The United Kingdom's Military Rifle - The L85A1

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[@heaviestarms943]

M16 jams when exposed to ice. AK jams when exposed to mud. L85 jams when exposed to ammo.

[@facestabber51]

i spit out my coffee

[@Tr4wnet]

@@facestabber51 Better clean it up then.

[@its_clean]

This is the one guys everyone thumbs up this one

[@HellZero1131]

the a1, yes, but not the a2 or 3

[@rustys.1070]

ak jams when you swim at the bottom of the lake**

[@sunjayroy312]

There are many reasons why I am proud of being British. This is not one of them.

[@R5RGP]

Womp womp

[@venkmanny4100]

What's one reason?

[@ryandavies1702]

@@venkmanny4100 not being American HAYOO!

[@shadoraeveon9312]

@@ryandavies1702didn’t y’all declare a national emergency for poverty or something? 💀

[@IlNamelessKinglI]

Another bad thing about being british is being british 😢😭

[@Rizzlelid]

Now you have to showcase the A3. Don't do us dirty like this.

[@paulnicholas8152]

The intro brought back a flood of memories, 12 years UK Infantry here, I trained on the UK FN SLR for a year, then went into this SA80 in 1987, it was seen as being a compact lightweight game changer. In some respects it was, shorter, compact and fully auto, unlike out SLRs, also with the SUSAT sight we all became snipers :) . On the ranges it was accurate. However brought into service without robust trials, and a political UK buy, the last Enfield rifle. There were serious issues with it, from magazines falling off, to breech expansians in the chamber in hot weather, UK Radway Green ammunition ss109 round had some power, so much so, it used to ruin commercial M4s. In effect it was a Bisley range accurate rifle, operationally it was compact, remember this is late 1980s, The A2 Heckler Koch upgrade rifle i used in Afghan and Iraq With the same German quality expected. Its still rolling as an A3, UK troops allways loved the AR/M16/M4 series, having also used HK G36 aeries there was better out there, but in the 1980s were werent going to buy from ze Germans for sure. The Americans in Afghanistan loved our new SA80 upgrade steel HK magazines, i swopped a 1000 box of federal 9mm for 4 of them in Helmand :) Anyway thats my experiance of the rifle. 30 years on things have moved on somewhat. Love this channel, thanks for the trip down memory lane. Big up to our American colleagues we served with in Iraq and Afghanistan ! I will allways remember you for your generosity with equipment and ammunition for your operational focus, casevac, med skills and can do attitude.

[@RedDevil5081]

Good on ya mate! 🥃🍻

[@pete9501]

Actually, it was tested to death all over the world including jumping out of hercs with it. The problem was we kept changing our minds on what we wanted and no one seemed to be able to make a decision. We lost our Sgt Armr for a while when he went off to assist the trials team in the very early 1980s. The other problems was the mag release didn't have a cover so easily knocked and off came the mag. Finally made of cheap pressed metal. The SLR in comparison was nicely engineered and would take some real punishment and still keep firing.

[@paulnicholas8152]

@@pete9501 I think it was mostly tested on Bisley ranges. When I was on Brecon ranges in 1987 we were picking up tens of magazines from the courses there. At the time we had SLRs still. They hadn’t even figured out the magazine release issues on the trails.

[@petercherry2165]

Some good comments here, I used the first batch. For me I could not fire it from either shoulder as left side ejected casings into face. The sight elevated your head way above cover. We used it in Belize in 87 but I still used my M16/M203 in most cases.

[@pete9501]

@@petercherry2165 I had a left handed S6 respirator when firing the SLR. That had to go and back to right handed version with the SA80 sadly. For those not sure, the left handed respirator had the canister on the right so you could fire left handed.

[@aguy3896]

It's a pretty smart design. You don't need a complicated ratcheting mechanism to get 3-round burst. Just make it full auto and let it jam itself on the 3rd round.

[@koimananana]

Big brains at HKs be smokin

[@paulcollyer801]

Fired 3rnd burst on it’s big brother the LSW (L86A1), trigger control

[@jeffprice6421]

That is an elegant solution in its own way... :)

[@grahammonk6054]

It was pretty accurate tho on a Tuesday or leap year however the rest of the time it was proper pump

[@Naturally-Fragrant]

First time I ever fired this rifle on automatic, it only managed a two-round burst, before leaving me with a broken firing pin, broken extractor, and the third live round stuck in the breech.

[@macnadoodle]

This rifle was nicknamed "the Civil Servant" by troops - because it rarely worked and you could never fire it. The upgrade A2 version is apparently a million times better. The entire stock was revamped by HK.

[@matty741]

I will say the A2 is much better and I had a quick go of the A3 that was pretty good actually. Shame that the legacy is killing the new stuff.

[@raggerrhinouk]

A2 is definitely better than the A1, never got to fire the A3 though

[@NickfromNLondon]

Only about 2/3 of the rifles were upgraded to A2 and fewer to A3. 2011 my son trained with a L85A1 in the UOTC.

[@NickfromNLondon]

Glad to see you can’t fit the sling on either. Missed the formal conversion training to L85 as we were at the tail end of SMG to SA80 and I was 2 years from retirement. When I first met it in the back of a Bedford I thought it was a plastic drill weapon, it looked so flimsy compared to SLR and SMG.

[@schtoff8200]

The A1 was manufactured by BA when they had the MOD contract. as soon as HK took over the contract, they took the A1 and basically fixed it for the A2 version. I was part of the team that was refurbing the A2 up to A3 and they've made further improvements to the Rifle.

[@Tonys-Adventure]

What Mike was calling the bolt release is actually the bolt hold open. The actual bolt release is the square button on the left side of the receiver, above the fire selector. Just use your left thumb. No need to reach over, or under the weapon.

[@jackworsley2562]

That’s pretty funny, wonder if he’ll make another video about that mistake

[@elel928]

yeah, was watching this and wondering why they were taking it out of the aim when all they had to do was reach up with the thumb on mag change and pull down on the bolt release. silly cac handed yanks.

[@craig8749]

Hi, the bolt release is on the inside of the weapon as you’re holding it. It’s just above the magazine release catch and under the cheek rest. It’s a small black rectangular piece of plastic you push down, and it will release the bolt forward and load a round. Without having to go the other side of the weapon and release the bolt.

[@horfengineering4382]

He probably didn't see it because it had fallen off in about 1991 leaving the little metal stump.

[@Aludirces]

@@horfengineering4382 no, its there

[@JD-wn3cc]

Came here to make the same comment.

[@piecewisefunctioneer]

Came here to make the exact same comment. It's almost like weapons are clunky when you don't know how to use it properly. I never used the A1 but I did use the A2 and it did the job in a firefight.

[@dudes821]

I used the A1 and A2. I never found handling it a challenge...it's extremely easy to handle. Jamming on the other hand...A1 jams a lot

[@Simisdim]

As a British man the 'AT LEAST OUR SCHOOLS AREN'T A SHOOTING GALLERY' had me absolutely pissing myself 😂😂 fucking love you Mike

[@colin4685]

It's pretty embarrassing to be honest

[@Simisdim]

@@colin4685 lol

[@lando1gamez473]

​@@colin4685 AT LEAST OUR SCHOOLS ARENT FOR HONOR MATCHES

[@impguardwarhamer]

it helps that he does a really great price impression lol

[@joe6167]

Maybe not a shooting gallery, but I hear Arts and Crafts class is such a bloodbath, the police have visit schools to confiscate "Deadly scissors"... Can't help but notice that the UK has the most assaults and rapes of any European country either...

