South African R series of weapons information thread (lots of pictures)

[lcastillo]

Yes......

WOw Anders, I had to go out and read about this weapon. Is your rifle one of the actual rifles used in Swedish trials? How many of these rifles are out there? What is the story behind the grey paint? Nice weapon.

 

[lcastillo]

Hey Lou, Thanks for those posts, thats awesome info, one day when i have the money, that H5 that you posted up, i want a plastic/composite version of that stock on my LM4 sniper version! its looks very nice!

Ruski you are welcome. When you get your H5 do me a favor and ship me your R5

 

[lcastillo]

Early R4

A friend sent me this artist rendering of a SADF paratrooper with his R4. From what I understand from MRF2's first page these are the first thousand R4's made by the Israeli's for the South African military. I looks just like a Galil ARM except for the longer wood handguard. This wooden handguard has to be one of the rarest parts to find here in the USA. The only one I know of in existence here in the U.S. is owned by our own member Adipose. I wonder if the SADF even has these R4's in inventory anymore?

 

[Anders]

WOw Anders, I had to go out and read about this weapon. Is your rifle one of the actual rifles used in Swedish trials? How many of these rifles are out there? What is the story behind the grey paint? Nice weapon.

Yes, my rifle was "used" in the trials.......but as it was mint when I bought it it most likely sat on a shelf during the trials.

Possible 2000 were made and about 15 in private hands today.

Paint is green and not grey. Same paint was used on the m/45B (Swedish K) and the KSP 58B (FN MAG).

//Anders

 

[ruski5181]

Hey Lou, how much would you beg for pictures if i told you my Warrant Officer i shoot with has one of those galils issued to him for combat rifle shooting!

I don't want the H5, its awful, i have held one, i want its stock, but not the wood one, i want a polymer version, i think it would be nice on my LM4 i am going to buy one day!

 

[mrf2]

The wood handguards are rare, I've got one as well (I posted a picture of it in the first few pages and on the second page of this thread it's mounted on a rifle: http://http://www.uzitalk.com/forums/showthread.php?44223-Latest-Tenngalil-builds-South-African-R-4-and-R-5&highlight=south+african). The first Galils are still in use, see the first picture in this thread, I have another picture that I could have sworn I posted already of some SANDF troops in formation and one of them has a rifle with wood handguards, a carry handle, and metal stock and everyone else has newer rifles. If I can't find it I'll post it tonight.

Also note that the drawing also pictures the smaller front sight hood that was on the first few thousand rifles.

I have one of the new bayonets with add on lug (I wish I could find one of the modified FN bayonets) that I need to post some pictures of, including a pic from an arms expo of one mounted to an R4.

 

[mrf2]

See pictures of wooden handguards on old R4s. I don't know the date but the S2000 camo wasn't really wide spread until the 2000s in the SANDF.



Also note what looks like a goat peeing in the last picture! The guy with the wooden handguards is in the last rank.



Here is a picture of one of the improved R4s with a slightly newer Eickhorn KCB bayonet. A few KCB M1977s were trialed with a South African infantry battalion (115 BN I believe) with the bolt on bayonet lugs. I don't know if it was sucessful or not, several of the bayonets have apeared on the secondary market.

 

[mrf2]

Picture of the bayonet bits.

 

[lcastillo]

The wood handguards are rare, I've got one as well (I posted a picture of it in the first few pages and on the second page of this thread it's mounted on a rifle: http://http://www.uzitalk.com/forums/showthread.php?44223-Latest-Tenngalil-builds-South-African-R-4-and-R-5&highlight=south+african). The first Galils are still in use, see the first picture in this thread, I have another picture that I could have sworn I posted already of some SANDF troops in formation and one of them has a rifle with wood handguards, a carry handle, and metal stock and everyone else has newer rifles. If I can't find it I'll post it tonight.

Also note that the drawing also pictures the smaller front sight hood that was on the first few thousand rifles.

