The British Enfield L85 assault rifles

I wonder if they adopted the L85 because it was their first native design in over a century. The Martini-Henry was largely adopted from the Peabody-an American design, the Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield were designed by James Parris Lee, UK born but spent most of his years in the US, the SLR was based on the FAL designed by Dieudonne Saive-a Belgian. Military weaponry has its fads and fashions, right now bull pups are "in".
 
I wonder if they adopted the L85 because it was their first native design in over a century. The Martini-Henry was largely adopted from the Peabody-an American design, the Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield were designed by James Parris Lee, UK born but spent most of his years in the US, the SLR was based on the FAL designed by Dieudonne Saive-a Belgian. Military weaponry has its fads and fashions, right now bull pups are "in".

Bullpups are in because you can get a proper length barrel in a package small enough to be carried easily in the back of an APC. A longer gun of conventional design means that either the soldier leans it across the guy next to him, or you build a bigger APC, making the APC more of a target. Plan B involves a conventional rifle with a barrel that may be less than ideal for ballistics. I think we've been there already.;)
 
Bullpups are in because you can get a proper length barrel in a package small enough to be carried easily in the back of an APC. A longer gun of conventional design means that either the soldier leans it across the guy next to him, or you build a bigger APC, making the APC more of a target. Plan B involves a conventional rifle with a barrel that may be less than ideal for ballistics. I think we've been there already.;)

I don’t think the crowded space inside of a fully loaded APC is something that shorter rifles helps with much. The oversized backpacks are the real space eaters.
If it was that big of a problem, armies would use smaller soldiers like the Russians did in WWII and later for their T34 tank crews.
 
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Never warmed up to the bullpups.

Shot a friends 12 gauge bullpup pump, and it didn't do anything for me.

I confess to owning only one bullpup, this High Standard Model 10B. a 12-gauge kicker from 1973. While it can be fired one-handed from the crook of an arm, be prepared to go to the hospital after firing it. I'm not much of fan, and acquired it only for its historical oddity.

John


(click for larger picture)
 
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