L108A1 MK1 MINIMI.
Mine is a take on the minimis used by the ill fated SAS team "Bravo two zero" during Gulf War 1
The pic below is their actual weapons that were captured!.
The weapon system itself was just a standard Mk1 minimi. You may notice in the pics there is one difference!
it was fitted with a gpmg flash hider.
Which was also adopted by the Australians on their minimi's. (Designation F89)
The L108 was only ever really used by the SAS. It was some years later before the minimi would become issued among the regular army. But that was the PARA version which was later designated the L110A1/A2
However the L108 was, and believed still is held in stores.
My L108 is an original TOP M249.
Has been upgraded externally with
Guarder steel gas block & front sight, guarder steel upgrade body parts, guarder steel barrel/top cover block, g&p steel cocking lever, g&p steel bipod.
Replica steel gpmg flash hider.
I will eventually get round to doing internal, and convert the original gearbox over to a classic army one.
Was then sprayed and weathered.
L7A2 GENERAL PURPOSE MACHINE GUN
WARNING.... EXTREMELY LONG READ!!!
I've tried to keep this as short as possible without losing too much needed info. An even deeper version will be done at a later stage, which will also focus on the early FN and newer HK versions.
This is a complete custom build, made of full steel, and is currently 99.9% accurate to a real L7
I know that for some of you, who have seen some of this build before, we’re covering old ground - but please don’t run away just yet!
Now, with the final piece of my puzzle, an accurate custom made steel barrel arriving. I've decided it was time to sort it all out, and refresh the build for a more informative experience. And to help explain why the L7 isn't just another M240.....
Also, having done so much research over the course of this project, I’d thought it was time to share some of what I’ve learned and hopefully shed some light on why the changes I’m making were necessary. I’d also like this post to be able to aid others in their builds, and to hopefully shine a light for those with a particular eye for detail upon the things that might otherwise be overlooked.
So, let’s begin.
The basis for this project was originally an Inokatsu’s M240B. However, over time, this changed, and I had to have a completely new body and barrel made due to the amount of differences. The old inokatsu bits ended up being used in exchanges of parts.
So as I got thinking about making a British variant, I did decide to do a bit of light reading (so I thought) - and I was completely astonished by just how much history surrounds the GPMG.
So, for the history lesson!
THE FN MAG 58
The first Fabrique Nationale d’Herstal (FN) MAG was designed in the early Fifties by a guy called Ernest Vervier. It combines the trigger mechanism and belt feed system from the WWII-era German Maschinengewehr 42 (MG42) with a more updated take on the gas-operated mechanism from the WWI-era American Browning Automatic Rifle (M1918 BAR). It was called the MAG 60-20, later the ‘MAG 58’; MAG being the acronym for "Mitrailleuse d'Appui Général’ or “Mitrailleuse á gaz”, French for ‘General Purpose Machine Gun’, and “58” denoting the year production commenced.
The 3 primary MAG variants were:
• MAG 60-20 Infantry version
• MAG 60-30 Fixed aircraft version with either left or right feed
• MAG 60-40 Coaxial version
Specifications:
• Calibre: 7.62x51mm NATO
• Action: Gas operated, open bolt
• Feed: NATO M13 ammunition belt or the non-disintegrating DM1
• Weight: 10.9kg (24Ib)
• Length: 1,232mm (48.5 inches)
• Rate of Fire: 625 - 900 rpm
• Muzzle Velocity: 838m/s (2,749ft/s)
• Range: 800m (2,625ft, light role) - 1,800m (5,905ft, sustained fire role/tripod mounted)
THE L7
The original British variant of the MAG 58 (technically the MAG 60-20 T3), the L7(A1), was brought into service in 1957 and produced by FN. Then in 1962, under license by FN, the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF) in Enfield Lock, took over production making further improvements and incorporated into the L7(A2) (MAG 60-20 T6). In 1984 the RSAF became Royal Ordnance Plc., which four years later was bought out by BAE Systems, resulting shortly thereafter in the closure of the original site. After that, it fell to several sub-contractors, notably Manroy Engineering (now FN UK), to oversee both the production of spare parts, and general refurbishment of the GPMGs until mid-2008.
