SA80

[Gil Boyd]

Brian,
That is clearly the point of this thread. It shows the SA80 to be an "incompetent" weapon on all counts as far as an operational weapons system is based.
The HK416 or revised M16 would have been a far better proposition, but I am convinced it was because Royal Ordnance had been recently taken over when the SA80 first reared its head and it was simply "this has to be a British weapon" that hurried it through without all the bells and whistles sorted.
Now they have in part sorted all the issues after billions have been thrown at it by successive governments, it is in my view too late to try and rectify this, with the old soldier mentality.
I do believe however, a new soldier or fresh face on the block will think it the best weapon on the face of the planet, without knowing whats gone before!!

Again in my view and perhaps biased somewhat, I do believe the PH M85 should easily have won the MOD sniper rifle contract in favour of the L96, which had its own problems in the early days.