Enfield L85A1: Perhaps the Worst Modern Military Rifle
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2016-12-29に共有
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The L85A1 (part of the SA80 small arms family) was adopted by the British military in 1985 as a new generation of small arms to replace the L1A1 FAL (one quick note, where "A1" indicates a revision in American designations, it is simply the first iteration in British ones - there was no "L85"). As a bullpup rifle, the L85A1 was intended to replace both the FAL and Sterling SMG, similar to the French replacing the MAS 49/56 and MAT 49 with the FAMAS.
Unfortunately, the L85A1 had massive problems of both reliability and durability. They were kept pretty much hidden until Desert Storm, when it became unavoidably clear that the weapon was seriously flawed. The UK government denied the problems for several years, until finally contracting with H&K (then owned by Royal Ordnance) to redesign and rebuild the rifles. The result, after changes to virtually every part of the rifle, was the L85A2 - a much better rifle that will be tainted with its predecessor's reputation regardless.
Mechanically, the L85A1 and A2 are basically copies of the Armalite AR-180, with a multi-lug rotating bolt and a short stroke gas piston. It feeds from STANAG magazines, and it universally fitted with the heavy but rugged SUSAT optical sight.
Thanks to the Institute of Military Technology for allowing me to have access to this rifle (which is extremely rare in the US) and bring it to you! Check them out at:
www.instmiltech.com/
コメント (21)
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We Brits are a fair minded people. The A1 was designed to give the enemy a sporting chance.
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I hear a Scottish man running full speed at me with a sledgehammer
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I think it's a rule that every military must, at some point in time, adopt a terrible standard issue weapon and force its soldiers to use it for an unacceptably long period of time.
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A fun anecdote: one time, during his trip to England, Mikhail Kalashnikov actually met with the gun's designers who showed it to him and asked him what he thought of it. He could only shake his head and, after explaining that he made the AK47 on the principle that even a complete idiot could operate it, took one more look at this thing and said "Going by this you must have very clever soldiers." Ouch.
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I've heard the L85A1 called the Civil Servant because it doesn't work and it can't be fired.
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Laugh all you like, this rifle saved my uncle's life, and he went on to have a long, successful career in the Iraqi military. Edit: Half of the replies are just people calling me an idiot because they didn't get the joke. If you're about to call me an idiot, read it again, slowly and carefully.
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*touches this gun* *immediately washes hands*
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the bolt retaining pin, by pure coincidence, is the perfect size to be released using the aglet on a shoelace
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This rifle is the UK government in the form of a firearm.
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"Now, taking the rifle apart is fairly simple: You just shake it hard enough, really."
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In STALKER the lore is that the British army has adopted the G36 meaning the L85 found its way into the hands of the people of the zone. If you equip it, even in near perfect condition, it jams every 10 shots lol
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It's like someone tried a make an AUG out of sheet metal in their basement.
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makes sense the L85 can only be used with your right hand Thatcher hated the left.
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"You are, without a doubt, the worst rifle I've ever heard of." "Ah, but you have heard of me!"
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I fired these on ranges with the cadets. Initially i assumed we'd been given special 'training guns' that jammed all the time so you could practice releasing the jam. As i recall the ones i fired jammed every 10 to 20 rounds. Partly for that reason I didn't join the services. I figured that if the government think this is an acceptable bit of kit, and they're that unconcerned about the lives of the troops, what else would they take the mickey with. Armed force with guns that don't work took the biscuit. It was more important imo fir them to admit that they'd made a mistake than save face. The consensus we had was that they should have gone with the m16.
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This is actually terrifying. You're expected to go into combat and your main weapon is unreliable.
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In it's early days the L85 was known by some as the 'civil servant' because it didn't work and couldn't be fired.
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The reason why we made this gun is actually because we would immediately drop it for an akm then watch clueless insurgents pick up the weapon and try to use it in a firefight
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As I was a kid, I looked at the picture and admired the British soldier holding that cool gun. How wrong I was.
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My dad was in the last generation to use the L1A1. After he left he had to do reservist training and during the range day they were handed these as the new rifle. No one there had used one before and the range officer didnt know how it worked or disassembled. When fired he said it was a total joke and everyone asked for their FALs back.