In late 2008, Heckler & Koch were given the contract to produce all spare parts and accessories, having had the task of producing new barrels for the gun since 2003. In 2011 HK won an additional three year contract for a mid-life improvement program (MLI). In 2008-09 the MoD solicited tenders for manufacture and support of the GPMG; by this point the original design copyright owned by Fabrique Nationale d’Herstal had expired. The three main respondents were HK, FN, and Manroy. The tender required the entrants to submit guns for testing, with HK’s version being the most publicised. Finally, after years of testing in the laboratory, training and in the field, in late 2014 the MoD announced that HK had won the contract to produce the L7s and their spares for the next few years.
The L7 GPMG, nicknamed “the General” or “the Gimpy” (pronounced ‘Jimpy’), has seen every British military engagement since entering service, including action in Aden, Borneo, Rhodesia, Northern Ireland, Oman, Falklands, Bosnia, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
THE MAG 58 WORLDWIDE
Over 200,000 examples of the MAG series and other variants have been used by more than 80 other countries over a similar period under different designations.
For example:
• Austria - 7.62mm MG MAG/Pz
• Argentina - 7.62 ametralladora Tipo 20-60 MAG
• Brazil - M971
• Canada - C6
• India 7.62 2A1
• Indonesia - SPM2
• Republic of China - CQ 7.62x51
• Sweden - KSP 58
• Taiwan - Type 74
THE M240
America did eventually jump onto the bandwagon, but relatively late and not until it had designed its own version of the MAG series. Known as the M240, it was put in service in 1977 and was used only as a co-axial variant fitted to armoured vehicles. An infantry variant - the M240G - wasn't introduced until 1991 by the USMC as a replacement for the dated and unreliable M60. The US Army adopted the weapon in 1995 as the M240E4, later the M240B. As in British service, several variants were to follow, including the M240C, M240D (E1), M240H (E5) and M240L, which is a new lightweight variant. Compared to the L7 the M240 infantry variant has only seen a few engagements mainly, Somalia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq (1991 and 2003).
THE PARTS
Like myself at first, many people don't realise just how different the L7A2 and M240 are, despite being the machinegun equivalent of siblings. After extensive research and months spent studying plans, photos and parts lists, I was left with a list almost an A4 page long of parts and work that would be needed to turn my M240 into an L7A2. Over the course of a few years, I gradually acquired all the parts necessary to complete the build.
They were:
• Inokatsu original style replica flash hider
• Barrel washer
• Foresight & Foresight block (early type)
• Sling swivel
• Bipod with height adjuster
• Bipod retaining latch
• Gas block & gas plug replica
• Gas regulator
• Top cover
• Top cover plunger
• Top retaining bolt and castle nut
• Carry handle assembly
• Barrel release catch
• Cocking lever and knob
• Feed tray
• Ejection port cover
• Trigger Group retaining pin
• Rear sight aperture and slide
• Trigger grips
• C2 sight side mount
• Stock
• 50rd belt tin
• Sling
Later came things like my tripod, carry cases and all the other ancillary parts associated with the gpmg.
As the build started to unfold, I took the opportunity to actually show you some of the major and minor differences between the L7 and the M240 parts, to help explain why I needed to change or alter so many of them.
Now, not just the parts, but even the body differences are quite drastic.
• Rear sights
(M240 straight, L7 curved with finger grooves)
• Reinforcement for stock on side plates
(M240 bigger gaps, L7 more Reinforced)
• Cocking lever support bar
(M240 grooved, L7 more reinforced)
• Front trunnion
(M240 has a small ridge, L7 rounded)
• Gas tube
(M240 has large rear section, L7 slimmer rear and 2 vent holes. Also to note the L7 variant has grooves both sides to allow for an ambidextrous mounting of sling swivel. M240 will only sit on the left side)
• Barrel
(M240 is smooth behind Gas block, L7 has 2 grooves that allow for a better seating on Gas tube)
MARKINGS
The top row speaks for itself; the next row is the first important bit.
The first two letters denote the country then factory; "BL" for ‘Belgium Liège’ (meaning the gun was made by FN), "UE" for ‘UK Enfield’ (meaning the gun was made by RSAF), Additionally, "HK" for ‘Heckler & Koch’ along with their test batches will be engraved on all future GPMGs.
