UK Royal Marine unit ditches the SA80 for Colt C8

[Zarvan]

The Colt Canada C8 tactical carbine now equips the Royal Marines' 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group instead of the SA80. Source: Colt Canada
A high-profile UK Royal Marine unit has been re-equipped with the Colt Canada C8 carbine to enhance its ability to protect the Royal Navy's nuclear deterrent submarine base and nuclear weapon convoys.

The move makes the unit the first British non-special forces unit to completely drop the bullpup L85A2 (SA80) rifle used by the rest of the regular forces. Various UK special forces units already use the C8, which is designated the L119 in British service.

Details of the re-equipment effort were revealed by the commander of 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines, Colonel Graeme Fraser, in a briefing document to service members distributed in February.

He said all of the unit's operational squadrons, which have the task of protecting UK nuclear weapons at HM Naval Base Clyde at Faslane in Scotland or when they are being move around the UK, had been equipped with the Canadian weapon. The 790-strong commando unit also serves as the Royal Navy's specialist naval boarding unit. The "roll-out of the weapon" had been completed by the end of 2015, said Col Fraser.

43 Commando already used small numbers of L119s, as well as other specialist weapons such as the H&K MP5 submachine gun, but the move now confirms the L119 as the unit's standard weapon. A senior Royal Navy source told IHS Jane's that 300 more C8s had been purchased to fully equip 43 Commando. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) was unable to provide IHS Jane's with the cost of the acquisition.

The logic behind the move was because the L119 has "reduced ricochet, limited collateral damage" features. Both the L119 and L85A2 are chambered in the NATO-standard 5.56x45 mm round, indicating that 43 Commando will be using a low-velocity round for its L119s.

The Royal Navy said this was a "one-off" purchase and was not a signal that the Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade was going to be re-equipped with new weapon.

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http://www.janes.com/article/58501/uk-royal-marine-unit-ditches-the-sa80-for-colt-c8

 

[Abingdonboy]

The Colt Canada C8 tactical carbine now equips the Royal Marines' 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group instead of the SA80. Source: Colt Canada
A high-profile UK Royal Marine unit has been re-equipped with the Colt Canada C8 carbine to enhance its ability to protect the Royal Navy's nuclear deterrent submarine base and nuclear weapon convoys.

The move makes the unit the first British non-special forces unit to completely drop the bullpup L85A2 (SA80) rifle used by the rest of the regular forces. Various UK special forces units already use the C8, which is designated the L119 in British service.

Details of the re-equipment effort were revealed by the commander of 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines, Colonel Graeme Fraser, in a briefing document to service members distributed in February.

He said all of the unit's operational squadrons, which have the task of protecting UK nuclear weapons at HM Naval Base Clyde at Faslane in Scotland or when they are being move around the UK, had been equipped with the Canadian weapon. The 790-strong commando unit also serves as the Royal Navy's specialist naval boarding unit. The "roll-out of the weapon" had been completed by the end of 2015, said Col Fraser.

43 Commando already used small numbers of L119s, as well as other specialist weapons such as the H&K MP5 submachine gun, but the move now confirms the L119 as the unit's standard weapon. A senior Royal Navy source told IHS Jane's that 300 more C8s had been purchased to fully equip 43 Commando. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) was unable to provide IHS Jane's with the cost of the acquisition.

The logic behind the move was because the L119 has "reduced ricochet, limited collateral damage" features. Both the L119 and L85A2 are chambered in the NATO-standard 5.56x45 mm round, indicating that 43 Commando will be using a low-velocity round for its L119s.

The Royal Navy said this was a "one-off" purchase and was not a signal that the Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade was going to be re-equipped with new weapon.

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(343 of 653 words)

http://www.janes.com/article/58501/uk-royal-marine-unit-ditches-the-sa80-for-colt-c8

The forces have disliked the SA-80 since it was introduced despite redesigns by HK and comprehensive upgrades to the furniture.

