Enfield L85A1: Perhaps the Worst Modern Military Rifle

[@maninabush8449]

I know a guy who tried to shoot himself with one in Deepcut Barracks years ago, the weapon didn't fire and he had to spend the rest of night on guard duty knowing his rifle didn't work and he couldn't report the fault...

[@morgs456]

Lmao savage.

[@obama8934]

That would honestly suck

[@robertlavington1433]

Deepcut, what a shithole of a place. Can anyone remember that fat prick of provo sergeant?

[@cockpiss9260]

LMAO, fucking deid! Unlike that sentry.

[@andytheyiddoyidforlife7686]

Hence we all know SCUM NCO's and their killing squads executed recruits at Pirbright and Deepcut!!! They covered it up as we wouldnt send our kids to fight for them otherwise! Betrayed by our own! Facts matter!

[@Jaytheradical]

"Now, taking the rifle apart is fairly simple: You just shake it hard enough, really."

[@Fred_the_1996]

100,000 subscribers with no Videos Just drink tea near it and it will melt...

[@AndyG2276]

100,000 subscribers with no Videos I was gonna say, it was 50/50 just loading a magazine resulted in the thing falling apart. I swear inclement weather could result in a jamb. I bloody hated these things.

[@kostelskibuk9444]

😂😂😂😂😂👍

[@Grimmwoldds]

@@Fred_the_1996 Melts in proximity to tea? I think that's the American export model.

[@Fred_the_1996]

@@Grimmwoldds Maybe it's the russian version, there it's cold...

[@DrKerbis]

I've heard the L85A1 called the Civil Servant because it doesn't work and it can't be fired.

[@thenoobcannon9830]

you sir! made my day.

[@RJM1011]

LOL !

[@robertallen9472]

Chuck Nugget ayy... the entire social services team in the UK...

[@RJM1011]

Robert Allen I'll drink to that for New Year ! Thank you. :)

[@robertallen9472]

Richard Maunder np mate, I've been stuck with them for the past two years trying to get back to living with my mum, hope you haven't had the same BS

[@fuzzypanda1684]

I think it's a rule that every military must, at some point in time, adopt a terrible standard issue weapon and force its soldiers to use it for an unacceptably long period of time.

[@stuglife5514]

So this is the British equivalent to the M-14 basically. Nice

[@stuglife5514]

@Quo Hium I was over exaggerating to an extent

[@visassess8607]

Yeah that's scary. You're expected to go into combat and your main fighting tool doesn't even work.

[@Osama-Bon-Jovi-01]

@@visassess8607 the sa80 works just fine

[@mythgreatbritain]

Like the M16

[@gabrielfraser2109]

Laugh all you like, this rifle saved my uncle's life, and he went on to have a long, successful career in the Iraqi military. Edit: Half of the replies are just people calling me an idiot because they didn't get the joke. If you're about to call me an idiot, read it again, slowly and carefully.

[@Narcan885]

Thanks for nothing

[@11jerans]

Holy shit, this comment is fucking hilarious

[@highjumpstudios2384]

Fear not. I laugh, endlessly

[@ianfinrir8724]

They got us in the first half, not gonna lie

[@blaiseailey3563]

Hahaha

[@laurenbastin8849]

makes sense the L85 can only be used with your right hand Thatcher hated the left.

[@apexinstinct]

😂

[@p.atrick.]

@@The_Stranger-A3 Margaret thatcher lmao

[@jedsimpkin6688]

lol

[@laurenbastin8849]

HellsAiden yeah not that Thatcher (though probably also that Thatcher too he’s a massive Maggie fanboy)

[@Destroyer2150]

No wonder people hated that bitch...

[@Treblaine]

"You are, without a doubt, the worst rifle I've ever heard of." "Ah, but you have heard of me!"

[@drftr7735]

Treblaine nice little pirates of the Caribbean nod there m8

[@franksworld9922]

@@drftr7735 indeed

[@Canni666]

Just like me in school 😂

[@Treblaine]

@TJ Murphy kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWbOeHatf5doj8U

[@Christopher-po8pt]

haha worst ever, though that belonged to the Chauchat?

[@supereldinho]

A fun anecdote: one time, during his trip to England, Mikhail Kalashnikov actually met with the gun's designers who showed it to him and asked him what he thought of it. He could only shake his head and, after explaining that he made the AK47 on the principle that even a complete idiot could operate it, took one more look at this thing and said "Going by this you must have very clever soldiers." Ouch.

[@blinthepannkek6173]

Emotional damage

[@shayamaddex996]

Kalashnikov sees an AR-15: "Nice rifle" Kalashnikov sees an SA-80: "Is pizdec"

[@Philush97]

​​@@shayamaddex996 *chuynia

[@Joseph-mw2rl]

Actually he said: What the cyka blyat

[@adiamond563]

@@shayamaddex996 what about the g36

[@Nooziterp1]

In it's early days the L85 was known by some as the 'civil servant' because it didn't work and couldn't be fired.

[@starcorpvncj]

Good one. Same the world over.

[@Zlonk7]

I mean ofc it didn't work in the early days in the early days it was made in a factory that was falling apart and nobody knew how to clean it correctly. They did a test in Oman where they got the dustiest firing range they could find, plowed around to kick up more dust and fly helicopters around to simulate brownouts and you know what happened? It performed better than the m16s they had

[@Ranamon9132]

@@Zlonk7 Jesus dude. How many fucking times do you wanna reply and say basically the same thing? Nearly every comment thread youre saying the same thing.

[@Zlonk7]

@@Ranamon9132 im covid positive so I'm sitting at home and have nothing better to do

[@sEaNoYeAh]

Ironic given the British civil service is world famous for actually being good all things considered.

[@penhullwolf5070]

We Brits are a fair minded people. The A1 was designed to give the enemy a sporting chance.

[@BunnyUK]

Penhull Wolf Britons

[@Will831100]

@@BunnyUK Nah. I'm a Brit. You'll hear that from others too.

[@proonguice8386]

Thats funny 👍🏻

[@Mogmogs]

like a gent.

[@gaz3602]

@@BunnyUK as a brit we never call ourselves britons

[@snowwalrus1851]

How to disassemble the SA-80: Fire it on full auto, and then just pick up all the pieces that fell off it.

[@Zlonk7]

I mean if you got one that wasn't manufactured in a factory with old ass machinery and an inexperienced workforce ( like most sa 80s made after the 80s and before the 2000s) this isn't really feasible

[@homijbhabha8860]

@@Zlonk7 I am pretty sure every ordinance factory owned by the MOD is shit, their lunch breaks are probably 3 hours.

[@Zlonk7]

@@homijbhabha8860 the specific one I'm talking about was an Enfield factory that was going to be closed in a year bu somebody decided to make ALL of the SA80 A1s for cost efficiency or something but from all i heard the ones built with working machines were more reliable than M16s in hot dry dusty conditions and functioned quite well. Also they were accurate as hell like the A1 models

[@stevenrfg0456]

I mean ur not wrong I did cadets for 3 years nd ma old mate zac he was a corporal nd he was teachin us how to fire it properly I can’t remember so we will say that but he fired 6 or 7 rounds nd the front sling point fell of nd the hand guard cracked down the middle

[@RUTGERMORTENSEN]

I can relate

[@yourmanjimbo]

In STALKER the lore is that the British army has adopted the G36 meaning the L85 found its way into the hands of the people of the zone. If you equip it, even in near perfect condition, it jams every 10 shots lol

[@battlesheep2552]

Still made a pretty good midgame DMR

[@yourmanjimbo]

@@battlesheep2552 but at that point you can get the LR-300 which is way better

[@themonolithian]

I love the L85

[@plantelo]

You made me check on STALKER:SOC and it turns out it was on sale on Steam and now I have bought it. Hope you're happy >:(

[@yourmanjimbo]

@@plantelo I’m a big stalker fan (did a video on it a while back) so yes I’m happy

[@airborne293]

I hear a Scottish man running full speed at me with a sledgehammer

[@AC-ly4ho]

wait hol up slej has a L85A2 not A1

[@excoto2298]

Skyfracture shut up

[@wolfsquad1532]

They all look the same really

[@gripen777]

i thought i heard a british man running full speed at me with an emp nade

[@ЯАнсиу]

EXCOTO why? What did he do. He just corrected a common error.

[@robertlehnert4148]

What genius did it take to make a bullpup 5. 56 that was HEAVIER than the 7.62 battle rifle it replaced?

[@stephen7571]

Obviously an inept person who has no concept of sensibility, or perhaps he didn’t care because he would not be lumbered with it.

[@bobbyjohnson7069]

The same idiots that ignored the fact that the British empire was made with functional firearms and hard men! When you forget your culture is a GUN culture ( like the US and Canada) you create garbage like the L85a1/2 Funny that the UK special forces use M4 variants ( M4a1, C-8, HK416) as well as the British Police forces

[@deadlyviper_]

@@bobbyjohnson7069 SAS actually use the L119A1/A2, still technically an M4 variant as it's based off the AR-15

[@WYLad2024]

@@deadlyviper_ SAS don't use British guns, it's because if they are KIA or captured the UK government can have operational deniability.

