I have a problem with the old apartheid flag in the beginning of your video it represents a time of great oppresiveness againts people of colour in South Africa,please remove it

I worked for Armscor but was stationed at LEW for a few years. There is one major change we made that is missing. We found, during testing that we would get “runaways” (uncontrolled full auto firing). The Israeli manufacturers denied knowledge of this problem but on a visit to Israel, their military confirmed our findings. After filming with high speed cameras, we found the firing pin resonated thus causing the runaways. We machined the firing pin with three fluted grooves (making them lighter) which prevented the runaways. I met mr Galil on one of his visits to LEW. Only noticed later that you addressed the firing pin. I was given other projects prior to the last firing pin mods.

As a South African, I highly appreciate your trip to RSA to create content on South African firearms and firearms history. Admittedly, I know less about my country's firearm history than I do others, therefore having a channel that I enjoy watching cover this topic is absolutely great. Keep it up, Ian.

I did my south african national service from 1980 to 1982 and we were one of the first units to be issued the R4/galil. We were issued a brand new, wooden stock, small sight version (Galil). It was an amazing rifle that was as tough as nails. I probably shot a few thousand bullets with my rifle, not one misfire. We had great confidence in it.

Points of observation: 1. When I served in 6SAI during the late 80s, the riflemen could, and did, ask to have their stocks changed from long to short. The armourers did this with no questions asked. 2. The 'night' sights contained beta lights, it wasn't just a crude notch sight. Looking through the flipped-up sights offered a sight picture of three dots of light. Line them up with the middle one on the target, and fire away! The official nomenclature was "low-light sights": the term "night sights" were reserved for electronic light-amplification devices, of which there were two designs. 3. The 50-round magazine is not really useful in the machine-gun role, because there is not enough clearance under the rifle on its bipod. In fact, there's hardly space for a 35-round magazine. 4. The bipod is superbly useful for keeping the rifle out of the dirt. 5. I've also been issued a FAL/R1. As a fighting weapon I prefer the R4 by far.

I lived there for a few years, our teachers at boarding school pulled a few of those R4s out to protect the school at night during the Soweto Anniversary riots. Nice to find out a bit more about them.

"More importantly, this functions as a bottle opener"

Awesome review! Thanks mate. I am a boertjie (Afrikaans speaking South African) that served in the South African Airforce from 1989 to 1994. We were issued with the R5 and I fondly remember the late nights speed practicing taking it apart and putting it back together! A small technical point - Lyttelton Enigeering was in Pretoria and not Johannesburg. More correctly it was in Centurion (became part of Pretoria City council in the early 2000s - Pretoria City Council is now known as Tshawane Metropolitan Municipality) - interestingly, Centurion was also previously known as Verwoerdburg City - named after Dr. Hendrik Verwoerd and from Wikipedia; "The first South African-produced [R1] rifle, serial numbered 200001, was presented to the then Prime Minister, Dr Hendrik Verwoerd, by Armscor"...

As a South African I'm very impressed by this guy's history. He's spot on about everything 👌🏻

As a South African who's dad was actually on the border... I appreciate this.

"More importantly, this functions as a bottle opener." Priorities in the right place.

Good to see the R4 again. I did my military service in South Africa. Got to know the R4 pretty well and earned a golden shootist medallion. Had to clean the rifle at least 3 times a week. Could eventually take it apart and reassembled blindfolded. Very good rifle.

Just FYI. We never, ever fired using the bipod as support. It was only ever used when placing your weapon on the ground to keep it out of the dust.

Ian.....thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you from an old, worn out SADF soldier. Finally, someone shows our rifles in detail. 👍👍👍👍👍 A point of interest - none of the guys in my battalion used slings, because a slung weapon was considered to be a useless weapon. We had to carry it in our hands always.

