The SA80 (Small Arms of the 1980s) is the standard issue British Army rifle (Its two versions are designated as L85 and L86, which are respectively infantry rifle and light support weapon.). It is also used by other branches of the British armed forces per necessity, as well as Jamaican Defense Force. There is also an even shorter carbine variant used by Helicopter/Tank crews and Royal Marine boarding parties known as the L22A1/L22A2. The SA80 components were notoriously "copied" by Enfield Workers from the SAR-87 manufactured by Sterling Armaments at the same time but this led to the notorious unreliability of the L85A1.
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| - The SA80 (Small Arms of the 1980s) is the standard issue British Army rifle (Its two versions are designated as L85 and L86, which are respectively infantry rifle and light support weapon.). It is also used by other branches of the British armed forces per necessity, as well as Jamaican Defense Force. There is also an even shorter carbine variant used by Helicopter/Tank crews and Royal Marine boarding parties known as the L22A1/L22A2. The SA80 components were notoriously "copied" by Enfield Workers from the SAR-87 manufactured by Sterling Armaments at the same time but this led to the notorious unreliability of the L85A1.
- The SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a family of 5.56 mm small arms designed and produced (until 1988) by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock. In 1988 production of the rifle was transferred to the Royal Ordnance’s Nottingham Small Arms Facility (later British Aerospace, Royal Ordnance; now BAE Systems Land Systems Munitions & Ordnance).
- SA80 is the project title for a series of bullpup 5.56mm NATO weapon systems developed for British armed forces during the 1980s. The program included a standard issue rifle, a light machine gun, a carbine for vehicle crews (the L22) and a cadet rifle (the L98), all sharing the same receiver and 80% interchangeable components. The term SA80 is commonly used to refer to the L85 IW (individual weapon) and the L86 LSW (light support weapon) the standard issue rifle and squad automatic weapon of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army and the Royal Air Force. Based around a bullpup reconfiguration of the Armalite AR-18 the rifle, the SA80 series initially looked good on paper, due to its short length, inherent accuracy, comfortable grips and by being the first standard issue rifle in the w
- The Enfield SA80 is a British family of 5.56mm small arms. It is a selective fire, gas-operated assault rifle. SA80 prototypes were trialed in 1976 and production was completed in 1994.
* Date: 1985
* Origin: U.K
* Weight: 4.98KG (8.4LB)
* Barrel: 518mm (20.4IN)
* Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
- The SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a British family of 5.56mm small arms. It is a selective fire, gas-operated firearm. SA80 prototypes were trialled in 1976 and production was completed in 1994. The L85 rifle variant of the SA80 family has been the standard issue service rifle of the British Armed Forces since 1987, replacing the L1A1 SLR variant of the FN FAL. The improved L85A2 remains in service today. The remainder of the family comprises the L86 Light Support Weapon, the short-barrelled L22 carbine and the L98 Cadet GP Rifle.
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| - 900.0
- 30.7
- 27.9
- 709.0
- 785.0
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| Name
| - SA80
- SA80 Individual Weapon
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| Maker
| - *BAE Systems
*Heckler & Koch
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| Weight
| - 4.42
- 4.98
- 6.58
- L85: 4.13 kg / 9.1 lbs
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| Sights
| - Telescopic SUSAT, aperture iron sights
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| Variants
| - L85A1, L85A2, L86A1 LSW , L22A1, L22A2, L98A1 CGP
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| - The Enfield SA80 is a British family of 5.56mm small arms. It is a selective fire, gas-operated assault rifle. SA80 prototypes were trialed in 1976 and production was completed in 1994.
* Date: 1985
* Origin: U.K
* Weight: 4.98KG (8.4LB)
* Barrel: 518mm (20.4IN)
* Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO The L85 rifle variant of the SA80 family has been the standard issue service rifle of the British Armed Forces since 1987, replacing the L1A1 variant of the FN FAL. The improved L85A2 remains in service today. The remainder of the family comprises the L86 Light Support Weapon, the short-barrelled L22 carbine and the L98 Cadet rifle. Grenade launchers can be added, as well as fore handles with pop-out bi-pods. The SA80 was the last in a long line of British weapons (including the Lee-Enfield family) to come from the national arms development and production facility at Enfield Lock. Its bullpup configuration stems from a late-1940s programme at Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield to design a new service rifle which was known as the EM-2, which though similar in outline, was an entirely different weapon. The EM-2 was an advanced bullpup configuration rifle, which despite good performance and being officially adopted by the British Army in 1951, never entered service.
- The SA80 (Small Arms of the 1980s) is the standard issue British Army rifle (Its two versions are designated as L85 and L86, which are respectively infantry rifle and light support weapon.). It is also used by other branches of the British armed forces per necessity, as well as Jamaican Defense Force. There is also an even shorter carbine variant used by Helicopter/Tank crews and Royal Marine boarding parties known as the L22A1/L22A2. The SA80 components were notoriously "copied" by Enfield Workers from the SAR-87 manufactured by Sterling Armaments at the same time but this led to the notorious unreliability of the L85A1.