[@deadlyviper_]

@@WYLad2024 If you're talking about what I just said, it's literally on their website Edit: that weapon is also manufactured in canada

[@ionikre]

british soldiers in battlefield like: "hey mate do you have another trigger? mine dropped somewhere" "here last one. you got spare barrel?" "nope. i'll saw it half for ya"

[@peanutbutter5402]

"Hey mate, got an upper receiver?mine blew up" "No. Throw the gun,its more accurate and reliable"

[@misterthegeoff9767]

and this is why the British army still practices bayonet drill :)

[@charliefoxmusic8744]

That's Very untrue, have you Never seen the M16 and M4? They probably jam more than the L85. I've used the L98A2 in my cadet force for multiple years and it's never ever broke on my watch nor jammed, and my brother that's been deployed to Afghan twice has never had it jam or brake. So why don't you stop saying shit you don't understand. Edit: The L98A2 is basically the A1 without a modification. It's the Cadet GP rifle, not the L85A2...

[@peanutbutter5402]

@@charliefoxmusic8744 dude, the A2 is a good rifle. But the A1 is shit

[@Schimml0rd]

@@charliefoxmusic8744 did u realize this video is about a1? 😅

[@notactuallytesco]

the bolt retaining pin, by pure coincidence, is the perfect size to be released using the aglet on a shoelace

[@ericmcconnaughey2782]

I wonder what The Question would say about that.

[@ianfinrir8724]

@@ericmcconnaughey2782 He told us that aglets were sinister, and we refused to listen!

[@moekitsune]

A-G-L-E-T, don't forget it!

[@JustAnotherUser565]

Y’know in the Movie ‘28 Days Later’ L85A1 was quite prominent and it made me say “Wow, it actually makes more sense that the British Army would be overrun while using these”. Funny enough, there was a scene that it ended up jamming on one of the soldiers.

[@danmorris8594]

Was thinking about that movie while watching this too

[@iakkubczechino2825]

@@danmorris8594 me too

[@danmorris8594]

@@iakkubczechino2825 their battle rifles might suck but they did/do have the best woodland camouflage

[@ogfloatzel4025]

@@danmorris8594 I would hope so. It doesn't have the best chances in a head on fight

[@sleepyrasta420]

28 days later is a good movie

[@justintimeboi31]

I find it ironic that many bad guns in real life are usually the best in games.

[@mrkennerz]

You're almost definitely thinking of the A2.... I've never seen the A1 in a video game

[@justintimeboi31]

@@mrkennerz yeah, you're right. I thought the one from Battlefield 3 was an A1

[@ABRAXAS829]

well to be fair, in the game(s) world, they are probably are made better with better quality manufacturing and flaws mitigated.

[@РоманАндреев-в4з]

@@mrkennerz you could see this rifles in S.T.A.L.K.E.R series. And yes, they are shitty there. That is a main reason why they even added them, it was the most crappy NATO rifle in game.

[@MG-og6ql]

@@РоманАндреев-в4з I don't agree with you as it's the only NATO side AR which can change its caliber from 5.56*45 into 5.45*39, which means you can carry less ammo as salvage them from other human or zombie corpses.

[@myrddrral]

The STALKER series explicitly emphasizes its fragility, lack of durability, unreliability, and lack of precision both after the first shot (due to recoil) and once it heats up. So even videogames picked up on its rep.

[@LonelySpaceDetective]

Well, some of them anyway, as the comments sections points out how this *isn't* the case in another popular game.

[@HeartTribe]

Cool!

[@Overqualification]

@@LonelySpaceDetective another *Modern* game

[@baskapat5239]

Not to mention it weights 5kg, I would rather pick AN94 or HK G36.

[@whoami1449]

Only reason i would ever picked this up in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is the scope. The moment i found any scope for any other weapon i toss it away.

[@nickparkison977]

It's like someone tried a make an AUG out of sheet metal in their basement.

[@JoeTheNarrator]

tbh everything except the bolt , gas block and barrel were some form of sheet metal

[@LeleiTheTigress]

I mean, that's just standard British procedure, the Sten was pretty much an MP28/Launchester made out of sheet metal

[@godiloveexisting1350]

And so accuracy international was born

[@Dreadnought_Toaster]

I know an ex BAF guy who was issued an L85 in Desert Storm. His first engagement with it he goes to fire and the firing pin snaps. He goes back to the vehicle, swaps the firing pin, returns to the unit. Shoulders rifle, pulls the trigger and the firing pin snapped again.

[@Zlonk7]

That's what happens when you make guns in a factory that is basically falling apart with old ass machinery seasonal workers and the workers who aren't inexperienced know they're gonna lose their job because the factory is shutting down.

[@RolloTonéBrownTown]

Yea and my uncle was special forces in East Timor

[@swagdog3943]

Oh yeah, did you hear about the recruitment of captain America to the u.s marines as well

[@Zlonk7]

@@swagdog3943 i mean this could've honestly happened with the first batch of l85s which were made in such poor conditions it is literally unbelievable. The first models had parts falling off and the gun rating like a can filled with paperclips. Later models were much much better and worked properly, even doing better than the M16 in some cases

[@MrHowardMoon]

My father was in Desert Storm and he jumped over a ditch and his magazine fell out. The L85A1 was awful, but the A2 fixed the issues and according to sources in the military, the A3 is really good.

[@MightyElo]

L85A1 - "Oh Lord! Everyone hates me!" M16 - "First time?"

[@noddytiddlywinks6873]

errrr yes we HATE it

[@thehumanmechanismmk2545]

MightyElosan By NO means did “everyone” hate the M-16. Thoughts on it were mixed at worst, but then it became loved once the a1 and cleaning kits were issued.

[@drmaulana2600]

@@thehumanmechanismmk2545 same as L85 when the A2 version is came out

[@ConstantineJoseph]

The M16A1 was fantastic. Full auto Cadillac of a rifle. Ex singaporean military here, the M16 although had some jams but were easily remedied and had a high accuracy and high rate of fire

[@dwizzleusa4202]

Not everyone hate the m16. Soldiers were led to believe that it didn't need clean or oil. They use to clean gun with kerosene to take off oil crazy. After the gun started to get oil and they changed gun powder no problems great gun m16.

[@Paul_Hardy]

This rifle is the UK government in the form of a firearm.

[@willbrown3694]

This is so accurate I am ashamed.

[@terminator1199]

Jams all the time and can't do jack shit.

[@foxy30087077]

😂

[@samanvithveeravelli7512]

Lol Lol

[@dylanhaugen3739]

I don't even wanna know what the U.S. government would be, one of those handmade guns that blows up in your face half the time and hurts you more than anyone else?

[@toxicman9128]

**touches this gun** **immediately washes hands**

[@Robert_DeVille]

If you look carefully inside the various bits, you see the makers marks of Lego, Duplo & Early Learning Centre.

[@grahamb5930]

You missed Palitoy......

[@iapetusmccool]

If it was made by/from Lego, it would probably be more robust.

[@emperorfaiz]

Even Lego Duplo is far more reliable and it's made for toddlers.

[@LonelySpaceDetective]

I'm sure if they tried, LEGO could probably make a decent rifle.

[@Robert_DeVille]

@@LonelySpaceDetective It would probably be much more reliable.

[@SouthernFriedCyanide]

There's also the matter of the British Army standard issue bug repellant actually melting all the plastic on it....that was an interesting thing to hear about haha

[@joeh651]

Yup, can verify! I think it was more the potency of the bug rep more than anything else…

[@Weariedsteam85]

I heard that certain camouflage paints could have the same effect. I sure that aiming the weapon only to notice that the cheek guard is melting inspired nothing but confidence in Her Majesty's troops.

[@Chungus581]

And the Blowpipe being so bad the Mujahideen didn’t even use the ones they were given after every single one missed. Then in the Falklands over 200 were fired by both sides only for 2 planes to actually be taken down.

[@HRHMANSOUR]

If you used the issued repellent then you didn't deserve to have working equipment you lowlife

[@BashingBambi]

The issue mosquito repellent actually ate through the magazine housing on my AR15

[@andyniblock43]

Once referred to as the Civil Servant, it doesn’t work and you can’t fire it.

[@ToHellOrUtopia]

Lmfaooooo

[@eval_is_evil]

Ahahahah brilliant

[@callumlittle5171]

I find it easy to use

[@deaconsyxx322]

Funny because it’s true!

[@thatdumbass8962]

Reminds me of American cops

[@visassess8607]

This is actually terrifying. You're expected to go into combat and your main weapon is unreliable.

[@ke6ziu]

We had the same problem when the M-16 was first fielded... with the majority of the problems corrected, it became a fairly good rifle. I carried an M16A2 for several years (When I became an NCO, I stayed with my A2; I had that choice, plus I knew the guys in the armoury...), and refused the M4! First, it's too short, and, the stock is useless for close combat! If I get close enough to go to bayonets, I want a rifle with a buttstock that will fracture jaws, and skulls... can't exactly do that with an M4 collapsible stock!

[@hulmad]

@@ke6ziu what do you think of this new Spear thing? New and proprietary ammunition seems like an extraordinarily bad call.

[@hulmad]

@@ke6ziu if that's what you're looking for carry a fuckin warhammer. Not like a fantasy one. It's 2022 a long enough titanium framing hammer would do 🤷‍♂️

[@ke6ziu]

@@hulmad, wtf are you on about?

[@hulmad]

@@ke6ziu you said you want a heavy butt stock for smashing. Why not carry something built for the purpose of smashing. Plus you have a hammer 🤣

[@lniko333]

I can just imagine a British soldier meeting eye to eye with an insurgent with a clear advantage just to have the gun jam on the first round and get shot with a 10 year old uncleaned AKM. Edit: I structured my sentence wrong. I meant the AKM was not cleaned for 10 years not that it was 10 years old. Sorry for the mistake boys hope this clears it up.

[@Solid_Gravy]

Your discord sucks ass

[@connor6461]

We have bayonets ya fucking W E E B and we use them

[@beefedupkronks4371]

@@connor6461 which one moves faster, bayonet or bullet?

