L85A1 - 5.56x45mm

seen from Australia
seen from China

seen from Türkiye
seen from United States

seen from Singapore
seen from Germany

seen from Germany
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from China
seen from Argentina

seen from Czechia
seen from China

seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from Türkiye
seen from Serbia
seen from China

seen from Malaysia

seen from United States
L85A1 - 5.56x45mm
L85 Mystery: 1991-2023
Son of L28 Misky
Brother of L69 Summer
Probable brother of L38 Dylan
Possible nephew of L32 Olympia
Possible cousin of L22 Spirit, L44 Leo, L56 Disney, L63 Scotia and L87 Onyx
Possible first cousin once removed of L75 Panda, L79 Skana, and L89 Solstice
(Andrew Reding - Sept. 3, 2013)
I really wish my father didn't look at me the same way Mikhail Kalashnikov looks at the L85
Weapons File from Battle Action Force No. 598, dated 18 October 1986. The SA80 or Enfield Endeavour as it is called here. Introduced in the British Armed Forces in 1985, but upgraded by Heckler & Koch in the 2000's, it's probably more commonly referred to as the L85 family of guns with the most recent variant being the L85 A3.
It replaced the SLR (Self-Loading Rifle), otherwise known as the L1A1, the FAL (if you're a Call of Duty player) or "that gun with the wooden bits you got with Action Man".
The Light Support Weapon, the L86, shown above had also been given the commercial name of the Enfield Engager.
The L86 family are a "bullpup" design where the trigger grip is located in front of the breech and magazine instead of behind them, reducing the overall length of the gun. In the case of the SA80, and some other bullpups, this made firing them left-handed (or with a dominant left eye) 'difficult' as the ejection port is next to the face and the bullet cases exited to the right. This could result in quite a mouthful. Some bullpups are ambidextrous so not sure why the L85 was set up like this other than tradition. The FAMAS, for example, was the first bullpup in military service in the 1970's but could be converted to either left or right handed use.
The L85 is going to be replaced soon. I don't think a final decision has been made however some parts of the UK Armed Forces are going to be issued with the non-bullpup Knight's Stoner 1 (KS-1, below).
🇬🇧 The current British Army Infantry Section, factoring in organizational changes from 2018 and new modifications to the L85A3.
---Structure--- ⚔ The British Infantry Section consists of 8 men split into two fire teams (Charlie under the Section Commander and Delta under the Second-in-Command). Who goes in what fire team depends on the situation and preference, but generally the Section 2iC leads any sort of support-by-fire element (which normally includes the L7A2 general-purpose MG; sometimes the Sharpshooter as well). Other than leadership, key personnel include a Sharpshooter, 2 Grenadiers, 1 GPMG Gunner, and 2 Riflemen. Infantry Platoons are compoed of three such sections, in addition to a small Platoon HQ.
---Equipment--- ⚔ The standard service rifle is the L85A3, which is gradually replacing the L85A2. This graphic includes the new M-LOK handguards, replacing the KeyMod handguards it was adopted with. It also shows the new mounting system for the L123A3 grenade launcher. Previously, the old L85A2 mounting system was still being used on the L85A3.
⚔ The Sharpshooter is equipped with the L129A1, an LMT-produced rifle that replaced the L86 LSW in a designated marksman role in 2009. In 2018, the L7A2 GPMG was reintroduced to the section (having been taken out in the late-1980s), coinciding with the removal of the L110A1 LMG (version of the FN Minimi). The rationale was that the British trials unit stated that the Minimi was ineffective past 250 meters. Whether this is actually true or not, the Army decided it was not worth the weight burden to keep the Minimi in the section for that limited capability. The basic theory is the grenade launcher and rifle can suppress targets at shorter ranges, the sharpshooter can offer accurate point suppression at longer ranges, and the GPMG can offer area suppression at longer ranges. The area suppression role is why British L7A2s lack optics.
⚔ NLAW anti-tank guided missiles are available to each section. Depending on operational need, Glock 17 pistols can be issued to the section (as was seen in Afghanistan). This may be seen for future COIN deployments.
September 13, 2021: L Pod- Everest
L88 Wave Walker and L54 Ino
L85 Mystery
L124 Whistle and L77 Matia
L117 Keta
L117 Keta, L108 Coho, L121 Windsong
L94 Calypso and L121 Windsong
L89 Solstice
L88 Wave Walker and L108 Coho
L88 Wave Walker
L77 Matia
L25 Ocean Sun
L22 Spirit and L88 Wave Walker
L22 Spirit
Photo Credit to the Center for Whale Research Encounter #72 - Sept 13, 2021
Ally shot of a shooter sporting the L85A3 A must follow account: @odinbeargod #guns #army #britisharmy #britisharmedforces #sa80 #sa80a3 #practicalshooting #shootingcompetition #longrangeshooting #britishfirearms #hecklerandkoch #weapon #firearmphotography #britfire #l85a3 #l85a2 #l85 https://www.instagram.com/p/B6qpwM5Dfn8/?igshid=qa1kz5x3e3v