The Australian heavy-barrel L2A1 was also known as the 'Automatic Rifle' (AR). The Australians, in co-ordination with Canada, developed a heavy-barrel version of the L1A1 as an automatic rifle variant, designated L2A1. The British and Australian L1A1s, and Canadian C1A1 SLRs were semi-automatic only, unless battlefield conditions mandated that modifications be made. Some Australian Army units deployed overseas on UN peacekeeping operations in Namibia, the Western Sahara and Cambodia still used the L1A1 SLR and the M16A1 rifle throughout the early 1990s. The Australian L1A1 FAL rifle was in service with Australian forces until it was superseded by the F88 Austeyr (a licence-built version of the Steyr AUG) in 1988, though some remained in service with Reserve units until late 1990. The lightening cuts of the Australian L1A1 most closely resembles the later Canadian C1 pattern, rather than the simplified and markedly unique British L1A1 cuts. The Australian L1A1 features are almost identical to the British L1A1 version of FAL, however the Australian L1A1 differs from its British counterpart in the design of the upper receiver lightening cuts. The Australian L1A1 is also known as the 'Self-Loading Rifle' (SLR), and in select-fire form, the 'Automatic Rifle' (AR). The Australian Army, as a late member of the Allied Rifle Committee along with the United Kingdom and Canada adopted the committee's improved version of the FAL rifle, designated the L1A1 rifle by Australia and Great Britain, and C1 by Canada. Both Australia and Canada replaced their L2A1/C2 heavy barrel support weapons with FN Minimi variants: the F89 and C9, respectively. Canada replaced its C1 rifles with AR-15 variants: the C7 assault rifle and C8 carbine. Australia chose the Steyr AUG as a replacement in the form of the F88 Austeyr, with New Zealand following suit shortly after. Starting in the mid 1980s, the UK started replacing its 30-year-old L1A1 rifles with the 5.56 NATO bullpup L85 assault rifle. Inch-pattern weapons have been used by the British Army in Malaysia, Northern Ireland, and in the Falklands War (in opposition to FN FAL-armed Argentine forces), by Australia and New Zealand in Vietnam, and by Rhodesia in the Rhodesian Bush War. The L1A1 and variants have seen use in several conflicts, mostly, though not exclusively, as part of the Cold War. United States Marine with a British L1A1 SLR, during a training exercise as part of the Gulf War's Operation Desert Shield. The L1A1 subsequently served as the UK's first-line battle rifle through 1980s before being replaced with a more up to date assault rifle. The US, however, did not adopt any variant of the FAL, opting for its own M14 rifle instead. , adopted the L1A1 as a standard issue rifle in 1954. 9 Mk 1 with a 7mm intermediate cartridge, the UK, believing that if they adopted the Belgian FAL and the American 7.62 NATO cartridge that the United States would do the same Script error: No such module "Namespace detect". The L1A1 and other inch-pattern derivatives trace their lineage back to the Allied Rifle Commission of the 1950s, whose intention was to introduce a single rifle and cartridge that would serve as standard issue for all NATO countries. Some Canadian C1s issued to naval personnel were also capable of automatic fire. Only Australia and Canada used this variant, as the UK and New Zealand used the Bren light machine guns converted to fire the 7.62mm NATO cartridge. Differences from the L1A1/C1 include a heavy barrel, a handguard that doubles as a foldable bipod, and a larger 30-round magazine although it could also use the normal 20-round magazines as well. However, there is also an automatic rifle variant, the L2A1/C2A1, capable of automatic fire and meant to serve in a support role. Most Commonwealth pattern FALs are semi-automatic only.
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Also, butt-stocks are not interchangeable, since the stocks on metric pattern and inch pattern guns attach in different ways. Despite this, many sub-assemblies are interchangeable between the two types, although components of those sub-assemblies may not be compatible. In contrast to the "metric" FALs, the design dimensions of the inch-pattern are British imperial units, rather than the metric units used in Belgium. It has seen use in the armies of Australia, Canada, Jamaica, Malaysia, New Zealand, Rhodesia, and the United Kingdom. The L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle, also known by the Canadian Army designation C1, as the SLR, or as the "inch pattern" FAL, is a British Commonwealth derivative of the Belgian FN FAL battle rifle, produced under licence.