Comments by "vk2ig" (@vk2ig) on "Extra Firepower for Vietnam: the Aussie "B!tch"" video.

  1. I remember COCK LOCK AND LOOK too - there was a button on the side of the SLR which locked the breach open ... handy also when the NCO came around to ensure all weapons were clear at the end of a range shoot, IMT with blanks, etc.
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  2. ​ @nickmaguire4914 The practice probably depends on the unit. I suspect that the SAS would break contact because their mission is different to that of the infantry. The infantry were trained to head towards the enemy upon contact, because the enemy were there to be attacked and suppressed, and (theoretically) weren't in the kill zone of the ambush.
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  3. ​ @user-hi5dd5qh9n Port Arthur was the real change. Unsurprisingly the media reported it and people were horrified ... again, unsurprisingly. Likewise with the events at the Lindt cafe and more recently out near Tara. Nowadays it's not so much the media, but also social media - there are plenty of videos coming out of the USA depicting gun violence.
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  4. ​ @aaronleverton4221 I remember being told that the life of an SLR barrel was 9 seconds. Everyone was sitting there saying "Rubbish!" and things like that until the corporal said "Think about it!" ... some of us got it and explained it to the others. 😊
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  5. ​ @NovusRex1788 In 96 it was said that the hardware stores ran out of 4" and 6" PVC conduit and end caps ...
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  6. Blanks were the worst ... especially cleaning burnt plastic residue out of the gas system. The gas plug was a so-and-so to clean after firing live rounds let alone after blanks.
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  7. That was a mark used on a lot of Australian military materiel.
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  8. Australian here. The SLR I trained on had a bolt-locking button on the side. Its use was drilled into us: Weapon fires, weapon stops! Carry out the IA: COCK, LOCK AND LOOK The LOCK bit was pressing the lock button to hold the bolt in the open position so you could see if there was anything up the spout. (Most times it was a gas stoppage; so just turn the gas plug a click or two, pull the cocking handle back a tad - this released the lock - let the action fly forward, and resume firing.)
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  9. ​ @johnwitte551 I heard that from Australians who were in Vietnam too. They referred to the M16 as the "placcy gun" (plastic gun).
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  10. I remember being told in the early 80s that the ARES had to improve security after a cadet armoury was burgled and some the weapons were eventually found by British troops in Northern Ireland.
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  11. ​​ @davidharvey8179 With less access to firearms, the mass murderers are using other means but they're not killing 35 or more people at a time. All the gun enthusiasts had to do in 1996 and afterwards was convince the Australian public that they would self-regulate so that another Port Arthur wouldn't occur. It's that simple. If they had succeeded - or could succeed in the future - then they can the American-style gun ownership that they're wanting. They might face a bit of an uphill battle though, as people don't want to be shot dead in a cafe, or have to identify their children at a morgue at the end of a school day, or discover that their sister or daughter has been shot dead by her violent partner ... Another problem mentioned so far is the increased amount of gun violence in the USA has been attributed to increased mental health problems ... It's worth noting that a similar increase in mental health issues has been seen in Australia.
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  12. ​ @thekaxmax Or they watch videos posted by Nose-Ring-Man, who recently featured in the news in connection with the tragic events near Tara a year ago.
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  13. There are plenty of guns legally owned in Australia. Plenty of the farmers in my district have them. Just go to any Australian state or territory government website and read about what is required for a firearms licence (long arms in this case). It's not hard to get a licence: don't have a police record, and do the training with an accredited trainer (e.g. at the gun club). My nearest big town with a sports shop is 45 minutes away - If I wanted to, I could drive over there now, present my firearms licence, and buy a rifle.
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  14. There was a manual bolt hold - a button for holding it open when carrying out the stoppage IA.
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  15. Others are saying they've seen them in museums since 96.
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  16. They also did stuff like not using toothpaste (used charcoal instead) because of the distinct scent in the jungle. One of them told me that the best way to blend into the jungle is to smell like it.
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  17. That might have changed after the Christchurch mosque shootings?
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  18. Unless I am thinking of something else, there was a button which would hold the bolt open. We always used it during the stoppage IA: "cock, lock and look" to check if anything was up the spout.
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  19.  @NovusRex1788  Weapons certainly went missing and were written off. An example of one that was written off, then found and "unwritten off", then scrapped (and hence written off again, finally) was a very rusted SLR that one of my colleagues told me he found out in the "bush" while on jungle training at Cunungra.
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  20. Many commentators say there are some in regimental museums or the Lithgow Small Arms Factory museum.
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  21. Effective range we were taught was 300m single shot, 600m section fire.
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  22. It was referred to officially as the L1A1, and the diggers called it the SLR (pronounced "sler" like slur).
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  23. A matchstick was all that was needed. This was NEVER taught in training on the weapon, and if you mentioned it in the terminal you failed. 😊
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  24. Weapon fires, weapon stops! Carry out the IA: cock, lock and look. 😊
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  25. There was a button on the side which would lock the bolt in the open position on the standard issue Australian SLR. It was used during the stoppage IA for checking if anything was up the spout.
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  26. Anglo Saxon?
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  27. ​ @shaynegadsden I talk about it with my mates and we've never been arrested yet.
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  28. Austrians? 😂 How's Vienna?
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  29. ​ @rupertboleyn3885 The other advantage of that tactic is the enemy aren't in the kill zone, so charging towards them is one way of getting out of it.
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  30. ​ @grimmo74 Interesting. The SLR I trained on had a button on the side which was pressed to hold the bolt in the open position. This was used when carrying out the IA for a stoppage.
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