[@arx3516]

There's a reason why the brits still do bayonet charges. The bayonet improves the lethality of the L85 by around 100%

[@Shoesandpews]

Lol

[@legendsofthescriptorium]

Fair one mate

[@geezerp1982]

Or just draw your pistol

[@tommys4671]

spot on hahahah, the L403A1 is a great rifle but only for spec

[@zdkolethal]

throwing your rifle at enemies also increses its lethality by another whopping 50%

[@armosamarosso]

Yeah but the Cadet GP version was fun if you were in the ACF as a British kid in the 90's... few things from memory, had the gas works taken out, massive charging handle on a rail welded to the side in front of the bolt, had this really wobbly arm going into the bolt on most of the rifles...had iron sights, no SuSat...no flash hider... Occasionally you could get to use the regular armies rifles on camp, I did one summer camp where we actually went to Cyprus and stayed with 1 RGJ in '94 when i was 14...that was the first time I used one, first time firing full auto...was so excited...it jammed.

[@nope7877]

im a cadet and tbh the l98 witch is the cadet variant aint to bad but cant lie alot of them got lose parts or wobbly deffo need to inprove it or get a new rifel

[@armosamarosso]

Also a funny story about my old Cadet detachment, we had an old Bren gun, but if you ran with it the barrel would fall off...

[@nope7877]

@@armosamarosso A BREN GUN?? dam 😭 only seen one of thoes cadets is amazing tho gets you story’s for life

[@ianlane1024]

I noticed not much mention of the forward assist.this was part of the make ready drill to help lock in the rotating bolt.this was brought in to try to stop.the bad extraction stoppages. I kept mine well cleaned and oiled. Followed the drills and never had many problems.the main thing was to check the lips on your mags as bent lips could cause miss feeding.

[@trooper64428]

We were one of the first units to receive that rifle along with the Royal Marines Commando. We were close observation platoon and we got issued it before deployment to Northern Ireland.but actually could go back to 1984/85 on exercise in Portugal the IW SA80 (individual weapon) team from Royal Ordance came out and trained some of our guys to put a demo on for the Portuguese top brass, shooting the IW and LSW (individual weapon and light support weapon) that was B coy 1 Queens. You have to remember we were still using the SLR and LMG (light machine gun which was no more than a bren gun converted to 7.62) so the SA80 system concept seemed like star wars at the time. However when we got out to Armagh the close observation platoon armory had Gucci weapons M203's, M16A2, HK53, MP5's and Remington Wingmaster pump action shotguns with the top folding stock with "law enforcement only" written on the side. So although we had only had the SA80 (L85A1) for about 6 months we already hated it and would opt for the M203 😂 or anything else.

[@isaacfarthing9014]

Great to see someone in the comments in one of the regiments who amalgamated into my own. PWRR. 🇬🇧

[@jasonflanagan3218]

Tiocfaidh ár lá

[@MudHut67]

come out ye black and tans

[@trooper64428]

@@isaacfarthing9014 I was 2 PWRR in Canterbury (5th Airborne brigade) I got out in 95 after getting back from Op Grapple 4 (Bosnia) attached to 2 royal Anglian.

[@trooper64428]

@@MudHut67 that's a bit racist seeing as the number one baby name in Ireland is Mohammed.

[@fludblud]

19:18 That moment when even Mike cant find the bolt release and mistakenly tries to use the bolt hold is when you realise that Mikhail Kalashnikov was right when he remarked that the British Army 'must have very clever soldiers' when he was handed this ergonomic horror show to examine.

[@josephg.3370]

😂

[@zincorium1]

That is a fantastic backhanded compliment.

[@norfangl3480]

Or 1. Mike did that on purpose to make the weapon look shitter 2. Mike did not bother to read manual of arms to understand how one of the rarest weapons in the US works How did he miss the big square button above the magazine housing on the left side but assume it's the hold open on the right side?

[@greeky0396]

I was screaming at the screen about the part called the "bolt release catch" and how he missed that

[@fludblud]

@@norfangl3480 Because to the untrained eye the bolt release just looks like a weirdly shaped push pin. There is no sign, marking, colour difference or even a rough ergonomic surface to indicate that the release should be pushed, let alone in which direction. Every single person that uses this rifle needs to be explicitly instructed on how to use it as the learning curve is considerably steeper than with comparable weapons. One could only imagine what an absolute shitshow it would be if there was a Battle of Kyiv scenario and thousands of clueless civilians had to be trained to use these in extremely short order.

[@darknightstudio2543]

I enjoyed the sa80. I joined in a transition from the SLR L1A1. carried the sa80 for a number of years and the LSW version with elogated barrel and bipod. along with the Browning 9mm and GPMG. It was very hit and miss on issue you either got a solid one or a bag of marbles back in the early 90's. Per Ardua.

[@mitchw5966]

Great video. We're now on the L85 A3. A2 was good, no dramas in Afghan etc. Not fired the A3 yet. all good! Splendid video pal. lol

[@xclonejager6959]

Being a service member, watching you reload was physically painful but funny as fuck 😂

[@aventious6853]

i had to watch them in slow Mo to truly appreciate this max level crow reload

[@harrisongoacher652]

innit🤣🤣 same as the ginger fella

[@Monkesmell91]

The L85 has a bolt release it’s a square button you push down

[@roadblockharding]

Same blot release catch fuck me 😂😂😂

[@Adam-ic7tb]

That reload was painful. No one pointed out the bolt release right above the fire selector.

[@lcpltpow5870]

As someone who was issued the L85 (A2) I appreciate the commentary

[@matthewhall7976]

As a fellow Brit with family members who served and even got highly decorated (one was one of the first women on the frontlines) and stuff I appreciate your sacrifices and thank you for your service..👍

[@lostinspace013]

@@matthewhall7976 It's work. They pay him for this.

[@amadeusagripino6862]

Oi, suzy, yoo have a loicense to appreciate?

[@tbrowniscool]

We had 20 L85's Cadet versions that were SINGLE FIRE - SIDE CHARGE at my school. Yes it was a private school

[@popupheadlights]

@@lostinspace013you can be doing a job and still appreciate the service they’re doing regardless if they’re paid or not, lots of jobs out there that are essential and we should be happy someone’s willing to do them.

[@madmack7501]

It’s cool on the slow-motion shots you can see the cocking handle catching the ejecting rounds. It would regularly kick them back into the breach causing a stoppage. This is why the A2 has the cocking handle shape it is. I liked the A2 when it came into service.

[@rudolfnv6666]

im sure dozens pointed this out, but there is a bolt release latch on the left hand side of the rifle. that square stud between the mag release catch and the butt. We where always drilled to use that instead of running the bolt or using the holding open catch

[@robertvickery-clark9216]

This was also known as the “weaponised” Civil Servant because it doesn't work and can't be fired. Later variants were more reliable but it always weighed a ton.

