I like the SA80

[skiprat]

I worked on the A1 in 1987 ( two years after its introduction) at the Guards Depot (infantry basic training) where it got a real hammering, with lots of use by inexperienced, young users.... We worked flat out to keep the rifles in the hands of the user as well as filling in all the equipment failure reports ( the start of any proposed modification).
We had problems with the quality control of many of the spares supplied, many made by small engineering firms with little or no firearms experience. ( And the same part could be made by a few different companies in a short time)
We Armourers identified the common problems early in its service but there felt like there was an unwillingness for change ( modification) There was one "special" stepped bolt that failed regularly ( bipod leg pivot) we replaced it with a standard m6 bolt and it was accepted as a modification ...... Until the manufacturer made a new "special" stepped bolt and we had to replace all the m6 bolts!!!!
I didn't like to shoot the A1 ( ergonomics, I don't like changing magazines under my armpits...) bit did not have any reliability problems with my A1 and I did more shooting than most as I was part of the shooting team.

With the introduction of the A2 the quality of the parts improved and the common faults were removed by modification. And the work load of the Armourer reduced drastically.... It's now a very reliable platform ( if your Armourer is aware of what to look for in the annual inspection , as some of the parts are nearly 30 years old)

I still don't like it, It's boring to repair!!!!! ...... But can get it to perform out to 600m