The SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a British family of 5.56×45mm NATO service weapons used by the British Army. [4] The L85 Rifle variant has been the standard issue service rifle of the British Armed Forces since 1987, replacing the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle .

Blank firing adapters are required for allowing blank ammunition to cycle the bolts of most semi-automatic and automatic firearms. It can also be a safety feature designed to break up the (wooden or plastic) plugs replacing the bullet in military blanks.

SA80 is the designation for a revolutionary family of assault weapons. On its introduction, it proved so accurate that the Army marksmanship tests had to be redesigned. SA80 A2 comprises the Individual Weapon (IW) and the Light Support Weapon (LSW).

Oct 14, 2019 · Once dubbed the 'civil servant' by troops amid complaints over its reliability – the SA80 has been the go-to rifle for the British Armed Forces on operations all across the world to this day. The first prototypes were created in 1976, …

Jul 15, 2021 · When the SLR was replaced by the SA80, which occurred gradually over some years, the no longer required rifles used consistently across operations for more than 30 years were mainly destroyed. However, some were saved from the crusher and instead provided to countries including Sierra Leone.

Jul 16, 2021 · Almost everybody serving in the Armed Forces today and the veterans who came before them, it seems, has a view on which of the two rifles – the SA80 or the L1A1 Self Loading Rifle (SLR) – is better.

As of May 2021, it has been reported in Jane's Defence Review that Heckler & Koch are converting obsolete SA80 rifles into .22LR training rifles using the SA80 A1 receivers. The L41A1 adapter units are being withdrawn, along with the 5.56mm L98A1 rifles.

Jan 1, 2018 · In October, 2 nd 1985 was the official launch of the new SA80 assault rifle in London. It was a crucial moment for the rifle to get the international recognition, with defence officials, and key industry specialists, generals, military attaches and journalists at the launch.

One man in a typical 4-man infantry fire team carries a SA80 fitted with an underslung L123A3 40mm grenade launcher. It is a single-shot wepon that uses a side opening breech loading action. It can be employed in either direct-fire or indirect fire modes.

At first the SA80 family was known for its reliability - reliable unreliability, that is. In fact, they were often known to not fire, break, shed parts and even to fall apart. To quote the leaked LANDSET report from 1991 entitled "Equipment Performance …