Comments by "LRRPFco52" (@LRRPFco52) on "Royal Armouries" channel.

Units within the UK who have the choice of what weapons they carry and employ started acquiring AR-15s soon after it went into production from 1959-1963, namely the SAS, followed by the SBS. SAS used them in Borneo, for example. The Colt Commando variants also became very popular in SAS and SBS, with carbine variants still in service there to this day.
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Extreme cold climate will freeze your cheek to the rifle.
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@b-beale1931 SA80 had so many problems out of the gate, with incorrectly welded magazine wells to the receiver, inaccuracy, heaviness, and unreliability. SAS wanted nothing to do with it. They used L1A1s and ArmaLites for most of their dismounted work in the green, never really bought into the SA80. Same with Australian SASR. They didn’t take well to their licensed copy of the AUG, except for some 203 gunners who underslung it. SA80A2 and A3 have no advantages over AR-15. It was a hair-brained rifle that should have never left the paper really.
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 @Bellysniffer You ever wonder why the best SOF units in the world choose AR-15 Commando variants and have done so since the early 1960s? Maybe, just maybe they know something you don't.
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@darploin5071 I was in the US military, grew up in it, did 10 years active duty all over the world, then spent 11 years working with a lot of NATO or NATO Partner nations in Europe. In the serious side of the US Reconnaissance community, we respected and looked up to the UK, learned a great deal from them in that skill set. A standard British Army Recce unit is typically better trained and disciplined in Recon than most US SOF units, with exceptions in only a few units in SOCOM, and 2 or 3 sub elements within JSOC who specialize in that. In LRSC, we internalized everything we could from NATO at ILRRPS, a lot of that being driven by UK senior NCO instructors there who cross-pollinated their approach to Recce to other central European NATO partners who comprised ILRRPS. One of the only units in the US who has emulated British discipline and tenacity for tough, realistic training is Ranger Regiment. They are very much like Para Regiment and Royal Marines. The UK's military is tiny compared to anything in the US, so they can be really focused on discipline and high standards. The USMC's Air Wings dwarf the UK RAF and Royal Navy Air components, for example. USMC has way more fighter aircraft than RAF and RN combined. USMC is tiny compared to the other services in the US.
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It's a Razor AMG 1-10x, shorter than the Razor Gen III 1-10x.
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@thomasa5619 The Commonwealth SOF elements were using ArmaLites and Colt Commandos way before SA80, AUG, and most of the subsequent generations of NATO or Southeast Asian attempts at 5.56 service rifles, even before the Hk33. SAS was using AR-15s in SEA before the US Marines Expeditionary Brigade deployed to Da Nang in 1965. Australian SASR was using AR-15s in Vietnam from 1967-1970. Commonwealth SOF, Recce, and Marines expanded their use of AR-15s in the 1970s. The lightweight handiness, ergonomics, accuracy, and reliability all drove that. All NATO and SEA attempts at 5.56 service rifles failed to meet the weight, ergonomics, and reliability of the Stoner AR-15 design. We're talking decades before Aimpoints, free float, JSOC Mods, or SOPMOD 1.
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@b-beale1931 I see where you're coming from. It's easy sometimes to take it for granted all the stuff I've had access to. I remember checking out our British partners' SA-80s when we were in Kuwait before kicking off OIF in 2003. It was much heavier than I expected.
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@b-beale1931 I was a huge bullpup fan when basing my opinion on their merits on paper. As soon as I started using them, not so much. They're not entirely terrible, just different. I like the looks and feel of the AUG, but still have never bought one.
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@zoiders The more I look at the magwell, the more it looks like there's a separate well spot-welded to the receivers, with ears protruding from the receiver box bottom to attach the well to. You're saying the well is part of the receiver box flat before folding?
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@jaihawkins Yup. RAR used primarily L1A1s, while SAS used a mix of them and AR-15s from 1967-1970. There are quite a few photos of Aussie SAS using AR-15s in Vietnam.
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@jaihawkins That would be an interesting replacement schedule in Australian service. In US Army Special Forces, the AR-15 replaced the M-2 Carbine.
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@dmh101 The overall center of gravity on most 5.56 bullpups stays close to your body, but the weight is noticeably heavier, with the AUG being the exception. It's relatively light due to the extensive use of polymer. I always go back to the well-funded SMUs in the Commonwealth and US though. At least 2 of those nations use bullpups as their standard infantry rifles, while their SMUs don't-the units who can literally use whatever they want, and do. Why do those units favor Colt Commando-type carbines vs bullpups?
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@simononeill5300 UK soldiers and SOF elements from Royal Marines (SBS) have already been making that choice for decades. They choose Colt Commando variants.
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@andy123law The Diemaco C8 carbines were made to a superior Technical Data Package than the US M4A1s and M4s, namely the barrel and bolt carrier group. The Canadians don't do the stupid High Pressure Test requirement that US Army stipulates, but instead do what KAC and Alexander Arms do with destructive testing, following better heat-treating processes on the bolts. The UK and Canada both raised their eyebrows when they saw US SOF units breaking bolts regularly, because they weren't seeing this with C8s or the older 1974-1990s carbines. UK SOF and CANSOFCOM also shoot intense high-volume sessions, so there was something clearly going on specific to TDP carbines in the US.
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@andy123law One area the UK enjoyed superiority in up through the 1990s was belt kit, vests, pouches, and rucks. It was very apparent the British belt kit was designed by senior NCOs who had spent carrers humping and living out of their kit. US LBE suffers from having to be mass-produced to equip millions of Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen, Reserves, and National Guard. UK total manpower is barely over 231,000 including Reserves and Territorial Army. As soon as the pioneers in private company gear manufacturing started cranking out quality kit designed by former 11Bs, SEALs, and Force Recon Marines, it triggered an industry where more special tasks units could go to for gear solutions.