[@timwilliamson1967]

Which is why basic training with the L85A2 includes forward assist after making ready.

[@GenMaj_Knight]

@@beefedupkronks4371 To be fair, OP did say the Brit would have a "clear advantage."

[@theramblingyorkshireman7877]

No mention that the cheap grade plastic would react with the standard issue insect repellent and melt!

[@dansaunders1655]

"Sir, my gun's melted" is the most phenomenally pathetic excuse I ever had the privilege of hearing.

[@MB-fe6ly]

Modernwarfare Dickson I’ve shot the a2, and have never had that problem in any position

[@dansaunders1655]

@bree walden; womanizer subscribe to hbomberguy

[@Earthstar_Review]

DEET is a disturbing substance.

[@thenightraven60]

Standard issue insect repellent could melt through steel, just like screach orange could.

[@DecSteele]

This guy could talk about paper and I would still be captivated

[@bodiee2532]

Declan Steele I mean, even paper fires better than this piece of junk

[@makotoyuki2199]

Declan Steele I bet he could talk about a printer and it’s still sound epic

[@harbl99]

He does book reviews, so...

[@xxspringz564]

Lol same

[@00die00991]

My dad was in the last generation to use the L1A1. After he left he had to do reservist training and during the range day they were handed these as the new rifle. No one there had used one before and the range officer didnt know how it worked or disassembled. When fired he said it was a total joke and everyone asked for their FALs back.

[@mickyj-tw4fq]

Totaly agree, I was royal anglian back in the eighties and carried the slr, Fired the 80 once, hated it, weak and definitely not squadie proof, way too much plastic, and I hated the bull pup design.

[@Boxscot49]

Damn video games fooled me into thinking this gun was good

[@theinstitute1324]

They do that with a lot of guns, really. Lesion's SMG? Ian has a vid on that too, the CS/LS2. Also not great.

[@os8mm178]

A2 that you’re thinking of

[@laurenbastin8849]

yeah it’s a different, improved model designed to better than the A1 - he literally talks about it in the video

[@danielmcfarland-lawson6477]

In the mobile game Natural Born Soldier, the L85 is a an absolute BEAST

[@theinstitute1324]

@@laurenbastin8849 Keyword is improved. But there are still many problems with the gun inherent to the design: It still doesn't do great in extreme temperatures, it still has a lot of places for dirt and dust ingress, it still has a horrid trigger for a bullpup, and it has ZERO capability to be swapped to a left-handed configuration - which almost every single modern Bullpup rifle has with VERY few exceptions since a bullpup held in the wrong hand can throw casings right at your body or down your shirt. The L85 may be a formidable rifle now, but it is not the quality, well thought-out and designed AUG or Tavor. I'd say the L85 in nigh any iteration is just about as good as the QBZ with higher quality materials.

[@tw1n109]

The gun is so bad the SAS was like “Nope we ain’t using it”

[@boimeme.]

SAS looks at this gun: _pukes_ SAS looking at the MP5: _smiles_

[@rufus501st9]

Venomade Cocktail *DEUTSCHE QUALITÄT*

[@boimeme.]

@@rufus501st9 *JA*

[@jameshibberd5134]

@@boimeme. pretty sure special forces can pick their weapon of choice. No wonder they wanted to do the hk slap

[@boimeme.]

@@jameshibberd5134 Afcorse.I mean they used it in that opertaion that involved a embasy (i forgot name of operation, i think maybe "operation Nimrod")

[@hiddentreasure2161]

The reason why we made this gun is actually because we would immediately drop it for an akm then watch clueless insurgents pick up the weapon and try to use it in a firefight

[@xxspringz564]

Big brain plays

[@eric97909]

Ima do what’s called a pro Royal Marine move

[@deeznoots6241]

The Afghanis would probably prefer to keep their century old lever action and bolt action rifles

[@bruensal7182]

@Noddiga norpan nigga he did a fucking joke

[@forwarddiscipline]

@@bruensal7182 are you black? Also, did you not see that dude was also making a joke? Are you joking? Wtf?

[@tianxiu]

As I was a kid, I looked at the picture and admired the British soldier holding that cool gun. How wrong I was.

[@Dreyno]

Yes. He was British.

[@ArcticVXR1]

@@Dreyno bla bla bla

[@airplanemaniacgaming7877]

@@ArcticVXR1 careful, he might try to send the IRA after you for that!

[@geedee1264]

they loved this weapon too cuz it kept jamming on the brits

[@captainjames4649]

@@geedee1264 the british army had FALs during the troubles

[@ironwolf56]

US - We've designed a mass-produced rifle sure to drive our infantry crazy UK - Hold my pint

[@tygerb1982]

There is a time for tea, there is also a time for a pint!

[@laurenbastin8849]

yeah we drink pints more than tea

[@peanutbutter5402]

US: HOLY SHIT! M16 JAMMED! UK:BLOODY HELL! L85A1 JUST BLEW UP! soviet union: *laughs in AKM*

[@laurenbastin8849]

Jeffro 2000 correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t the AKs appeal in its simplicity and easily manufacturable nature rather than its actual quality as a weapon

[@peanutbutter5402]

@Jeffro 2000 i have worked with an AR. In my experience as a soldier, reliability of a weapon outdoes anything else. ARs are fancy, and relatively unreliable.they have a relatively high probability to jam in full auto fire even in their M4A1 configuration. The AK really quiet deserves its fame

[@blackhawk4ful]

Meanwhile, at the HK headquarters, and engineer looks an L85 in a table: walks around the table: "nein" strips a piece of the rifle keeps walking around: "nein" strips another piece does another round and stops: "NEIN, NEIN, NEIN,NEIN,NEIN,NEIN,NEIN, NEIN,NEIN, NEIN, NEIN,NEIN,NEIN,NEIN,NEIN,NEIN," only the receiver is left edit: i already explained but some people truly felt attacked over this gun's initial quality so ill explain the joke, is a reference to inglourious bastards when hitler yells nein (no in german) a lot, so please knock it off (btw thanks for all the likes)

[@ToxicSkull0]

Wtf is this comment

[@jameshibberd5134]

The reason we made the A1 so bad is because we knew hk would step in and help us, which means... S L A P T I M E

[@necrobynerton7384]

I laff

[@therubicon]

Das ist richtig!!

[@jameshibberd5134]

@@emprahsfinest7092 yeah germany really took a turn for the better.

[@gilanbarona9814]

I was once part of a rifle evaluation team for the Philippine Army. One of the weapons we evaluated was this L85a1 as a possible rifle for our Scout Ranger Regiment, which specialises in jungle warfare, or for our special forces. A Ranger team took it into the jungle warfare training centre in Tanay, well east of Manila in the rugged Sierra Madre mountains. They came back after three days into what was meant to be a month long patrol. The rifle had literally fallen apart. Needless to say, we stayed with the M 16 and ordered Steyr AUGs as supplementary rifles.

[@mambojambo7306]

Ya wana. Get the l85a2 my man its well better can handle all sorts of weather and terrain made by hechlor and koch

[@reimuhakurei2123]

thats because peenoise are really stronk rifle broke xd

[@philippinecircularflag2023]

Hell yeah 😎

[@finnthehuman6214]

@@reimuhakurei2123 stfu weeb trash.

[@spencerkimllido7327]

@@finnthehuman6214 no u

[@peterb2272]

I was there when it came into service. Problems I had: 1. Loosing mags and getting charged for it. We used to have Sgts follow running solders on the range to pick up their magazines. 2. Plastic melting when you apply insect repellent. 3. Burnt wrists when the hot cartridges got deflected down your sleeve. 4. If you put the gas plug in rotated 180 degrees, you could never get it out ever again. 5. after a few mags you burnt your hand on the front sling mount...which is pretty much exactly where you had to put your had when holding the weapon. 6. Every so often the cocking handle fell out. 7. Spring not strong enough to load the cartridge properly so you had to 'forward assist' when loading. The very best thing about it was the scope. You could take an untrained soldier and they could hit a target at 300m first time firing the weapon. As far as we were concerned you could throw the shit away and replace it with anything you liked, as long as it came with the SUSAT. The weird sling worked brilliantly as well.

[@metehankap3870]

cocking handle falling out is fucking insane

[@jackmeholff7353]

But it does 47 damage

[@llamalord3055]

Next to get acog oof?

[@WhosYourPoPo]

It's a great gun... in all the shooting games!

[@benbutler8201]

But that's the L85A2, the shotgun is better anyway

[@vega8698]

@Dodo The Donkey you're taking the piss

[@mcstriker]

The best weapon is easily Sledge's hammer.

[@dodgy_jammer281]

I remember going through basic and having to take this apart, watching the bolt fly out the back if you didn’t put your thumb over it was brilliant, saw it hit my mate and bounce of his helmet

[@danny1229c]

The spring rods yes mate been a long time but if i remember you could stop it if you took it apart cocked ? Its still kinda nice in a sentimental way seeing the old girl again tho

[@ieeeshan]

@@danny1229c the rear retaining pin has 2 degrees of 'out'. all the way out (2 clicks) and your springs ping out and across the room. one click out and it'll hold your springs in while letting you remove the TMH. course it's easier to just pop your thumb over the back.

[@robertwoodliff2536]

@@danny1229c old girl....., with a bit of an STD?

[@danny1229c]

@@ieeeshan easier said than done when most of them were so stiff you had to bang them out with a multitool

[@CL-vz6ch]

You were meant to cup the end as you pulled the pin out. Or you could pull it quickly and catch the recoil rod assy as it popped up into the air.

