Alternative buys for New Zealand

[DarrenP2]

wonder if the Kiwis would have gone for a standard commonwealth rifle to replace the L1a1 SLR?

[rickshaw]

wonder if the Kiwis would have gone for a standard commonwealth rifle to replace the L1a1 SLR?

They did ,the Steyr which was common for Australia and PNG and Malaysia, all Commonwealth countries.

[DarrenP2]

yes but what about the rest UK went for the SA80, Canada the C7, Belize the M16/M4

[rickshaw]

yes but what about the rest UK went for the SA80, Canada the C7, Belize the M16/M4

None of them are a majority in the Commonwealth.  The Steyr is the closest to a "standard" in a non-standardised Commonwealth.

[DarrenP2]

given lots of commonwealth armies have stocks of M16 type rifles I'd say the M16 is more standard.

Though it being a choice of the C7 or the AUG is certainly a better option than the SA80 which i think is only used by Britain and jamacia

[Weaver]

Current SA80s are pretty good, but it took a lot of time, pain and money to get that state....

[DarrenP2]

had more problems with the A2 than I ever had with the A1

[rickshaw]

had more problems with the A2 than I ever had with the A1

My understanding is that the A2 requires substantially more oiling than the A1 did but that it is more reliable than the A1 was.   I find the entire SA80 story rather sad and it points to the decline of British small arms in a significant way.   I know from having read the Arid Trials report the British/Australian Army undertook in the late 1970s that the experience was generally bad and I suspect that was one of the reasons why we never even considered the SA80 when we decided on our replacement for the L1a1.

[DarrenP2]

well looks like the Kiwis are getting an M16 Clone.

Only reason we got it was so Royal Ordnance had a contract to make it look attractive to BaE.

A1 needed lots of oil to but if you looked after them they worked. A2 I had more stoppages with than any other weapon I'd ever used.

[DarrenP2]

could the Kiwis pick up some ex RAF C130J's to paint their new flag on?

[kitnut617]

could the Kiwis pick up some ex RAF C130J's to paint their new flag on?

Why would they be ex RAF, they only just got them themselves

[zenrat]

If I read the filthy gutter press rag correctly at lunchtime (mmmmmm pancake parlour) they don't actually have a new flag yet.  What they have done is chosen which one will go on the ballot against the existing one.
Personally I liked the hypnoflag best.  Maybe we can have it as one of the options when we change ours?

[rickshaw]

Hypnoflag?

[zenrat]

[Weaver]

Personally I liked the hypnoflag best.

Of course you do: that's how it works....