UK Royal Marine unit ditches the SA80 for Colt C8

Jane's Defence Weekly ^ | 3rd March 2016 | Tim Ripley

[the scotsman]

'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.'

[skeeter]

Bullpups look cool but apparently aren’t as efficient to operate.

[DoughtyOne]

[Charles Martel]

There's also an existing wide, wide world of M4 accessories that will work with the C8. Probably available at more competitive prices than similar pieces that are tailored for the SA80.

It looks like a sensible choice to me. By all means, keep those nuclear deterrent assets nice and secure.

[tumblindice]

You can always count on the Brits to get it right ... after they’ve tried everything else.

[Rinnwald]

Halt! Or I might shoot.

[centurion316]

The Brits really don’t have an army anymore, so why should they bother to kit up the few soldiers that they have. Buy the best and tell the defence industries to start selling carbon credits.

[Bidimus1]

The SA80 has had a long and unpleasant service life.

http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_SA80.html

Its like the M16 but never really got the bugs ironed out.

That it replaced the L1A1 makes the lack of success even harder of course.

[ctdonath2]

“Stop! Or I’ll say ‘stop’ again!”

[ctdonath2]

http://www.coltcanada.com/c8-carbines.html

[tumblindice]

[the scotsman]

Please tell me you are joking.

[the scotsman]

Thanks.

[the scotsman]

Yes, our armed forces aren’t the sixe of WW1/2 or the Cold War, but neither are we Andorra.

[LowOiL]

I thought Colt went out of business.

[tumblindice]

Armalite’s still around. I saw this on sale for $499.99.

https://armalite.com/eagle-15/

[Reverend Wright]

made by Colt in Kitchener, which the socialist CBC helpfully labels as Canada’s only “machine gun” factory.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/tour-of-kitchener-gun-factory-1.1329880

[MasterGunner01]

The Royal Marines and SAS have used M16/M4 rifles since the Falkland's War (on and off). They call them “ArmaLites” after the originator. The SA80 has been plagued by problems ever since the British military shelved the 7.62 NATO L1A1 rifle (aka SLR — self-loading rifle). The SA80 (aka L85A1) was so unreliable in the First Gulf War that L1A1 rifles were reissued from war reserve stocks. H&K was brought aboard to cure the L85A1 problems and this resulted in the L85A2 that is now standard. For some reason, the Brits have a fixation with bullpup rifles. First was the EM-1 and EM-2, then the L64, and then the successor L85. The first three never saw service, but the L85 did and it has not gotten a sterling reputation.

[skeeter]

Here it would be known as a scary black assault weapon capable of firing 30 bullets per second factory.

[tumblindice]

Kitchener’s close to Toronto, did they make the Inglis Browning P-35 too?
http://www.ai4fr.com/main/page_militaria__collectibles_canada_inglis.html