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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - SA80a2 Would you buy one? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 4/13/2007 5:09:00 PM EDT
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Apologies if this is a dupe (I would have done a poll, but don't know howhey Info Interesting article on reliability issues (particulary at the end in comparison to M4) |
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+1, no thanks, it's a non ambidextrous bullpup design which makes it about useless for me as a lefty and less versatile for a righty that needed or wanted to go to weakhand. If a weapon isn't ambi these days, it's outdated. It would be a waste of my money that I could of spent on a better rifle with better, more versatile features.  I'd rather just have a new piston AR. (one with a titanium upper and lower receiver wouldn't be bad either) 
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Ive gotten to train with one for a day. Points well, handle auto fire nicely. 11 pounds. Awkward to carry less range then an A4. Edit(Slow twist rate) If I recall point was 300m, area 500 I will take an ACOG over SUSAT anyday Slower to reload With the HK Upgrades it is a good gun, but IMHO, the AR is better. |
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Import ban would complete screw us on this one right, even if they were semi-auto. Or could they do what they do on FALs and G-3s where it is on a US made reciever with specific # of US compliant parts. In answer to your question, hell yes. I have used the L98 Cadet and that was certainly the most intersting bolt action rifle I have ever come across. Shit I would even take an L98 cadet, just because it is so different. |
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Well if I'm not mistaken a few made it into the country in the form of dealer samples or some such thing, but they are all pre-HK fix. I mean if you did own one you'd be among a very elite group of firearms owners. Pull that sucker out at the range and you're going to draw some attention. Although if there were zero import restrictions and I could buy anything I wanted I would probably get an AUG A3, Tavor, and Famas A2 before the SA-80a2. Thats just me though. Edit: Oh, and how sad is it that they've so crippled your domestic gun industry that they need to haul in HK to fix their infantry rifle? It would be just aweful if we had to haul in HK to fix an American rifle that was plagued with as many problems as the SA-80. |
HK416? |
The concept that they came up with was rather sound it was just we didn't manufacture this and that to the best degree and some parts were rather sensitive hence the jamming of the a1 models in the 1st gulf war.. I'm voting no because I'm not to keen on the SA80/L85 even after the HK fixs. Regards - Berkut. |
 I would rather have a GIAT FAMAS. It has proven itself to be one of the better post WWII weapons made. Durable, Reliable, simple to maintain. It really is a great weapon that is a sleeper and people dont really give it credit. I think the French did a great job though. The FAMAS is also one of the most combat proven weapons around. The only nation that deploys more troops into fucked up areas than the USA is France. The FAMAS has been around the block a few times |
I'd buy the first one or a FAMAS
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Yeah, the only thing is that I don't know anyone with first hand knowledge of the FAMAS. I've never so much as held one or seen one in real life. What I do know is that outside of France no one else uses it. Now whatever the reason that someone may give to excuse the lack of ANY contracts you've got to scratch your head and wonder why France sells everything else under the sun, but hasn't sold the Famas? |
Well if you could get someone in the UK to sell them to you there is a ready made way of getting semi-auto SA80s into the US. The UK military uses what they call "cadet rifles" that don't have a gas system and are fitted with an extended charging handle to function as a straight pull bolt action.  Those would be perfectly legal to import as is, then all you would have to do is build US gas system parts and install them into the gun and prehaps a US pistol grip to get you to the 922(r) parts count and you're off to the races. (It would, as I understand it, also get you around the barrle ban) |
yes, its ambi. The cover above the ejection port disconnects and the bolt can be switched via extractor to the other side and changed for lefties. whole process supposedly takes only a few min. |
| I'll just chime in and say I'd buy one too, SUSAT or not. I really like bullpups in general and for all its shortcomings, I'd probably still have fun with it. From a historical standpoint, owning an example of the standard issue service rifle of a major world player would be interesting as well. I bought an FS2000 in 2006, so as long as the price was in that ballpark, I'd have no problems with an SA80A2/L85A2 purchase. |
 just kidding... it's an airsoft extensively re-worked by me maybe 10 years ago. i would love an excellent condition kit and a u.s. reciever produced by someone like nodak-spud- for me to build! that's how the RSAF production G3 pictured came to be. on top is a beretta AR-70 from a demilled kit and a u.s. made reciever and semi-only compliance parts. fun! don't know if the brits exported any. i've been waiting for MOD to give up on them and scrap them. prob wouldn't release the scrap anyway. class3 supply had some dealer samples at knob creek a few years back. |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - SA80a2 Would you buy one? (Page 1 of 2)
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