R4 with wood handguard

[Stottman]

Do you mind if i share your post on another forum that has a very detailed thread about the R series of rifles?

Sure.

Thanks for all the comments.

[Tango Sierra]

I find it interesting that an actual R4 was able to exported instead of a LM4, of which there are a handful floating around here in New Zealand.

[oafpatroll]

I worked on moving stuff between stores at 5 SAI in '91 or thereabouts. That included 10s of thousands of R4s and I don't remember seeing a single one with wooden furniture.

[Spliffcat]

Had the wooden one in 1981. 1SAI. It had the black plastic handgrip.

[paulnb]

I was issued one with the wooden foregrip and carry handle at the Army Gymnasium Signals School in 1988. The rest of the squadron's R4s had black plastic furniture.

My later understanding is that the wooden furniture R4s were actually Israeli Galils.

[Stottman]

I find it interesting that an actual R4 was able to exported instead of a LM4, of which there are a handful floating around here in New Zealand.

Live Machine guns are legal for civilian possession in Switzerland, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Norway and other places around Europe. Often times they originate from civilian arms brokers, like UK "Section 5" dealers, etc.
I have photographed/seen about a half dozen in Switzerland.

[Tango Sierra]

Live Machine guns are legal for civilian possession in Switzerland, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Norway and other places around Europe. Often times they originate from civilian arms brokers, like UK "Section 5" dealers, etc.
I have photographed/seen about a half dozen in Switzerland.

Interesting. My curiosity though was more regarding how unusual it is to see a formerly state owned assault rifle in private hands. I was under the impression that such things were forbidden from export to civilians?