L129A1
L129A1 Sharpshooter Rifle
TypeDesignated marksman rifle
Place of origin
Service history
In serviceOctober 2009 – present
Used byBritish Armed Forces
WarsWar in Afghanistan
Production history
ManufacturerLewis Machine & Tool Company
No. built2,000+ (L129A1)[1]
Specifications
Mass4.4 kg (9.7 lb)
Length927 mm (36 in) (stock collapsed)
990 mm (39 in) (stock extended)
Barrel length
  • 16 in (406 mm) (L129A1)
  • 18 in (457 mm) (L129A2)
Cartridge
ActionGas impingement, rotating bolt
Effective firing range800 m (875 yd)
Maximum firing range1,000 m (1,094 yd)
Feed systemSR-25 pattern magazine
SightsTA648-308 6×48 ACOG

The L129A1, also known as the L129A1 Sharpshooter Rifle, is a 7.62×51mm NATO designated marksman rifle manufactured by Lewis Machine & Tool Company (LMT) for the British Armed Forces.

History

In 2009, Lewis Machine & Tool Co was contracted to supply the British Ministry of Defence (MOD) with 440 LM308MWS 7.62×51mm rifles[2] under the official service designation as the L129A1.[3] Its NATO Stock Number (NSN) is 1005-99-226-6708. As of December 2014, over 3,000 units have been supplied to UK forces.[4]

During the war in Afghanistan British light infantry units sometimes found themselves outranged by small arms beyond the effective range of their assault rifles and light machine guns chambered for the intermediate 5.56 mm NATO cartridge. At ranges between 400 to 800 m (437 to 875 yd), the then available small arms capable of returning effective fire, were the general-purpose machine gun and the bolt-action sniper rifle. These weapons chambered for the fully-powered 7.62 mm NATO cartridge were not well suited to increase the effective engagement range of the British eight-man rifle sections.

The LM308MWS was submitted for the British Ministry of Defence's Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) for immediate deployment of a semi-automatic 7.62 NATO caliber sharpshooter rifle in Afghanistan. Other rifles submitted included the FN Herstal SCAR-H, Heckler & Koch HK417 and Sabre Defence XR-10. LMT's rifle was chosen, earning it the L129A1 designation, and entering service in April 2010 in Afghanistan. One member (termed the "sharpshooter") of the British rifle sections, was issued an L129A1 instead of an assault rifle. The standard optic for the L129A1 is the TA648-308 6×48 Trijicon ACOG providing a 8 mm exit pupil for ample light gathering and a wide field of view. Two locking bolts accessible from the right side of the receiver with a basic tool lock a barrel extension and make the barrel unit user removable within minutes with a return to zero of the same barrel. It features an 11.25 in (285.8 mm) twist rate to fire standard 144-grain 7.62 mm ball up to 168-grain BTHP ammunition used by NATO, but the official issue rounds are 155-grain L42A1-A3 sniper and L59A1 "High Performance" ball ammunition.[5][6][7] The ACOG is mounted to a Picatinny rail to which is fitted a Trijicon RM01 1 x Ruggedized Miniature Reflex (RMR) for Close Quarters Battle use.

L129A1 Sniper Support Weapon (SSW) version fitted with a 3-12×50 telescopic sight

A Sniper Support Weapon (SSW) version, also designated L129A1, was adopted for use by the second man in each sniper team and is fitted with a Schmidt & Bender 3-12×50 telescopic sight and a Surefire suppressor.[8][9]

The L129A1 weapons in British service were partially retrofitted with additional ambidextrous controls.

The LM308MWS standard US commercial model differs slightly from the UK issued L129A1 in barrel length and twist rate. Its muzzle device is a standard M16A2 flash suppressor. It uses detachable fixed sights instead of folding sights. Its furniture is black instead of brown. Finally, the designation on the receiver is "LM308MWS" instead of "L129A1."

There are also UK commercial variants of the L129A1 and the CQB MRP Defender. Designated the LMT308SP and CQB 5.56SP, the models are a straight pull action rifle, and not semi-automatic due to UK laws.[10]

Within the Royal Marines at least, an improved Modular Ambidextrous Rifle System (MARS-H) based L129A2 version chambered in 6.5 mm Creedmoor with an 18 in (457 mm) barrel, a new Leupold scope, a HuxWrx suppressor, an Envision Technology ballistic calculator, and a Pixels-on-Target thermal sight was adopted in 2023.[11][12]

References

  1. ↑ Reaches Further Downrange: The L129A2 gets adopted 'Small Arms Defense Journal. 3 October, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Global Defence News and Defence Headlines - IHS Jane's 360". Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "L129A1 sharpshooter rifle". Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "LMT .308 AR Review". Guns & Ammo. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Sharpshooter: The UK's New L129A1 7.62x51mm Rifle. Small Arms Defense Journal. 11 January 2012.
  6. ↑ "New Ammo for British Troops: UK Develops More Effective 5.56mm and 7.62mm Ammunition -". The Firearm Blog. 2016-08-23. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  7. ↑ Anthony G. Williams. "Cartridges for Long-Range Sniping Rifles". quarryhs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 May 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  8. ↑ "L129A1 sharpshooter rifle". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 20 June 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  9. ↑ "L129A1 (SSW) Rifle". RAF. Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  10. ↑ "Lewis Machine & Tool Company, Inc. LM308SP-SS20 .308 Rifles". Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  11. ↑ "Britain's Commandos to get new assault rifles". Royal Navy. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  12. ↑ U.K. Royal Marines adopt a 6.5CM LMT as the L129A2, ft. HUXWRX and Leupold. The Firearm Blog. 21 September 2023.
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