Should British Army upgrade?

[Tom]

they should upgrade the sa80 so its ambidextrous

Has been said for over 25 years
Leg handed soldiers are taught how to use the right handed sa80.
The problem with just picking up and firing is the bullpup design ejects in the face of the left handed
The same would go for switching sides for firing around obstacles - so the army train in techniques for this, and are good at it
If did not go ambidextrous for ejection in version 2 so never will
An alternate is to stop using a bullpup as it then does not matter about ejection
There are various standard adopted weapons depending on role, plus the uor options, so there will be no standard weapon replacement in the near future

 

[Chiped117]

I've already said it but the demarco is being phased in

 

[gommie404]

who hear has been,,, in country..only those can answer....The sa80 as you put it,,,< which by the way is has not been called for years > is a good weapon,,,,
the only reason it cocked up first time is it was designed by engineers and then built by accountants,, know your history,,,the accountants messed it up,,

and bud you have to know,,getting shot by anything,,even a 22 moving at 2000 fps,, will put you down,,, i like 223 remington,, its a good flat round,,,
7.62 is great if you can get something to shoot it out off,,,not a bloody bendy wendy ak47,,, if theres even any left..as most are cashmere copys,,,
next 7.62 needs a certain length of barrel to get up to speed,,other wise its a slow heavy slug with less range than a 22,, so you can blow out using 7.62 for any thing other than contact at over 300meters,, if you can see that far ..in the heat,, 7.62 for big guns at range.. 22s for close up or under 300meters.

by the way i know its coming,,by 22 i mean 223.remington,, or if your in the mob,, 5.56MM.. 22 BEING 5.50MM...PLUS HEAD SIZE..

and i can carry more 223 than i can 7.62...and thats what its all about,,,as for malfunctions where do you get your info from,,, the M4 has been the worst gun in the dust.. and boy you have to know how much dust there is,,,

now also seeing as most contact is at short range...under 300 meters...why a bigger round,,,theres allready a squad 7.62 rifle,,, and sometimes a SAW or bigger in the form of a lmg in 7.62,

by the way,,history,, the father of the SA80 the EM models started as 4,60mm so that makes 223 a step up,,next they went to 7.62,,,but found it lacking with what you could carry ammo wise in to the field,

 

[Chiped117]

now also seeing as most contact is at short range...under 300 meters...why a bigger round,,,theres allready a squad 7.62 rifle,,, and sometimes a SAW or bigger in the form of a lmg in 7.62

Who the hell are you?? Contacts tend to happen @ about 800m away coz they have 7.62 and we have 5.56 and they know their range is far better than ours.

I've not once been contacted less than 500m away

 

[Tom]

Who the hell are you?? Contacts tend to happen @ about 800m away coz they have 7.62 and we have 5.56 and they know their range is far better than ours.

I've not once been contacted less than 500m away

You also have a variety of weapon options & calibres depending on role (individual or task).
For the purposes of the orignal question - Should the army upgrade from the 5.56 L85A2?
No - it is a fit for purpose, general purpose individual rifle with 5.56 NATO standard ammunition, and you can carry a lot more 5.56 then 7.62
For the secondary question of having options for other requirements:
Yes - The British army have a variety of weapons and calibres, both adopted into doctrine and speicifc UORs. These have been in use for some time, and are being brought into use as needs change.

Gommie does know his stuff with regard to real steel weaponry

 

[M600]

I've already said it but the demarco is being phased in

ok what is this demarco, never heard about it and cant find anything on the net


caliber wise 5.56mm is the choice because of capacity and the sa80 is a good all round rifle because of its long barrel
no rifle will be the best choice, because no matter where you fight you will always move from a big open field into a small urban environment and vice versa
the army teaches that it takes a platoon size force to clear one building and to use semi auto fire only, why? because you burn through ammo like nobodies business
but then again, if you train people to shoot like assasins then you can use 50 cals, so its all down to how the army is trained

 

[Evil Rich]

Diemaco, Canadian company now Colt Canada, SF have been using AR based Diemaco's previously

 

[Tom]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diemaco
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Canada_C7_rifle

UKSF have the designated L119A1 which is the carbine C8 version of the Diemaco C7 (variant of the AR15/M16/M4 family) It is also used in some other roles such as the RMP, pathfinders and roles with close SF/US support.
This and other AR variants were more common in appropriate roles before the A2 release of the SA80, and when the SA80 did not have UGL capability.

It does not fall in the category standard issue, those of which are detailed in:
http://www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23218.aspx
http://www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23219.aspx

 

[Chiped117]

This is me and a few of my mates yesterday on the airhead in afghan. Top left: sharp shooter (7.62), top middle: me - standard sa80a2 with lds, cqb and llm (5.56), top right: sa80a2 with lds, cqb, llm and ugl attach, bottom left and right: gpmg (7.62).

You're right that the diemarco is not standard issue. nor is glock side arm. However, SF and paras ARE using them and they will slowly become standard issue. I'm sure you're aware it's not a simple process to change every weapon in circulation in the army. It's a long drawn out process and won't be done in a day

 

[Canon Fodder]

Yes should upgrade to the m41a1.