The next two numbers denote the year of manufacture, e.g. 75 for 1975. The possible combinations are 57-73 (BL), 62-88 (UE) and 08-11 12-present (HK).
The "A" prefix is a batch number and was just added to the sequential sequence to allow the 4 digit serial number to remain (e.g. A0001-A9999, then rolling over to B0001 if the production for an individual year exceeded 9999 guns). Then next the four numbers are the last four digits of the weapon’s serial number. Newer Heckler & Koch made examples have 6 digits followed by three proof marks.
The bottom row of numbers is the NSN (NATO Stock Number) for the weapon. The NSN is a 13-digit code used to identify more or less everything purchased by NATO forces. Individual components and whole weapons are listed (for example, the GPMGs carry handle alone consists of six individually-NSN numbered parts; the entire assembly is also listed as a single NSN). The weapons themselves are listed whole:
L7A2 - C1/1005-13-103-2524
L85A2 - C1/1005-99-250-9030
L119A1 - C1/1005-21-920-6546
BARREL MARKINGS
Early Barrels ( before HK) were stamped with a “L” designation along with the weapon’s serial number, which should be within 6” of the chamber on the right side using a 5-6mm (⅛”) stamp. This would normally be the weapon’s full serial (‘UE84 A2912’) and barrel calibre.
So the infantry barrel was designated L1A2.
My original barrel has been done, just need to get the new steel one done.
The reason why barrels are normally stamped with the serial number is because each barrel is paired to a specific parent gun, and not supposed to be used with other guns. This is because of cartridge headspacing (CHS) matching between the barrel and body. So over time the barrel locking thread on the body wears, and to counter this various size locking nuts with different thread thicknesses are in use.
On the locking nut itself, there are some serrations that the barrel locking latch will use to keep the barrel from coming free, and these cause the latch to click repeatedly as the barrel is locked home. The number of clicks is important - the minimum is three and maximum is 7 - as it demonstrates whether the barrel nut is too worn. If the latch clicks fewer than three times, the barrel will not be held or locked sufficiently. If it clicks more than 7 times, then the thread on the gun has become worn and the locking nut must be changed for the barrel to stay positioned correctly. Because one gun may have to use barrel nut size 2, it may fit perfect on that gun, but it will possibly be too tight or too loose to fit onto another gun; hence, the pairing arrangement.
PAINTING
Early gpmgs were painted with a paint called Suncorite 259. This was then changed in mid 2000s, having been phased out under new EU environmental regulations. All contractors - the likes of Manroy and HK - are now free to use their own firearm coatings, so long as they meet the standard, which in the UK is called ‘DEF STAN 80-56’. Mine was sprayed with what’s called ‘Small Arms Black’. However, I have also sprayed parts with Halfords satin black and can tell you there's not that much of a difference.
BALANCING MARK
On British GPMGs they have a white line placed towards the rear right side of the weapon, called a balancing mark. The white line corresponds to the position the cocking handle should be in when ‘balancing’ the weapon. It acts as a visual guide to show where the working parts make contact with the second sear (the former being the safety sear). The safety sear was put in on later models to stop what’s known as a ‘runaway gun’, a condition where the bolt doesn’t engage the sear and the gun will fire uncontrollably without trigger input until the ammunition is exhausted, you have a stoppage, or bits of the gun begin to melt.
These would be placed from new or fresh refurb, when the weapon was balanced with it’s parent barrel, and its spare barrels matched. The mark can vary in size with Tippex or a white paint pen. The line itself will always be placed directly above the last rivet.
UNIT MARKS/BUTT NUMBERS
These are basic armoury numbers for quick counting and easy identification, and are normally referred to as “Butt numbers”. These are most commonly found on feed covers & buttstocks. The numbers are there for ease of retrieving a particular weapon from the rack. For example, L7A2 BL69A073249 could be rack number 55. It’s easier, when looking at a rack of 100+ weapons, to just grab the one with the big 55 number on it, instead of having to go through each weapon to check for the serial number.
These would often just be written on with a paint pen, but is becoming more common to see them done with a label machine.
Other number/marks will include:
Vehicle or unit call sign, e.g. "10B", "33A", "24C" with the exception of "11" and "22" in an armoured battalion.