[@mikeforester3963]

5:56 At HK headquarters Oberndorf/Baden-Württemberg: [head engineer] *Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein!* Alles raus! Alles neu!

[@MrGreghome]

Das was ein befel!

[@chedsalvia6270]

germans ultimately saved england

[@Ironforce7701]

Grüße von Oberndorf

[@mrijk1946]

FEGELEIN has du das gemacht bring mir die fegelein !

[@whw710]

the timestamp is 5:56 the irony

[@Jonsse]

Having done my Finnish Military service with an RK62 and later watching this channel occasionally I've realized I was lead to a false sense of reliability of assault rifles. Not all are equal and the AK and it's inspirations are quite exceptional rifles.

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

But very unaccurate. Can't have everything :D

[@foxy126pl6]

@@BlatentlyFakeName not as bad as people think. About 10% less accurate than the us M4 rifle. Which is still really accepable, and you will be able to hit human sized tagets at up to 300 meters

[@ralk7048]

@@BlatentlyFakeName Think a former US soldier on a game gun review actually claimed that he felt the real-life AK system is accurate out to 400m and the perception of its inaccuracy isn't really that prominent. And that he's had to use one he found while on a mission and had no problems with it. He even specifically trained himself since he was young in using the AK system because he expected it to be the one firearm system that is ubiquitous to conflicts around the world.

[@bigtrillmiles]

I recently left the military and during my service I used the AK in it's multiple variant forms. During some joint missions with NATO and US forces we would get together in organized environments and just go about our firearms. There is a great deal of respect and appreciation towards what I'd say is the most iconic firearm in human history. Just the reliability alone is massively attractive but coupled with the power and accuracy it's a dream to handle although there is a general misconception that the AK is not capable of reliably engaging at range that might just be due to how popular culture shows the gun. Cheers!

[@jasoncarswell7458]

Ehhhhhh.... watch DownRangeTV's dust test videos. You're still carrying some old assumptions.

[@pocahontas6171]

“It just works.” - Todd Howard’s comment on L85

[@MausOfTheHouse]

Sweet little lies

[@katkrasher]

Jojo?!?!

[@roboactive]

It works just as well as Fallout 76.

[@remington-7008]

sounds like somthing mitten squad would say

[@nathanrandomized3593]

LoL

[@SCP-hu8hm]

H&K: what's wrong with the A1? British army: *yes*

[@justaregularguy4435]

SCP 096

[@dimwitsixtytwelve]

SCP 049

[@s.ballert]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@prizm3268]

SCP 682

[@ttvsleetz8926]

SCP 999

[@alanwatts8239]

L85A1 rarity: legendarily bad rate of fire: 630 (-620 if in desert environment) caliber: 5.56 NATO damage: 92 million pounds perks: looks cool

[@MrBlack75922]

Is it better than mosin bolt??

[@plaguedoctor4411]

It looks gross man wdym

[@alanwatts8239]

@@musikalniyfanboichik AR 15 looks just as much of a toy as the L8 then.

[@Michael-bg3cu]

@@alanwatts8239 not even bro

[@brianj.841]

@@alanwatts8239 I believe the early plastic parts were made by Mattel, same as barbie dolls. Not sure about later models.

[@rockyl9120]

Watching you take the SA80 apart was a trip down memory lane for sure to when I was once a serving infantry soldier (23 years ago!). I remember the LSW variant being even worse for stoppages!

[@zongtaoli7721]

I heard someone said:” fooking laser sights”

[@arandomguy8619]

*sledgehammer noises*

[@AndyWGaming]

Sniperboi9000 *EMP Was thrown*

[@xLaze]

Unmaned drones

[@subliminalmindfuck454]

xLaze GPS Satellites

[@arandomguy8619]

@@subliminalmindfuck454 fooking laser sights

[@TsiolkovskySportingLocks]

When these were introduced I went from being a qualified marksman on the FN FAL to being unable to hit barn door in one easy move. Why? Because I was left handed and left eye dominant .... sign!

[@davidbanan.]

... Yeah, great move england

[@atinofspam3433]

Of all the faults, i cant understand why its right handed only. Surely they could literally just mirror some of the parts to make a left handed version? The AUG and Famas are both ambi bullpups. The desertech MDR is an albi bullpup. Being a bullpup is not an excuse for not making it ambidextrous. The only real solution the british army have at the moment is the Combat Shotgun and L129a1 and the L119a1 and L119a2 are all ambidextrous so if you are trained as a marksman or a marine u can use an ambi gun. Still its a stupid problem to have

[@leinadj12ify]

@@atinofspam3433 Enfield did make left handed prototypes but MoD didn't buy them. They thought it easier and cheaper just to make lefties shoot righty

[@HRHMANSOUR]

Or maybe it's because you were a shit shot and then made up a cock and bull story about being left dominant. The only thing dominant was the dominant lack of influence from a father figure in your life after you father left you at a young age.

[@LN997-i8x]

@@atinofspam3433 The intention was to make a certain number of left-handed rifles and distribute them as required. But then they just didn't to save money.

[@hali666]

"So whats your favourite gun?" "The ones that go pew pew" "So everything but the SA80?"

[@Saiks63014]

Or the War Machine. That thing haunts me in my bo2 zombies experience.

[@epauletshark3793]

What about the guns that go "bang!" "Thunk" and "BOOM!"

[@whiteeagle9769]

@@Saiks63014 Only good when you toss it into the pack a punch

[@Saiks63014]

@@whiteeagle9769 This is true

[@j4ff4c3ks1]

And the Breda 30

[@ShornDunlevy]

I know British soldiers who who served while the FN-FAL was the standard weapon and they were NOT pleased with the L85A1 when it arrived. Although not officially sanctioned, soldiers were buying larger capacity magazines for the FN-FAL and I'm informed that a few people in UK special forces undertook the 'Rhodesian Modification' which made the British 'SLR' full auto. Objectively, I don't know how many soldiers could make practical use of the (much) longer effective range of the SLR but they all told me that it gave them confidence in being to stand off and shoot, especially against an enemy toting a similarly long-range weapon.

[@P7777-u7r]

I swear this thing seems like they designed the aesthetics first and then just built around it

[@Sheridan2LT]

O gee oh my, it's not a pretty looking gun-- go fuck yurself aye

[@SalveSandWonk]

That definition also fits the Tvor bullpup.

[@sleepypotato7183]

It’s obvious the designer is a high noble that has top reputation and good background with zero practical experience :/ it’s definitely politics.

[@billythepigeon7345]

But it's fugly.

[@benhaver9737]

If that’s the case they failed on both points. I think the things ugly as sin

[@d33b33]

09:40 "When HK redesigned the gun they replaced the [charging handle] with one that's kinda comma shaped. And the reason was, when it's fully cycled backwards, it acts as a shell deflector." There's a famous exchange between a visiting US general, asking a British soldier about his L85A2, and getting a loud and unpolitical "It's a POS, Sir!". The general, seeking some middle ground between the soldiers in front and the British brass behind him, racks the charging handle and remarks that, yes: that charging handle does cut into the hand a bit. "Don't worry about that, Sir!" the soldier replies, "That'll break off soon!"

[@cowgoesmoo2]

LOL

[@yahsservant7509]

chuckles to self

[@carbon1255]

British soldiers may not have good equipment but their wit is razor sharp.

[@samkovisto3062]

That's hilarious. I cant even be mad at you about the coffee that sprayed out of my nose all over my phone screen

[@nejlaakyuz4025]

Carbon 12 British mainly fought using courage and wits, rifles are planes are just there to complement.

[@slagged3713]

Why do I hear a brit yelling "FOOKING LAZER SIGHTS!"?

[@aye5264]

Foooking lazer sight needs a fookin charge again!!!!!!!!!!! Bastard

[@MrTumble21]

Haha I see you’re a man of good taste

[@gregbaranszky545]

*Focking lasa soyts*

[@ZacharySkan]

GPS satellites. Unmanned drones. *fokin layzer sightes*

[@pearson935]

I'm sadly lost..

[@michaelmacdowall4228]

Ian is very gracious in his presentation. Trying to complement where he can but by the end you can almost hear how how badly he wants to give a big sign and conclude by saying “it’s all junk”. Gotta Love forgotten weapons and the knowledge Ian brings to every breakdown. Thank you for your content and Keep up the good work!

[@Caffeine_Addict_2020]

Compliment

[@alexswan9061]

i have fond memories of disassembling a sa80a1 on exercise and pulled the rear cross pin out to far and launched the guide rods into a river

[@BuddySpike101]

I was doing a weapons familiarisation course and I managed to do that. The rod flew across the room and hit my mate in the head.

[@stuffbypaul]

apply safety, remove the magazine, cock the rifle and engage the holding open catch. Take rifle and shake it until obstruction clear. put the magasine back on, release the bolt, forward assist, take off the safety and carry on firing. simple

[@Zebsterr]

I shit you not, I was waiting for the host to do it when he started pulling it apart. Sadly he knows his shit and there was no entertainment :(

[@blakesheppard4313]

One exercise my mate forgets to put his hand over the but and nearly takes some girls eye out she had stitches for like 6 or 7 weeks

[@KumaBean]

🤣👌

[@rosshind6369]

I fired these on ranges with the cadets. Initially i assumed we'd been given special 'training guns' that jammed all the time so you could practice releasing the jam. As i recall the ones i fired jammed every 10 to 20 rounds. Partly for that reason I didn't join the services. I figured that if the government think this is an acceptable bit of kit, and they're that unconcerned about the lives of the troops, what else would they take the mickey with. Armed force with guns that don't work took the biscuit. It was more important imo fir them to admit that they'd made a mistake than save face. The consensus we had was that they should have gone with the m16.

