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ARES Director N.R. Jenzen-Jones firing the L129A1 at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom at Shrivenham in February 2017.

British L129A1 Sharpshooter Rifle

By Ian McCollum & N.R. Jenzen-Jones

With the trend toward so-called “interme- heavier weapon systems such as artillery and tional Security Assistance Force (ISAF) units from
diate caliber” cartridges following World War air-delivered munitions—were often restricted ranges of up to 900 meters or farther, employing
II, several influential studies deemed the range under rules of engagement or operational full-power-caliber GPMGs and designated marks-
requirements for contemporary infantry small practices. Meanwhile, opposition forces have man rifles (DMRs).”
arms to be substantially less than provided increasingly operated from within civilian com- This threat “overmatch” has been a driving fac-
by earlier, “full-power” rifle cartridges. In sev- munities, and military leadership and popular tor behind the rapid adoption or increased issue
eral reports—including the important Hall and opinion have exhibited a lower tolerance for of various full-power DMRs and GPMGs by several
Hitchman reports of the 1950s—ranges of no civilian casualties.” NATO and other forces, as well as an increased
more than 300 meters were anticipated for most As a result, infantrymen were frequently forced interest in so-called “general-purpose calibers.”
infantry engagements. With increasingly respon- to engage enemies at longer ranges than antic- Different armed forces drew on existing stocks
sive and accurate firepower, especially airpower, ipated, regularly beyond 300 meters and often of GPGMs, in many cases, as well as purchasing
some later military thinkers envisaged the role beyond the 500-meter effective range of, for new machine guns chambered for full-power rifle
of small arms further diminishing. In recent con- example, the U.S. Army’s M4-series standard rifle. cartridges, such as the Mk 48 as adopted by the
flicts, particularly Afghanistan, however, infantry “U.S. Army data suggests that more than U.S. and the FN Herstal Minimi in 7.62x51mm
small arms have played a more pivotal role than 50 percent of the small arms engagements in adopted by the New Zealand Army.
was anticipated on a “modern” battlefield. As one Afghanistan in 2011 required U.S. Army forces These were supplemented by a number of
of the authors wrote in two of his recent reports: to engage targets beyond 500 meters. For their DMR-type weapons, with both modernized vari-
“Traditional supporting fires—delivered by part, opposition forces would engage Interna- ants of available weapons such as the U.S. devel-

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 N.R. JENZEN-JONES/ARES

opment of the Mk 14 Enhanced Battle Rifle (EBR)

series, and new weapon systems, such as the Aus-
tralian acquisition of the Heckler & Koch HK417,
seeing service.
The British acquisition of the L129A1 fol-
lowed this same trend, with the British Ministry
of Defence issuing a 2009 Urgent Operational
Requirement for a self-loading “sharpshooter”
rifle “specifically to fill a need in Afghanistan.” The
weapon was to be suitable both for use as a DMR
and in close-quarters battle (CQB) scenarios.
Various manufacturers submitted rifles; after
several testing stages, the final contenders for the
role were the Heckler & Koch HK417 and the Lewis
Machine & Tool LM7. LMT, partnered with Law
Enforcement International (LEI) of the U.K., even-
tually won the contract. Their offering was type
classified as the L129A1 and formally adopted in
October 2009, with 440 L129A1 rifles purchased
for some 1.5 million GBP. These entered field ser- N.R. JENZEN-JONES/ARES
vice by May 2010, and subsequent purchases have cases out at the two o’clock position instead of a tant and has self-lubricating properties. The rifle
since been made. typical three o’clock position as is standard on the uses an H3 buffer with three tungsten weights.
LMT and LEI partnered to enter the LM7, the LM308MWS. According to one industry source, The bolt carrier has a captive firing pin retainer
export version of LMT’s LM308MWS, into the this was so that the L129A1 could be better used pin—a major plus when cleaning a rifle in the des-
sharpshooter trials program. This is essentially from helicopter platforms, such as was seen ert. A cotter pin is easy to lose in the sand, and this
an SR-25-type self-loading rifle, using the origi- during the 2012 London Olympics. The concern design prevents that. The bolt, like the barrel, is
nal Stoner quasi-direct-impingement action and was that brass ejected at a traditional position test-fired with a proof cartridge, magnetic-parti-
a multi-lug rotating bolt. Original guns, acquired would be more likely to fall back into the heli- cle-inspected and marked “MP” to indicate the
under the UOR, were built on machined billet copter and create a safety hazard for the crew. testing was done. Also, Lewis improved the ham-
receivers. Later guns have been built around the As part of LMT’s Modular Weapon System (MWS) mer/trigger pins by incorporating a swell on one
LMT Monolithic Rail Platform, a one-piece upper family, the L129A1 features a 16-inch heavy stain- end, making them easier to remove.”
receiver milled from a single 7075 T6 aircraft alu- less steel barrel that can be quickly swapped out. The rifle is issued in British service with a Tri-
minum forging. The weapon’s case deflector has LMT produces compatible barrels in 13.5-, 16-, 18- jicon TA648-308 6x48mm (ACOG) illuminated
been through three iterations. With the billet and 20-inch lengths. optic for precision engagements. The ACOG is fit-
receiver guns, a flat-topped “bump” shape was The internal components are of similarly high ted with a Picatinny rail to which is mounted a Tri-
machined and added. This was then adjusted to a quality. As Chris Bartocci notes: “In keeping with jicon RM01 1x Ruggedized Miniature Reflex (RMR)
forged design, before a customer requirement in the original AR-10 design, the bolt and bolt car- for CQB use. The L129A1 is fitted with a two-stage
advance of the 2012 Olympics was met by modify- rier are chrome-plated. Chrome is much easier match trigger with a 4-pound trigger pull.
ing the design so that it deflects ejected cartridge to clean than most finishes, is corrosion-resis- Unlike some similar programs in the U.S., the