The number plate if mounted on a vehicle, as has been seen on some wmiks in afghan.
"Sf(followed by butt number)" if part of a Support fire role (with tripod)
Zap number; the individual soldier’s casualty identification number, this is the first 2 letters of the surname and the last four from their service number. For example, Davis 25015598 would be DA5598. Some people had this written on a bit of scapa/sniper tape, which was wrapped around the stock just in case in Afghanistan, but it was not standard procedure.
Units have also been known to paint colours on the top covers. This is sometimes done to identify a company or squadron within a regiment, battalion or battle group. Coloured patches are normally placed on the top cover, and although it’s not commonly done, it is more often seen on L85s & SUSATs
The usual main colours are red, green, blue or yellow.
I've kept mine simple, and just added the number "13".
Originally I had it marked with red to symbolise A COY 3 PARA in afghan 2008. But later removed it.
Barrels
Some times the carry handle is marked to determine if its the main, spare or even blank barrel. Some are even marked with the weapons serial or sf number.
I've added the number "1" to mine to determine its the main barrel.
GEARBOX AND FEED SYSTEM
Having devoted so much of this thread to the externals, it's time to show the beating heart of the beast. The gearbox was originally built up when I purchased the M240. Since then I’ve had to replace a few bits due to general wear and tear, but this is how the internals stand at present:
Guarder SP110 mainspring
Ultimate piston head (ventilated hexachrome aluminium)
Systema Area 1000 v.3 cylinder head
Systema Area 1000 Teflon cylinder
Systema Area 1000 oilless 6mm bushings
Systema Energy v.3 tappet plate
Systema v.2 flat gear set
Systema Jet AK nozzle
TM AK hop-up chamber parts
Madbull Blue hop-up rubber
TM EG1000 short-shaft motor
TM 509mm (M16-length) inner barrel
It currently chronographs at 337fps with Blaster 0.20g BB’s; consistency is excellent and the range is wicked on 0.20's, although trying to get it to fire individual shots is very hard as it’s either safe or cyclic! I've kept the standard barrel on this and not upgraded it for the simple reason that I want to use it how a support weapon should be used. With work I could have it DMR accurate, but I like to harass a whole barricade, not just one person.
The inside of the Inokatsu is a fairly typical AEG gearbox; what complicates the gun is - as usual for box-fed airsoft guns - the feed system. I had originally wanted to use a G&P M249 auto-winding box magazine. Unfortunately, after receiving a donated one I found that the mechanism itself was just too big to fit into the smaller 50rd ammunition tin fitted to my gun. I looked at other types of box and drum magazines, but nothing stood out until a forum member approached me with a spare Echo1 M240 box magazine for sale. Having received it, I promptly ripped it apart for the feed mechanism. Unhappy with the wiring I decided to strip the G&P box for parts too, and soon a Frankensteinian monster was in the making.
The chief reason for trying to marry the G&P’s electronics to the Echo1’s mechanics was my decision to power the gun with a 9.9v LiFe. The Echo1’s harness is made of extremely thin wire, and I’m worried that the stress of long bursts of fire may cause it to overheat. The G&P harness is heavier-duty, and also has a circuit board with an integrated transformer to vary the battery’s high voltage to the lower voltage required by the winding mechanism’s motor. Usefully, the circuit board also continues to wind the magazine for a few seconds after you release the trigger, ensuring there are BBs fed for the next burst. I cut and bent a metal plate to act as a makeshift reservoir, and cut a rectangle in the side of it to hold the LiFe.
I'm still looking for other ways to store the battery, so this isn’t necessarily final. I also tried to think of a way to hide the feed tube, but there wasn't enough room to do so; for the moment at least I've had to stick with the feed sticking out the bottom. The feed tube may have been too big but the wiring wasn’t, so that has now been hidden after making a cut out in both the body under the feed tray and on the edge of the ammo box lid. Bear in mind that this magazine is really only a prototype and still under development. I need to make sure things work reliably, and I would like to simplify the wiring at some point before I make something more permanent
Hope you've enjoyed this build and all the info that makes the L7 unique, and you haven't fallen asleep yet.
Thank you for taking the time to read.
Now for the finished item...