L85A1 to A2 assault rifle: How Heckler & Koch fixed the SA80 family's problem child
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.
The L85A1 began production in 1985 and started to enter service in 1987, gradually replacing the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle, itself a British modified variant of the Belgian FN FAL.
With a fully automatic capability and a large 30-round magazine, the L85 – part of the SA80 family of weapons including the L86 Light Support Weapon and L98 Cadet GP rifle – looked to be a good choice for the Armed Forces.
But that proved not to be the case. At least not at first.
Some of the problems with the rifle were recognised fairly early on, such as a trigger blade that compacted snow behind it, preventing it from travelling fully rearwards.
This meant it could no longer trip the sear and release the hammer to fire a round.
That problem was resolved by redesigning the shape of the blade, so the back formed a wedge shape that could cut its way through snow, rather than compact it.
Other problems with the L85A1 took longer to be realised – and to be fixed.
The rifle was not the only thing to prove problematic, as the early magazines had to be redesigned too.
The L85A1 was chambered in 5.56mm, a much smaller and lighter round than the 7.62mm cartridge used by the L1A1, meaning more rounds could be carried for the same weight and space.
And the L85 had a 30-round magazine – 50% more than the 20 of the L1A1.
But like the rifle itself, the new magazine had its issues. It was made of aluminium, which, while being far lighter than steel, was prone to flex, which could cause a misfeed.
The feed lips were also delicate, and again could misfeed a cartridge if they became damaged.
Lastly, the platform – the part sitting on top of a spring, and onto which the rounds are loaded – could get stuck at a nose-down angle inside the magazine.
The Gulf War proved to be the turning point for the L85A1, with the rifle underperforming in combat conditions.
Neither the tight tolerances nor high-quality control measures required by this weapon were being met.
Luckily, the L85A1's problems were not insurmountable, and were ultimately fixed by Heckler & Koch, which was then owned by BAE Systems.
In the video above, Jonathan Ferguson, keeper of firearms at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, explains how HK's comprehensive changes transformed the rifle into the A2 variant – which would go on to prove itself a true battle-winner.
In our follow-up article, Jonathan explains how the L85 was upgraded still further into the A3 variant – the one that's in use today.
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