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 N.R. JENZEN-JONES/ARES

British requirement was for the Sharpshooter rifle involve a change in anticipated targets to include
to fire standard 7.62x51 L2A2 ball ammunition pro-
Technical Specifications enemies wearing modern body armor, which the
duced in the U.K. at Royal Ordnance Factory, Rad- current 7.62x51mm ball projectiles are not partic-
Caliber: 7.62x51mm
way Green (RG). According to Greg Felton from LEI: ularly good at defeating at longer ranges. A new
“The ammunition criteria stated by the MOD Overall length: 990.6mm (stock projectile with a mild steel penetrator core (similar
was that the rifle was to be able to use both RG extended in principle to the 5.56x45mm SS109 projectile)—
155-grain sniper ammunition, plus M80 ball and Overall length: 901.7mm (stock col- but with ballistics matching the ball cartridges
tracer, including de-linked machine gun belts. lapsed) already in service—has been developed to allow
In the end, during their trials with the various Barrel length: 406mm (16 inches) the L129A1 to fill this new role if desired.
competitors, they found that the 155-grain fired Weight (unloaded): 4.50kg ***
so much better than the standard ball that it This article is part of a series of collaborative
Feed device: 20-round detachable
was made the official issue ammunition for the works produced by ARES Researcher Ian McCollum,
box magazine
weapon. As to what it is “matched to,” [Karl & I] who also runs the Forgotten Weapons blog and You-
designed the rifle to use both standard ball and Tube channel, in conjunction with ARES Technical
168-grain Match. With a 1:11.25-inch twist it works key performance characteristic in the DMR role. Specialist Jonathan Ferguson and ARES Director
well with these weights, however, the heavier 175- It has proved effective and popular amongst Brit- N.R. Jenzen-Jones. Using access to unique collections
grain projectiles need a faster twist for the best ish forces. One British soldier who spoke to ARES facilitated by ARES, the series examines a range of
results at longer ranges.” about the weapon described it as “comfortable interesting weapons in both video and print formats.
The L129A1 was issued at section level in the and easy to shoot.” During our brief time on the Special thanks to the Defence Academy of the
British Army, with one soldier in eight carrying the gun, we found that to be true. The LM308MWS, United Kingdom at Shrivenham, for allowing us to
rifle. Three soldiers per section would be trained on which the L129A1 is based, is also in service with handle and fire an L129A1 rifle, and to Neil Grant.
on the rifle, should they need to take over its oper- other military and law enforcement customers.
ation. The relative heaviness of the L129A1 and The British Army is currently looking to expand This article is courtesy of Armament Research
good field of view of its optic make the weapon the role of the L129A1, considering issuing it as Services (ARES). See www.armamentresearch.
particularly amenable to rapid follow-up shots, a a sniper support weapon. However, this would com for further original content.

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