[@mikegrove4571]

Stoppages were caused by poor maintenance, once the rifle was cleaned and oiled, stoppages were rare, regular lubrication was a must, especially when providing close support (Must admit, I much preferred my GPMG for fire power but the LA85A1 for weight)

[@karlbassett8485]

@@mikegrove4571 The cadet version was single shot only, and had to be manually cocked after every shot. And unlike the old #8 rifle the bolt wasn't in a nice easy to reach place for easy cocking. It was way to the rear, and needed a lot of force, so a early teen cadet would obviously struggle. And you had to pull it back swiftly until it hit the stop and let it loose to fly forward. If you slowly struggle to pull it back, reached the stop and then sort of let it go it would jam. I was a range instructor and would have to go from cadet to cadet unjamming these things virtually non stop.

[@Snugggg]

Same experience with the minimi. Thought it was a special “training gun” we were given. Nope, they all jammed.

[@JoeTheNarrator]

oh i was straight up trained on a funtional one when i was in the cadets

[@Falaksno1fan]

@@JoeTheNarrator my rifle in the cadets has never jammed ive shot over 145 rounds

[@DepressyDuck]

In Air Cadets, we were told “There is 1 difference between the A1 and the A2. The A2 works.”

[@richieb7692]

When we used them in cadets, no one ever got through a 10 round mag, without at least one jam or misfire. They were bloody horrible to use.

[@theroboticpotato]

We use the a1 to give other countries a chance against us

[@thebritishpanda6545]

@@theroboticpotato because they know they are doomed if we dont 🤣

[@callumhiggins8755]

RichieB76 l98s are better

[@Josh-se2sj]

@RichieB76 that'd be down to poor use (usually from poor cocking action), as you fire the GP single shot variant in cadets, not the actual L98A1

[@duartesimoes508]

There is a very interesting book about this rifle published by Osprey Publishing, available in the "Weapon" Series. Worth buying, actually the fact that it was a troublesome rifle makes its history rather more interesting! You will learn that there was nothing inherently wrong with its design, the rifle was simply shoddily made and every part was poorly finished. HK came to the rescue and eventually turned the SA-80 into a good rifle, at a huge financial cost. But read the book, you'll enjoy every page as much as this video. 😀

[@ThePaulv12]

I did the maths, it was only 460 pounds ea to fix 200,000 of the effing things.

[@christopherdean1326]

There was one thing I heard of that was an inherent problem. The original trigger was heavy enough that, if the rifle was dropped on its butt, the weight of the trigger would overcome the spring and release the sear, firing the weapon.

[@wanna-be-cowboy]

Instead of shouting "STOPPAGE" if the weapon jammed or "MAGAZINE" whenever you ran out of ammo. ...... Us Brits used to shout ""WEAPON FELL APART" as this weapon disintegrated like a 1000 year old viking broadsword pulled out of peat bog as we simply ran into a new position and get onto our belt buckles

[@Giantist]

This weapon jammed everytime I used it even when immaculately clean! The smallest bit of dust or bad weather would render it useless ! Absolute dogshite weapon 😂

[@kap6457]

@Johnny Dong bro this ain't a video game there aren't underrated guns, there are good guns and shit guns

[@Zlonk7]

2 questions 1. Was it manufactured before or after the 80s 2. Did you clean and oil it

[@sairabanokazmi1150]

@@Zlonk7 "it jammed even if it was immaculately clean"

[@Bushido1389]

@@sairabanokazmi1150 Should've read his name first before wasting time on posting that comment

[@isskull7272]

@@Zlonk7 Literally just straight up ignored the comment you're replying to.

[@h8GW]

Now I know why I've never seen Captain Price carry one...

[@mrkennerz]

Well kid... Not only is he a fictional character, he's also depicitng an SAS Captain.... British special forces do not use British Army standard issue kit or weaponry

[@louisbeerreviews8964]

Your Dad no the sas used a American rifle not British

[@jackmoules159]

SAS Go To Weapon Is MP5

[@Phoenix-ps3zw]

@@mrkennerz r/woooosh

[@eyyze9897]

SAS uses foreign weapons such as H&K MP5, G3 so on from Germany, Austria, Belgium. Mainly Western European country’s is its variety.

[@mathewjones5520]

Points to note, we would not use a "cartridge" to remove the firing pin retaining pin, we use the combination tool that was also used for daily cleaning

[@Fishfire140]

Glad I'm not the only one who was saying "no you don't!" Lol

[@leinadj12ify]

We were told never to use ammunition as tools full stop - the combi tool was pretty good for all usual tasks

[@mathewjones5520]

@@leinadj12ify well that goes without saying....or so i thought

[@nellyprice]

Bootlace trick looked fancy too. But yup spare combi tool in a pocket

[@firestarteronyoutube5542]

@@leinadj12ify *is we still use it (in cadet force) and its very handy for everything

[@PhilSaint100]

I remember phase one training. Me "I'm left handed" the instructor "ha not anymore" "You would normally do this with the tip of a cartridge" no, no you wouldn't.

[@martincarr1284]

Exactly. That's what your cleaning tool was for. You'd normally.do this with a round my arse what about cleaning after firing a fuck.load of blanks through it

[@jonathaniwachiw-toothill29]

Cleaning tool or bootlace

[@jackp492]

That's why I havnt joined, I don't think my squad mates want a kack handed lefty trying to cover them with this

[@georgejennery9264]

I’m left-handed as well, and once I went shooting and I was not thinking so I shot (with left hand shooting) and a hot shell went down my shirt😂 I’ve still got a massive burn mark 😂

[@endjfcar]

@@georgejennery9264 That.... ouch

[@smudger746]

During my 12 years in the British army I fired both A1 and A2 variants and they were a completely different experience. On the A1 I always had a problem with firing pins snapping, double feed in the chamber, rounds not feeding from the magazine (mainly the mass bought colt magazines). The H&K got hold of it and it became a decent weapon.

[@anthonygill3tt382]

james smith huge amount of respect man

[@angelofreak7]

james smith I fired an A1 version didn't care for it. But after researching it and talking with some of the men and women that served with it. Fit a 2 version is on the list of firearms I will have to shoot before I die. Therefore I agree with your statement sir.

[@theemeraldtigergaming1646]

Thank you for your service sir I know I am not from the UK but I feel obligated to say so

[@johnlander2219]

The A1 was indeed a pos, the A2, however? Great gun, basically they should built it to the specs of the a2 to begin with.

[@hucklebk]

Fucking firing pin snapping all the time. Mag jams and all round was just a shitter. The a2 was a game changer.

[@paulstewart858]

Hated my A1, blocked gas ports, gas stoppages, broken firing pins! Never managed a full mag on auto without a malfunction....glad i was never in a position where my life depended on it

[@Anequit]

Did you try licking it first

[@joshb5719]

Anequit or turning it off and back on

[@Anequit]

@@joshb5719 yea if they unplugged it for 15 minutes then plugged it back in it might work

[@kurgan4656]

My gas plug broke on a blank firing ex

[@ol6374]

My a1 firing pin broke after a 3 round burst In a "certain" Arab country. It was only pulling my browning hp that saved me by the skin of my teeth.

[@-Hesco]

H&K being owned by royal ordinance back in the day makes so much sense. Adds clarity to why they “hired” HK to rework the guns.

[@nickdougan394]

I was on the first Platoon Commanders' Course, in Autumn 1985, to be trained on the L85A1 or "SA80" as it was known throughout my time in the Army. The weapons were brand new and I don't think we thought them any less reliable than the clapped-out SLRs we had come from. It was great to have an automatic weapon that was reasonably accurate from the shoulder or couched in the stomach - although given that the SMG (Sterling) was our main point of reference that may not have been saying much. The plastic cheek piece did get dissolved by the then issue insect repellant, and the dust cover broke easily. Is was, however, extremely accurate with the SUSAT, heavy though it might have been. The magazine release catch was the most obvious flaw at that stage. We hadn't noticed the problem at all in the first phase of the course which was focused on range work, but as soon as we started running around with webbing on the magazines started falling off. This was, however, fixed long before the A2 came along - a shroud was welded to the receiver to protect the catch, and that went 95% of the way to fixing the problem, though it was never as good as the SLR's magazine release catch (but then the magazine was much lighter and that design probably wouldn't have worked. One of the worst things was there was no recognition of the possibility of the weapon cocking itself if dropped on its butt. It did, and that caused at least one fatality that I know of - never point a rifle at someone even when you "know" there isn't a round in the breach. I used the rifle for the remaining seven years of my service. I though it was OK - it was certainly to perceived to be disastrous by those who didn't have to use it in the desert - but of course no one in the UK, mainstream military included, had many points of reference with equivalent foreign weapons. It's clear that there was much better stuff out there, at equivalent or lower costs. The LSW - Light Support Weapon - the heavier, bipod mounted light machine gun was, however, though to be completely inferior to the belt fed GPMG it replaced, even though the latter were getting fairly tired by that stage and were not as reliable as they could have been.

[@trevor311264]

Yep, they were designed to be used in Central Europe, as that was always where the perceived threat was.

[@qwertyasdf4081]

Hi sledge

[@shihtzu291]

To be fair they're a lot better now unless you're left handed then you better learn right! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧👍

[@BellogsTheChicken]

The sling was complicated but once mastered was great in NI in the troubles.

[@nairnboxing4653]

T thought the LSW was for a fire team and the gympy was for a section , first I’ve heard it was to replace the gpmg ? We used the gpmg all the way uptill 2008 or 9 until fazed out by the (mini me ) sorry for nicknames used !