- SA80 is the project title for a series of bullpup 5.56mm NATO weapon systems developed for British armed forces during the 1980s. The program included a standard issue rifle, a light machine gun, a carbine for vehicle crews (the L22) and a cadet rifle (the L98), all sharing the same receiver and 80% interchangeable components. The term SA80 is commonly used to refer to the L85 IW (individual weapon) and the L86 LSW (light support weapon) the standard issue rifle and squad automatic weapon of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army and the Royal Air Force. Based around a bullpup reconfiguration of the Armalite AR-18 the rifle, the SA80 series initially looked good on paper, due to its short length, inherent accuracy, comfortable grips and by being the first standard issue rifle in the world to come with optics as standard (the SUSAT). Unfortunately, much like the American M16 rifle, the series had a disastrous introduction. The one redeeming feature of the SA80A1 series was accuracy. The weapons possessed a level of accuracy that exceeded any standard rifle that had been fielded by British armed forces, so much so that the Ministry of Defense had to create new marksmanship test for it. Despite this, the rifle was originally considered one of the worst assault rifles money could buy, due to its weight, poor reliability, fragility, poor quality of materials used to manufacture the weapon and magazines and the complexity of its design. After several government investigations and reports it was dropped from NATO's list of approved weapons in 2000 and was soon redesigned internally by the well known German firearm manufacturer Heckler and Koch (at the time still owned by British arms manufacturer BAE Systems). The modifications made by H&K transformed the rifle from a liability into a worthy choice. While still heavier than many assault rifles, the reliability and stoppage issues are virtually nonexistent. While a well maintained SA80A1 weapons could be expected to suffer a stoppage or a failure after 150 rounds, the A2 variants fare much better, the average stoppage rate for the L85A2 being one stoppage after 25,000 rounds in temperate conditions (to give some perspective, factory new M4 and M16 rifles in temperate conditions can expect to fire 5,000 rounds before a stoppage). The minimum life expectancy for A2 components is 10,000 rounds before they are replaced, meaning it is technically possible for a British soldier to never suffer a stoppage during his or her military career. The rifle is among the most accurate in the world, with an effective range equal to or better than most 5.56mm rifles. It's barrel longer than that of an M16 in a smaller (if weightier) package. The even longer barrel in the L86A2 lends the LSW well to marksman roles, a task normally farmed out to 7.62mm battle rifles. While vastly improved compared to the A1 series, the weapons are not completely without fault. Unlike most modern bullpup weapons, the SA80 series is not ambidextrous and must be fired right handed in order to avoid spent casings hitting the user in the face. This also means that when firing around left facing corners, the user must fire blind. The weapons are also considerably heavier than most of their counterparts. Because bullpup weapons have the firing mechanisms and magazine toward the butt of the weapon, they are heavier at the stock and lighter towards the muzzle end, making them unbalanced and harder to aim. This is often corrected by adding weight to the front of the weapon, which in turn makes the weapon heavier altogether. As a result, the IW when fully loaded and equipped with a SUSAT is around 6kg (approx 13lb) with the LSW being even heavier. The extra weight is not a terrible flaw, in fact, it does benefit the SA80 series insomuch as it helps to soften the recoil, making it easier to consistently deliver accurate fire on a target and makes it more comfortable for the shooter. All in all, the SA80A2 series is looked on favorably by British armed forces and will probably be kept in service up until the 2020s. The weapons are currently undergoing modifications which will see ageing but venerable SUSAT replaced, new picatinny rail systems and lighter magazines.
- The SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a British family of 5.56mm small arms. It is a selective fire, gas-operated firearm. SA80 prototypes were trialled in 1976 and production was completed in 1994. The L85 rifle variant of the SA80 family has been the standard issue service rifle of the British Armed Forces since 1987, replacing the L1A1 SLR variant of the FN FAL. The improved L85A2 remains in service today. The remainder of the family comprises the L86 Light Support Weapon, the short-barrelled L22 carbine and the L98 Cadet GP Rifle. The SA80 was the last in a long line of British weapons (including the Lee-Enfield family) to come from the national arms development and production facility at Enfield Lock. Its bullpup configuration stems from a late-1940s programme at Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield to design a new service rifle which was known as the EM-2, which though similar in outline, was an entirely different weapon.
- The SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a family of 5.56 mm small arms designed and produced (until 1988) by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock. In 1988 production of the rifle was transferred to the Royal Ordnance’s Nottingham Small Arms Facility (later British Aerospace, Royal Ordnance; now BAE Systems Land Systems Munitions & Ordnance).
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