[@themightycrixus1131]

😂😂😂

[@jbloun911]

Would of demanded to have the FAL back

[@aaronleverton4221]

@@jbloun911 Did you mean "Would have"? Very few Diggers I have spoken to were unhappy about no longer having to haul an SLR around.

[@jamedmurphy4468]

Humphrey Appleby would be proud of this rifle

[@jbloun911]

@@bigstu4700 🫃

[@Mat-eq8mk]

For all its faults, this weapon had one feature that made it well liked in practice. The way it's weighted and the space between the trigger grip and the mag housing means you can throw it around with one hand. It makes a big difference when jumping in and out of vehicles, hopping over walls, etc. One of those things that never gets picked up in range reviews.

[@seanthefatone131]

It has a very good balance point being the grip, its perfect from the a2 in my opinion, that ungaurded magazine release on the a1 was asking for trouble..

[@JimmothyGibbons]

agreed, i was in the cadets as a youth and we used to have a few a1s with concreted barrels in the barracks for training purposes. When you got 11 year olds sprinting about with em and dicking about with ease, you now its a easy thing to carry.

[@ulsterinfidel9897]

Well Northern Ireland was in mind when creating these rifles they had to be easy getting in and out of the snatch land rovers, small in size for house clearance and comfortable when jumping fences or wall or going through bushes so much British military equipment was designed due to my violent wee country

[@flash-wu8hi]

Carry handle 😂

[@smokingcrab2290]

Interdasting

[@Mickey_F1nn]

There is a bolt release on the left hand side of the weapon too, you don't need to bring your hand round to the right side, the right hand side one is actually a bolt catch, used for disassembly. It can be used as a bolt release too as you demonstrated. The LH bolt release is the square next to the chin grip.

[@JohnRWMarchant]

Brings back some memories. I remember the first time we got it to replace the SLR, did not take long for us to want our SLR back. Funny how you thought it was kind of cool looking, we thought it looked terrible back then, looked like it was made of lego bricks. Yes its improved with the A3 which my son uses but looking now the Army and others are looking at going back in some ways to 7.62 and non bull pup. I remember seeing one of the trials weapons in RAF Ascension Island many years ago it was behind the senior rates bar, totally different to what we ended up with and from all accounts a good weapon, the furniture was all wood as well. If you dropped the A1 something always fell off it or cracked. As you said the QC was terrible.

[@zelenisok]

People here are likely familiar with Jonathan Ferguson, weapons expert and Keeper of Firearms & Artillery at the Royal Armouries, he actually wrote a book on this, kinda. The book is called "Thorneycroft to SA80: British Bullpup Firearms, 1901 - 2020".

[@laughingskulls598]

It is quite the good book. Highly recommended. High quality pictures to go along with high quality printing.

[@a.s.j.g6229]

Do the A2 next

[@taylorc2542]

EM-2 was better 70 years ago.

[@Miki_hero]

if you're gonna say it at least say it right, Johnathan Ferguson Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armories Museum of the UK which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons throughout history.

[@RilaAudio]

​@@laughingskulls598That explains the cost.

[@landroveraddict2457]

In the UK we get very little firearms news. The SA80 made national news, approaching the level of a scandal. It was an embarrassment that made it into the living rooms of the nation. Glad to hear it had the bugs worked out.

[@bunk95]

Think the one marketed as Queen Elizabeth II was a gamer? Knew he actually needed soap (if he wasnt marketed and dressed as a soldier)?

[@st0nedpenguin]

Did it? I thought they compiled a list of 70+ issues then they fixed like 4 of them lol.

[@ChankaMusic]

The A2 is pretty robust and did its job well with no real major complaints. The A3 only improved the ergonomics and adaptability of the platform as it the A2 by H&K (which was a british owned company at the time) solved most of the problems. The switch to an AR platform in forces like the commandos is due to the need for something easy to modify and adapt and better for CQB, not because the L85A2 was unreliable or a bad weapon in general@@st0nedpenguin

[@thebelfastvikingmartinbrow3603]

They replacing it now .

[@ChankaMusic]

@@Bloodline2009 if you say so

[@martynm.449]

You should use the left hand to clear jams and forward assist. The right hand should stay in control of the pistol grip.

[@captainchaos3053]

The bolt release is on the other side. The little hook is the holding open devise. Its a little black square right behind the mag release. It will speed you up.

[@PreparedPathfinder]

Former Brit Paratrooper and Pathfinder here. I used the L85A1 and A2 all over the world, on exercises and operations between 1988 - 2022. The A1 had a lot of initial problems, such as the magazine release catch and the poor magazines (initially old Colt mags). The HK A2 was a far better rifle, but I much preferred the Diemaco C8 that I used in the Pathfinders. As you mentioned, anyone trained with muscle memory of the rifle wouldn't have the problems you faced. The bolt release catch is on the left side of the weapon btw. Don't forget that the M16 had some massive problems when first introduced into service in Vietnam. Nice Brit impressions btw, made me laugh! 😂

[@dakkadakka9189]

80% of the m16s problem is stoner had a cartridge and powder designed specifically for that rifle and it performed well in testing but some genius between adopting and deploying it changed the powder used in the cartridges with out testing, the other bit coupled with the dirty untested powder was the fact they didn't issue cleaning kits as they believed it was self cleaning

[@joerubyred4552]

cheers tam

[@RTJsims]

@@dakkadakka9189 actually the government dictated the powder requirements. Then shipped out with shit powder… some of it left over from the Second World War. The second issue is the “self cleaning” function that the stoner is designed around. What stoner meant, was that he designed the gas travel route to eject any debris from the ejection port prior to extraction. This prevents jams, as shown in Garand thumbs mud tests comparing the hk416 to an AR15. The military heard “self cleaning” and dumassed it into believing that you didn’t need to issue cleaning kits when going to war…. Very little of the Armalite ar15 design’s “problems” were due to its actual design.

[@Sean2002FU]

I was stationed at RAF St Mawgan as a young Marine (US). I never liked the SA-80....Did they change the designation?? ( Am I showing my age?? lol!)....HOWEVER!!! The good Lord knows I love the L1A1 (SLR)...I had to have one when I got home..!! 😁😁😁

[@OliverDemari]

SA80 is the weapon family as it includes the L22 and L86 - we are currently on the L85A3 for our main service rifle, L86 isn't really used anymore as the Minimi took over the role and the L22 is still issued to engineers @@Sean2002FU

[@CrimzonReaperII]

I really wish we could get an A2/A3 in your hands, at least. The A1 is too much of a meme.

[@echoic-yl5wj]

agreed

[@DS-kg4do]

+1

[@jonevansauthor]

It'd be interesting to see them talk to Jonathan Ferguson about it, and/or visit the Royal Armouries who might be able to solve that.

[@iamjames8200]

Not even Royal Armouries has a A3 I don't think.@@jonevansauthor

[@jonevansauthor]

@@iamjames8200 entirely possible. On the other hand, since Ferguson literally wrote the book on them, and undoubtedly has contacts, either way he's a good person to talk to and does a tonne of KZbin as well.

[@user-sz6nb1vk6q]

Thank you Mark how that jumped into my head I don’t know! We had SLRs & we had the mag on that tied on!! As we rural we had everything Tod on!!