Man 🤯🤯 the research done by this guy on the weapons is amazing, didn't know I'd enjoy learning about guns this much. Keep doing what your doing, Much love from South Africa 🇿🇦

I served in the SANDF in 1990/91. My rifle was the R4. A fabulous rifle. I was in the engineer corps. I could drag it through the mud, run through a shower cloths and all with my rifle. Iron my uniform dry and have a pristine R4 back in perfect working condition in 60 mins. Crazy🙂. Fond memories, great men. Fun fact, my father was contracted by Lyttelton Engineering to devise a process of corrosion protection during the manufacture of the polymer and steel magazines. Glad to see almost all are still around 49 years later. I was never issues a polymer version. Neither was anyone in the engineer corps in my time. Tha parabats (we named them "vliesbom", which translates as "meat bomb" were the envy of most other troops as the short, foldable stock made the weapon easy to carry. Your detail was very well researched. Bravo. Kind regards Mark Johannesburg South Africa

As a Former soldier in the SADF in 4 Artillery Regiment my rifle was the R4. Thank you for this video.

Never walked patrol with Fifty round, too heavy, strapped it flat across top of chest webbing. Bush combat is close quarter, intuitive fire, therefore open sight.

I used the R1 and R4 when doing military service in South Africa. R1 was a great gun for long distances and R4 was perfect for close quarter/bush scenarios

I remember my mother worked at LEW. She was part of the team working in the production of this R4.

I was issued one of the first Israeli-manufactured Galils for use with my SADF unit in Namibia and Angola in late 1980. (He refers to the first batch at 2:50 - that were straight from Israel.) As a unit, we tested them under actual fighting conditions. It still had the wooden handguard, and the carrying handle which we did not really use. I just found some old photos with all these features clearly visible. I thought it was a major improvement over the FAL 7.62mm 'R1' which we used before, for the reasons that are mentioned early in the video. Above all, it was extremely reliable. I cannot recall a single instance of a stoppage. The R1s were not that good in the dusty and sandy conditions, the R4s were superb. The R1s were long and unwieldy in vehicles, and the R4 very compact. And you could carry more rounds, 35 per magazine...excellent assault rifle.

I worked at Lyttelton Engineering Works it was situated in Pretoria not Johannesburg and Manufactured the R5 They where manufactured on Hermly Pegboard Milling Machines in 1982 and 1983 the tolerances where very close. A Good place to have worked in.

Forgotten History for sure. You’ve done a lot of homework into our rifle my friend, right down to knowing what an effy is. 🤣Well done thanks for that. Angolan veterans 87/88

Good day Sir. I served on a South African Air Force Base. The security personnel did mount the red dot scope on their R5's.

I really appreciated this as an old SADF army armourer from '83 to '92 and I obtained a bit of new info. I also worked in and later ran the national firearm proof house from '92 until its demise in 2015. All firearms produced in South Africa for the civilian market had to be proofed. Military (including police) and black powder weapons were excluded. I note that both the R4 and R5 you display carry these proof marks (Springbuck horns with a T in the centre) which was only applied to the LMs. This proof mark was applied to the receiver, barrel and breech on these arms, but at some stage (can't remember when) stamping the breech was dropped due to the hardness of the breech severely shortening the life of proof punches. In light of this I am a bit mystified why they are there. Possible explanations can be that these were originally LMs whose guts were modified to military spec, or that these might have belonged to a private collector in SA. The police on very rare occasions required that military arms be proofed in order for them to be licenced for private collections, but I can count it on one hand. One correction on your video, Lyttelton Engineering Works were in Centurion, Pretoria, and not Johannesburg. Last thing, nothing personal. I notice you slightly lean into the weapon when firing, so I would like to suggest you try the following to prove the extremely little to no recoil of this rifle. Attach a full 35 round magazine, put it on full automatic, fold the stock forward and hold the rifle straight in front of you with one hand like a pistol... and empty the magazine.

30 minutes wasn’t enough for me

Hoe mooi het daai R5 Afrikaans gepraat.

I was an Ops Medic in the SADF early 90's. We used the R5 which i absolutely loved. Came across this vid and must say, lots of nostalgia.

