L64/65
 | This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2010) ) |
| Enfield Individual Weapon | |
|---|---|
.jpg) XL64E5 Individual Weapon | |
| Type | Bullpup assault rifle |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | Experimental |
| Used by | British Army[citation needed] |
| Wars | See Conflicts |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1972–74 |
| Manufacturer | Royal Small Arms Factory |
| Produced | 1976–78 |
| Variants | XL64, XL65, XL70 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 7.2lbs (3.72kg) (unloaded, including SUSAT sight) |
| Length | 762 millimetres (30.0 in) |
| Barrel length | 533 millimetres (21.0 in)[1] (with flash suppressor) |
| Cartridge | 4.85×49mm |
| Caliber | 4.85mm |
| Barrels | 20.4 in (518 mm) 4 grooves, right-hand twist |
| Action | Gas-operated, Rotating bolt |
| Muzzle velocity | 900 m/s |
| Feed system | 20-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | SUSAT (SUIT) |
The L64 (also called the Enfield Individual Weapon) was an intermediate calibre British bullpup layout prototype assault rifle developed in the 1970s. At one time it was known as the 4.85 Individual Weapon, a reference to the calibre of the bullet it fired.
Development
The British Army had considered bullpup designs with intermediate calibre rounds in the 1950s, and officially adopted one of these as
During the 1960s the US found that, as the British had suggested, the 7.62 NATO round was far too powerful to be used in a fully automatic rifle. After considerable wrangling, the
The
By 1976, NATO was ready to standardize on a small calibre round, and testing of the various rounds head-to-head started in 1977. As designed, the British round performed well, but NATO concluded that the
The L64 pattern was later developed into the SA80 family of weapons, which entered service with the UK in the 1980s.
Overview
The L64/65 is a gas operated, 4.85mm calibre bullpup assault rifle. It uses an AR18 type operation with an SVT40 type gas piston. The SUSAT sight is robust and reliable.
See also
- EM-2 rifle
- Sterling SAR-87
- SA80
- Leader Dynamics Series T2 MK5
- SR 88
- List of bullpup firearms
- List of assault rifles
References
- armamentresearch.com. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
Bibliography
- Ferguson, Jonathan S. (2021). Thorneycroft to SA80: British Bullpup Firearms 1901–2020. Nashville, Tennessee: Headstamp Publishing. ISBN 978-1-7334246-2-2.
- Ian V. Hogg and John Weeks – Military Small Arms of the 20th Century – Arms & Armour Press/Hippocrene – 1977 – ISBN 0-85368-301-8
- Falklands Aftermath: Forces '85, Marshall Cavendish (1984), ISBN 0-86307-334-4