[@2amike375]

love the Mike Myers insert at 00:53.

[@bcampbell1498]

Bro has definitely been around and worked with Brits before, he gets our sense of humour and took the piss perfectly. Hilarious video mate!

[@JerseyLostRingMetalDetecting]

I carried an SA80 A1 as a British infantry soldier from '90 to '94. I was in the battalion shooting team and fired it A LOT. I found it to be accurate and reliable and I carried it on operations with confidence. The magazines were a problem however, so you had to find some good ones and guard them! (As others have said, there's a bolt release on the left of the rifle.)

[@jamesnorth7318]

Seen them too much in northern Ireland going to school and bombs going off. Not good.

[@evs251]

No one asked buddy

[@eraldorh]

@@evs251 Well he said it anyway so what are you gonna do about it.

[@Jack-ni4ft]

​​@@evs251no one asked but over 50 people found it interesting including myself yanky doodle

[@simonh6371]

@@evs251 Tosser

[@Peaceforallnations]

The SA80 A2 variant is considered the best gun in Europe for several reasons. It has undergone significant improvements from its earlier versions, making it more reliable and accurate. It also has a modular design, allowing for easy customization and adaptability. Additionally, it has been praised for its ergonomics and user-friendly features.

[@trashpanda314]

I don’t think I’ve ever heard the L85 being referred to as the “best gun in Europe”. It’s outdated and I can think of at least 5 European rifles off the top of my head that would supersede it. Maybe you know something I don’t, and I’m not being sarcastic. Because pretty much every British soldier I talked to in Iraq was not a fan of the weapon.

[@himynameistim009]

Is that what the Queen told you?

[@MikeLacey52]

​@trashpanda314 that was the A1.

[@TheHawk1202]

Best gun in Europe ???? Hell no. I’d rather keep my Sig 550 which is probably more accurate with its iron sights than the SA80 with optics.

[@Peaceforallnations]

@@trashpanda314 The SA80 A2 has been praised for enhanced accuracy and reliability

[@selfco8142]

Excellent fair analysis of the SA80.

[@matthewtemprell5422]

As a ex military guy who used the l85a2 I have to say this is great video describing all the issues I heard about the A1. Just as a not there's a bolt release on the left side of the riffle it's the black square below the cheek plate close to the selector switch, it's much easier to release the bolt with that than trying to use the hold open device to release.

[@xinxu4456]

i havent served but ive used this rifle a lot and seeing him joke about reaching over the rifle like that was annoying because the bolt release catch is so much more ergonomic

[@exmilitarygaming13]

Haha Its been a while since I got out and I thought I was going mad trying to remember when he's reaching over to release the bolt haha I was like, no don't think that's right from what I remember haha

[@MarkJMonaghan]

@@exmilitarygaming13 its not right what hes doing theres a bolt release catch next to the fire rate selector switch just below the cheek plate

[@exmilitarygaming13]

@MarkJMonaghan oh yeah I know but he got me questioning myself haha

[@MarkJMonaghan]

@@exmilitarygaming13 he shouldn’t be firing it as he’s using the a1 which is no longer manufactured n if that weapon goes tits up the manufacturers can not be held responsible for

[@jw8697]

As an Australian, I give you an 11/10 for perfectly accurate over-the top British accent.

[@davidoldboy5425]

Strewth 🤣

[@hyperturbotechnomike]

A dingus

[@MisterNi]

I was straight up seeing and hearing: Call of Duty: Captain Garand Price. GT looks a lot like him now, especially with the boonie cap. 😄

[@zaynevanday142]

The SA80 is a shit hole rifle 😂😂😂😂😂

[@zaynevanday142]

When the Gurkhas came over in 1997 those rifles are a pile of garbage, rattles and falls apart 😂😂😂

[@DefconUnicorn]

I used either the 1 or 2 as part of the CCF. I was told that when built it had the barrel cleaning kit inside the pastic front part. When the rifle was used somewhat the oil would boil and exploe all of the soliers hand arm neck and face. #fun.

[@yanholland315]

Eye relief on the SUSAT (Sight Unit Small Arms Trilux) has some adjustments - its what the circles cut into the V rail are for. Other novelty features include radioactive parts that made the 'needle' glow orange in the dark without requiring a battery. As others have pointed out the rifle requires some unintuitive drills to be effective with it - the left hand over the top charging for starters. Its also worth mentioning the sling system as that's a better thought out bit of kit than the rifle - one clip and your off from slung into a fire position but with it still attached to your body.

[@danieljob3184]

The SA80 was a case of politics over military needs. Ian does a rather comprehensive assessment on Forgotten Weapons.

[@charlesboots6508]

Normally, the phrase "comprehensive assessment" isn't an understatement, but with Forgotten Weapons, it is.

[@Dreyno]

Yes. A mess. An insistence on Britain producing its own weapons whilst simultaneously insisting the company making them be privatised. Expecting it to be world beating at a knockdown price and then launching it when it wasn’t ready. HK put some lipstick on it but it’s still a pig.

[@UKGuns]

That little green lever behind the bolt is not the bolt release it's actually the bolt catch for manually holding open the bolt. The bolt release is on the left side of the rifle it's the little square button just above the change lever. The idea is you insert the fresh magazine with the left hand and then use your left thumb to push the bolt release down (down as in towards the bottom of the rifle) which sends the bolt home. Admittedly it's still a little awkward but no where near as awkward as using the bolt catch on the other side lol

[@MrChillameno]

I came here to say the same thing. How annoying was it he didn't know.

[@simonrichardson5203]

It's dual purpose nobody I knew used left hand bolt release all you do after holding the bolt hold is push it back up to release

[@UKGuns]

@simonrichardson5203 it is not intended to be dual purpose. The manual calls for the use of the bolt release. The bolt hold open only releases the bolt because of the mechanical function (you push it down to hold open the bolt and thus pushing it up releases the mechanism and will allow the bolt to drop but this was not intended to be used in that manner it's merely a by product of the mechanism.) I have a lot of experience on this rifle and I have never seen anyone use the bolt hold open as a bolt release. Ever. I have seen those who prefer to pull the bolt itself back and release it (avoiding the need to use the bolt release) and there is some merit to this (due to the fact that the manual calls for a "forward assist" of the cocking handle and so your left hand has to go over there anyway.)

[@thiefintheknight]

​@@UKGunsI came here to say this but you've saved me the trouble. What I can say is, I understand why the assumption is that it is the same catch as this is one of the things I really dislike about the M4 in which the bolt release and the holding open catch are the same device. Which means you have to take your hand off the pistol grip to both pull back the charging handle and use your other hand to operate the catch. After a reload of course its entirely in the right place. And don't get me started on the safety not being able to be engaged when the hammer is up. When we get the KS1 the changes to drills are going to make some people cry. Perhaps including myself.

[@UKGuns]

@thiefintheknight personally I prefer the AR controls but to be fair I have way more time on the AR than the SA80 so different strokes for different folks I guess

[@naethanc764]

The bolt release is the black square button on the left hand side of the gun. The green lever is the hold open device.

