British Sniping Rifles since 1970: L42A1, L96A1 and L115A3

The British Army adopted the 7.62mm L42A1 bolt-action sniping rifle in 1970,but the harsh conditions of the Falklands War in 1982 laid bare its inadequacies. A new company,Accuracy International,won the contract to replace it,and the L96A1 was adopted in 1985. The L115A3,chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum,joined the L96A1 in 2008 and has been Britains standard issue sniping rifle since 2012.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 80 pages
Publication date: 25 November 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

In response to the Soviet Dragunov self-loading rifle's challenge, 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 has been Britain's standard-issue sniping rifle since 2012. Featuring full-color artwork and close-up photographs, this absorbing study assesses the development, combat use, impact, and legacy of these three iconic British sniping weapons.

In response to the Soviet Dragunov self-loading rifle's challenge, 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 has been Britain's standard-issue sniping rifle since 2012. Featuring full-color artwork and close-up photographs, this absorbing study assesses the development, combat use, impact, and legacy of these three iconic British sniping weapons.

Weight: 262g
Dimension: 185 x 248 x 7 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781472842350