[@dangerszewski9816]

You forgot the very best part! In true British fashion they called it "the civil servant", as in "it doesn't work and it can't be fired". The brits have a long tradition of sardonic humor about their gear. For example, top-secret British projects are given "rainbow code" names consisting of a random color and random noun (they started it when in WWII they realized the Germans were a bit TOO clever with some codenames, they immediately knew that "Project Wotan" was a one-beam radar system because it was named for a one-eyed Nordic god). Though it was never a secret project and therefore never had a rainbow code, the Harrier was "gifted" the pseudo-rainbow-code "Blue Circle" after the Blue Circle Cement Company, which they joked had to be the major supplier of its airframe parts, owing to its handling characteristics. The Harrier also came with no chaff deployment systems, making it frighteningly vulnerable to Argentine missilefire in the Falklands War. A solution was quickly devised using gaffer tape and bundles of chaff fibers in the wheel well, which was termed the "Heath Robinson Device", after Heath Robinson, a British cartoonist somewhat akin to Rube Goldberg for the Yanks...

[@cjtn10]

Yeah good one. Piggybacking off a shitty joke

[@crackedoutclown]

Improvise adapt and overcome the best moto I learned in the army. And that harrier story definitely reeks of that moto haha.

[@paulelliott6673]

I think it was the air brake

[@LordPoshnameVonPlumbingparts]

Didn't our boys in black, the S.A.S nickname the MP5K "the room broom" for obvious reasons.

[@forsgsrekylgevr2113]

England-makes shitty gun but great joke :)

[@CarmineKar98K]

H&K must've had a field day with this one, I wonder what their reactions/first impressions was like when they got'em in to be reworked.

[@kc9602]

When they eventually stopped laughing, they had somehow managed to polish a turd!!

[@hailexiao2770]

"Oh hey, another AR-18 based operating system. I wonder how these guys did it?" After disassembly: "WTF, even our failed G36 prototypes are better than this."

[@GNsLifeStories]

@@kc9602 "Franz, Look at zis Thing" "Was zum fick is that Gerald?"

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

@ Carmine Brothers: Probably something like: "How on earth did these people beat us during the Second World War??" while slowly shaking their heads with confused looks on their faces.

[@renanribeiro8137]

They were like "Hanz...come here....VHAT IN ZE GODDAMN FUCK IS ZIS MESS?????"

[@beartactical458]

A wonderful upload and thank you for going to the effort of making all of these. I thoroughly enjoy watching these as I have fired several in the forces myself….

[@andmos1001]

Ah, the civil servant. It is unusable, and you cant fire it

[@pedromiguel748]

I was hoping Ian would make that joke... I've heard it somewhere else that Brits used to call the SA80 like that, because it was unreliable, never worked and you couldn't fire it... Cracks me up every time.

[@johnevans388]

@@pedromiguel748 The joke actually is - Ah, like a civil servant. It's unusable, and you cant fire it.'

[@somnius2519]

That joke's more effective than the gun itself will ever be.

[@lunchpin403]

The joke is "doesn't work and you can't fire it" not unusable

[@dragzgaming]

the joke is... none of you have probably ever fired it and taking the word of a American that also never fired it lol i fired it in cadets and all the brits loved it back then

[@averyoriginalname1379]

"So an AUG, L85A1, and FAMAS walk into a bar..."

[@TheMrDemonized]

Into a BAR

[@themeddite]

The AUG accidentally goes full auto, the L85A1 falls apart, and the FAMAS shoots all its ammo

[@maxim6088]

@@themeddite and the FAMAS surrenders

[@mr.bobcyndaquil4214]

@@maxim6088 only because he knew someone from GIGN would come by with his big iron and liberate him

[@georgeaustoc9063]

And I hope they kill the L85

[@kc9602]

"Remember. You Weapon was made by the lowest bidder." Murphy's Laws of Combat were written for this rifle.

[@Zlonk7]

The early run was made in a old ass factory but the main run was made in a normal modern factory. Guess what? The main run performed better than an M16 in desert conditions. From all the info I can find the l85 is a good gun but the early ones were shite.

[@binaway]

Thatcher was selling Enfield, government owned, which required a decent order book to attract a buyer. The original L85A1 design was all Enfield had and the British army had to obey orders.

[@93_industries]

@@Zlonk7 yo I'm brittish and I don't defend this awful rifle

[@Shakedown1969]

@@93_industries a2 is a fine gun

[@marcusborderlands6177]

@@Zlonk7 yeah that's just false. It took h&k replacing every single part except the receiver to make the guns work somewhat well. There is a reason the UK special forces literally adopted an m16.variant to use lol

[@TheN1ghtbr1nger]

The A1 was absolutely shocking. I struggle to remember a time I emptied a single mag without a stoppage, usually an ejected case being launched back into the breach. When H&K made the A2 however it was a fantastic weapon!

[@OldSetonian]

I had the L85A1 in Bosnia-Herzegovina and it was a complete piece of shit. Firing pins broke, double feeds were common, it stopped more times than a 73 bus and the build quality was rubbish. In Iraq and Afghanistan I had the L85A2 and it was a wholly different, and more positive experience, experience. All the time, however, I pined for my old SLR: never, ever had a stoppage, it had no inherent faults and whatever you hit with it stayed hit.

[@newy2277]

Agree mucker, the SLR was accurate andput your target down and it stayed down, when we converted to SA80 after a week we wanred our SLRs back as the were solid and reliable. First time on the range with the sack of shit 80 stoppages were unbielevable broken firing pin mags falling off one weapon blewup , all range time was suspended till the armourer had examined all batalion weapons , and we were preping for deployment to NI

[@KunjaBihariKrishna]

It must be so frustrating to be forced to use sub-par equipment in potentially life-or-death situations.

[@nervsouly]

How do you keep your morale and still keep serving your country if they treat you like total shit?

[@Etherion195]

0:30 "This is a giant scandal of plastic and metal" - **proceeds to barely avoid throwing up from just looking at the rifle**

[@thepoonage100]

I was one of the Grenadier Guards who did the initial cold weather trials on the A2 out at Bolio Lake Alaska in 1997 (they do a mean burger in the canteen). We put thousands of rounds down the range with both the A1 and A2 and the difference in reliability was phenomenal. The A2 had a much lower stoppage rate than any of the other rifles it was tested against and night and day to the original. Just not having the gas plug fly out after a few thousand rounds was a welcome upgrade compared to the A1, not to mention the beefed up recoil rod springs which meant you didn't have to forward assist constantly.

[@Crlarl]

Gas plug ejection is feature, not bug. When gun break, shoot gas plug at enemy. Is like... how you say... shit.

[@tinman3586]

Can you explain why the SAS had the choice of any weapon available and then skipped over the Enfield and went with the US M16?

[@Crlarl]

Tin Man It's closer to the Canadian C7 than the US M16.

[@Jinjajamie]

Correct it was used in the Borneo Confrontation by the SAS, SBS. During the conflict the British captured early-model AR-15's from Indonesian troops, which had apparently been supplied to anti-government forces there by the CIA. This accelerated the process of getting M-16's.

[@Dagr8soldjer]

Tin Man I hear this all the fucking time and it is 100% incorrect. The SAS use whatever weapon suits their needs at the time. They used the mp5 most not the m16. I know it gets Americans off like crazy whenever they think that the SAS used an American weapon but the truth is that the British never had a weapon designed that was for the same purpose as the m16. How can the choose the British version if the British version didn't exist. The l85 competed with the m4 not the m16. The l85, just like the m4 would have been completely useless on the terrain that the SAS chose to use the m16 in. So to conclude, you can't imply that the L85 must be shit just because the SAS decided to go with an American weapon on certain operations instead of the L85 even though they both did different jobs.

[@POTUSJimmyCarter]

MoD: "So, what parts of this rifle CAN we keep?" H&K: "Uhhh...well, the flash hider, I guess?"

[@233kosta]

The awkward moment when the CHEAP airsoft replicas are more reliable than the real gun...

[@datalt7873]

Because clearly an airsoft gun functions like a real firearm.

[@233kosta]

@@datalt7873 That's just it! It doesn't, it somehow functions better :P It's _not supposed to be_ more reliable or durable!

[@datalt7873]

@@233kosta So something that has plastic internals and a plastic shell that shoots plastic bb's at a very low velocity is a lot more reliable? Why arn't all firearms like that!

[@233kosta]

@@datalt7873 Actually they're mostly made of pot metal which is much worse than most polymers. They are also built to a cost. Aggressively so. The primary design goal is to look the part. Function and reliability are typically a "nice to have".

[@datalt7873]

@@233kosta Well you said "Cheap airsoft" so we are comparing some Springer that can be purchased at a Walmart for about $15, sometimes coming with attachments like a painted red dot, and comparing that to a real firearm. Pretty sure a cheap Springer is less reliable for a soldier to use in combat/dress than an actual firearm.

[@keepleft]

To give you an idea of how bad this gun was; they gave this gun to the medics in Battlefield 2. Medics!

[@Klaaism]

Sad thing is it was actually a decent weapon in the game. A lot of people played medic (and wouldn't revive or heal other players... the scumbags) just to unlock this gun.

[@MrPeakus]

One of the best in bf2!

[@keepleft]

Jedediah Galloway it was definitely the best medic weapon. But I remember it having horrible stability, so the crosshairs would bounce around like crazy. Close range, hip fire, and aim for the belly button. LUL

[@keepleft]

@@joejug162 damn. No wonder i never ranked up as medic.