[@SteamGeezerUK]

Interesting video, thanks. I carried both the L1A1 and the L85A1 and I much preferred the SA80, although I will agree it wasn't "squaddie proof". I personally never had an issue with it, but I was an engineer before I joined up and perhaps that lead to a little more care and attention when it came to cleaning and general maintenance. The SLR was much more hardy but, as I mentioned, I personally had no issues at all with the SA80 and thoroughly enjoyed carrying and shooting it. The sling was absolutely great too - it could be configured in several different ways very quickly to allow a variety of carrying styles and switched from one to another easily. I even fitted an SA80 sling to my son's airsoft M4 and apparently a lot of people were very impressed with the flexibility of it. With regard to some of the issues raised in the video, the bolt release, as others have already mentioned, is on the left side of the rifle just above the change lever and was designed to be activated with the thumb of the left hand after inserting the magazine. The lever on the right is a manual bolt hold open, so you reach over the top of the rifle, pull the bolt to the rear and engage the hold open with the left thumb. The idea was that your right hand would always stay on the pistol grip to maintain control of the weapon. As for the magazine catch, shortly after the rifle came into service, a modification was made to mitigate the issue of the catch getting caught on things which worked really well. The other nice thing about the rifle was the SS109 ammunition, which actually had superior penetrating power against hard targets like body armour than the previous 7.62 we used in the SLR. There was an issue with the SS109 being fired from the M16A1, which I believe was due to a different twist rate in the rifling and I understand this was fixed in the M16A2 in order to maintain ammo interchangeability among NATO forces, but don't quote me on that. As an aside, the SA80 (originally called the IWS or Individual Weapon System) was originally designed to fire a proprietary 4.8mm round, but changed to 5.56mm to again meet the NATO standard. Overall, while I completely agree that the SA80 had issues that were later fixed by H&K, I thought it was a great rifle and preferred it way more than the SLR, which was very long and unwieldy, especially in vehicles and close quarters, and I always found it very accurate, being able to reliably engage targets out to 600m, and do pretty well even out to 800m, although at that range it's always dodgy with 5.56mm, whatever the rifle. On the whole though, I think you gave it a pretty fair appraisal, when it would have been very easy just to bash on it like so many others have done, which I appreciate, thanks 🙂

[@EthanThomson]

just a note, the bolt catch release is the small square button on the right hand side of the weapon, opposite the catch you used at the start of the video. what you were using to release the bolt was the bolt hold open catch

[@ianhomewood4187]

I was wondering what they were doing

[@BRMCaptChaos]

Stacked review for the clout, 🤡 operator couldn't even tighten the Susat? colt mag garbage, let alone oil the rails, high port on reload? Just wtf.

[@SomeGuyCalledJ]

@@BRMCaptChaos I'm pretty sure the SUSAT/A2 combo meant they had to change the markmanship qualifications as it became too easy

[@enderwolfg1033]

@@SomeGuyCalledJthe a1 was accurate enough to change it

[@user-ym7dp5kj3l]

I was thinking that too! His thumb is right next to it at the 20:30 point on the video. Trying to make the bolt go forward by reaching underneath looks so awkward!

[@kaiotie1]

As someone who has used the SA80 in the past, I saw you struggling with the bolt release - on the left side of the rifle, above the selector, there's a square shape part. pushing that in a downward direction will release the bolt, sending it home so you don't have to do some funky over or under arm thing to release the bolt. I'm not sure if that was part of the A2 upgrade but every SA80 I've used has had it. You can also get a DD (daniel defence) rail system for them, which was used in Afghanistan. people sell them on the UK ebay now; making it more usable. some american troops came and tested the new A3 upgrade and apparently its like a precision rifle compared to the previous A2 or older M4 platforms. the newer versions of the SA80 did away with the SUSAT optic you have in this video and replaced it with first, an Acog with a hornbil riser, but later a Elcan LDS with a Burris Shield sight on top, which is what we use now. I would love to see a follow up video with the DD handguard ((with a bipod grip if you want authenticity)), and the Elcan LDS with Burris Shield on it, and see the difference when it comes to handling etc.

[@jimtomav20]

Agreed. It was painful to watch him complain about the blot release when it was clearly in shot several times.

[@jakeE46.325i]

I was wondering if anyone was going to tell him about the bolt release

[@jimtomav20]

@@jakeE46.325i I think about 1/10 comments include something about the bolt release at this point.

[@sid35gb]

The SUSAT reticule post looked like it had been painted on with a brush 😂

[@superfamilyallosauridae6505]

This should've been a super easy video-SA80 has a gorillion ergonomic flaws. He failed to point them out correctly.

[@giorgostoskas2185]

Its is so good , the comedy that Garand Thumb can fit in a single video is insane , i enjoy them all the time

[@TruthofRNMC]

There’s a blot release catch on the left side right opposite the the opening and holding device (the green thing you have been using to release the bolt caryer group )

[@notcjayy288]

Micah being better with random guns shows hes a better natural shooter but mike being better with the ar platform shows how much he drilled with them

[@Jackal-xc9sw]

This is certainly one of the service rifles of all time

[@radam1198]

Worst*

[@Old-Boy_BEbop]

@@radam1198 agreed

[@newskistewski5877]

@@radam1198this joke format went right over your head

[@whatsup4885]

Truly one of the service rifles to ever exist 🙂

[@JPayne95]

​@thewashedone6561 I guess it went over your head

[@nlomas]

I used the L85A1 24 years ago and last year got to use the L85A2 (reserves). The updates are impressive and resolve many of the issues. One thing that pains me though was you using the hold open catch instead of the bolt release (on the left side).

[@SirDAB5Alot]

Glad I'm not the only one😂

[@andrewmcmahon4028]

my issue with the rifle was it was so heavy compared to the M16 when shooting in standing unsupported

[@999hicks2]

rewatched this and loved your honesty at the end. and your spot on. they did a rush job for sure. glad we dont use it anymore

[@markgreenwood336]

Former bootneck '92 pass-out. Above the fire selector switch there is a square button, this is also a bolt release, but more often than not it fell off. The trigger later had the ice breaker upgrade to the trigger, as in Norway it became packed with snow and ice making it unable to fire.

[@Dusty9931]

I was about to post that.

[@MegaFRANKIE100]

Having shot the A2, I can confirm it’s a much better rifle than the A1. I heard a lot of people talk about how bad the A1 was, but after putting many rounds down with A2 I didn’t run into many problems. One of my favourite things about these rifle was the nickname for the SUSAT which was know as the ‘donkey cock’ sight due to the reticle.

[@Bordie3D]

How well known is that? Like will I be made fun of for actually calling it that because I am 100% going to call it that.

[@edwhite6574]

Pretty well known to be fair!

[@user-ql7tf6tu7s]

Yea since the germans changed 90 % of it.

[@MegaFRANKIE100]

@@user-ql7tf6tu7s The Germans are wizards

[@darthsarcastus1064]

You can flick off the safety with the left forefinger and keep your trigger finger engaged with just a little transfer of placement of the left hand.

[@Justin-lu1zg]

Love the content and love the fact that you are into the history of the weapons you feature. Maybe you can do a review on the british martini henry rifle used in the zulu wars during the 1870's. Micheal Caine starred in a movie called zulu in 1964. Great film. Im sure you will enjoy it. Would love to see you larp in a grenadier guard uniform.

