely WILL fit both the KA FAL and the Star L1A1 SLR (I have had mine on both AEGs, it just slides in, tho may need the rear tabs filed down a tad) the sUIT sight top cover will reportedly NOT fit the KA L1A1 SLR, a friend found recently that it's actually a mil or two too wide.

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Has the L1A1 been completely taken out of service? Or is it still occasionally used as a DMR in much the same way the M14/M21 is still used by US troops? I just got my KA L1A1 and I must say it is a fantastic rifle so far. Externally I love how light it is and how comfortable it is to shoulder. It's also extremely light. Lighter than my CYMA M14 which has a plastic wood stock.

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I believe the entire UK stock of SLRs has long been disposed of, apart from service museums and the like.

 

Agreed the KA SLR is a great weapon, construction feels sturdier than the heavier Star SLR, and the KA has fewer compromises in appearance than the FAL altho the pistol grip is a bit too rounded in cross-section and a tad too far forward (perhaps so the safety catch can rotate to the real full auto position for single shot fire), the flash hider is externally dimensionally correct (except the bayonet lug would need filed to fit a bayonet) but noticeably "bored out" and the carry handle is not at all accurate (have just replaced mine with a real one, makes a big difference to the authenticity to my eyes). Only real prob with mine is that the hopup's sweet spot can be hard to find and single shot is inhibited by the little plunger behind the trigger preventing the latter coming back far enough, the tip needs filed back a tad too. Tho single shots are easy enough to tap out on full auto, despite a decent ROF.

 

The noise of the blowback gives it a much more satifying sound than most other AEGs, too.

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Apologies for going off topic, and Mods pls remove if you think necessary, but with hindsight should we have kept a few of the SLR's for the "DMR" role?

I'm only a civve that airsofts, but I've target shot air rifles and .22 rimfire, so I have a basic understanding of shooting accurately at range. Can any of you guys with realtime military service please tell me if the old SLR would be of benefit to troops in Afghanistan at the moment? It certainly seems to be a comfortable weapon to accurately lay down long range fire, with a 7.62 full stopping capability. I understand the SA80 was the weapon of choice for the urban conflict but I think we should have kept the SLR in service.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
I've read through this thread sone time ago and as you all must know, I'm really interested in the L1A1 or FAL. Now, to my understanding, the SLR is improved over the FAL but I don't know how it is improved. And as you also may know, I'm interested in putting on a RAS/RIS to it and I know the rails fit the FAL but I have not gotten an answer if it fits the SLR, in which I think it does not.

 

I'd like to know what really seperates the two(besides the cosmetics, obviously). What makes the SLR that much better, that is, of course if it is better or if they are pretty equal besides the cosmetics.

 

Thanks.

 

I have, and use regularly, both the KA FAL (fitted with various real SLR components) and a KA L1A1 (squaddies never used that designation, just called them "SLR"). I got the KA FAL because for a long time it was the only FAL/SLR look-alike available.

 

The KA FAL is a bit inaccurate visually, having a very wide lower receiver and the pistol grip/safety a bit too far forward. It's based on a short-lived FAL variant (the West German G1) but has a plastic butt whereas the original I believe was wooden; so it's not very good as a "mainstream" FAL, with its unusual handguard and flash-hider.

 

The KA L1A1 is slimmer and overall is a much better replica, tho it still has some inaccuracies like the pistol grip/safety a bit too far forward, inaccurate carry handle, and plug missing from the butt plate.

 

In terms of performance, I don't think there is much to choose between them. I believe the L1A1's gearbox has 7mm bearings rather than bushings.

 

Big difference is that the KA is a real pain to dis-assemble/re-assemble, horrible. The L1A1 is a lot easier, even tho it doesn't fully break open shotgun-style, with the body locking latch, like the real one.

 

The blowback on the L1A1 is a nice feature.

 

I'd recommend the KA L1A1 over the KA FAL; the SLR is a more elegant rifle and the KA version is, overall, somewhat the better AEG than the KA FAL.

 

Re RIS rails, the KA L1A1 seems to have a slimmer upper receiver than real life, because you can't just slide in the real top cover with the real SUIT sight mounting (we tried this on a mate's KA SLR and it did not fit). The Star SLR and KA FAL both accept the real L1A1 top cover. This means you can probably fit the Star L1A1 top cover with RIS rail (which incidentally appears identical to the real SUIT sight top cover/mount, except it has a RIS rail instead of the cruciform SUIT sight base) to both the Star L1A1 and the KA FAL but NOT to the KA L1A1. So hard to get a RIS onto a KA L1A1, unless you screwed a length of RIS rail to the top cover (might interfere with the blowback). Not sure why you would want to put RIS on top of an SLR - unrealistic but some people do these things!

