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An old piece of iron - C1A1

Or the soft cushions.....
spanish time GIF
 
The C1A1 was well before my time, but when I did my infantry DP3A (small arms instructor course) in 2012, we have a famil on various firearms that included getting to shoot the C1. That was truly a treat. We also did a penetration shoot on cinderblocks, sandbags, etc that gave me a healthy respect for what that sort of caliber is capable of.
 
The C1A1 was well before my time, but when I did my infantry DP3A (small arms instructor course) in 2012, we have a famil on various firearms that included getting to shoot the C1. That was truly a treat. We also did a penetration shoot on cinderblocks, sandbags, etc that gave me a healthy respect for what that sort of caliber is capable of.
7.62 NATO will fuck you up. And the guy behind you
 
The only time I used the .22 insert with the C1A1 was in Chilliwack on BOTC. If I recall correctly, there were a few minor feed problems but nothing that seriously disrupted the serial. The only experience I could compare it too was several years later at Fort Sam Houston (outdoor 25 yard range) when we shot the M16 using the .22 rimfire adapter kit but with store bought ammo (a bunch of us needed a recent range qual before going to an EFMB test). About every half dozen rounds mis-fed, it was a pain in the ass to get through the shoot.

But I fondly remember the FN. It was a real rifle.
My serial number on my FN from Cornwallis in 1983 was 0L0608. I remember the first time that my MCpl asked me for the SN, the second day of the course. I looked at him, completely befuddled, and the spent the rest of my day being "cocked" because I did not know the SN. I memorized it, and, 38 + years later, I still remember it.

After some research, found out that 0L was the first year that FN's were built for Canada, and mine was the 608th build in that year. 0L0608.

And it was a helluva rifle.
 
3L5 358 rack 47 does not get any better than that. do not recall its replacement number other 89AA something, they all looked the same. Black and shiny, my C1 had scratches, dents, and dings. If you ran out of ammo, you could swing it like a club the Oak made sure the guy was going down.
 
3L5 358 rack 47 does not get any better than that. do not recall its replacement number other 89AA something, they all looked the same. Black and shiny, my C1 had scratches, dents, and dings. If you ran out of ammo, you could swing it like a club the Oak made sure the guy was going down.
6L2439 was replaced by 87AA 5440 for me.

We had dedicated .22LR kit guns - that never saw 7.62, until SARP - then we shoot the crap out of them.

I didn't learn until 1988 on my SAIC that the buttstock sizing on the C1A1 actually mattered - going to a Short buttstock from an XL managed to tame my chipmunk cheeks significantly.

Later when I got a old Aussie L1A1 I got some beautiful unissued CF wood - and the N (Normal) buttstock fit perfectly (I was several inches taller than I was at 18 and many pounds heavier.

Having shot people with both 7.62 and 5.56mm, I generally lean towards 5.56mm unless I have longer ranges (and not ball ammo).
 
The FNC1A1 had a life-changing impact on my life. In 1972 I was a militia corporal running a basic training course. I had two female recruits in my section, G and C. G was the better looking of the two, in a German barmaid sort of way, although C was no slouch in the looks department. I, being totally superficial at that age (18) developed a crush on G, or at least parts of her anatomy. Until we went to the range. I put them through the normal introductory serials on the FN and after the shoot when we were cleaning the weapons, G whined incessantly about how sore her face was and please, Cpl, could you help me with this terrible pull-through that is caught in my barrel? Sheesh. C, on the other hand, never uttered a word of complaint, cleaned her rifle competently and got on with it. I realized there was more to life than a barmaid figure. C and I have been married for 47 years. Thank you FNC1!
 
I actually cannot remember the SN of my C1 from Cornwallis...though I do remember the young lady on the firing lane next to me in Granville who somersaulted backwards during an engagement from the kneeling position during our respirator shoot. The look on the RSO's face was priceless...as was the screeching sound of "STOP STOP STOP!!!". Even funnier was watching the tiniest person in my platoon trying a C2 shoot from 200m - one burst, 1 round might have got to the target, remainder hit all the firing points between us and it, as the butt to arm ratio was inverse to what it should have been.

I had fired the .22 insert maybe once before, but most of the time I saw it used with Cadets - helped some out on the range up in Whitehorse one summer when I was working there.
 
I recall the C1s, and later the C1A1s, had different stock lengths indicated by a S, M, L, or XL on the bottom of the stock just aft of where it joined the body. Personal opinion: something was wrong as I have relatively short arms, but rated a XL stop length by the fit test in the QM. And chipmunk cheek describes my face after a day on the ranges. My time on the ranks was fairly short and I qualified first class in Fall 59 and marksman in Fall 60. I wore crossed rifles and crown for no more that a week or two before I was promoted to officer cadet and went on officer training.

It seems to me the C1A1 was an attempt to fix the stock length as well as some other things, like going to a two piece firing pin, but that was six decades ago, son no guarantees.
 
1L9758. Long buttstock. Man, I loved that rifle. The feel and the smell was something else. I was a pretty good shot with her. I wonder if she went to the smelter?
 
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