Jonathan Ferguson’s new book on British bullpup rifles is one I’ve been waiting a long time for. Five years ago I wrote my Master’s thesis on the development of the early Cold War British bullpup rifle, the E.M.2, and the politics which engulfed it. It’s [Read More…]
Learning how to survive and fight in the winter is essential for some soldiers. In our Photo Of The Day we’re taking a closer look at Royal Marines participating in the Cold Weather Survival Course together with helicopter pilots and aircrew. Before taking to the [Read More…]
It appears that a year after the introduction of the newly upgraded SA80 A3 the British Army is introducing a series of small but significant tweaks to improve weapons handling. The changes come following user feedback on the SA80 A3 / L85A3 rifles which have been [Read More…]
Today’s Photo of the Day sees US troops stationed in Poland get to grips with some British small arms. Men from two cavalry regiments – one British, one American, took part in a familiarisation exercise at Bemowo Piskie, in Poland, on 30th April 2020. The [Read More…]
Photo Of The Day – Today we look at the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards with NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Poland, in Bemowo Piskie, Poland. The British soldier above is manning an L21A1 12.7mm heavy machine gun mounted on a Jackal armored [Read More…]
In November 2018, we reported that the British Army was set to receive up to 44,000 upgraded L85A3/SA80A3s over the next 5 years. The contract was reported to be worth £75 million or $95.6 million. It has now been announced, by Heckler & Koch, that a contract has [Read More…]
Above, featuring TFB’s Picture Of The Day, we see a Polish PTS-M carrying Romanian Marines – all arms forward! – onto the beach during an amphibious assault exercise at Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2019 exercise. During the Distinguished Visitors Day in [Read More…]
Today’s Photo Of The Day displays a British Army Soldier using his SA80 for covering fire in Afghanistan. You can see his fellow soldiers in the background. The SA80 has the SA80 Underslung Grenade Launcher (UGL) mounted, which consist of a Heckler & Koch [Read More…]
Today’s Picture Of The Day is the British “EM-2“, in the rain. It is also known under the names as the “Janson rifle (EM2)” or the “Rifle No.9 Mk1”, and almost looks like it has a pump action. The EM-2 was an experimental rifle, [Read More…]
Photo Of The Day (POTD) is one or a series of photos related to firearms in some way. Today’s story brings us to Norfolk and the exercise Yellow Assault, with C Company, 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment. Below: Notice the muzzle flash from the Machine Gun [Read More…]
The British Army is set to receive up to 44,000 upgraded L85A3/SA80A3s over the next four to five years. Jane’s 360 Infantry Weapons reports that the UK Ministry of Defence are moving forward with a large contract with Heckler & Koch to upgrade a substantial [Read More…]
The British Army has launched a new bi-annual newsletter, In Front, as part of its push to keep soldiers and the public more informed about what they do. Inside the first issue is a round up of the British Army’s recent small arms changes. In Front confirms that [Read More…]
Today’s photo features two British bullpups, the L85A2 and the Rifle No.9 Mk1, better known as the E.M. 2. The E.M. 2 was briefly adopted by the British Army in 1951, but a combination of national and international political wrangling saw it soon abandoned [Read More…]
The British Army have begun issuing the newly upgraded SA80A3, the Grenadier Guards are the first regiment to receive the newly refitted bullpups. News of the upgrade to the British Army’s L85/SA80 first emerged back in 2016, but it appears the rifles are about [Read More…]
At this years Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) exposition in London Heckler & Koch have brought along their Mid Life Improvement of the British military’s SA80. The first images of the L85A3 appeared last summer. But some photos from the [Read More…]
I’ve had more than one e-mail from our dear readers on why I continue to write up Forgotten Weapons’ L85 Series. Outside the complaints of repetitiveness, the complaint that struck as the reason why I am publishing them came out – that no one wants to [Read More…]
Often more fascinating than the weapons developed is the history of developing weapons. In almost all cases, weapons are frought with initial troubles, constantly moving mechanical targets, and perhaps most trouble – politics. While today’s politics is well [Read More…]
The Sterling L2A3 was the iconic Cold War submachine gun of the British Army. Inexpensive to make, compact and rugged, it was a design that incorporated the experience from the Sten submachine gun, a weapon which though inexpensive really left a lot to be desired. In a [Read More…]
What do you get when you combine what’s widely regarded as one of the best rifle operating mechanisms ever invented, an innovative and promising concept, and a factory with over 150 years of history making some of the finest small arms in the world? If you said [Read More…]
“Beneath this mask of a failed bullpup there is more than double feeds and malfunctions. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof, especially when they jam!”, in other words, the SA80/L85 bullpup rifle platform probably [Read More…]
On Saturday we looked at one British “contender” which could have in some alternate reality become the NATO standard round, and today we’re going to look at another: The 4.85x49mm. After the United States adopted the .223 Remington round as the [Read More…]
British Army Photographers posted up some videos of soldiers training in CQB and CQM. Here is the CQM (Close Quarters Marksmanship). The soldiers appear to be using SA80 bullpups, Benelli M4 shotguns and Sig Sauer pistols. In this CQB video one soldier is using [Read More…]
The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) sent their Action Shooting Team to train the British Army Combat Action Shooting Team. Here is a video of the BACST showing off what they learned in a 3Gun style action stage. They are using the SA80 and what looks like a Glock 17. [Read More…]
Larry Vickers posted this on his Facebook page. It is an E Mag for the British SA80. Not too common around here in the US. Pretty cool for you Magpul fans.
The British Army’s future solider program, FIST (Future Integrated Soldier Technology), has fitted every day and night scope in the program with the Shield CQB red dot sight to use as a close quarters or backup sight. So far the UK Ministry of Defense has [Read More…]
German newspaper Tagesschau.de published this photo of a Bolivian special forces solider carrying a SA80 rifle. Bolivia is only one of two users of SA80 outside of Britain, the other being Jamaica. The solider in the above photo looks a lot less frightening than the [Read More…]
A USMC vet emailed us photos of a Marine friend of his training in Scotland. His friend really liked the SA-80 with its short length, full auto switch and recoil management. His criticisms were that it was rear heavy (par for the course with a bullpup) and unfamiliar [Read More…]
I was surprised to learn that Bolivian police use the British SA80 assault rifle. This makes Bolivia the only other country aside from the UK and Jamaica to make use of the SA80. The below photo shows members of the now disbanded Bolivian special police Unit for the [Read More…]
Prexis plans on selling a US made kit version of the Enfield L85 / SA80. The PL85 kit contains all the parts needed to build the rifle. The catch? The lower receiver which will require bending into shape. I have no word on pricing or when this kit will be on sale. Refer [Read More…]
During a firefight in Afghanistan in 2007, British soldier Pte Cole’s SA80 rifle was hit three times by 7.62x39mm bullets! It continued to function and he continued to return fire, despite the fact that the scope, bodywork and pistol grip was ripped off the gun. [Read More…]