[@ProjectPete]

This rifle epitomizes the phrase "if it doesn't look cool, nothing else matters."

[@Jack-M1113]

Unless you’re being shot at, then reliability is probably for the best.

[@Pauly421]

I don't know what Mike has been smoking but I think this rifle looks like shit

[@Jack-M1113]

@@Pauly421 facts lol 😂

[@RamenPoweredShitFactory]

@@Pauly421 Yeah, I don't understand how they managed to make a rifle as pretty as the ar-18 that god damn ugly.

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

@@RamenPoweredShitFactory It helps if you use plastic that gets melted by the insect repellent that soldiers get issued. And that swells up in hot, humid conditions so the safety catch can be stuck in the 'on' position.

[@ascot4000]

In late 2001 in Afghanistan I received a brand-new & factory fresh L85A2 to replace my (un)trusty A1. My lord was it an improvement. It could do everything needed of it and more, without fail. Still couldn't shoot it around righthand corners though - but in an anti-clockwise fight it was unstoppable... Finding or slapping the actual bolt release is easier if you consume tea, or something.

[@beggsyy04]

as a citizen of the UK i speak for all of us when i say this intro was funny as fuck

[@NoFaithNoPain]

I know many sservice men who had the L85A1 and not one had a bad word to say about it. It is the Internet that does not like it. (the Internet LOVES the Russian T-90M for context) The only exception was one guy who did the changeover from the SLR to the L85A1 but that was mostly conversion issues.

[@ChrisAddis]

The A2 and A3 are decent...if they're looked after. Original SA80 was a honking ghat. The sight at the top is an emergency use only and is about as accurate as a house brick being thrown from a moving car at a 300m target.

[@ash3344]

When was there ever an a3?

[@suggs8392]

⁠​⁠@@ash3344since 2016 they had the first ones and now all british army units use the L85A3 or the Knights Stoner 1

[@BarFlyChef]

The reach around of rifles.

[@jbish1479]

Agreed the A1 was gash the A2 wasn’t too bad

[@THERAAMBODX]

Beans on toast is elite btw no slander shall be had

[@alanjohnson9171]

My old personal weapon. SLR prior to it. People knocking it, but it never let me down. Balanced well and when you get your skills and drills sorted and you're not running the mags from a pocket or a chest rig and running from standard brit webbing it's spifing..loved the video. Keep up the great work. Cheers 🍻 Johno😢

[@dataplate]

Bolt release is on the left side of the weapon. Square button just above the change lever. To activate the bolt release, pull it down.

[@StoneLlama372]

The editing just gets better and better each week. Well done, Micah. Also, if Charlie's not back next week we riot.

[@OneEyePI]

I carried one of these. Surprisingly accurate, especially with the SUSAT. Also shockingly unreliable and very labour intensive to keep running in the field. My son is now in the army and carries the A3 which is apparently a decent weapon.

[@rat_king-]

A3 The rifle that was completely rebuilt by the germans to be functional....

[@evs251]

No one asked mate

[@alexrobertson1472]

@@evs251I did

[@DEN8Y]

@@evs251stfu I actually enjoyed his story and perspective.

[@simonh6371]

@@evs251 Bell end

[@HarryBennetts-kf4qi]

After doing some research this is the outdates version of the rifle, they now use the A2 version which apparently is much better with several improvements

[@JP-sm1zv]

This is top notch banter! I fucking love it mate

[@moelarthur1412]

BOLT RELEASE is the square knob on the left side of the rifle with the round hole, pull it down and will drop the bolt, the green tap is the Bolt Hold-Open, used to inspect the chamber etc.

[@g1nge211]

The square knob is the bolt release the other 2 knobs were shooting the rifle

[@leacher1997]

Glad somone said this 😂😂

[@lowfatmofat2152]

Rifle not Gun in UK

[@seb.hassen7781]

​@@leacher1997 I came here to comment why he's not using the bolt release on the left side but glad you boys got to it first.

[@snipad]

@@lowfatmofat2152I’m fucking screaming “it’s a weapon not gun”

[@kingybo9032]

I'm not sure if I'm the only one who has noticed this but as someone who has spent a great deal of time with this weapon I can tell you that there is a small black square just underneath the cheek piece that is the actual bolt release catch, the little lever behind the bolt is only the "holding open lever" in is not supposed to be used as a bolt release. Just wanted to put this info out there :)

[@Centermass762]

I'm a big fan of GT, but it's wild to review a gun that you don't even know how to operate properly. 😂

[@jamesgoodman186]

Was about to comment the same thing, though I was only ever a cadet so my experience with the rifle is much more limited.

[@anthonyslaughter4689]

@@jamesgoodman186also as a fellow cadet the lack of forward assist 😂

[@Posty-vw9jc]

I always loved the look of this one.

[@dodoimperium8166]

I love how it looks

[@ThePhilipoconnor]

FYI Mike the little square by the fire selector is a bolt release. The little lever by the charging handle is normally just used to lock the bolt back 👍🏻

[@epl803]

Yep it's the bolt release catch; using the cocking handle to chamber a round while reloading is not the done thing

[@jason200912]

Should have made it the same part that controls both instead of two seperate ones

[@ThePhilipoconnor]

@@jason200912 actually makes it easier the way it is mate as you pull charging handle back and without letting go you push the lever down with the thumb of the charging hand. You can lock the bolt back with one motion without letting go of the pistol grip. Same when reloading like an AR you can insert the mag and drop the bolt using thumb of same hand.

[@jason200912]

@@ThePhilipoconnor locking the bolt back makes it easier to insert mags but at the cost of 2 seconds wasted over a regular reload. You also waste a round if anything is chambered

[@ThePhilipoconnor]

@@jason200912 why would you have to manually lock the bolt back on a regular reload?

[@tropic8703]

Love the British accent and the humour 😂,The bolt release catch is that black square above the selector switch , once the working parts are to the rear push the black square down ! Big love Mike 🇺🇸🇬🇧

[@lespaulguitarist92]

Why does he gives me capt. price visuals? Haha

[@jessiechen279]

@@lespaulguitarist92 lol its the beard hat combo

[@koimananana]

I have a question, who tought it was a great idea to have a bolt release to be dark in colour

[@dxd_jack951]

​@koimananana you don't even look at it while using it, it's all muscle memory

[@koimananana]

@@dxd_jack951 fair, but i do think its better to have some extra aid

[@Ambushw23]

Never drop the buttstock to reload a bullpup it’s designed to stay on your shoulder it’s easy to hold and move around with you front hand or left hand on the barrel shroud I know it’s weird to take you trigger hand off the gun to reload but trust me it’s faster, especially for ones with out a ambi charging handle, that’s why I love the kel Tec rdb it ejects out the bottom so right or lefties can shoot it you can but the charging handle on either side they make ones that have both and it’s on the on the front of the rifle which seems silly but it’s not cause the rifle is so compact you don’t reach out far, and you can hk slap it which is always great.

[@rodhamilton7087]

What you called the release catch is actually the holding open catch. The bolt release catch is the black square catch just above the change lever on the other side.