I was in the Navy in 1983. We were restricted to use the old Belgian FN rifles with wooden stock. Quite a recoil. Got a blue eye first time on the range. Previous military intake pranked me adjusting the gas intake to maximum!

South Africa had many development projects with Israel. Besides rifles we also developed our nukes with them, we got our orbital trajectory ballistic missiles from them, and a few other things along the way too.

Did my 2 years in 1986 -1987. We are not short guys lol ! I am 6 ft and the shortest in my family on both sides. It brings back many memories seeing this video. I still shoot with the Army once a year and I get goosebumps holding the R4. I am also a dedicated handgun shooter/reloader as well. You make awesome videos keep up the good work.

I remember those R4 barrels glowing red and setting the webbing slings on fire in training when simulating an ambush. I can't remember the exact number, but it was something like 12 magazines being emptied into the kill zone directly after each other in full auto.

SADF, 2 Special Services Batallion from 1989 to 1990. We were issued the R5. Real blast from the past. Very informative video, almost 29 years later I'm only now getting a real understanding of this weapon and feel a bit of nostalgia. We were taught maybe 3% of what you've covered. Thanks for the trip down memory lane

Awesome. The R4 I had, during 1988~89 when I was in the SADF, had a 6 digit serial number (I still remember it). It had no prefix or suffix. We also had the wide straps and only 1x 50 round mag.

I loved my R5 in the SAAF. What a great rifle! I'm of English descent and am 6'2'' tall, I was almost the shortest person in my flight during Basics.

In 1985 a couple of really short guys in the unit got those short stocks. And during training a stock was broken off when it would not fold and got kicked to detach that taper lock. This was a common way to get them to fold. Loved shooting the R4, hit what it was pointed at, never jammed , and, yes, this was conscription service just like you guys had in Nam, and no, we didn’t want to be there either.

Hi Ian. Great content - love the channel. Carried an R4 in Angola and SWA - great rifle. Regards to my brothers from 85 - 87.

I am from South Africa! You know your history of SA and the guns very well!

Cool vid. I carried this rifle during my time in Mech infantry. We were told not to load the 35 round mag to 35 ,but 30 as the extra 5 caused feed issues. Of course we ignored this and guess what, I got feed stoppages! We were also issued 2 50 rounders. They were useful for the corporal in charge of the lmg group in the section. If the lmg group had a belt/barrel change or stoppage, he could take up the suppressive fire slack with a 50 rounder. They were also used in laying ambushes as your 1st line mag to achieve the volume of fire needed when you engage contact in an ambush. I was told that the R-6 was produced for a Reconnaissance Regiment requirement, but they might have just ended up with some. A little know version of the R-4 was the heavy barrel SAW model called R-7 . It had a much heavier and longer barrel , but was never adopted. The only pick I've ever seen was in a soldier of fortune mag article on the R-4. As far as I know, this wasn't a Israeli development, as the pick showed a SA produced gun. Here's a link: photobucket.com/gallery/user/richardtl/media/cGF0aDpBaXJzb2Z0L1NBREYgQXJ0aWNsZXMvUjRBcnRpY2xlM19uX3pwc2M3M2E3NDcxLmpwZw==/?ref=

I rocked the R4. 7SAI Phalaborwa 1990. 17 years old, conscripted into the national service. Pow, pow!

