Enfield EM-2
Enfield EM-2
Type	assault rifle
Nation(s) of origin	UK
Era	cold War
History
Date of design
Production period
Service duration	1951
Operators	UK
War service
Variants
Number built
Specifications
Type	bullpup
Caliber	.280 in (7.11 mm)
Ammunition	.280 Mk1Z (7 x 43 mm)
Feed system	20
Action	Gas operated
Length	889 mm
Barrel length	623 mm
Weight	3.4 kg
Rate of fire	450 to 600 round/min
Muzzle velocity	771
Effective range

The Royal Small Arms EM2 rifle was an early experimental British assault rifle. The AK-47 is the worlds most common assault rifle. ... The Cold War (Russian: Холодная война Kholodnaya Voina) was the protracted geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle that emerged after World War II between the global superpowers of the Soviet Union and the United States, supported by their military alliance partners. ... Steyr AUG is the one of the most successful bullpup rifles Bullpup is a firearm configuration in which the action (or mechanism) and magazine are located behind the trigger. ... The word calibre (British English) or caliber (American English) designates the interior diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod. ... Boxes of ammunition clog a warehouse in Baghdad Ammunition is a generic military term meaning (the assembly of) a projectile and its propellant. ... In firearms terminology, an action is the system of operation that the firearm employs to seal the breech (in a breech-loading firearm), and to load consecutive rounds. ... The barrel of a gun or other firearm is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion is released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at great speed. ... The Rate of fire is the speed at which a specific firearm or artillery piece can operate. ...

In the immediate post-World War II era the British Army, like many other forces, started research into their own versions of the StG44. The army had planned to replace their .303 inch rimmed cartridge before WWI but were forced to keep it due to time and financial constraints for another 30 years. With these constraints removed, they developed a new .280 inch (7 mm) intermediate-power round, and set about developing a new rifle to fire it. At the same time Fabrique Nationale expressed considerable interest in the round, and started development of their own rifles based on it. The Canadian Army also expressed interest in the new round, both to maintain commonality with the British, and to modernise their forces. Combatants Allies: Soviet Union United States United Kingdom France and others Axis Powers: Germany Japan Italy and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II, also known as the... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Sturmgewehr 44 Nationality Germany Type Assault rifle Inventor Gustloff Date of design 1943 Service duration July 1944 - May 1945 Cartridge 7. ... .303 cartridge The . ... WWI may be an acronym for: World War I World Wrestling Industry This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Fabrique Nationale de Herstal, more often known as Fabrique Nationale and abbreviated simply as FN, is a well-known firearm manufacturer that originated in the Belgian city of Herstal, near Liège. ... Canadian Forces Land Force Command (LF) is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Armed Forces. ...

The Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield started working on two generally similar designs known as the Experimental Models 1 and 2; both were unofficially named after their designers and were known as the Thorpe and the Janson respectively. Both were bullpup style weapons ie. the magazine and chamber are placed behind the trigger and pistol grip, leading to a shorter overall length (by about 20%) and a better ratio between barrel length and weapon length. It used 20-round magazines with "stripper" reloads, included simple conical optical sights for fast shooting, and had a carrying handle built into the top. They could fire semi-automatic or fully automatic. The .280 round was accurate to about 800 yards (730 meters). The two differed primarily in details, but the EM2 was eventually selected as the better design (though some say it was mostly due to it looking less space age), and entered limited service in 1951 as Rifle, Automatic, Calibre .280, Number 9 Mark 1. The RSAF at Enfield was closed in 1987 and the majority of the site is now covered by a large housing development. ... Enfield Town is a town in the London Borough of Enfield. ... Steyr AUG is the one of the most successful bullpup rifles Bullpup is a firearm configuration in which the action (or mechanism) and magazine are located behind the trigger. ... The Space Shuttle takes off on a manned mission to space. ...

It was at this point that the US put forth its own designs for NATO standardisation, using the .308 inch (7.62 mm) round in their M-14 rifle in a prototypical stage as the T25. Matters came to a head in 1951 in a shoot-off conducted at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, with the US claiming the British round was underpowered, and the British claiming the US round was too powerful to be used in a full-automatic mode. At the same trials the .280 FN FAL was also tested as the T48. A series of lengthy debates followed, which were finally settled in an unlikely fashion when Canada stated they would use the British .280 round, but only if the US did as well. It was clear this would never happen. Winston Churchill felt a NATO standard was more important than any qualities of the weapon itself. The EM2 could not be easily adapted to the .308 round, so instead the British were forced to adopt a licensed version of the FN FAL from Fabrique Nationale, itself an adaptation of their own .280 rifle design re-chambered for the 7.62 mm. Churchill had hoped that with the British Commonwealth and other NATO countries adopting the FN FAL, the US army would do so as well. In the end it adopted the T44 as the M-14, which had replaced the earlier T25 experimental weapon. Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ... The M14 rifle (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber 7. ... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician and author, best known as Prime Minister of Britain during the World War II. Well known as orator, soldier, author and politician, Churchill is generally regarded as one of... The Fusil Automatique Leger, or Light Automatic Rifle (LAR). ...

In time, the British concerns were proven true and NATO agreed to move to a smaller round more suitable for semi-automatic fire and lighter weapons. However, in spite of having a similar appearance due to its bullpup layout, the SA80 currently used by the British Army is not related to the EM2, rather it is essentially a modified AR-18. Steyr AUG is the one of the most successful bullpup rifles Bullpup is a firearm configuration in which the action (or mechanism) and magazine are located behind the trigger. ... British soldier with L85 in the 1991 Gulf War British soldier with L85 SA80 (Small Arms for 1980s) is a family of related arms that include the British Armed Forcess standard combat rifle. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

References

• Thomas B. Dugelby - EM2: Concept and Design - Collector Grade Publications, Toronto - 1980

• Ian V. Hogg and John Weeks - Military Small Arms of the 20th Century - Arms & Armour Press/Hippocrene - 1977 - ISBN 0-85368-301-8

External links

• Enfield EM2

See also

• L64/65
• SA80