[@johnkerr762]

SUSAT optic -stands for Sight Unit, Small Arms, Trilux. The Trilux refers to the glowing tritium tip on the sight post. There was an issue caused by the short eye relief - the soldier would have to get so close that occasionally their helmet would rest on the sight and the weight would push it down, having the effect of dropping your shots low(rear end of the sight is on a spring as part of the elevation adjustment mechanism) just one slight clarification, those aren't really iron sights, they are EBS (emergency battle sights) they were not zero-able but where there as a last resort in case the SUSAT became unusable for any reason. However I was told that if you break the sight glass throw the rifle down and run away because the tritium gas inside is radioactive 😂

[@S3nt1nel]

The tritium inside is radioactive but the emissions aren't particularly harmful as your skin would attenuate the radiation before it was able to reach sensitive, dividing cells. If it was a powder or gas inside however it could be inhaled which would bring it closer to sensitive tissue and could pose a radiation hazard. TL;DR, tritium gunsights aren't some nuclear boogeyman, and they won't kill you or hurt you unless maybe you swallow one.

[@CAL1MBO]

My Royal Navy friend told me the same thing. Someone broke a sight in training and the entire warehouse was evacuated. 🤣

[@JDFish]

We were always taught if you break a susat you have to get as pissed as possible as quickly as possible because the alcohol breaks down the tritium or something. May well be one of those pad rumours

[@Ironclad001]

⁠​⁠@@JDFishthat’s actually good advice. You want to flush it out of your system as quickly as possible, so getting yourself waststed on spirits is a decent way to flush it out of your system. But you would need to get very very drunk, as in vomiting multiple times, profusely sweating, & possible blacking out. Source: when coworkers accidentally exposed themselves to radioactive material the on site doctor made us get them incredibly drunk on schnapps & vodka to get it out of their system, we then washed them thoroughly in a bath in case any material was sweat out by them.

[@TheGav0071]

Or remove the sight altogether, stop windging and get on with business.

[@WorldSurvivalist]

Funny story, back in 2001 I was a young private in the British army and I happened to be on the final stage trials and development team for the A2. Basically running about, getting dirty, and a lot of shooting so they could test real-world abuse. Talking to the guys that developed the A2 it was incredible how much of a difference just 2 simple changes made, the first being the cocking handle, that round one would often pick up spent cases and cause a double feed, as you guys have seen happen. They redesigned it to push the brass away and that apparently prevented 20% of stoppages. The second and this is a big one was the magazine. I was told 40% of stoppages were due to the magazine not feeding the round. They were cheap nasty things with a simple spring that could fall apart if you looked at it. They redesigned it so the metal bit at the top of the spring in the magazine was always straight, so rounds didn’t jam, so 60% just with those 2 small things FYI that’s not the bolt relies that’s the holding opening lever, the bolt release is on the other side As for the War of 1812 you guys don’t mean that skirmish in the colonies do you? The only war we in Britain are aware of is the Napoleonic Wars, (which we won, like all our wars) which sometimes involved run-ins with rowdy colonists.

[@CabbageBloke]

H&K changed way more than just 2 parts.

[@edwardcullen1739]

​@@CabbageBloke He didn't say that, he said that two minor changes made a big difference. They also changed the bolt, firing pin, barrel, reinforced the frame and replaced the furniture. Basically, there wasn't much left of the original by the time they were done...

[@CabbageBloke]

@@edwardcullen1739 Cocking handle, bolt, extractor, extractor pin, ejector, ejector pin, firing pin, cam stud, hold-open, barrel extension, gas system, handguard, magazine, bolt carrier, hammer stop, hammer, barrel, ejection post, and all springs.

[@edwardcullen1739]

@@CabbageBloke And, of course, the magazine release 😂

[@CabbageBloke]

With the amount of changes they made, they should of just got a new rifle.@@edwardcullen1739

[@LIAFL]

We don’t use the A1 anymore, they are for cadets, we use the A3, L129A1 sharpshooter, GPMG, L115A3 Sniper and the Glock 17

[@NoelWesley]

I used the L98 cadet rifle version as an Air Cadet and the LSW later in the TA. The safety catch issue was part of training. It was "strongly implied" that it was possible to use your left thumb and left middle finger to engage and disengage the safety while keeping the trigger finger where it should be. We were advised not to do that.

[@WayStedYou]

oi you got a loicence for that?

[@nosequiters]

finally a good use of this joke

[@Oran_Fitz]

I does for this one

[@jonny5841]

A wee spot of tea with ya crumpets yea?

[@CH-bn7qb]

As ex British army we had the A2 version HK upgraded all the internals and after that it stopped pretty much all the stoppages but it was just horrible rifle it was heavy and awkward and btw you press the bolt release down not up that was probably your issue because you don’t need a loaded mag in to drop the bolt on an empty mag also SUSAT “ sight unit small arms trilux” if you didn’t know but the army has started buying knights KS1 AR15s about time I’ve shot the HK416D and the Canadian C8 the AR 15 is superior and even I can admit that as a Brit 🇬🇧 but u guys are just our cousins across the pond I loved working with the USMC in Afghanistan has Xmas dinner all together made some good friends I still keep in contact today and that was 2010 much love my American brothers and happy new year 🎉

[@proudyorkshireman7708]

The ks1 is just for the ranger regiment and the commandos. Project grayburn is what will be replacing the l85a3 throughout the army. The project is either underway or will start in the new year

[@CH-bn7qb]

@@proudyorkshireman7708 fair enough it’s a good start though

[@ShellShock11C]

I though GT was one of you in the opening. Indistinguishable innit?

[@joaoklein1002]

Dude, Punctuation.

[@bengeorge9063]

The army didn't teach you punctuation? Jesus!

[@sethwagner6292]

Very solid dad advice at the end🤝

[@WhatYaL00kingAt]

The bolt release catch for that is just above the change lever for semi and full auto. Just push it down to release the bolt

[@machinegun333]

Usually I find Americans doing our accent annoying, but this was actually funny 😂

[@GilbertdeClare0704]

Yup. As a Brit, I LOVED his "That's what you get, mate !" right at the start🤣🤣..Nearly spat out my Tea, and we can't have that !🤣🤣

[@PrograError]

@@GilbertdeClare0704 oh bloddy heck...

[@S1LVERF15]

Don’t worry bro, we find y’all way more annoying than you could ever find us 😅

[@RomaRoma1992]

It's a fake accent.

[@marvintrqczykulla9168]

splendid

[@gregme5601]

Long story here, About 16 years ago I lost interest in guns. I was even a NRA Law Enforcement firearms instructor. I started to watch your videos and got back into guns again. I bought a AR 15 with upgrades and back into shooting. I started to train with it. A lot has changed in the gun world since I started again. Something about your videos just got me back into shooting. Thanx!!!!