In 1979 - 1980 the original R4's were modified by shortening the firing pin tip protrusion, the rubber bushing was installed on the firing pins and the carry handles were removed. The R4 manuals refer to a firing pin spring, but this the rubber bushing as a coil spring was never used in the R4. IMI developed a firing pin coil spring for 5.56 Galil in 1984, but one was already being used in the 7.62x51 Galil since 1982. The rubber bushing in the R4 caused problems from oil and heat. It was later done away with and replaced with a firing pin that had a square shape on the rear hammer end and no spring or bushing. The LM series always got the rubber firing pin bushing and was never updated. The reason for South Africa to remove the carry handles was different from the reason Rhodesia removed their FAL carry handles. Rhodesia did remove the FAL carry handles to promote carrying the rifles at the ready. South Africa started removing carry handles from the R1 FAL after a soldier lost an eye while target shooting when an ejected cartridge case bounced off a carry handle in the up position. The early R4's kept carry handles until the 1979-1980 modifications. South Africa also increased reduced the sensitivity of their 5.56 cartridge primers. Due to embargoes and sanctions, not many countries would sell arms to South Africa. One country that was willing was Austria. South Africa briefly tested the Steyr AUG, but rejected it right away due unreliable firing of South Africa's 5.56 primers. The AUG's plastic hammer was suspected causing the problem, but no solution was sought. I don't know firing pin protrusion specs for the original Galil, but the later 5.56 R4's and IMI Tavor rifles have firing pin protrusion similar to Colt M16's. The reason started buying rifles from South Africa is because the funds for defense from the US couldn't be used to further Israel's weapons industry, but they could use the money to buy weapons from other countries, such as South Africa.

You should make a video on South African artillery. It's pretty unique.

Proud to have used all 3 models during operations in later Angola and South Africa. Reliability at its best!⚔️

South African here. I'm particularly impressed that you went as deep as talking about the primary users of the R4. Most white people were of Dutch decent including me. We stand well above average where I am 185cm and 90% of my friends are 180cm+. I am happy that you were able to go that amount of detail. My father made use of a R1 (FAL) and the R4 (and a R5 once) during his mandatory service.

Brilliant video. Loved the background on these guns. My dad was part of the border wars and used the R1. Told us many stories of limitations of the gun, terrain issues and such as well as bayonet skirmishes. I did my training a few years after ‘94 and we used the R4. Durable, accurate and all round versatile weapon. Just a useless tidbit, we folded the stock not by hand but by a quick and brutal flick to the upper arm which presented enough of a bolt to release the clasp and fold the stock. Much quicker and flashy!🤣 A complete side note, Rhodesia is now Zimbabwe. Thanks for this video! Amazing info.

As a South African,I`ve learnt a lot.I must say I enjoyed using the FAL/R1,though.

Thanks for the video. Brought back good memories of my Army days. I we trained with the R4, and was issued a R1 when I joined the commando system. I personally prefer the R1 to the R4.

Having been married to an R4 for 2 years of my life, I found nothing said that sounded incorrect. In fact I learned a lot. And I must commend the production quality and thorough research. Thank you.

Thank you for a very interesting and well researched feature. I was issued a R4 for my 2 year stint in 80/81 & we were very fond of the rifle. A most enjoyable trip down memory lane, thanks again.

Love you're video. I used the R4 in Angola while serving in South African defense force in the 80's

I'm from South Africa, and I really learned a lot from this video. Thank you for all the time and effort! Best channel on KZfaq!

Correction @ 3:05 Lyttleton Engineering Works (now Denel) is not in Johannesburg but in Selborne Ave. Lyttelton, PRETORIA. I used to work at LIW

This to all Boets who served,Thank you for your service

Great review. As a South African I grew up shooting the R1 (7.62mm) and R4 which were only available to the Army and Police. The R4 was a lot of fun firing on auto (not so much the R1, kicked like a mule). I learnt a lot from this video, well covered and fascinating.

I did my basic training with the r4 and moved to armour and was issued with a r5. 1988 to 1990

As an ex-Israeli military, used the Galil in Lebanon for about 4 years. Designing the cocking lever facing up is way more efficient than the AK. In combat situations, it allows you to operate it without taking your hand of the pistol grip, regardless if you are a left or right handed. Also, it allows you to clear minor jams or stuck cartridges without taking your finger of the trigger. Also, that is why the safety, unlike the AK, is also on the pistol grip, which combined with the upright cocking handle, allows the users to keep their hand on the grip, finger on the trigger, take it of safety, put a round in the chamber, and start firing - All at the same time, within half of a second.

