SA80A2 Carbine

[HighlandSniper58]

When the SA80 was first introduced, there were actually three basic versions on offer - the Rifle (L85A1), Light Support Weapon (L86A1) and Carbine intended for Special Forces, Armoured Vehicle Crews, Helicopter aircrew etc. The carbine version was made in supposedly small numbers and then disappeared from view.

The SA80 as we all know has gone through a metamophosis over the past year re-appearing as the Heckler & Koch modified L85A2/L86A2, and by all accounts is finally doing the job for which is was designed.

In the Autumn of last year, an article in Soldier magazine announced the new SA80A2k (k for carbine in Heckler & KOch German) which was to be adopted by the British Army for AFV crews and was being looked at by the AAC and other units. Basically, the "new" carbine is a modernised version of the original one, modified to "A2" standard.
http://img208.exs.cx/img208/3886/stubbyk24vz.th.jpg (http://img208.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img208&image=stubbyk24vz.jpg)
apart from the Soldier article, I have seen no further reference to this version of the SA80 - can anyone shed further light on whether this is really about to enter service, or is it just more MoD "spin" to popularise an ailing weapons system.

[Drone_pilot]

googled it and came across this site
http://royalmarines.mine.nu/library.php

Nice picture here
http://royalmarines.mine.nu/library/sa80.jpg

[Bombardier]

Ahhh good old google! :lol:
Interesting stuff bm;

[HighlandSniper58]

Yes, the pic there is the old 1970/80s prototype version.

[Bombardier]

http://213.52.209.110/lowres/45140/45140465.jpg

Image courtesey of the MOD http://www.photos.mod.uk

[Matzos]

It is sad to say that there still personnel within the RAF that have never fired a SA80 (LA85 or the Rifle as the air force like to call it),
they still go back to the days of using the SLR, SMG or for the Officers, the Hi-power 9mm.

[Bombardier]

Yes but although heavier, the SLR in my humble opinion was a much better weapon.

http://img99.exs.cx/img99/6779/slr7ou.jpg

[Drone_pilot]

Carried the SLR through 4 tours of N.I. and 15 years of service, and don't regret a day, a good and reliable weapon. sal;

[Bombardier]

Carried the SLR through 4 tours of N.I. and 15 years of service, and don't regret a day, a good and reliable weapon. sal;

Carried mine through two tours of N.I , The Gulf (1) and 12 years service And I echo Droneys comment. :mrgreen:

[Zofo]

I only picked up an SA80 at the very end of my service. I loved the SLR for its sheer power.
The best weapon I ever fired was the HK G3 with the Danish army. Target DID fall when hit at 300+ metres, something I could never do with the SLR.

[Matzos]

Within the RAF we are not allowed, for some reason, to call the rifle the SA80, it can only be called the Rifle or the L85 (I think it was 1985 when the RAF first received the weapon).
They just started training us on the MkII version of the L85, this is only if you are going 'Out of Area', that is on operations. The rifle looks the same and works the same. However, there are, I have been told, small changes, one being that the cocking handle has been up-graded so you do not have to push the handle forward after you cocked the weapon.
The 7.62 SLR was a true weapon, once you fired it, you know the power of the rifle, I once fired one on the ranges and after I think 3 or 4 rounds, the plastic stock and front grip fell off the weapon, leaving the rifle in bits. The range controller (RAF Regiment) was going to have me charged, but later on, they discovered the weapon was faulty and the charge was dropped.

uzi,

[Drone_pilot]

many of you will know that the SLR gas plug can be rotated 180 deg, for use when firing the Energa AT Grenade (http://www.militaryimages.net/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/1247/sort/1/cat/all/page/1), we were on the rifle range at Senelarger when some Tango Whisky Alpha Tango, turned mine around (My fault for not checking) the recoil from first round i fired nearly put me in the range control hut, god if i could find out who did that I'd kill them i was black and blue and sore for days. :D

[Matzos]

I always remember trying to fit the gas plug and not getting it right, you let go and the thing shoots off like a missile into the sand or grass. Then the game starts, trying to find it before the instructor sees you.
lolb;

[Drone_pilot]

If that happend to me I'd just look for the nearest puddle of muddy water and guess what bound to be at the bottom :roll:

[Matzos]

You have to look back on those days and laugh, lolb;

[Zofo]

I remember we were on an exercise and part of it was a night drive exercise. We went for a briefing in the dusk around the OC's rover and as I was walking along the packet (small convoy) I felt that something was not quite right, weaponwise. We had the brief and went back to our waggon. After I settled in and got my map folded, I put my SLR into the front bit of the rover which holds the gat. As I put it in, the bloody thing broke in two! My crew chief had opened the working parts whilst we were waiting for the brief and as we'd gone along (again my fault for not checking) the working parts and top cover went west, somewhere along track. I now had @ 2 minutes to find all the bits, in the dark, before we moved off. Luckily, I remembered where I'd felt that something was wrong. Even more lucky, the kit was still there, intact, and to the side of a very muddy puddle. After giving my full screw the good news with the rifle butt (not too hard!) we had to get going. As it was, most of the squadron went off the road, down ditches, gullies, into trees and so on, causing our REME wrecker a night's work and the Squadron OC to have an interview with the CO (no coffee or buscuits). Whilst we managed to get round the course unscathed it did give me the extra time to clean the weapon and say nothing to anyone else!

[Riddick]

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/7554/sa80im7.jpg

http://royalmarines.mine.nu/library/sa80.jpg

[Bombardier]

Excellent pics mate (Y)

[TankBuster]

Nice pic, but i always was skeptical of bull-pup

[Hollis]

Nice pic, but i always was skeptical of bull-pup
I am like you, I never had a chance to play with one and so I am not to sure about it.

The idea is a great, long barrel in a short firearm.

[TankBuster]

Well its a great gun in a tight space, but i heard the Acc. is sketchy

[Unregistered]

Well its a great gun in a tight space, but i heard the Acc. is sketchy

It looks like a nice nifty piece to carry around, Especially for those sneaky Commando's who like getting in confined spaces like sewers etc

You could also bayonet the enemy using just your right hand.

[Bombardier]

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/7554/sa80im7.jpg




This doesnt appear to be a Bull pup ? Feck knows why I didnt spot this the first time ???

[Bombardier]

http://www.project-x.org.uk/images/picsa80carbine1.jpg

This is waht it should look like

[Unregistered]

Yes it is in service now! ive used it out in afghanistan on operations. and it is as good as the longer barrelled A2. easily dropping targets at 300m.