I have one of the new bayonets with add on lug (I wish I could find one of the modified FN bayonets) that I need to post some pictures of, including a pic from an arms expo of one mounted to an R4.

I stand corrected I know of only 2 wooden early R4 wood handguards here in the USA. Thanks for posting those additional pictures! They are pretty neat. Where was the arms expo located at?

 

[lcastillo]

Hey Lou, how much would you beg for pictures if i told you my Warrant Officer i shoot with has one of those galils issued to him for combat rifle shooting!

I don't want the H5, its awful, i have held one, i want its stock, but not the wood one, i want a polymer version, i think it would be nice on my LM4 i am going to buy one day!

Ruski I would send you my wife for those R4 pictures, but then I think I would be the one getting the best part of that deal! Lou

 

[Ady]

View attachment 21555
Picture of the bayonet bits.

I am fortunate enough to have one of these bayonets in my cupboard.

 

[adipose]

Some videos that are floating around
R5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et55vTNSAWU

R4 in shit brown color!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYhQcCOY0aM&feature=fvwrel

R4 w/silencer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr7AoSAXRio

R4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq_ktdQYGZs

 

[adipose]

Lots of R1 / 4/ 5/ 6's along with HK's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSMgIDzbLW4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drU2UMuLy5s&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPThUemXaUM&feature=fvwrel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtFhvAkCE6M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5mv2vg0oZA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhwcnXPTmqQ&feature=fvwrel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX2D5ncfbAE&feature=watch_response

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=C5P0pzsLlaw

 

[Mr Folgers]

Lots of R1 / 4/ 5/ 6's along with HK's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPThUemXaUM&feature=fvwrel

Mass Bikini Parade??

 

[riderboy]

See pictures of wooden handguards on old R4s. I don't know the date but the S2000 camo wasn't really wide spread until the 2000s in the SANDF.

View attachment 21551View attachment 21552

Also note what looks like a goat peeing in the last picture! The guy with the wooden handguards is in the last rank.

View attachment 21554

Here is a picture of one of the improved R4s with a slightly newer Eickhorn KCB bayonet. A few KCB M1977s were trialed with a South African infantry battalion (115 BN I believe) with the bolt on bayonet lugs. I don't know if it was sucessful or not, several of the bayonets have apeared on the secondary market.

Looks like they use the FAB rail system for their optics. Nice!

 

[TinmanIA]

This is quite the thread, but I gotta ask.

I been looking since I fixed Lou's AC I cant find the R series sight post anywhere. Any of you guys know where a guy can buy a few of these.

 

[ruski5181]

fitted a silencer to the R5 this weekend! sounded great, kinda like a .22 without the crack, unfortunately it was a home bench made one, so didnt have the right bafflers. I also managed to score 2 more metal mags, they are in shocking condition, very rusted!! but very different stamps on them, one has the normal SA batch and year with a slash between, one has a zero and below the zero a 32, with no lines or anything...

 

[Ady]

Ruski, i have also found some metal mags in bad nick, some oil and a new lick of paint and they look brand new. It sounds like your second mags discription is an Isreali mag, there are some pics further back in this thread. I read an article in a Magnum magazine some years back of a company called Lock, Stock and Barrel that was making silencers / sound suppressors for the LM4 / 5 that i'm sure would work nicely on the R5. They made two different variants, one long and one short. They were priced around R1,5k back then.

 

[adipose]

fitted a silencer to the R5 this weekend! sounded great, kinda like a .22 without the crack, unfortunately it was a home bench made one, so didnt have the right bafflers. I also managed to score 2 more metal mags, they are in shocking condition, very rusted!! but very different stamps on them, one has the normal SA batch and year with a slash between, one has a zero and below the zero a 32, with no lines or anything...

Steve, the 0 over the 32 is a IZZY mag.

 

[ruski5181]

Cool, thanks chuck, nice find then for me, any news on packages in the post?