[@czdaniel1]

Sometimes, as a doctor, the only choice we got against disease is to shoot it out. But we have to be wary if patient begins showing signs of rapid onset acute lead poisoning, accompanied by external lacerations & hemorrhaging. Some patients don't make it...But neither does the disease!! *Next time, on Doctors With Guns* kzbin.info/www/bejne/q52omGCIad6qla8

[@gomethrius]

“So the Germans at HK went through the rifle and came up with a couple things to fix. Namely, everything.” Winner👍🏻🤪

[@Klaaism]

Even the firing pin...

[@LordInter]

enflield sent them a list, it was rushed and too cheap, they knew it had issues

[@adamwilson2227]

As a former army dude. It always cracked me up seeing this in a British soldiers hands overseas. No disrespect

[@stevengordon2145]

Christ I remember this rifle 60 rounds in stoppage reasons carbon build-up gas piston. Spent as much time cleaning it as I did firing it...

[@sydclark5581]

In my hands, i spent more time cleaning than firing.

[@booshallmighty]

Me too. I knew lads that had to take them back to the armoury because the took the paint off with Scotch Bright. Hate this weapon

[@munky342]

Ughh same. Those fuckin gas parts. Thankfully the A2 fixed a tonne of issues.

[@roflchiefmcjoflchief1791]

Me: Hears uncle tell me that the M16 was a piece of junk that he threw away for an AK during Nam. Also me: Laughs in L85A1

[@TheDiameter]

From what my uncles that served told me that happened a lot actually...

[@colingoldthorpe5918]

Probably not it was a different caliber AK is 7.62mm and the M16 is 5.56mm same as this SA80 so the rounds don’t work. These SA80’s are not as bad as explained. It saved my ass in 3 operational tours. I’d say it was more accurate than the M16 and the fact it was shorter made it a charm in CQB like FIBUA. The AK isn’t very accurate but basic as hell, I used to teach guys how to use them we would throw them in the sand jump on them then unload a 30 round clip without a stoppage. Neither the SA80 or M16 was able to do that without a stoppage. Thank your uncle for his service !! From a 10 year retired British infantry guy 🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@lewisbenzie845]

Here's the story: The British Government want to sell off the state-run weapons factory: RSAF (Royal Small Arms Factory) Enfield. But RSAF has no orders on the books. It's not doing any business. No private companies are interested. Conveniently, the British government decide Her Majesty's Armed Forces need a new rifle. RSAF has an excellent design for a bullpup assault rifle. This design has been around - in various versions - since the Enfield EM-2 of the late 1940's/early 50's. Every time it looked like being adopted, the army chose a different calibre. The EM-2 was .280 - but NATO decided to go with 7.62mm. Then they updated the design (as the L64) in 4.85mm - but NATO decided to go with 5.56mm. When the government expressed interest in a new rifle, the government contract cost of an M16 was around $300. RSAF announced that they could supply their new rifle for $150, by constructing it from inexpensive stamped metal parts. No other manufacturer could compete with that. RSAF got the contract. Suddenly, with it's production lines busy and big orders on the books, RSAF is attractive to buyers. It is bought by BAe. (Of course it is... as the British government's 'preferred provider', BAe pretty much gets whatever it wants in the UK.) But BAe has zero interest in keeping RSAF going. It announces that RSAF will complete the contract, then BAe will close the factory and sell off the land. Meanwhile, there are problems with the rifles. The thing is - the original design was never meant to be manufactured from stamped metal parts. It was intended to be a fully-machined weapon. The components do not fit properly. They are too flimsy and easily broken. Nobody at RSAF cares. They know that as soon as the last rifle rolls off the line, they're out of a job anyway. The rifles are bodged together as best as possible and shipped off for evaluation. BAe collects the money for the SA80 contract. That's payday number one. The British army conducts 'trials' on their new rifle - they call it the L85. Good News, everyone - they announce the rifle performs superbly! The L85 is issued. BAe closes RSAF and sells off the assets. That's payday number two. Then they develop the land, and sell it off. Payday number three. Meanwhile, reports are coming in of problems with the rifle. Troops in the field are experiencing catastrophic failures and stoppages. Foreign militaries who conduct trials on the SA80/L85 find very different results from the British Army tests. In fact, overseas trials are so bad that there is zero foreign interest in the gun. In the UK, any force which has independent control over their own budget chooses to buy the C7/C8 rifle instead: that's the Canadian-built version of the M16. That includes the SAS, SBS, Para Pathfinders, and (until they recently lost their independent purchasing ability) the Military Police and Royal Marines. Basically anybody who gets a choice - chooses to AVOID the L85. Eventually, problems with the rifle cannot be ignored any longer. The weapons are withdrawn from service, shipped off to Heckler & Koch in Germany, and heavily rebuilt. At the time, Heckler & Koch was owned by: BAe. That's payday number four from this deal. The rebuilt weapons are reissued - with a name change - as the L85A2. They undergo trials with the British military. Good News, everyone! The new, new rifles perform superbly! The cost of the original weapons - the withdrawal from service - and the rebuild program - mean that the final cost of each "$150 rifle" was actually around $2,000. In all fairness, the rebuilt weapons have performed well. They're (now) reliable, and are have class-leading accuracy. They still have some drawbacks. The L85A2 is notably heavier than it's competitors, does not offer ambidextrous controls, and because of it's ejection action, can only be fired from the right shoulder. Which means, if you're in cover, you can't just lean your left eye & shoulder out to fire - you have to expose your entire chest & head. Also - no matter how good you think the rifle is - it's a design dead-end. The production line is closed, the machinery sold off. The L85 will come to the end of it's useable life, and be replaced with something else. There won't be an "A3". Hope that helps! Source(s): Here's what the British Army "rumour service" has to say: www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/SA-80

[@titytitmk2738]

>There won't be an "A3" Erm...what? The L85A3 was announced in 2015 and will be in service within the next 3-5 years.

[@Turgz]

Titytit Mk2 You do know that the A3's plans is to simply lengthen the service life of existing SA80 rifles?

[@RobertDecker417]

Titytit Mk2 The A2 is one of the most reliable rifles in the world

[@manchurianatlarge]

lol in other words, the physical embodiment of peak-military industrial complex. I imagine we'll look fondly back at the F-35 Lightning in a similar fashion in 30 years' time.

[@tbrasc0]

That's very interesting. Was their any truth to rumour that many of the components were also manufactured from recycled materials? Which may explain some of the fragility.

[@rhannay39]

I trained on these when they first came out. I'm so glad I never had to use it in combat. If you look at the magazine release at 10:42 you can see that this one has a modified release. The bump behind the release pivot makes it harder to accidently release the mag. Direct pressure would push on the bump behind the pivot. It took a deliberate press on the ridged forward part of the release to drop the mag.

[@Hotsaucebauce3943]

U.S. military: wow, the m16 sucks, let's call it the MATELL-16, British army with the l85a1 in the distance:

[@_ruted]

its mattel

[@renanribeiro8137]

brits in distance: OI MATE

[@sairabanokazmi1150]

Poodle shooter was another good nickname

[@jebbus8387]

Tbf we did adopt the M14 over the FAL

[@renanribeiro8137]

@@jebbus8387 The US even imported some FAL for testing, but it is obvious that they were going to prefer the internal work, so the FAL was abandoned in favor of the M14.

[@calicomint]

*looks through comments trying to find someone referencing R6*

[@advancedprototype_3328]

Same

[@MrTheguitaristguy]

All the recommendations i'm getting of guns are ALL R6 guns. This is crazy.

[@xampzie4995]

Yup

[@kevinwong5761]

same

[@llamalord3055]

The more crutches you have....

[@hfoslayer6195]

"Now why did it do that?" *squats down* Sign that says: Made in Britain. "Ahhh..."

[@sagecolvard9644]

This is not the channel I was expecting to find a "The IT Crowd" reference.

[@itISafakechannel]

Just put that over there with the rest of the fire.

[@johnwilliams9179]

Perfect

[@uzaiyaro]

*laughs in Accuracy International*

[@rowanmaguire7890]

Okay not expecting a It crowd refrence here🤣

[@lowfatmofat2152]

3 months into my Parachute Regiment basic training 1985 we switched from the SLR (FAL) 7.62 to SA80A1with SUSAT optics, the SLR was night and day the daddy.

[@chrissheppard5068]

I was in 42 Commando RM the first unit to get these. The unit armorer found 22 faults with it. Two big ones for me were the mag would drop off as the magazine catch was in such a position when worn with the sling against the body that it would be depressed. Also it could not be shot from both shoulders. Considering we were deployed on operations in an urban environment where both shoulder fire positions were used this was outrageous. Loosing a round in NI was an automatic prison sentence and losing a mag was a severe punishment. We were also an arctic unit and in Norway that year the firing pin did freeze in the forward position so on cocking a round would be fired. To the shame of the SASC the all singing Infantry school of the British army would brook no criticism. Also not often mentioned the LSW was even worse as a replacement for the best MG then and still the GPMG in the light role at squad level. On operations the GPMGs would get issued again. The LSW was that crap that in the instructional book for this weapon the lesson which taught rates of fire taught to fire not in bursts of 3 to 5 rounds but quick single shots. They even managed to make the weapon as heavy as the SLR. The only good thing about weapon was the sling and the optic sight. The piece sandwiched between them was a piece of ker rap.

