The EM-2 .280 Assault Rifle

[Technoelite]

At the end of WW2 as we know the UK still used the Lee enfiled bolt action rifle until the introduction of the SLR as we know NATO adopting the round the american army uses, caused this but before america adopted this round the UK adopted was thinking of using the .280 round which is a baby version of the 7.62. The candaians and most EU countries where going to use the british round but the USA decided not to this caused the UK to adopt the SLR and only a hand full of these weapons where made which in my book where ahead of its time, so thank you america for not letting the UK have an amazing gun in the 50's.

YouTube Video

Please note if this is a repost it only is because this video i stubbled across today(if i dont show up can some kind admin lol link just in case

YouTube - em-2 assault rifle test

[[R-MOD]Bob_Marley]

Thread title changed for accuracy. The SA80's daddy is the Armalite/Sterling AR-18 which the British army decided not to adopt, then copied, put into a bullpup configuration and broke.

And then the government closed down the Sterling factory in Essex.

[Seiran]

And then HK took over, and the project has become one of the most reliable weapon systems in any standing Army.

[[R-MOD]Bob_Marley]

Quite, but back to the subject of how Britian were right about the design of ammunition for general issue small arms more than half a century before the US.

[Technoelite]

yeah i mean imagine how advanced that would have made weapons now i mean there wouldnt have been such a mess

[[R-DEV]motherdear]

that thing is a beast, christ i wouldn't have wanted to be up against that one back then.

[Solid Knight]

I need more than a promotional video from back in the day to convince me that it was a "beast".

[[R-MOD]Bob_Marley]

The main point here is the ammunition. The .280 British, or 7x43mm.

Lets compare that to a new round that is one of these alleged great leaps foreward from the 5.56x45mm NATO. The 6.8mm SPC round from remmington, for example. Its not as good as thier twelve guage cartrages fired from a double barrel Remmington shotgun with cobalt blue steel, a walnut stock and hair trigger, but what is these days?

.280 British
Mass - 140 grains
Muzzle Energy - 2519 J
Muzzle Velocity - 745 m/s
Energy at 273m - 1475 J
Veloicity at 273m - 570 m/s

Source

6.8mm SPC (R68R2 Remmington Express)
Mass - 115 grains
Muzzle Energy - 2385 J
Muzzle Velocity - 800 m/s
Energy at 273m - 1119 J
Veloicity at 273m - 548 m/s

Source

One of those rounds was designed and ready to be put into production as a general issue round with a brand new rifle in 1951. The other appeared in 2004 and was widley hailed as the round which should replace the SS109 5.56x45mm cartrage adopted by NATO in the 1970s.

I need more than a promotional video from back in the day to convince me that it was a "beast".

Yet as soon as people see H&K marketing they are converted to the belief that their products are the best thing since sliced Jesus.

[Viper5]

Needs some rails.

[[R-MOD]Bob_Marley]

Anyone posts a 'shop and I'll personally ban you.

Edit - before any of the [R-DEV]s try and be smart, anyone quoting said 'shop will be banned if the original poster is beyond my powers.