As a Rifleman, I found using the R4 in Short Burst, were useful, but the Bi-Pod gave it a lot of kick and using it as a support full Auto weapon, it was only useful for suppression fire and not much more. It created so much dust that after the 3rd round you could no longer see where you were shooting. That s also the only the rounds that would hit a target and the rest would be all over the show. I primarily shot single shots or double tapped the trigger, which was very effective in even long range combat where the 2nd shot would most likely be a head shot. The design of the ammunition was of such though, that even a usually non fatal hit would be fatal. ANY Body shot (and of course Head shot) were fatal. We were very well trained in its use and could hit body shots 9/10 times at ranges of 300m or further with open sights. (We never did use scopes) Also bearing in mind that a Human target, at 300m would be 1/3 the thickness of your front site, even though it was very thin, as you mentioned. (Possibly about 2 mm thick at the top) I NEVER had a jam in the 2 years I used it. The 50 round magazine was not issued to us as an equestrian brigade, as standard, but I were able to procure 1 later on from a infantry unit, which I found, had less spring left towards the last rounds. I compensated by stretching my spring when I cleaned the magazine. We never had any problems with the 35 round magazines. We had to clean them regularly though, as sand got into everything...

Excellent very well researched. I was an ops (operational) medic in the SADF in the late 80s and we were issued and used the R5, the boys loved them. PS on a side note Lyttelton Engineering Works is in Pretoria not Johannesburg.

What an episode! Thanks for everything you do for us Ian!

Thanks for this - the most informative, comprehensive and enjoyable video on these weapons that I've ever seen. Squadron 5 flight 13 in the SAAF during basics and went on to serve for a year in SWA. I carried my R5 with sling exactly, as you illustrated here, for two years during '88 and '90. Bosbefok for a few months after my service but I wouldn't change these two years for anything. This Vid brought back many memories so thanks for that.

I was in the SADF in the 80's, but lived in Southwest Africa for a numbers of years in high school. We went for "Cadet camps" with the Southwest African defence force (was actually stil part of South Africa that time) We were "trained" to "operate" the R1, G3 (R2), AK47, 9mm parabellum. How do you like that... being trained while stil at school. 🤨 During 2 year national service issued with R4 - brand new, wow!! We were very proud. The R1 will always be closer to my heart, had to take care of that weapon much more carefully and keep it clean and lubricated. The farmers in Southwest Africa were issued the G3 (R2) for personal protection, but with selection for single shot or rapid fire only and not automatic. Loved that weapon and carried it for personal protection (prevention is better than cure) while hunting hunting Kudu, Bosvark on a Wild Game farm..... off course.... many moons ago in the early 1980's.......those were the days......2 year national service in the SADF after finishing high school. They say that the "Angolan Bush war" was for nothing..... today you can clearly see......if it wasn't for that there would have been nothing for the ANC government to corrupt and destroy, but that is a story for another place and another time..... Like the US 🇺🇸... land of the free, home of the brave..... now being destroyed and tarnished by Biden, their own society from within.... what the previous generations fought for....now almost lost.... That is what happens when you turn your back on Our Allmight God, our Father in heaven... God will protect his rightious people.... who believe in His Son Lord Jesus Christ... In a twinkling of an eye we will ascend up into the sky to receive our heavenly bodies and be one with our spirit.... then the 7 year tribulation will start.... and then... the wrath of the Lamb of God... Blessed is the Name of our Lord our God, Blessed is His Holy Name 🙏 🙌 ❤️ 🌹

I was issued with a wooden handgripped R4/Galil in 1980 when we went up to the operational area. It was an awesome weapon and I recall we had firing pin changes done to them in 1981. Ours still had the carrying handles too and the 50 round mag was issued to us for use inside our APC's firing through the weapon ports (which were really built for the R1 (FAL) ) and not as a general use magazine. I enjoyed the rifle, it was reliable and you could take them into the shower with you after a day rolling through the mud.

