#l1a1

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).

L1A1 🇬🇧 SLR [British FN FAL - Iron Sights] to 600yds 

The Royal Bermuda Regiment & The Mini-14

Formed in 1965 the Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR) is a territorial line infantry battalion, whose primary role is internal security. Initially equipped with the British Army’s L1A1 self-loading rifle, the Mini-14 was selected by the Royal Bermuda Regiment in 1983 to replace the L1A1. The 1980s saw a number of other British Army affiliated units move away from the L1A1, with the Falkland Islands Defence Force selecting the Steyr AUG.

Members of the RBR on dress parade with Mini-14s, c.1994 (source)

The Mini-14 GB (Government Barrel) semi-automatic rifle was purchased from Ruger. The Mini-14 GB had a thicker profile barrel with a a flash hider and mounting lug for the US M7 bayonet. The Royal Bermuda Regiment issued the Mini-14s with 20 round magazines. They were initially shipped with standard wooden stocks but in the early 1990s black polymer stocks with pistol grips were procured from Choate. Another unique attribute of the Regiment’s Mini-14s is the regimental crest stamped on the left side of the receiver. Less than a thousand rifles were produced for the Royal Bermuda Regiment.

Member of RBR cleaning their weapon after a range day, c.2012 (source)

The Mini-14 was developed in the late 1960s by L. James Sullivan and William Ruger, chambered in .223 Remington / 5.56x45mm it is a gas operated rifle with a rotating bolt. The rifle was essentially developed as a scaled-down M14 with a cast receiver and a simplified gas system and bolt. 

RBR soldier with ‘new’ L85A2 with ACOG, c.2019 (source)

The search for a weapon to replace the Ruger began in the 2010s with the German Heckler & Koch G36 and the US M4 both being tested. The HK G36 was selected but budget constraints saw the British L85A2 adopted instead. The rifles, along with 1,600 magazines and over 400 ACOGs were donated to the regiment. The switch to the L85A2 began in 2015 and was completed in early 2016. The Royal Bermuda Regiment’s use of the Mini-14 is one of the few military procurements of the rifle.

Sources:

Images: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

RBR Recruits at the range with Mini-14s c.2013 (source)

Rifles worth $1.4m donated to Regiment, Royal Gazette, (source)

RBR Soldiers Get to Grips with Rifles, RBR, (source)

Regiment Soldiers Continue Training Overseas, BerNews, (source)