British Sniping Rifles since 1970: L42A1, L96A1 and L115A3

Sure to appeal to all those interested in military sniping, this study assesses the use of three iconic sniping weapons over five decades.

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 ne...