s the British SA80 rifle (officially
designated the L85) a piece of junk? This is a question of no small
importance to the grunts in the British Army. The rifle has been
plagued with numerous complaints, much as the M16 was in Vietnam 40
years ago. Part of the problem is the fact that the SA80s predecessor,
the L1A1 SLR (a variant of the FN FAL) had performed well in combat in
numerous climates (including the Falklands War in 1982).

The
SA80 is a bullpup design, an effort to get a good rifle in a small
package. The bullpup design allowed the designers to get a 20.4-inch
barrel on a 30.7-inch rifle. Contrast this with the M16A2, which has a
20-inch barrel, but is 39.6-inches long. Both rifles fire the 5.56mm
NATO round, and use 30-round clips. Nine inches might not sound like
much, but for a grunt, nine inches can be as important as nine miles. A
smaller rifle is lighter. It is also more compact ? in vehicles like
the Warrior (or Bradley), space is at a premium. Austria?s Steyr AUG
and France?s FAMAS have also seen some service as well, with the former
being adopted by a number of countries (including Austria, Saudi
Arabia, Malaysia, Oman, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia) and the US
Coast Guard. The FAMAS has served with the French, UAE, and Senegal.

The
M16 had its teething troubles in Vietnam, including severe jamming.
Rumors flew that one Marine unit that had been overrun featured a
number of casualties, each trying to clear a jam. These were solved by
the use of a new gun powder and instructions for the troops on how to
maintain them. The rifles stopped jamming by 1967. The SA80 has also
had some serious jamming issues. The first upgrade, to the L85A1
standard, however, was not started until 1997 ? after thirteen years
(and Desert Storm). This still had not solved the problem, and a second
upgrade, to the L85A2 standard, was started in 2000. The L85A2 has
performed well in Afghanistan and Iraq (including with its new 40mm
grenade launcher attachment), and seems to be on the way to recovering
from twenty years of teething problems.

Will
the SA80 recover from this? It?s not known. Current British plans are
to keep it in service until 2015. A possible replacement for this rifle
is the Heckler and Koch G36, which was the basis for the recently
cancelled XM8 rifle. The SA80, though, has become a solid rifle, and
when it is replaced, the veterans at the time will complain about its
replacement. This is no real surprise ? grunts tend to develop a close
relationship with their rifles.