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I used M14s, M16A1s, M16A2s, and M4/M4A1s in the Army. M16A1 and M4A1 were my preferred. M21s were for Sniper Support weapons in 2 of the Recon units I was in, but our primary Sniper systems were M24s. KS-1 is the epitome of a highly-refined AR-15 carbine.
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Finland did it on the Rk92 and Rk95, which have what look like FAL Para Stocks.
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@zoiders The sheet steel die form flats aren't folded and welded? I'm referencing Hk itemized corrective actions from memory from 2 decades ago, so it's definitely not my forte if talking about hands-on familiarity with SA80 from a manufacturing standpoint. I just recall one of the specific problems being uniformity issues with welds, which caused misalignment of the magazine, and resultant feeding issues.
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@simononeill5300 Of course line and even many SOF units don’t have a choice which primary service rifle/carbine will be issued. Army SF, Ranger Regiment, SEAL Teams, AFSOC, Royal Marines, Para Regiment, etc. don’t have a choice of what’s in the inventory. This is why I make the distinction of units like SAS, SBS, JSOC-A and JSOC-N units, who actually do have a very wide range of weapons to choose from. If they wanted to enjoy the benefits of bullpups, then they would be using them as primaries on a regular basis, especially when working with or near their home nation units on joint operations. SAS and elements within Para Regiment work together quite regularly. SBS is the upper tier of Royal Marines, working together as well. SAS and SBS have specifically chosen to use AR-15 and Colt Commando variants dating back to the 1960s, with German Hk weapons sprinkled in for various roles along the way.
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@Clean97GTI 6.8x51 is a dead-end. Ammunition is over $21 per round for the EPR, and crazy money for the blanks and training ammo too. There’s a reason SOCOM isn’t using it. They probably looked at the ammo budget and said “nope”, because they actually shoot. Weight is too much as well, not enough round count on the soldier, stupid concept for general issue.
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@stephen2583 British and Australian SAS both used AR-15s in Borneo. An image search will show the results you're looking for. I read about it in-detail in Peter Dickens' book in 1992, SAS Secret War in Southeast Asia, which has photographs. In that book, he talks about a mix of AR-15s, SLRs, shotguns, and SMGs if I recall. It's been 30 years since I read it.
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@gozewstuffnthings5837 Bullpup triggers
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@insomniacbritgaming1632 SAS has a rotation where sub elements of the Squadrons will cycle through work-ups for QRA. Historically, that included a lot of work with MP5s and BHPs in the house, shotguns for ballistic breaching, breaching charges for explosive entry, mechanical Hooligan tools, etc. For most other operations, they used Colt Commando or “ArmaLites”. For plainclothes/vehicle work, they used a lot of MP5Ks. For patrolling, Recce, Green and Desert Raids, etc. they used mostly AR-15 variants, supported by GPMGs and FN Minimi LMGs. For CQB, the Panama Invasion and 1990s saw a lot of changes after studies on over-penetration of 9mm in the house, whereas 5.56 performed much better due to velocity-based fragmentation. The US Army’s JSOC element (modeled after SAS) shifted over to more of a 5.56 carbine focus for CQB, because it performed better than MP5s inside, and gave plenty of power for once you got outside of the house. MP5s were mostly abandoned moving forward. We still had MP5SDs in the inventory on a Battalion-level for special items of equipment request when I worked with 1st Social Force Group, and ADVON Teams could take MP5A3s for a more discreet option before the ODAs would follow them into the AOR later. Even within the UK, they started looking at 300 Whisper short AR-15s to replace the MP5SD long ago. That’s the direction both US SOF and UK SOF have gone. You just don’t see MP5s that much anymore.
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@JonatasAdoM An interesting thing to observe about Warsaw Pact was the caliber/cartridge switch while keeping the same assault rifle design. Russians started off with the AK and AKM in 7.62x39, then after analysis of US experience in Vietnam, they adopted the 5.45x39 in 1974, replacing AKs and AKMs quite rapidly with the AK-74 and AKS-74. Chicoms used 7.62x39 for a long time, then developed their unique 5.8x42mm cartridge.
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@mic4831 If you and I were in a unit together with an arms room approach to "carry what you like", and M4A1 SOPMOD and L85A3 were choices, I'd reach for the M4 variants every time, and so would you after messing around with the L85 enough to see that it just isn't worth bothering with.
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@mic4831 SAS absolutely did use the L1A1 for decades since 1954. They used them in Borneo alongside AR-15s. L1A1s were the rifle used in Selection for decades as well.
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@mic4831 USAF contract for AR-15s started filling in 1962. SF and US Army Advisors had 601 Green Rifles in the early 1960s. SAS got them later, right before large US Army Airmobile units and Marines drew XM16E1s. I've been reading SAS history since the 1980s. "Secret War in Southeast Asia" is a good one that has photos of SAS LRP patrols in the Malay conflict.
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@NiSiochainGanSaoirse Nope. For most operations, they used AR-15s and Colt Commando carbines. When each Troop rotated through the CT/HR mission set on-call, assaulters primarily used MP5s in the 1980s, but soon moved away from it due to all the issues with MP5s and 9mm, and went to M4A1s like US Army JSOC did. The public only got a peek at the SAS with the Iranian Embassy siege, which was the HR mission. If you saw them in Borneo, Yemen, Northern Ireland, Africa, or Central America, they were armed mostly with L1A1s, AR-15s, and G3s. For plainclothes work in Northern Ireland, there was a lot of MP5K use, while Recce teams used AR-15s.
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Astonishingly-accurate! Great post man. (Student of the AR-15 for over 40 years here...)
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