Here is one of me in 1964 at my high school . I was on the school rifle team. never did any good during matches i would get rattled .I could shoot the jim clip holding my target during practice but when it came to the real thing i kind of sucked. once in a match we went on in tampa fla i shot a 98 in standing not bad out of a possible 100 next came knelling and prone, i was so excited knowing the curse was broken .i think i shot a 45 and a 50 anyway thats my story and iam sticking to it.lets see yours Thats me in the front middle and my cousin in the front right. i learned to eat latter in life .I went to VN in the army and he went to vn in the marines. I was the smart one:m1:
any old pictures of you with your guns
MontyB
All-Blacks Supporter
I wish I had taken photos at any stage in my life but my interest in photography only developed with the introduction of the smartphone, until now I have avoided being in front of a camera as much as possible.
One day I should photograph my collection if for no other reason than insurance.
One day I should photograph my collection if for no other reason than insurance.
BritinBritain
Per Ardua Ad Astra
My first issue L1A1, with wood stock and furniture
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MontyB
All-Blacks Supporter
I loved that rifle, it weighed a ton but it was reliable and accurate, I recalled the first steyr they demonstrated left us with no confidence after the sight broke off.
I have since purchased four L1A1 rifles on my collectors license which I am pleased about as I would have had to have turned them in has I put them on my E-Cat license.
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BritinBritain
Per Ardua Ad Astra
That was taken when I was with 5th Battalion Queens Regiment around 1973
BritinBritain
Per Ardua Ad Astra
Mine was amazingly accurate, I never got many stoppages with it, brilliant bit of kit. A few months after that photo was taken they replaced it with a new plastic stock version. I bitched about it, but my new rifle turned out to be just as accurate and reliable.
In my opinion the L1A1 was the best British battle rifle since the Lee Enfield Number 1 Mk3*, its only problem was, it was too long getting in and out of trucks and Land Rovers
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I don't know if you count +20 years as an old picture... 
But here's me on the Macedonian/Albanian border during UN service in Macedonia (UNPREDEP) back in the days, with a Norwegian produced AG-3 with a collapsible stock.
It's based/licensed on the H&K G3A4, with a few modifications for the Norwegian military.
The AG-3 has been replaced by the HK416 in the recent years.
But here's me on the Macedonian/Albanian border during UN service in Macedonia (UNPREDEP) back in the days, with a Norwegian produced AG-3 with a collapsible stock.
It's based/licensed on the H&K G3A4, with a few modifications for the Norwegian military.
The AG-3 has been replaced by the HK416 in the recent years.
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BritinBritain
Per Ardua Ad Astra
I've never liked the layout of a bullpup rifle, the British SA80 cannot be fired left handed unlike the L1A1.
MontyB
All-Blacks Supporter
We had a couple of L85A3s for testing and it seemed decent but H&K have put a fair bit of time bringing it up to spec.
BritinBritain
Per Ardua Ad Astra
If I remember correctly when the SA80 was used in the first IRAQ war it failed miserably, a signal was sent to dispatch the L1A1's in storage to the units in country.
A friend of the family worked on the rifle, during system checks he walked into his bosses office and basically told him the pile of sh!te will nevber work properly. He was told its now political they have got to get the rifle working despite being well over budget. In my opinion a far better rifle would be the M16A3/M16A4.
MontyB
All-Blacks Supporter
I am not sure, once the L85 was adopted the cost of reequipping the military with an entirely different rifle would have been prohibitive and adopting another nations equipment has a whole range of problems in itself.
I think they have made the right choice in persisting with it, the A3 model doesn't appear to be a bad weapon and there are certainly worse choices out there.
BritinBritain
Per Ardua Ad Astra
The SAS wont use the SA80 and if I remember correctly the Royal Marines didnt want it either but were lumbered with it. Perhaps Cabbage head can confirm or deny.
If Britain stopped funding despotic countries like Zimbabwe, South Africa and the like of CAR, they could issue a M16A3/M16A4 to all the services and still have money over. It wouldnt be beyond the realms of possibility to get the tooling and build the rifle themselves, as they did with the FN FAL