 

[Irfan Baloch]

The forces have disliked the SA-80 since it was introduced despite redesigns by HK and comprehensive upgrades to the furniture.

had a terrible record in gulf war due to jamming

 

[Frogman]

had a terrible record in gulf war due to jamming

What's in service today (and has been for quite some time) isn't what was in service in GWI.

The L85A1 was reworked by HK into the L85A2 which is by all (informed accounts) a reliable and accurate rifle. The modifications it received during and post HERRICK make it a pretty darn good.

Every stoppage I have encountered has been the fault of a diffy magazine or rounds, not the rifle. The only real downside with the rifle is its weight (especially with a SUSAT) and the difficulty (it really isn't that hard though) in stripping/assembling and cleaning compared to other weapon systems knocking about.

43 COMMANDO are well within their rights to swap out the L85 if they feel it's not suitbale for some of the niche (or specialist) roles they are responsible for. This won't be an Army (or Navy erh if you're RM) wide trend.

Its current config with all Infantry units

 

[Penguin]

The Colt Canada C8 tactical carbine now equips the Royal Marines' 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group instead of the SA80. Source: Colt Canada

UK Royal Marine unit ditches the SA80 for Colt C8 | IHS Jane's 360

Dutch Marines, which have been working closely with UK marines for decades, switched to C-7 and C-8 and LOAW a long time ago, as have most of our air and sea mobile units. Dutch commando's later switched to HK-416

 

[Desertfalcon]

I've always had somewhat mixed feelings about the AR-15 platform of weapons, but then I've had mixed feelings about the 5.56mm round in general, as being just on the side of too light and too short ranged for a main battle weapon. However, one can't argue with success and it has been successful, if nothing else. Even countries like Israel which produced the excellent IMI Galil, never got around to making it their standard and fell back on the M-16 family of weapons.

 

[Penguin]

had a terrible record in gulf war due to jamming

a more extensive modification programme was executed. In 2000, Heckler & Koch, at that time owned by the British defence conglomerate BAE Systems, was contracted to upgrade the SA80 family of weapons. Two hundred thousand SA80s were re-manufactured at a cost of £400 each, producing the A2 variant. Changes focused primarily on improving reliability and include: a redesigned cocking handle, modified bolt, extractor and a redesigned hammer assembly that produces a slight delay in the hammer's operation in continuous fire mode, improving reliability and stability. There were equivalent LSW and carbine modifications. The British Ministry of Defence describes the L85A2 revision as "modified in light of operational experience... the most reliable weapons of their type in the world". Army trials indicated extremely good reliability over a range of climates for various operational scenarios, though with a decline in reliability in hot, and especially hot and dry conditions. The L85A2 has achieved an average reliability rate of 25,200 mean rounds between failure, and the L86A2 achieved 12,897 mean rounds between failures. Both weapons have higher reliability rates in cold/dry, temperate, and hot/wet conditions (over 31,500 MRBF for L85A2), but lower rates in hot/dry environments. The minimum expected life of A2 components is 10,000 rounds, meaning they may never suffer stoppages during their lifetimes. The L85A1 was required to be able to fire 120 rounds over 24 hours, and the L86A1 was required to fire 800 rounds in 24 hours. The L85A2 is required to fire 150 rounds in 8 minutes 40 seconds, and the L86A2 is required to fire 960 rounds in 36 minutes. The first A2-style SA80 weapons were rushed into action in Afghanistan in December 2001, and all 200,000 were converted by February 2006. Three to four thousand weapons were converted per month. Despite the modifications, reports started to emerge that the L85A2 was still jamming. In reality, there were few jams and problems were much less serious than were made out to be, stemming from isolated cases of soldiers not cleaning their weapons correctly

Continued testing of the L85A2 in adverse conditions demonstrates its reliability over contemporary rifles, including the M16. Although it is heavier than most conventional and more modern bullpup rifles, its full-length barrel gives higher muzzle velocities and better terminal performance than both the M4 and the M16.

SA80 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia