A firing pin with a tip that tended to break off, a system that failed to fully extract and eject a spent cartridge case, causing a stoppage, a poorly designed magazine release catch that could cause a mag to fall to the ground unintentionally and a butt pad that broke apart.
These were just some of the problems with the L85A1, the UK’s then-new assault rifle.
Jonathan Ferguson, keeper of firearms at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, explains how Heckler & Koch’s comprehensive changes transformed the rifle into the A2 variant – which would go on to prove itself a true battle-winner.
More: https://www.forces.net/technology/weapons-and-kit/l85a1-a2-assault-rifle-how-heckler-koch-fixed-sa80-familys-problem-child
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