Where is this posted?
Is the L96 still in service? Iâm sure cadets would find that a fascinating weapon to shoot with.
Apparently, with the weekly Regional Command Cadets Branch policy update to all ACF HQs.
Not wanting to gossip butâŚ
Canât remember where I heard it but basically we are going to be AR and L98 only
How much that affects you is based on where you sit in the skills/quals/availability lottery
Personally, have seen a 144 once and fired L81 once (at 25m??) in many tens of years
We struggle with progressing cadets through L98 - they all want to do it - we just donât have the staff/weapons/facilities to meet the numbers we have
It was stated on the shooting town hall a few months back. L81 and L144 going and just AR and L98 to remain.
What is your wing doing to support cadet shooting?
In Kent we really struggle due to getting hold of L98s for IWT let alone actually shooting.
My Sqn has an AR range which is now used frequently. I can see Sqns with AR ranges being asked to provide more shooting on a sector/wing level once the L144 goes or some cadets would join and never ever shoot.
Kentâs been trying to push âsector shooting hubsâ for many years . . . whether staff remember and proactively encourage it or not is a different matter.
There was / is a discussion paper stating that.
The L98 needs more training as it is obviously a more complicated system. The L144 ( 
) & the L81 are comparatively simpler systems = easier to train on. Move the single shot bolt action safety standards to the NGO requirements, not treating them as military âwpns of war.â
The competition shooting aspects for .22 & .308" are going to be problematical; youâll never get the same standard using either the L144 & L81 against modern comparable target rifle shooting systems. The boat was missed when looking at the No8 replacement, should have gone for lesser numbers in either Anschutz Youth or similar for .22, & looking ahead now, a higher-end option for the L81.
Trouble is, for L81 replacement, the costs would soon add up. You probably could get a reasonable quality TR using UK barrel providers (several options now compared to a few yrs ago), with a basic stock (simple adjustable butt length & cheek piece), with sights & handstop for say sub-ÂŁ2k (if purchased in bulk). Dunno how many L81âs are knocking around, but say 500(?) = ÂŁ1M. Add on servicing costs (military unable to do this)âŚ
However, something is needed to allow cadets to progress to CISSAM & then upwards to UK teams / Athelings. A good number of cadets stay interested in TR shooting having gone this route - if it is curtailed, then there will be a huge loss to the TR world in general. We need more younger people interested in the discipline (& others), not the other way around.
Generally pretty good - its just a numbers game - more customers than staff and infrastructure to meet
If I remember correctly, Anschutz pulled out of the tender process for the ânewâ CSBTR due to being unable to deliver the quantities required.
This is a real challenge, across 3 units we have 3 x SAAIs and we are running an IWT in the new year, we already have 24 students bidding and itâs only been on Cadet Portal since the start of the week.
Weâve pulled in an extra instructor from on high, but this gives us a max student capacity of 30 (1:10 with instructor rotation) so we are struggling with offering out places to over units who do not have qualified staff.
Of those 24, 4 are staff which we also need to deliver in order to generate new instructors.
1 of the units also has a applicant on the March SAAI course which will deliver additional capacity, assuming they are successful.
Our challenge is compounded with a lack of accommodation at our Parent Units so cadets need to be bussed in daily, we are lucky that we can book the instructors into the mess so that long training days are not compounded with additional driving.
The drop test + safety catch might have been an issue too.
I think that the L144 failed the drop test, but not as badly as the other contenders!
it is out of service now. replaced by the L115 and to a lesser extent the L129. Where must be a warehouse in the midlands full of obsolete weapons as a war stock. Some of them must be some L96 on there somewhere
Something from HQ will come out at some point. There will also be more information on the bits described in the town hall and future of shooting at some point too.
As with everything in this org, nothing happens quickly.
No (brown stuff) Sherlock! 
This should have been a primary focus the last time that there were servicing issues with the L81 - contract, what contract?? Letâs start looking at replacementsâŚ
Dunno how cadets will be able to transition to a .308 rifle if there arenât any held - no good having a central pool of new rifles say at CCRS, as itâs essential to train before CISSAM, etc.
you mean ISCRM I think
and to be fair RAFAC have dominated CISSAM as well since 2015. But its awful that the L81 is going without replacement for all Cadet Forces.