Notes: This weapon was initially conceived during the British Government’s Small Arms 80 competition to design a new weapon to replace the L-1A1 version of the FN FAL then used by the British Army. (The weapon is thus often called the SA-80.) It became one of the first bullpup-design weapons to be used by any army in large numbers. The L-85A1’s predecessors were initially designed to use a 6.25x43mm cartridge, then a 4.85x49mm round, but this was changed to the NATO standard 5.56x45mm round. Also known as the IW (Individual Weapon), the L-85A1 is made from mostly steel using modern machining and pressing processes, and was also one of the first weapons designed using a CAD program. The weapon can be issued with a conventional sight in a carrying handle; however, combat arms and special operations troops are normally issued the L-85A1 with a robust 4x sight known as the SUSAT (Small Unit Small Arms Trilux) L-9A1. This sight allows for better range and more precise sighting. The SUSAT’s base can also accommodate other NATO-standard optical equipment. The IW is simple to strip and clean --- and that is good, since it is very finicky about dirt, failing in dirty environments with distressing regularity. In addition, the L-85A1 tends to just sort of fall apart, without provocation, and tends to jam even more if it is not fed with Royal Ordnance-made ammunition. The L-85A1 uses standard US/NATO magazines; it can use the 100-round C-Mag and the 90-round MWG, though the MWG makes the weapon very clumsy.

The L-85A2 addresses the faults of the L-85A1; the weapon does not fall apart spontaneously, like the L-85A1, and is said to have acquired a reputation for reliability, as well as being more tolerant of ammunition of other makes. I say "said to" because reviews are mixed on the L-85A2; some say that it is utterly reliable, while others claim it is just as much a dog, reliability-wise, as the L-85A1. Only time will tell. Apart from addressing these problems, it is basically the same weapon as the L-85A1 and is not given a line in the tables below.

The L-85 Carbine is a short-barreled version of the L-85 assault rifle, roughly equivalent in performance and purpose to the US M-4 Carbine. The L-85 Carbine also has a foregrip to help control the greater barrel climb. It can still fire rifle grenades. This weapon is largely unknown; production stopped in 1994 when the problems with the standard L-85A1 rifle came to light, and production was not picked up again until 2001. At any rate, only very small numbers of the weapon were produced, primarily for British special operations troops, with two barrel lengths. Normal issue does not include the SUSAT, but the SUSAT can be fitted to the L-85 Carbine.

The L-98A1 Cadet GP is a version of the L-85A1 designed for training new troops. It fires 5.56mm NATO ammunition, but it is not designed for repeating fire – the charging handle must be cycled by hand between shots. Though it is not technically a bolt-action rifle, for game purposes the L-98A1 effectively has the same fire rate as a bolt-action rifle, which is why under ROF below it is listed as "BA." However, the shooter may also use a trick in which he keeps the trigger held down, and cycles the bolt repeatedly; this essentially means that the L-98A1 fires a shot every time the charging handle is cycled. In this case, the shooter may fire up to three shots per round – but accuracy is seriously degraded, with the range being reduced to 38. In addition, aimed fire is not possible when using this technique, and if the L-98A1 is equipped with a SUSAT, that sight will also be impossible to use.

The L-98A1 can otherwise use the same accessories as the L-85. It can be converted to semiautomatic fire, or even into a full L-85A1, by adding the appropriate parts, such as in the gas system and the cocking handle. (Note that the weight below is estimated.) There is a newer version of this rifle, the L-98A2; this version is basically a semiautomatic version of the L-85A2, and for game purposes may be treated as a semiautomatic-only version of the standard L-85A2.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Many of these weapons have been ditched by 2000 by British troops in favor of both allied and enemy weapons that are more reliable and don’t fall apart. Except for a very small number in the hands of British special operations troops, the L-85A2 is unknown in the Twilight 2000 world. Very small numbers of the L-85 Carbine were produced, mostly in the 290mm barrel version. They have most of the same problems as the L-85A1. The L-85A2 does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline, nor does the L-98A2. Most L-98A1’s have been converted into L-85A1’s or to semiautomatic fire, and issued to home-defense troops.

Merc 2000 Notes: British special operations prefer the M-16 series and its variants to the L-85A1; other than that, most British troops are still using the IW. It is almost unknown anywhere else in the world, except with the Gurkhas and Jamaican armed forces. There are about equal numbers of both versions of the L-85 Carbine; numbers of both versions are small. The short-barreled versions have the same problems as the L-85A1, while longer-barreled versions are more similar to the L-85A2.

MC-51

Notes: The MC-51 was designed from the G-3 but scaled down along the same lines that a HK-54 is a scaled down HK-33. This model was first designed by H&K itself (after the Royal Ordinance buyout) in the early 1990s. It has since been manufactured by Class III dealers in the US using stock G-3 rifles. In both versions, the weapon is equipped with a muzzle brake on the end of the barrel, which helps reduce recoil and flash from the weapon when fired.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Very few factory-made examples of this weapon exist, but a similar weapon is easily made by cutting down a G-3, and some were made in such a fashion.

Merc 2000 Notes: Though handy for special operations needing a weapon with high power and small size, there are weapons with less muzzle blast and recoil that also fit the bill. The MC-51 is thus more a curiosity than anything else.

Notes: Originally designed for the SA-80 competition, this design eventually fell to the wayside. It was re-introduced in the late 1980s using new construction materials, but still had no success on the military market. A semiautomatic civilian version was also sold, but withdrawn from production shortly after it was introduced in the early 1990s. With a barrel, bolt, and magazine change, it can fire 9mm Parabellum ammunition, though the normal caliber is 5.56mm NATO. The operating controls are ambidextrous, which is unusual for an assault rifle. It is largely built of light alloy, and it can fire rifle grenades. The prices listed below are if the weapon is issued/bought in that caliber; if a SAR-87 is bought with a conversion kit, use the 9mm Parabellum price, then add the cost of a conversion kit.

Twilight 2000 Notes: During the Twilight War, one of its largest users was British postwar militia forces; the British government sometimes issued the SAR-87 in the same manner that militia forces in the US were issued the M-16EZ (though the SAR-87 is a decidedly better weapon).

Merc 2000 Notes: This is one of those odd sorts of weapons that, though never officially adopted by any country’s military or police forces, nor sold on the civilian market, nevertheless showed up on a regular basis, in some of the strangest places, in the hands of regular military, special operations, and police forces.