British Special Forces small arms 2017

[IronDuke99]

British Special Forces are: Special Air Service, Special Boat Service (a Royal Marines unit, and more or less the British equivalent of the US Navy SEALS) Special Reconnaissance Regiment (formed in 2005 and dealing mainly with anti terrorism).

Related to the actual special forces are The Special Forces Support Group (mainly made up of a Para battalion) Royal Marines Fleet Protection Group, the Pathfinders of the Parachute Regiment, the Royal Marines Mountain Leaders and the Close Protection Unit of the Royal Military Police. The weapons below are those most commonly understood to be used by British Special Forces and associated units.

L119A2 Colt Canada 5.56mm Assault Rifle. Used instead of the L85A2.

HK417 7.62mm rifle. Used instead of the L129A1 sharpshooter rifle.

L118A1 AWC 7.62mm sniper rifle with folding stock and suppressor. This weapon is normally only used by the Special Forces.

L121A1 .50 anti material rifle. bolt action, effective range 1,500 yards +. This rifle fires a round with a penetrator, high explosive and incendiary effect. It is designed to knock out vehicles, penetrate buildings and even knock out radar equipment. Not the same as the standard British anti material rifle.

L110A3 5.56mm FN Minimi Para light MG (The British Army also uses 7.62mm Minimi MG's these days alongside the GPMG).

Assorted versions (about 5) of the MP5 9mm SMG.

Glock 17 9mm pistol, this is now the main pistol used by British forces although there are also 9mm SIG Sauer's knocking about. The UK SF also use others on occasion. (As an aside, in Afghanistan the British Army issued a lot more soldiers with side arms than it used to, both as back up weapons, and for 'non-combatent' support troops).

L74A1 US designed 12 gauge pump action shotgun. Mainly used as a breaching weapon.(Note this is not the same shotgun used by the rest of the British Army, that being an Italian design).



While I'm, sort of, on the subject the standard British Army Sniper rifle now is the L115A3 8.59mm/.338 magnum that has made kills at ranges of up to 2,700 yards!.

The standard Long range/anti material rifle is the L135A1 .50 (ie, the US Barrett M82A1).