I was taught that the SA80 assault rifle cannot be fired left-handed
by the instructor, on my asking if it was OK to fire left-handed, saying "Sure - why not?", and on firing, the bolt retracting and actually touching my front teeth, and my consequent not inconsiderable surprise, fear and shock. This resulted in great mirth for said instructor and his assistant.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Mon 19 Mar 2012, 11:02, 15 replies)

sounds like you weren't holding it right
maybe you're a woman
(Quintno EXPERIMENT RUINED CANCELLED, LEFT 4EVER, Mon 19 Mar 2012, 11:05, closed)

Sounds like they should have given you the L98 cadet GP version instead
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A_Cadet_Fires_the_L98_GP_Rifle.jpg
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Mon 19 Mar 2012, 11:25, closed)

One of them, presumably not the
SA80, when fired by a left hander will eject a searingly hot spent cartridge at high speed straight into the markmans eye.
(username failed moderation, Mon 19 Mar 2012, 11:49, closed)

both the SA-80 and the L98 version will do exactly that.
except with the L98 you'd be pulling it out into your own eye with the cocking handle.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Mon 19 Mar 2012, 11:55, closed)

Yes - this was the other, equally hilarious detail - not into the eye, but right past my cheek, thankfully not making contact.

( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Mon 19 Mar 2012, 11:55, closed)

To be fair, every automatic and semi-automatic gun will do that
if you put your eye next to where the cases come out
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Mon 19 Mar 2012, 12:06, closed)

So what the hell are left-handed squaddies supposed to do?
Design fail.
( Airman Gabber Living life like a 70's BBC presenter, Mon 19 Mar 2012, 11:50, closed)

you're pulling a trigger, not writing prose.
if you're so lacking in hand co-ordination that you can't pull one finger towards you on your wrong hand, I'm not sure you should be provided with ballistic weaponry at all.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Mon 19 Mar 2012, 11:56, closed)

On the plus side
The magazine release catch, which is on the left-hand side of the rifle, is often held against the body by right-handed soldiers, meaning that left-handed soldiers would be far less likely to lose all their bullets on the way somewhere.

When it comes to the SA80, design fail doesn't begin to cover it.
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Mon 19 Mar 2012, 12:04, closed)

been there, done that, had the shit kicked out of me.
Also, we could address it being totally un-dust and sand-proof, because there was no way we'd ever be involved in a desert-based conflict again, was there?
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Mon 19 Mar 2012, 12:13, closed)

I think my personal favourite has to be the little storage area above the barrel for the cleaning kit
because storing pieces of dry cloth and oil in a plastic bottle above a metal tube that gets very, very hot when in use tends to mean that the muzzle of your rifle bursts into flames when you try to shoot things
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Mon 19 Mar 2012, 12:18, closed)

Design fail indeed
we all had our mags gaffa taped to wire tied round the trigger guard, so every time the fecking things fell off they didn't make a racket and spill rounds across the tarmac. Horrible Fisher-Price piece of shit rifle. I trained on a Sterling SMG- another piece of cheap shit, but slightly less prone to self-destruct.
( uncle bastard is twanging a dan moi, Wed 21 Mar 2012, 8:37, closed)

The correct method
is to hold it out in front of you, just above waist height, and sweep it side to side, whilst making eh-er-er-er-er-er-eh noises.
Deadly to all those in front of you, unless they are a tank.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Mon 19 Mar 2012, 13:36, closed)

My brother tested that weapon
And when asked for an evaluation listed all it's faults (more than there were moving parts in the damn thing apparently) and summed it up with a succinct "it's shit".

So they commissioned them.
(Dildo Bugger destroyed a ring on, Mon 19 Mar 2012, 16:41, closed)

Kind of admitting I'm an old bastard
But this thread makes me feel nostalgic for my SLR. Straight as a die at 300 yards once zeroed in. Great rifle... sigh...
(Capo, Wed 21 Mar 2012, 1:05, closed)