With my engineering background, I really enjoyed this thorough analysis of the R4/R5/R6 rifles. Personally, I never got an attachment to the R4, and hardly shot one, but that is because I was so used to using my R1 in shooting competitions out to 500m. I felt that the R4 was not precise enough. When I was conscripted into the Commandos in 1969, I was issued with a 0.303 Lee Enfield, and then only changed to an R1 when I was sent to the border in 1977.

Had a Galil SAR (Short barrel version) for 3 years of my IDF service. Loved it !. We swapped the plastic grips for wood and later for AK grips. Also used the short 10 round mag as a quick response mag which was always attached to the grips. Nice review. One day will get me a vintage Galil.

I was in the South African military from 92 to 96, SAMS, South African Medical Services, we were issued the R5 as well. Lots of shooting, great weapon.

Mechanised Infantry here, we were taught the "double tap" and were discouraged to use the full auto. Probably because they went back to using the spring or they were happy to go back to using the spring because full auto fire was not a big thing with this rifle in the SADF

I smoked a joint with a member of the Flying Squad (SA police) in the early 90's and he out of the blue offered to sell me an R5. Threatened then to kill me if I ever told anyone. Very stoned I politely declined his offer.

Did SA infantry basics with R1 - FN copy - and then we got brand new Galils with wooden hand grips but called them R4s. Have a photo of myself in Angola with 2x50 mags taped top/bottom = 90 rounds on the rifle plus 6×35 mags in the webbing as first line ammo.

There was another version developed that was called The Bulpap. We removed the butt, moved the trigger forward by about 200mm with links and cast the whole weapon in a polimer. A handgrip was also added. I was in the development team at that stage at LIW.

Here in South Africa the Police still use them Today! Thanks for the Great Video Appreciate it as a South African 🇿🇦

Wow... it was only when you said "...if you are still here, boy, you are quite a dedicated viewer..." that realised I had been watching for 32 minutes. As a post apartheid immigrant to South Africa I found this bit of history so fascinating. It is a pity that the South African small arms industry which was so innovative in its hey day, albeit for all the wrong reasons, has withered away to a shadow of its former self.

Thanks Ian! I really learned a lot from this clip. Your dedication in making these informative videos keep us tuned in till the very end and is always much appreciated. You are always welcome in South Africa 🙂 Would love to shoot and chat with you someday.

SANDF 1986-1987 - 3 SAI Potchefstroom. It was hell, but I miss those days, and I miss that R4❤️

Fantastic video, great mix of interesting history and evolution, and using the weapon. I worked with a South African guy afew years ago here in Australia who served in the African army and raved about these rifles.

When I joined the S.A. Police in the 1980's we were trained with the old heavy FN R1 which was later replaced by a more modernized version. It was a weapon that grew on me and certainly one that I would pick for combat due to it's incredible impact, range and accuracy. (And because we both have gray hair).

thanks Ian , a great video to re-watch, not many gun enthusiasts in south africa get to see all the variants together like this.

I did my National Service with 8SA Infantry with basic training at Upington. We were issued R4, were supposed to get R5 when we transistioned to mechanised infantry training but they never appeared. A few of our officers had them and I saw a few issued to tank troops. We were never allowed to use the full auto function, semi auto only. If you accidently changed to FA on the rifle range, you'd get solidly opvokked. I never saw a 50 round mag, never saw a polymer mag and never saw an R6. We also never used the R4 bipod for firing. It was occasionally deployed as wire cutter or bottle opener. If we went for a meal or a lecture, the rifles would be left on their bipods.

Very informative and a trip down memory lane. Thanks for this great video.

i love those slow mo clips. You can really visualize how the cycling action is the cause of majority of felt recoil in semi or automatic guns.

I was in the SADF in the 1980's. Only thing different that I noticed was that the R4 rifles we were issued with had carry handles. Love your content and accuracy.

