There seems to be a certain amount of not quite correct information here.
Firstly, the reasoning behind 'hub armouries' for cadet Section 1 Firearms is down to the fact that armouries are now required to be alarmed IAW JSP440, and the fact that there isn’t enough money (certainly within the RAFAC budget) to alarm more than about 6 armouries per Wing.
The fact that weapons were recalled to Parent Unit Armouries is down to 2 factors, both directly caused by ACF cock-ups: Last year the ACF lost 3x L103A2 Cadet Drill Purpose Rifles in Edinburgh, stolen by an ex-cadet for sale on the Black Market (obviously the ACF Unit involved were not correctly storing these in an arms chest such as a Benweld. The L103A2 is quintessentially a L98A2 Cadet General Purpose Rifle, but with a solid barrel and no full length firing pin (indeed the firing pin aperture on the forward face of the bolt is welded up) – the L98A2 is basically the cadet version of the L85A2 Individual Weapon but lacking the ‘change lever’ such that it is single-shot, self-loading (i.e. no automatic option for obvious reasons!).
As a result of the Police investigation into this incident, it was decided that the L103A2 is a Section 5 Firearm that has not been correctly deactivated IAW extant legislation, having no Proof House stamp (despite the fact that the weapons were never ‘deactivated’ but constructed as Drill Purpose by Heckler and Koch). This meant that, at the beginning of Mar, we ran around like one-armed paper hangers collecting the L103s and taking them back to Parent Units (and this had to be done IAW Section 5 Firearm rules, ie Driver and escort for the weapon carrying vehicle, plus an escort vehicle). That was a fun day, NOT!
The result of this is that L98A2 training is now problematic in that it has to be done at a Parent Unit – realistically this means that W/E courses are now virtually impossible, with courses having to be run during the school holidays.
Subsequent to the return of the L103s, in March 2019 the ACF lost a couple of .22” rifles in Liverpool (presumably L144A1 Cadet Small Bore Target Rifles – the replacement for the No8 Rifle that went out of service at end Sep last year). So, yet again they weren’t storing them correctly. At the time AOC 22Gp (as DDH), based upon a RAFP Sy Risk Assessment, had given permission to store Section 1 Firearms (both L144A1s as well as non-Service Issued Sqn owned weapons) in unalarmed armouries subject to those armouries becoming alarmed by end Sep 2019. This permission was immediately cancelled and we all ran around again collecting in .22” rifles and delivering to parent Units.
Alarmed armouries are now coming on line, but it will take some time before cadet Small Bore shooting is back up and running. I have no idea why No. 4 Drill Purpose weapons might have been returned to Parent Units other than over zealous WExOs, because these weapons do conform to extant deactivation regulations.
Turning to the .22” conversion of the L98, the kit was known as the L41A1 and was nothing whatsoever to do with the L98A1 ‘straight pull’ Cadet General Purpose Rifle, since it was introduced in 1988 to convert the L85A1 IW for use on 25m Indoor Ranges so as to assist in LFMT (in much the same way that the No8 .22” conversion of the No4 .303” was introduced in the 1950s) This was a relatively simple conversion kit, given that the SA80 family of weapons are chambered in 5.56mm NATO which is (effectively) a .223” bore, and .22”LR is also .223”-.2255”. However, following the introduction into service of the DCCT ranges (Dismounted Close Combat Trainer), in 2003 it was decided that .22” shooting for the Regular and Reserve Forces was of questionable value, so it was removed from the Army’s Operational Shooting Policy. Subsequent to this, and with the introduction of the L98A2 to the cadet forces in 2009/10, it was decided that a .22” conversion would be useful so the L41A1 kits were brought up to L41A2 std. However only the ACF purchased them (RAFAC certainly didn’t). There have been safety concerns about the incorrect fitting of firing pin springs so all L41A2 kits were recalled as of May 2019. Apparently, there are plans afoot to produce a variant of the L98 chambered in .22”LR.
I am unaware of there ever being a .22” conversion of the L1A1 SLR – indeed for that to work you would have to re-barrel the rifle which wouldn’t make any economic sense!
Last edited by ExAscoteer2; 31st Dec 2019 at 19:18.