 

The Star SLR is a somewhat better replica but with rather high FPS for the UK, no full auto unless you fiddle with it or buy a full-auto safety, and lower-cap hicaps, the KA SLR is somewhat the better AEG.

 

KA FAL with SLR parts:

5215346371a9488805871o.jpg

 

KA L1A1 SLR:

5215346371a11674518860o.jpg

 

Edited by 33lima
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33lima, nice loadout you have there sir!

I have also gone for the Falklands Para loadout but wear a black beret and my old Queens reg cap badge as i dont want to disrespect the Paras by wearing their beloved red beret without having earned the right to wear it!

 

A quick question, are you running your SLR with the blowback on. My reason for asking is that mine broke and i have waited over 3 months for a replacement part, if yours does break you can disable the system and still use the gun quite simply (just dont hand the gun to the shop for repairs, you wont see it again for months like me!) i can tell you how if you have not sussed it already.

 

Cant wait to get mine back as it has the best range and accuracy of any AEG i have used so far!

 

Also, like you i would love to mount a SUIT sight, real SUIT sights are as rare as rocking horse poo and expensive when you find them so im waiting and hoping that King Arms release a replica to fit their SLR.. i hope they make one soon!

 

Al

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Hi Al

 

yes it's a great AEG! So far, yes I'm running it with the blowback on, quite like the sound tho it's no competition for a nice loud bang! I'm guessing you disable the blowback by taking off the rear sight, partly opening receiver via the body locking lever, sliding back the top cover and removing the blowback rod & spring assembly. I also had to take off the pivot screws on mine to get that far, which I needed to do, to replace the unrealistic carry handle with a real one.

 

Tripped and fell flat on my face a couple of weeks ago going full tilt across a rough track and the SLR flew out of my hands and hit the deck hard, horizontal and on its side. Only damage was a slightly bent front sling swivel, easily straightened out. So she seems a solid enough beast.

 

Only prob with mine is that I need to file a bit more off the tip of the plunger behind the trigger, it's still inhibiting single shot. Tend to avoid that as I don't really like spinning that big safety all the way around, read somewhere the selector plate was a bit fragile!

 

Re the SUIT sight, I had one of these on my real SLR and managed to get one and top/cover mount from an eBay.com (US) dealer a year and a bit ago. First fitted it first to my KA FAL, had to dremmel back the little tabs on the top cover but fitted fine. Then got a Star SLR and it went onto that; top cover is a fraction short but gap is miniscule and I may be able to close it up by adjusting the rear catch.

 

A couple of weeks back a mate got a SUIT sight and tried to fit it to his KA L1A1 but despite fitting their FAL he found the real top cover was too wide to slide in! So it went onto his Star one instead, too. Dunno if he'd have found a way to fit it.

 

Not really much use in most airsoft situations, especially with that large, flared eye cup, but it certainly looks the part!

 

KA FAL, original condition except for SUIT sight + top cover/mount, cammed up with DPM cloth and hessian, since fitted with real wood kit & other parts:

 

5215346371a12245087691o.jpg

 

5215346371a12245090014o.jpg

 

Re the Para look, I confess I do quite often wear the red beret but tend to draw a line at jump badges etc. Regulars at my site, Foxtrot 58, are organised into platoons which "adopted" regular units (Royal Irish, RM, & Para Reg) and I got allocated the para one. We had a real para up the other week and he didn't seem to mind! A degree of authenticity is desirable in milsim and while one understands guys resenting "walts abusing their hard-worn badges" (yes i've been on Arrse!) and I for one do feel less uncomfortable wearing just my own former regt's headgear, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, arguably a form of tribute rather than dis-respect. Personally I like to see the younger players showing an interest in real regiments, reckon it should actually encourage a degree of respect for the guys who do it for real. But that's different subject and I digress.

 

Ivor

Edited by 33lima
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Hi Ivor

If you wanted to disable the blowback you would need to do the takedown as you described,

Once you can see the fake bolt carrier you will see a shaft sticking out the back of it (this is what broke on mine, it sheared off where it screws into the back of the bolt carrier), this has a kind of claw attachment at the end of it which hooks its self over the back of the piston thus giving the gun blowback,

This claw is the bit that needs to be removed to disable the blowback. This is done by un doing the 2 screws that clamp it round the shaft then removing the claw.

