Help please with L1A1

[jeffrosamson45]

Hello all.
I am about to purchase an SLR L1A1 and would like to know a bit more about them before I go ahead. Could anyone with good knowledge of the Australian made L1A1 be able to help please??

Now..... I live in Australia and have been a keen shooter and hunter most of my life. I have competed mainly with pistols (1911s) in the past, and now with Lee Enfields in Service/ Military events.
However because Australia ( in its wisdom- not!!) took semi autos away from us a while ago I need to have the stimulation of firing and shooting semi autos once again.... which is where New Zealand comes into it.
I have found that there are quite a few Aussies that go over NZ several times a year to shoot in their Service matches and events. I wish to do the same thing and so far according to the firearms branch of the NZ police there wont be a problem.
I will be after an SLR that I can use for these events. I am a bit of a collector I suppose too, but I wont worry too much about not having to shoot them as I believe thats what they are for!!
Having said that.... I love the look of the early L1A1's with the wood furniture. My questions are as follows: ( FOR Aussie made ones only)

1) Are there any inherent problems with the SLR - during any of the years of production
2) I realize they changed to a 2 piece firing pin along the line are they a better proposition??
2a) The wood foregrip was changed to one with rivets and elongated holes removed - why?? was the shape changed at all?
3) As for the chrome chamber AND barrel are these are better model to look for??
4) Were the earlier models better made?? Or were the later models better made/ better improvements?? Was there a time where the quality dropped off in the manufacturing process??
5) I believe there were certain small adjustments and improvements along the years which year model (with wood furniture) do you believe is the best to go for??
6) Finally ( just out of interest) with regards to the last production synthetic style models near end of production how did these compare with quality, durability, etc, was the metallurgy better with these more modern ones???

Overall, I understand that many of them were used and thrown around in service and need to find the right one by its own merit, but what I am looking for is some info on perhaps the best year periods for my application for the shooting application AND also have something I can sit back and admire.
Any help or info regarding this would be greatly appreciated, and thank you all in advance!!!

Keep shooting! Or collecting!
kind regards
Jeff ( Downunder - AUSTRALIA)

[woodsy]

Hi Jeff

Yes, a few Aussies do come over here to shoot Service Rifle, etc. You would need to get an 'E' endorsed license to own and/or shoot an SLR, but that won't be a problem if you are keen.

The quality of the Lithgow L1A1 was uniformly good thoughout their manufacturing life. The early models with the triagular wooden fore-ends are the 'classic' SLR's but these fore-ends were easily damaged and cracked, and are not often seen these days. The laminated fore-ends are much stronger. The two-piece firing pin was a definite improvement and all of the NZ issue SLR's were fitted with them. Chromed chambers were introduced in 1962 and fully chromed bores in 1965. This gave them a longer life, but the critcal factor is the condition of the barrel. If the rifle has a good bore, and you look after it, it should be OK for a reasonable amount of shooting. Obviously, a chromed bore will last longer, but still has to be well maintained. Whilst there was some juggling with the metallurgy in the early years, they still last well when looked after, and given the correct gas setting. Some people closed the gas system down too far and the rifles just beat themselves to death! As to the plastic furniture, these stocks last very well and are quite popular, but they are not 'original'. The one to buy is the one in the best individual condition, and good original ones are now getting expensive. Having said that, I know of three that would be worth consideration. One is a 1961 gun in excellent original condition (early fore-end, wooden carry handle, etc), another is a very tidy 1962 rifle with plastic furniture, and the last is a 1980 rifle in new condition that has only fired 10 rounds! My email address is in my profile if you wish to know more about them.