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L42a1

MUSOMANIAC

MUSOMANIAC

New Member
Hi guys please go easy on me here, i'm just starting out collecting inert ammunition , and have just been give a 7.62 ? L42A1 RG 02 round , was the L42A1 a rifle such as the lee enfield .303 ? I wickipedia'd the L4A21 and it states its a british army sniper rifle chambered for 7.62 which entered service in 1970 and was replaced in 1985 .

If thats the case , why does it have 02 which i take to be 2002 , is this round still made but for other rifles other than those listed in wicki ?

Sorry guys but i'm totally confused , any help would be greatly appreciated :tinysmile_cry_t4:
 
Hi Musomaniac,
The L series can be a bit confusing, but in essence the first Grenade is L1A1 the first rifle is L1A1 the first 7.62 ball round is L1A1 etc. When the grenade/rifle/Ammunition is modified it becomes L1A2, L2A2, L3, L4 etc The 7.62mm round you have is the 42nd (ish) version.There have been so many different companies making ammunition for the Armed forces recently and they all seem to get their own L number.
The 02 is the year of manufacture.
Hope I have explained this correctly, but i'm sure Tony will put me right if not.
Cheers
Hangarman
 
The British Army L series of numbering items can be confusing. For example there are 81mm mortar bombs and 76mm rounds with the L42A1 designation. There is also a L42A1 ammunition container.
What you have is the following -
The Round 7.62 mm Ball Sniper L42A1 155 grain is a high quality competition
round introduced to replace the L2A2 Ball in the Sniper role. It differs from the typical
design in having a slightly heavier (10 g) bullet. This round may also be encountered
under the civilian designation Round 7.62 mm Ball 155 grain Competition which has
been procured for high profile skill at arms meetings.

Hope this helps a bit.
 
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As others have already said, each item of stores/equipment has its own L number series, so an L number for one type of equipment has no connection with the same l number for a different type of equipment.

In your case, the 7.62mm L42A1 round has nothing to do with the L42A1 sniping rifle, so don't worry about that.

The round you have is the first of a series of sniper/match cartridges with a 155 grain bullet (instead of the normal 144 grain ball bullet). There are also L42A2 and L42A3 rounds, the only difference being the supplier of the propellant powder.

The 7.62mm L numbers have now progressed to the L57A1 which is a ball round made by MEN in Germany.

It gets even more confusing. Hangerman wrote that "..the first 7.62mm ball round was the L1A1" which is not actually the case. The first L number allocated to the 7.62mm series of cartridges was the L1A1, the first ball round was the L2A1. Now for the confusing bit! In 7.62mm calibre there are two L1A1 designations, one a drill round and the other a grenade discharger, and it has often been said that this is an error in allocating L numbers.

In fact it is not an error, as the Drill round is "Round, 7.62mm, Drill, L1A1" because it has a bullet, whilst the grenade cartridge is "Cartridge, 7.62mm, Grenade, L1A1" because it does not have a bullet. Originally "Cartridges" and "Rounds" had their own independent L number series but this seems to have been dropped over recent years since the later blank rounds like the L31A1 (which are technically cartridges, having no bullet) are numbered in the same series as ball and tracer rounds.

I hope that helps, as I realise how confusing the nomenclature is to someone just starting out, but there is a method in their madness!

Regards
TonyE
 
wow can i just say a big thank you first for the replies , and i understand it slightly better now :smile: but how confusing ? Anyway i'll continue on my merry way searching for other ordinance , again many thanks :tinysmile_fatgrin_t
 
here is the british army explanation of the l series numbering system -

The L number is advanced only when a change of operational significance is
made.

The A suffix designates modifications, primarily of design, which are logistically
but may not be operationally significant. For example:
Rocket System 94 mm HEAT L1A1 - New item into Service.
Rocket System 94 mm HEAT L1A2- Modified warhead sealing.
Rocket System 94 mm HEAT L1A3 - Nose Cone/Forebody joint Nickel
plated.
Rocket System 94 mm HEAT L1A4 - Nose Cone/Forebody joint has Hot
Metal Zinc spray applied.

The B suffix, when present, designates minor changes of design, alternative
material or method, or similar variations in manufacture. These changes have no
operational significance but require a distinct identification to facilitate location should
they prove unsatisfactory In-Service. For example:
Rocket System 94 mm HEAT L1A1 and L1A2 were found to have
occurrences of electrostatic discharge at the Nose Cone/Forebody joint. To
bring them up to L1A4 standard, all L1A1 and L1A2 rockets were reworked to
have Hot Metal Zinc spray applied to the inside surfaces of the Nose Cone/Forebody
joint. These reworked Models were numbered:
L1A1 became L1A1B1.
L1A2 became L1A2B1.
In certain complex cases eg to indicate the circuit used in a proximity fuze, it is
necessary to use a third suffix letter. The need for this is rare. The following letters
are not used in this connection:
A, B, E, I, L, M, N, O, T or X.

The first model of a store is numbered L1A1. The following examples show the
application of the principles laid down in this section:
Charge Propelling 120 mm Tank Practice DS L1A1.
Charge Propelling 120 mm Tank APDS L2A1.
Charge Propelling 120 mm Tank HESH, Practice SH and Smoke WP L3A1.
 
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