Strip the MOD Fobbits of their Gongs and Fruit Salad!

[The Duke]

Ed, the weapon follows your eyes, not the other way round. That way as soon as you see, you raise the weapon 5 to 10 degrees and fire and fire. You can’t miss.

It’s where the saying “a weapon is an extension of your arm” if you can point at something you’ll hit it every time. Almost.

You walk pivoting at the hip, so your shoulders  follows your head. It’s why you see in films soldiers walking with bent knees, and sweeping side to side from the hip. It’s a very natural and silent way to manover, once you have done it a couple of times.

[Richard]

Returning to the issue of procurement for a moment it is sadly not just the MOD who have a basket full of dimwit plonkers. Some time ago when LCD screens were still newish I knew a centre where large number of screens were in use. So much so that the power feed was becoming an issue. So the manager worked out that LCD replacements would cure his problems without a huge capital project to increase the feed and power bill. Sadly the IT was managed and a £120 LCD became a £2,000 option on each desk with a high ongoing cost. Petty cash limits were £150 for him. He cured his power and other issues one CRT and petty cash purchase at a time. There were dark mutterings but no further action.

One I personally encountered was when bombs started to be placed in all sorts of places so security needed to be improved. Some of my staff were technically responsibility for security of a building so I arranged for an apprentice to fit a micro switch to a door that would bring up a huge read lamp whenever the door moved. This worked spectacularly well – too well perhaps as other centres asked for a switch and a light. Cue a phone call from the biddy who had been tasked with security oversight to complain about an unauthorised security device, after a dance about the verbals to find out what she was on about I understood. No, I replied I had provided my staff with a management aid to assist them with performance of their duties. Soon the office fell silent as they all listened to our exchange of words which went on for some time. I never did admit to having a security device and my staff never lost their management aid. I cannot now remember what happened to the other sites.

[Ed P]

Security cuts both ways Richard. We got some very nice new curtains in our London Offices on the strength of ‘security’. I think the company who fitted them never could quite understand either their design or function.

[Richard]

Ed P wrote:

Security cuts both ways Richard. We got some very nice new curtains in our London Offices on the strength of ‘security’. I think the company who fitted them never could quite understand either their design or function.

Pardon me for suggesting this but it does speak of poor training and awareness. I would have worried that with such a lack of understanding the installation would likely not have worked as intended and may well have used parts that did not fulfil the brief. Anyone for non fireproof fabric perhaps?

[Bob Williams]

As the old sweat/oldphart who worked with something longer, heavier and much more accurate, I used the L1A1 SLR, a weapon still used by many Forces all over the world, notably in Africa, in its orginal Belgian FN Auto design. As the politicians and MOD did not  want the British Army spraying 7.62 mm rounds all over the place, inflicting serious collateral damage and using far too much ammunition, the L1A1 was made to fire Repetition instead of Full Automatic. The time of my service was an era when the British soldier was taught to fire single, grouped rounds: translated by opponents such as the IRA as “Shoot To Kill” which was a nonsense. We were trained to aim at the centre of body mass and Range Classification was an important, regular occurence. In my case, as sniper-qualified, I had access to another weapon after qualification: the L42A1, basically a Lee-Enfield SMLE, barrelled and chambered for 7.62 NATO ammunition. That was my favourite rifle and I could hit anything up to and often over 1,000 yards with it. I also tested one of a batch of Russian Dragunov weapons, no idea how the Army came by them (and did not ask, thank you!) It was very accurate once I learned how to adjust sights, but did not feel a part of me like the L42. I hated the openworked butt.

Weapon at Carry in Field conditions was complicated for me as a Left Hand shot, as was firing. The L1 was easier to fire left handed at first, but in order not to be blinded by empty cases shooting across my vision, I had to turn up the Gas regulator to max, which meant more cleaning as the whole weapon became fouled with Carbon. Once I got used to firing the L42 by crossing my left hand across to work the bolt, it became second nature and the “muscle memory” that Steve talks about, came into its own, even crossing over the ‘scope. I loved that L42A1, it was just so damned accurate and, once used to the recoil, it was a much more stable platform than the L1A1. I liked weapons not strictly for what they did, but as also a Technician. I liked them as well-engineered machinery which had evolved into either perfectly suited to their tasks, or a horrible POS that the PBI hated. Personally, having also tested an AR15, I think the British Army would have been better off licence-building a version of that tried and tested weapon.

I do not recall ever having been advised which Carry to adopt: I think we were left to what best suited us for the situation. For myself, in Field and Active conditions, it was across my body from L to R. I could easily drop face down onto my elbows, or onto one knee with the weapon coming into line, or pivot standing towards whichever Threat direction and bring the weapon to bear.

      L1A1 – with plastic stock & butt: mine was wood.

 

  L42A1: Beautifull! But too shiny, I darkened mine.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[The Duke]

You couldn’t carry the sa80 from L to R Bob, right hand jobbie only.

There is mythical unicorn left handed models, but I don’t think they ever made it out of the trails stage. Some say they have seem some in the wild, but I doubt it true.

For the sa80 you need a good right eye. If you tried to fire from the left, the automatic cackling handle with rip your cheap open and deposit some warm brass in your mouth

Mt FiL is a left had shooter as he has a dickie right eye, in today’s infantry, well I can only talk of Marines, it a no go if you don’t have a near perfect right eye.

I had a guy that come from St helena, he was a GB youth athletes, fastest guy I’ve ever seem run, and had the most English name I’ve ever heard, Martin Henry, super nice guy, turned out he had some 1m:1 eye fungi issue. Navy sent him all round the county, even London private practices, but he had to be discharged. Also know an N Irish  lad, that it turned out was allergic to gun oil, so he was out.

 

[Ed P]

Richard – luckily it was never put to the test, but from memory the Home Office recommendation <span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>at the time</span> was for simple double ‘drop’ net curtains weighted with lead at the bottom and the surplus length held in a simple open box. The purpose being to contain any explosively broken window glass, wrap it all in a nice bundle and then drop it on the floor. Requirements became more arduous later on, with laminated film etc., but there were some who said this was far more dangerous as large complete panes tended to fly across the room. We maintained that the nets looked ugly and also got some nice additional relatively normal curtaining to partly conceal them.

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