[@mccarthy5825]

Wow that's a lot of interesting info there Chris! Sounds even worse. I'm from Dublin so I recognised these from trips as a kid up North or on TV. So why would that happen if you lost a round in NI? Potentially giving ammo to the enemy or something? You lads got a lot of shite for doing your job but ye paved the way for the peace now. It must have been a tough tour. Thanks for thee info and All the best Chris 👍

[@chrissheppard5068]

@@mccarthy5825 On 1 tour I did it was an automatic 28 days for each round lost. Losing equipment was also a serious issue as it could be booby trapped. The IA or immediate action was if you found a piece of kit on patrol was to cordon it and have ATO clear it.

[@NW-lj6oo]

Really good comment and I always argued that the SA80 was a professional soldier’s weapon rather than an assault rifle. I think i was being a bit too generous, as the list of points you raise we all had and then a few others. I bent a barrel when doing bayonet training on the bottom field and in the pass out before we moved on to the Commando course the two sided clip that held the strap to the butt broke, so i had to hold the strap by my teeth to get over the last wall. Fond memories. I had forgotten about the magazine release button which in South Armagh caused a Para officer on our handover to lose a mag. We gave it back to him after a quick kit check.

[@bilbo_gamers6417]

Losing a round was an automatic prison sentence?

[@Dreyno]

@@bilbo_gamers6417 It wasn’t because you lost it. It was because you may have fired it outside the rules of engagement.

[@LongTimeAgoNL]

I dont know why but... Seeing this (real) rifle... I get the feeling my Airsoft replica had more quality control than this thing... Everything just seems so rushed together. Nothing seems to say 'quality'.

[@Zlonk7]

Yeah the early models where built in a factory with old ass machinery and a workforce that was either inexpirienced or where gonna get fired because the factory was gonna close due to being so fucking old. Later models performed better than M16s in desert conditions

[@visassess8607]

@@Zlonk7 The only thing I've found online is a random person on a gun forum saying that the M16 was worse in a desert environment yet you keep making that claim as if it's definitively true. Where did you get this information? Your comments make it seem like you're biased towards the British so much over this gun that you are trying to bring the M16 down in order to raise the L85 up. You're even talking about the later models as if they're the same as the L85A1 despite the fact that H&K had to pretty much change everything. Also, saying they were made in old factories is not a justification for this weapon. That's just another reason why it's bad.

[@larz101a]

Thanks nice trip down memory lane. Two little defects you missed was that the trigger had to be altered as debris (especially) snow used to get behind and jam the trigger so it could not be pulled. The redesign made it so that the back of the trigger was blade shaped instead of flat. Also the issued magazine bottoms were finished in plastic which had a nasty habit of breaking while in the prone position and vomiting your rounds out onto the floor. Used a L85A1 and fired in anger. Its heavy but I liked it, mind you I had a good one and kept on top of cleaning etc. Saw a lot of them that were bad, life endangering bad at times. The L85A2 is better but still too heavy for a modern rifle. Thanks for all the Vids Forgotten weapons most interesting!

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Thanks!

[@JorgeOrtizIII]

Forgotten Weapons - Any chance you have a link for the desert storm report you mentioned? It would make for an interesting read!

[@olivialambert4124]

I'm interested to hear from someone who used it in combat. Is the weight an issue? From what I understand the MTAR has its weight at the rear and isn't noticeable. Or is it more of a generic gear weight and heavy to carry rather than fire? Also I'm intrigued on your take on bullpup vs non-bullpup? I struggle to understand why so many people want to avoid bullpup for infantry considering the L85A1 has a longer barrel than the M16, yet is still shorter than the Colt Commando (smallest CAR-15). I mean I understand there are issues prone, and issues with reloading but from what I've heard there is far less prone firing in the modern era, rapid reloading is less of an issue than CoD would have us believe, and it would seem that the shorter length would be greatly beneficial whilst reducing the power of the 5.56mm even further is a severe issue. Anyway I'd appreciate your input as a man who has seen the reality of combat. And as a British citizen, thank you for your service.

[@larz101a]

In combat the weight isn't an issue or never was for me. If anything its an advantage I have on one occasion butt stroked(hit someone with the butt of the rifle) someone and they went down. Admittedly it was another soldier but its something you could not do with any of the M16(AR15) variant rifles to such good effect if any. However lugging the rifle around is a different matter. Day in day out of carrying the extra weight around is a pain. Especially when you consider that the British army in general like to over pack their soldiers. Reload time ??? Not an issue. It is what it is. And is as fast to load as any magazine fed weapon. Reload time really is only an issue for belt fed support weapons and CoD. As for firing prone, I never had an issue. I knew one or two who complained firing prone and it "Not feeling right" But strangely enough could do it when someone else was firing at them. It does perch you a little high but even on sand its not that much different My thoughts on it is, its a good rifle the later variant ironing out so much of the initial problems of the rifle. I do think there is much more life in the SA80 system before it is replaced. I do think that the next system should be a bullpup set up and I think that if the designers look to the L85A2 and the lessons learnt from the L85A1 it could be a pinnacle rifle that would end up with the other greats such as the Lee Enfield rifle and the AK47. I love the bullpup configuration and see it as the way ahead for combat weapons, it just feels so natural to fire, close into the body with most of the weight at the back. But what do I know, I am just some old geezer who used to be a soldier! Hope this helps you out.

[@JorgeOrtizIII]

Law .n Thank you for your service. Glad you're safe!

[@alanrose4827]

As an engineer I was asked to comment on it in the early 1980s, I found 27 flaws from a cutaway drawing, later Hundgunner magazine wrote about 32 flaws having tried some, of course we were ignored! You missed the melting plastic and pop-open upper barrel sleave, burned hands. etc.

[@starsnstripesforever5601]

I am a US Marine and when I was deployed in AFG in 2010-2011 we had to convoy to the British base in lashkarga (how ever you spell it) me and my buddy were talking to a Brit marine and we wanted to see his rifle so he let us look at it and when my buddy racked it back that damn thing broke. We just gave it back and walked off with him just staring at his rifle. The moral of the story is if you value your things keep them away from US Marines

[@DeadNoob451]

To be fair, i cant see anybody valuing these things.

[@jameshartley6161]

@@DeadNoob451 The SA80A2 which the marine would’ve had are actually reliable weapons.

[@Veldtian1]

@@jameshartley6161 *in theory.

[@ianp7206]

You talk shit u mug

[@baskapat5239]

@@jameshartley6161 And AR15 and AK platforms stand high in the standard.

[@jhofster31]

A lot of British squaddies used to call this gun "The Civil Servant" I.e. It doesn't work and can't be fired. It was truly a terrible gun, the single biggest failure as identified by the leaked "Landset report" was that the firing pin used to shear off for no identifiable reason.

[@ifv2089]

Julian . Hofmann A2 did the job fine

[@jhofster31]

That is true about the A2 but it is an entirely different gun after HK redesigned it. The interesting thing is that the Army's doctrine is moving decisively away from bull pup designs. British squads now have a designated "marksman" who carries essentially an upgunned M16 to engage targets at ranges beyond the 5.56mm calibre of the A2. The Afghanistan experience showed that a couple of Taliban carrying ancient SMLE .303 knockoffs could outrange the average rifle squad! A lot of squaddies would be very happy to see the SLR back in service.

[@ifv2089]

Julian, the 7.62 Lewis machine and tools sharpshooter and the sniper support are very good but the doctrine / Pam is not using them to move away from the A2 service rifle. There an add on to section firepower. And yes a Taliban fighter and an Enfield with open sights was pretty much as effective as a sharpshooter and could do serious damage. But belive me our l96 and 338 did a lot more

[@garysantana7906]

was also called the self stripping rife, drop it and it self strips for you.

[@zippyoftheline8386]

Julian . Hofmann I was in the British infantry for 12 years and I have never heard of it referred to like that!

[@slammerf16]

I guess I was lucky with mine. It had the mag release shroud and was reliable. They did feel cheap and rattled a lot, especially if you had a lighter and some smokes in the pistol grip! The best way to use them was dirty. Once they had a mag through them and a bit of carbon in the works they worked fine. The only jams I ever had were a couple of stovepipes which were easily dealt with by pulling the case out and a quick forward assist. No, it wasn't the correct drill but it was far quicker than the whole mag off, check the chamber palaver which wasn't ever necessary (for me at least). The good news was that a Muppet could shoot one of these, especially with the SUSAT. They were super accurate to 300 and pretty decent to 500 as long as it wasn't too windy. Overall though, the best part of this weapon was the sling, whoever designed that was dead on.

[@Argorok87]

The fact that the M.O.D kept downplaying the statement about the gun's issue really goes to show just how far we British will go to avoid making a fuss.

[@Argorok87]

@@imnotpishedhic I really hope that's true. British sarcasm getting ahead of our actual well being.

[@JesusChrist-ir1td]

Qbic "making a fuss"? You mean hiding a scandal.

[@jamie.goodson]

@@imnotpishedhic As a Brit, I can absolutely believe this. It's very common to hear phrases like "just a bit" or "if you wouldn't mind" when really we mean "we're fucked. Help".

[@jl.7739]

Meanwhile the German government shits all over the g36 even though everybody says (including Ian) that the gun works perfectly fine and the complaints are BS.

[@Nickcooper625]

@@imnotpishedhic It was during the Battle of the Imjin River in the Korean War. When 650 men of the 1st Battalion the Gloustershire Regiment were facing 10,000 Chinese, commanding US General Robert H Soule asked how things were going, and Brigadier Tom Brodie said: "A bit sticky, things are pretty sticky down there." Soule misunderstood the understatement, thought the Glosters were doing OK, and ordered them to stand fast. Which they did, almost to the last round. After successfully delaying the Chinese advance, and when finally given permission to attempt to withdraw, only 63 managed to evade death or capture.