The rest of the shaft is needed to keep the bolt carrier in its forward position, the spring that sits on the thin silver shaft (the one that goes straight through the bolt carrier and on into the gas block and carry handle) presses against the back of the shaft going into the bolt carrier and keeps it closed.

 

The shaft on mine broke at last years National Airsoft Event at Ground Zero, i noticed that instead of making the usual movements and making that lovely clatter, the bolt carrier was just flopping back and forward a little.

I am trying to get the origonal parts back as i will still be able to use the gun, just without blowback, if i remove the claw bit off the shaft, the fact that the shaft is detached from the bolt carrier wont matter as it will all just sit in its forward position unless i opperate the cocking lever, which will work as normal.

Al

Edited by Rogue Trooper
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Due to getting low fps readings on my SLR I opened her up and found the piston head was awful.

 

After replacing the pistonhead and oring and also fitting a bearing spring guide my fps jumped from 270 fps to 460 fps on stock spring !

 

The gearbox and motor are much higher specced than my KA FAL (early one) and the spring fitted as standard appears to be M110/M120.

 

It looks to me as if KA made a very high perfomance gearbox and motor and just dropped a poor piston head in to drop the fps to european limits rather than change all the gearbox components for other markets.

 

I can confirm the setup also draws an M150 with complete ease ,even on 8.4v packs(tested for curiosity).

 

I have also disabled the suto from mine to allow for use of the correct semi auto position on the selector.

 

I also have now added an element hard H nub which has improve range and consitancy seeing as I no longer have auto (H nubs can cause a coning effect on auto).

 

I have also dropped a few coils off the spring to bring the fps down for site limits

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After replacing the pistonhead and oring and also fitting a bearing spring guide my fps jumped from 270 fps to 460 fps on stock spring !

 

It looks to me as if KA made a very high perfomance gearbox and motor and just dropped a poor piston head in to drop the fps to european limits rather than change all the gearbox components for other markets.

 

I can confirm the setup also draws an M150 with complete ease ,even on 8.4v packs(tested for curiosity).

 

I have also disabled the suto from mine to allow for use of the correct semi auto position on the selector.

 

I have also dropped a few coils off the spring to bring the fps down for site limits

 

 

Crikey! Makes sense tho! And good to know. I seem to be getting good performance with the hopup at the sweet spot so will leave mine stock for now.

 

Would you mind describing how you disabled the full auto? Not sure I'd want to do that for now, but it would be useful for owners to know.

 

I suppose the ideal would be to have the first position as semi, and the "fully forward" one as full auto if you wanted it, but I daresay that's probably not a practical proposition, or they'd have made it that way in the first place?

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  • 4 weeks later...

can I just ask a very simple question? ive been looking at the KA FAL for some time now.

 

Is it right that there is the older KA FAL (with no blowback feature) and the newer KA SLR (with Blockback) or are we just talking about the same thing just with SLR components added?

 

 

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Hi M773

 

I have both, a FAL Tactical carbine and a SLR and they are completley different, even the mags dont fit without adaption.

 

Ok one or two components may be the same but all the major parts are different! i have read (but not tried) that the top cover off a FAL will not fit on the SLR. Will try this sometime when i get a chance

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Apologies for going off topic, and Mods pls remove if you think necessary, but with hindsight should we have kept a few of the SLR's for the "DMR" role?

I'm only a civve that airsofts, but I've target shot air rifles and .22 rimfire, so I have a basic understanding of shooting accurately at range. Can any of you guys with realtime military service please tell me if the old SLR would be of benefit to troops in Afghanistan at the moment? It certainly seems to be a comfortable weapon to accurately lay down long range fire, with a 7.62 full stopping capability. I understand the SA80 was the weapon of choice for the urban conflict but I think we should have kept the SLR in service.

 

I am not ex military but I fired cadet version SLR's around the early 90's and they were so worn and frankly not very good one out of twenty got his sniper badge we then whent to a camp and fire l85's(cadet single shot SA80's) and 19 out of 20 got there sniper badges .

 

I would love to get a KA SLR as I think they look amazing and i like the whole SLR thing but there is no reason that the british army would have wanted to keep them remember we are one of the last nations to have full auto on our service weapons it's all about acuracy and for that they have snipers and for long range fire power it's still GIMPY's .

The M14 is a different kettle of fish but then so is the US military .

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