[@50shadesofcerakote]

That was a long story? haha

[@JerseySlayer]

Awesome dude. You're lucky. If I start taking an interest into guns in New Jersey, my brain has to be scanned and I have to recite a hymnal to the State

[@gregme5601]

I’m in Texas

[@Jack-wx7yh]

Cool story bro

[@NekoWinters]

Based flannel daddy is best

[@neoaliphant]

This reminds me of school, kids carring the cadel semi version around, which looked ery simialr as from same family

[@samtansleyphotography]

So in cadets we used this rifle for drills A Lot. My CO had a friend in the testing squad for this - the magazine release catch didn't have a guard around it, so when he and his squad did a pepper potting drill, they got up, fired off one shot and all looked around very confused at where their magazines were. They gave this feedback to their seniors. It was not fixed. When I was using it, I became Really Rather Annoyed with the magazine, which caused our whole platoon wrist pain for weeks. Top plates came loose, dust covers caused jams (no idea how), you couldn't actually use the carry handle because you would knock your sights out of line (found that out the hard way), lefties shot badly because it isn't ambidextrous and of course reloading it was hell under pressure. Think that about covers it

[@Faceonthewall]

As a Brit I appreciate you taking the time to get our accent 100% correct for this video

[@FoxtrotFleet]

He wasn't speaking Pakistani though?

[@paparoach007]

1 accent of Britain 😆don't forget there are a handful more lol.

[@jays2001]

Your awkward use of the bolt release is cased by you not using the bolt release. That is the hold open catch for manually locking thebolt open. The release catch is on the opposite side (the little square feature near the change lever).

[@daveblythscum]

yup its not obvious but its on the other side

[@christophervanoster]

I’m still new to the gun collecting world. Just got my first a few days ago. So right now I go by what I like judged purely off looks. The SA80 family just looks so good to me. I like fairly uncommon or unpopular guns like. The ump45, Win1897, mannlicher m1995, for example. I don’t know why I just think they look really cool

[@joshuabamford9500]

Nothing more iconic in the British Army than a L85A1 and a jam....

[@DaDaW9762]

To be fair to the SA80 A2, I used it for 14 years in the British army, including 2 stints in Afghanistan, one stint was spent trying to avoid lots of IEDs, and exchanging a few rounds with Talibs ground holding in Helmand, but the second tour was spent doing the BRF role(Big up Finder-Two-Zero!!) And on that, we had some real engagements, hours at a time, engaging 3 or 4 firing points at a time, and the SA80 never let me down, not once.. I used a host of different weapons while in Ukraine last winter/spring and i had more issues with the SCAR than the old SA80.

[@davidoldboy5425]

Interesting comment from an actual user, not what I expected, did you not experience all the faults talked about?

[@griffinfaulkner3514]

​@@davidoldboy5425Note that he specified the A2 variant, which was heavily, _heavily_ reworked by HK to fix all the things wrong with the A1. The A2, though a bit heavy, has generally proved to be a remarkably resilient rifle.

[@JR-gp2zk]

Don't worry, US military agrees the SCAR sucks too. Thanks for your service in Ukraine.

[@internetexpert8153]

yeah probably because you guys only fired your weapons a handful of times

[@TheThehitman63124]

@@davidoldboy5425the A2 was the version with all of the improvements made by HK and the introduction of a rail system

[@millennialtrucker6435]

The special tool you’re referring to is the well known and elusive “combi tool”. You could easily zero the Susat with a small spanner and flat head screwdriver. It’s awkward to do but there will be videos on YT about how to zero it properly. The bolt release is actually the little square button/catch on the left hand side by the change lever. It’s important to note that absolutely everything in the British military was built by the lowest bidder with a civil servant counting the beans for every project.

[@whartonoutdoors7493]

That rifle cost a massive price to design I thought; I heard a lot of bitching and moaning about the project from my father. The British Army had to have a British made gun, isn't it an Enfield rifle?

[@ecaeas4439]

That certainly isn't true today though 😂. The government are more known for throwing money at a project in any department and getting almost zero return, never mind value for money! Imagine if the generous spending of modern government combined with the competence of the past - we might actually execute a decent project for a change as a country.

[@steven-k.]

That's a type 2 SUSAT base, the combi tool doesn't work with it. There presumably is a tool that works with it, but my combi tool only works with my type 1 not the type 2.

[@SlopedOtter]

Nothing beat stealing a combo tool with the drill part fully intact!

[@ChrisUKFF]

@@whartonoutdoors7493 A lot of the cost would have been quangos putting in input at every stage of development and changing the goal posts as the project was moving along. usual reason anything military in the UK takes so long and costs so much.

[@chilledolay4065]

That intro deserves all the thumbs up. Good show old chap

[@wilet.3088]

Splendid indeed

[@rixxie7952]

The bolt release is the black square button above the change lever. The green switch on the ejection port side next to the dust cover is the bolt hold open catch used for holding open to clear malfunctions or for weapon clearing. You would use the black switch to release the bolt after a mag change.

[@user-ty5wu4js5w]

I was one of the first Infantry blokes to train with the L85, then go to Bn. Carried it on multiple tours of NI and initial Kosovo deployment. Yes, at the beginning it was a pain for stoppages and magazine failures. Basically the tray would stick and all your rounds would fall out. That aside it was extremely accurate to 400m with a correctly zeroed rifle. Yes it did melt with mosquito rep. Your drill though were painful to watch. The bolt release catch is located on the left side, rear of the mag well. The latch you are using on the left side is the bolt hold open catch, not bolt release. Don’t get lost in the weeds with the L85. It’s a battle rifle not for playing on the range shooting short range drills. If you move the gas to excess it will pretty much run and run. All you need to zero the sight is a screwdriver and a wrench with the correct size. Don’t really need to issued multi tool. SUSAT= Sight Unit Small Arms Trilux. The aiming post has an adjustable day -night illumination. Use the bolt release catch that you missed off the won description and your drills will speed up dramatically. Enjoy :)

[@spaghettipubes8550]

"It’s a battle rifle not for playing on the range shooting short range drills." Grade-A copium.

[@boejiden1942]

​@@spaghettipubes8550ignores all the valid points to complain about a small opinion... Grade A+ copium right there. Lol

[@1574john]

Hardly know where to start…everything you said is the opposite of my experience with it, worst manufactured rifle in Uk history

[@dubvuchyea502]

So it cant work well in the range where it's a controlled environment. But according to you it will shine on the battlefield? Lol bro what

[@Al-ji4gd]

Straight-up copium.

[@Mjk10957]

The bolt release is just above the change lever that little plastic sqaure thing , the part you thought was the bolt release is the bolt hold open. So if you do mange to zero the sight , flat head screw driver to adjust left and right and use one off those push bike flat spanners that might work for the drum at the back. Each click is 50mm by the way at 100m , so if you was 200mm to the left it will be 4 clicks to the right , if you was 100mm below it will be 2 clicks up. If your say 25mm in the CZP no need to adjust. P.s the susat is a pain in the arse to adjust left and right it does not adjust in the same way as a normal rifle scope you have to losen off the retaining nuts if they are still there , if you need to come left you adust the left side but then you need to tigthen up the right side to. As the mount is the part that moves not the Rhetorical like on nearly every other optic.

[@jsytac]

You have got the "holding-open device" confused with the "bolt release catch". The HOD (small green lever on the right hand side) is to be used to hold the working parts to the rear, using the left thumb having just pulled the working parts to the rear. The BRC (black squarish 'nipple' on the left hand side) is used to release the bolt having reloaded - it is operated with the left thumb after inserting a fresh magazine.

[@TheOriginalJAX]

What does a British Government Civil Servant and the L85A1 have in common? Neither of them work and can't be fired. Happy New Year All.