British Sniping Rifles since 1970

L42A1, L96A1 and L115A3

British Sniping Rifles since 1970 cover

British Sniping Rifles since 1970

L42A1, L96A1 and L115A3

Description

In response to the challenge of the Soviet Dragunov self-loading rifle, the British Army adopted the 7.62mm L42A1 bolt-action sniping rifle in 1970. The L42A1 was deployed in Dhofar and Northern Ireland, but arguably saw its finest hour during the Falklands War in 1982. The harsh conditions of the South Atlantic laid bare the L42A1's inadequacies and a new company, Accuracy International, won the contract to replace the L42A1 and the PM Rifle, a world-beating revolutionary design, was adopted in 1985 as the L96A1. Progressively upgraded, the L96A1 went on to serve as the British Army's primary sniper system, being deployed in Northern Ireland, the First Gulf War, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. The L115A3, chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum, joined the L96A1 in the front line in 2008 and since 2012 has been Britain's standard issue sniping rifle. Featuring full-colour artwork and close-up photographs, this absorbing study assesses the development, combat use, impact and legacy of these three iconic British sniping weapons.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Development
Use
Impact
Conclusion
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

Product details

Published 25 Nov 2021
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Extent 80
ISBN 9781472842336
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Series Weapon
Short code WPN 80
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Illustrator

Johnny Shumate

Johnny Shumate works as a freelance illustrator li…

Illustrator

Alan Gilliland

Alan Gilliland, a contributor to more than 70 Ospr…

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