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Early rifles produced at the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield were of poor quality with production improved only after a new factory at RSAF Nottingham went into operation. The L85A1–often referred to as the SA80–was seemingly off to a bright start but users quickly discovered problems. Downsides common to early bullpups included a fixed length of pull and the need for left-handed shooters to learn to shoot with their right hand–or have the unpleasant experience of ejecting brass pummeling them in the face. This made the rifle easier to handle in tight spaces, such as urban terrain or inside a Warrior infantry fighting vehicle. Army and Marine Corps’ M16A2 with 20-inch barrel was 39 inches long. The L85A1’s bullpup configuration made for a compact weapon: even with a 20-inch barrel the rifle was only 30.9 inches long. The NATO countries, starting with the United States, were gradually trading in their 7.62-millimeter battle rifles for 5.56-millimeter “assault rifles.” Although these smaller caliber weapons had a shorter range, they were lighter, easier to fire, and the new 5.56 standard meant NATO troops could share ammunition. The L1A1 served for decades, through the Suez Crisis and the Falklands War-where ironically British troops fought Argentinian troops armed with fully automatic FAL rifles.īy the 1980s it was clear the L1A1 needed the replacement. It was also semi-automatic and, unlike the original FN FAL battle rifle it was based on, built on the Imperial measuring system. The new rifle, L1A1, had a twenty round detachable magazine and was chambered in 7.62×51 NATO. The prospect of British troops armed with bolt action rifles going up against Soviet troops with fully automatic rifles was no doubt terrifying, and the British Army of the Rhine would have been heavily outgunned at the small unit level. The Soviet Union had already fielded the AK-47, details of which were leaking out into the West after a secret introduction. The L1A1 replaced the legendary Lee Enfield bolt action rifle, which had served through two world wars but totally obsolete in the age of atom bomb warfare. In 1954, the United Kingdom adopted its first truly new infantry rifle in half a century: the L1A1.