Great video, very well researched my friend. I served 2 years compulsory conscription 1978 to '80 where I spent a little more than a year in the "operational area" and Angola. I initially was issued with the FAL (originally FN made under license), designated R1 and reissued a R4. Carry handles were sawed off immediately. My personal experience with the R1/FAL is that it was a great rifle but prone to jamming if not meticulously cleaned - unlike the AK. African dust and general conditions are very hard on equipment. As you correctly pointed out, the R4 was far more reliable and I guess the 5.56 better suited for the type of engagements we were having with FAPLA/Cuban troops. In favour of the R1, nothing but absolutely NOTHING compares to a 7.62mm. On the R4 and AK47, the firing hand has to engage the safety mechanism to fire mode thus taking your hand off the grip and trigger which is not ideal. The R1 safety can be engaged to fire with a thumb action without removing your hand and finger from the firing position. Best.

This has been one of my favorite episodes.....thank you. I have always loved the south African galil rifles....I agree the 13 inch w/coupled mag and wide sling is the most handy/coolest. I have a Saiga 223/556 AK 101 style convert that I did in a 13.7 and I love it---but it is no Galil. It's a shame we can't find them more in the states , I wish someone reputable would take on the project. Better yet---if IWI would just do like a "retro" thing sort of like Brownell's has lately it would be a HUGE seller. They would be sold out within hours I bet.....I would buy 2 myself.

I saw an LM5 for sale at a gun show in Phoenix around 95-98. It came in from Canada. It had a barrel extension to get it to 16" and the receiver had been machined to allow it to take the izzy AR magazine adapter. I noted to the seller that none were imported to the USA. he said "well, here it is". And got very defensive.

I actually served in the SADF from 1987 to 1992 as an Instructor for at Infantry school in Oudtshoorn and we were deployed in the border war in with Angola ar Hurricane Base near Ruacana. we used the R4 and R5 extensively and AK47's taken from the enemy. We drove Caspirs and Ratels and worked closely with 32 Battalion in taking out insurgents from Angola until peace was declared in 1992 at the Ipupa Falls.

As a South African n appreciate this video, i learned quite a lot from it. Great to see fellow South Africans in the comments

I love you are your videos Ian thanks for taking so much time to go over everything with us.

I was in the SADF from 85 to 86 used the R4 and R5. Training was tough, times were rough, but God is good, kept me safe from harm...

Used a R5 and was operational with red dot scope. I know you said we didn’t- would just like to set that record straight. Great report and very informative.

Ian, thank you for another incredible video. You never fail us! You are a scholar and a gentleman.

It’s funny, while you were doing that, the guys from GI Joburg, a channel I watch with my kids, were on a trip from Cape Town to Chattanooga TN. This is great content. As usual, you made me want one. I also started craving biltong while watching this. Keep up the awesome content!

Thanks, I used the R4 myself in 1983/4. didn't know all the detail. Great work

Great video and a real blast from the past! In 1986 we were issued R4’s. I can tell you that bugger gets pretty heavy on a full kit 2.4 run. For afkak pt they made us sit against a wall in a seated position, having to roll the R4 until the body just shakes uncontrollably. Another issue with full auto is you could only really do bursts as the barrel got seriously hot.

Rk 95 + a bottle opener = this

Had to empty half my brain but atleast now im an expert on the south african galils and a dedicated viewer

Awesome video thank you.... fired many thousands of rounds through my SA Air Force issue R5 in competitions ...never had any stoppages..with very frugal maintenance and cleaning .... fond memories...

And its got a beer opener :D

Fantastic video Ian. I found the small changes or improvements the South African military made to be very interesting.

As a South African in very proud of our ingenuity in that period of history. No one can deny that we were pioneers in many fields in those days

Great program. Love your forgotten weapons posts and always look forward to watching each one. Being a South African, what a privilege to have you cover a part of our history. Thank you.

I was at 8SAI in 1991. Upington. This has brought back memories! That was my 'wife'! Great video review and great rifle......Thank you Ian!