Pave Low Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 New Sharpshooter rifle for troops in Afghanistan http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/3CA33581-75...20093560064.jpg http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/7D0F0BBF-4A...20093560037.jpg A new rifle has been bought for troops in Afghanistan that will improve the long-range firepower available on the front line, the Ministry of Defence has announced today, Monday 18 January 2010. The L129A1 Sharpshooter rifle will fire a 7.62mm round and will enhance accuracy of engagement during longer-range firefights with the Taliban. The weapon will be used by some of the best shots in the infantry. More than 400 of the semi-automatic Sharpshooter rifles have been bought as a £1.5m Urgent Operational Requirement. It is the first new infantry combat rifle to be issued to troops for more than 20 years. Training on the rifles will begin in mid-January 2010 and the first batch will be sent to Afghanistan later in the year. Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Quentin Davies, said: "Troops in Afghanistan are already bristling with a variety of weapons they can use when fighting the Taliban. "The Sharpshooter rifle adds to this arsenal and provides them with an additional, highly-precise, long-range capability. "This is a concrete example of where we add to our range of equipment to ensure our brave forces have the best kit available to them on the front line." Colonel Peter Warden, Light Weapons, Photographic and Batteries Team Leader at Defence, Equipment and Support, said: "The Sharpshooter rifle is very capable and has been bought to fulfil a specific role on the front line in Afghanistan. "It is a versatile weapon which will give our units a new dimension to their armoury. It will complement the SA80A2 by adding to the weapons available to commanders on the ground. The Sharpshooter's capabilities are also complementary to the current Sniper System. "Initial feedback on the rifle has been very positive and the Army units deployed in Afghanistan are very keen to get their hands on it." http://www.eliteukforces.info/images/news/l129a1.jpg The rifle, designated the L129A1, is a version of the LM7 as supplied by the US firm, Law Enforcement International (LEI). The L129A1 features a 20-round magazine, retractable stock, rails for mounting scopes and accessories and a 16 inch stainless steel, rapid-change barrel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pave Low Posted January 19, 2010 Author Share Posted January 19, 2010 some more pics: http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/ol...1162009-018.jpg "in action" (soldier in foreground): http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/0699CE9F-AC...20090650049.jpg and a close-up of the above http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/8092/britspr.jpg and an older Janes article UK selects 7.62 mm Sharpshooter weapon for Afghan ops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Yeh I saw this in the papers the other day. Is it in any GR mods (yet?)...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evilducky Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 I have the same stock on my AR. I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
su25rafael Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Should i ask why not bullpup? The L85A2 was praised for its acurracy, while most of Bullpup criticism is about it beign harder to operate in CQB (mag reload time, weight unbalanced...). Wouldn' t a Bullpup be perfect for DMRs/Sharpshooters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowFella Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Probably because to date there's only been a handful 7.62mm bullup rifles made, and most of them are crude hacks where a regular rifle has been placed in a bullup chassi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serellan Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Probably because to date there's only been a handful 7.62mm bullup rifles made, and most of them are crude hacks where a regular rifle has been placed in a bullup chassi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowFella Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Note I said most of them The Keltec RFB is among the few ground up 7.62 bullups although I'm not sure I'd be trusting enough to the design to use it in the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Here's a clip of the weapon at a British forces arms exhibition in January. Check out the BFBS YouTube page too. There's tons of videos, covering all sorts of subjects. DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 This is a recent BFBS about the weapon and includes the MTP uniform and new menus for the 24 hour ration packs. DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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