30 ROUND MAGAZINE FOR THE AUSTRALIAN ISSUED SLR L2A1 AUTOMATIC RIFLE
HISTORY
Many the nations that adopted the FAL (or L1A1, in Commonwealth terminology) opted to also use a heavy-barreled variant of the same rifle as a light support weapon. In the Commonwealth, this was designated L2A1 and it was used by Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The Australian model was build at Lithgow and supplied to the Australian and New Zealand forces, as well as being exported to a variety of other nations including Ghana, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and others (total Lithgow production was 9,557). It has a 21” heavy barrel and a distinct folding bipod with wooden panels that act as hand guard when the bipod is folded up. Doctrinally, the L2A1 was intended to be used in semi auto most of the time, with the bipod and heavy barrel allowing greater sustained semi auto fire than a standard rifle.
A 30-round magazine was developed and issued, but abandoned before long. It was found to be insufficiently reliable, interfered with prone shooting, and contributed to overheating of the guns. Interestingly, Australia also opted to not have an automatic bolt hold open functionality in their FAL type rifles. The control can be used manually, but the rifle does not lock open when empty. This was presumably done in favor of keeping the action closed and clean at the expense of slower reloading.
In Australia production of the L2A1 commenced in 1962 and just under 10,000 were manufactured. It featured a heavy barrel, a folding bipod complete with wooden inserts which served as a fore-wood when the bipod was in the folded position, selector lever for single-shot or automatic fire and a 30 round magazine.
ITEM DESCRIPTION
30 round magazine for the AR L2A1 as opposed to the 20 round magazine issued for the SLR. These are not easy to come by.