The 🌐L85 is a British bullpup assault rifle designed in the 1970s and 80s. It is a member of the 5.56×45mm SA80 family of weapons and became the standard service rifle of the British Armed Forces in 1987, replacing the L1A1 SLR.
The A1 variant was plagued with problems, such as constant jamming and easily breakable parts, causing British owned firearms design company Heckler & Koch to modify it to the vastly improved L85A2 variant. The SA80 was the last in a long line of British weapons (including the Lee-Enfield family) to come from the Royal Small Arms Factory.
Insurgency: Sandstorm[]
The L85A2 is an assault rifle featured in Insurgency: Sandstorm, available to Security Advisors.
It performs similarly to other 5.56 rifles, such as the AUG A3. It boasts an impressive shot performance due in part by its bullpup design, with a controllable recoil and middling fire rate. Due to it's bullpup design, the L85A2 fires the streamlined 5.56x45mm cartridge at very high velocities. Because of this, hitting targets at very long distances is not very hard, nor is downing opponents in CQB. The stellar shot performance also means that the penetration through solid surfaces is also very good, and firing through walls will usually yield a kill on occasion.
The fire rate of the L85A2 is quite decent. While not as fast as other Security options, like the G36K, M4A1, MK 18 CQBR, etc., the L85A2's 652 RPM is faster than the AUG A3 and AK platforms. This is great for controllability over distance, and the slower fire rate places the L85A2 among the easiest to control in Sandstorm.
Low magnification sights can help improve visibility on the L85A2, but the iron sights are clean, offering a decent sight picture compared to some of the other Advisor's armaments. Hybrid scopes, like the Magnified Red Dots or 1.5x PK-AS scopes offer a great middle ground of CQB target acquisition and magnification for medium ranged engagements. To capitalize on the stellar ranged performance on the L85A2, however, long-range scopes are vital. Along with the normal set of scopes, the L85A2 can mount a custom 4x-1x SUSAT scope, with a rudimentary sight and a simple iron sight on top. This, along with the other set of 4x scopes, allow the L85A2 a lot of precision and accuracy when firing at range.
Attachments on the L85A2 can improve some areas the L85A2 lacks. Muzzle devices can either help disguise the muzzle report when firing with the Flash Hider/Suppressor or further improve the lateral kick with the Compensator. Grips, on the other hand, are very helpful in improving the L85A2's performance, depending on the required situation. For closer ranged engagements, the Aiming Grip and Quick Draw Grip will help improve CQB performance, while the Loading Grip is a versatile implement to counteract the slower reload of the rifle. The Recoil Grip and Bipod will help for long-ranges, with both counteracting the L85A2's already tame recoil.
This package comes in at a nifty 3 credits, allowing for more variety in attachment choice or in a loadout.
Overall, the L85A2 is a solid choice for Advisors. It's cheap price and great performance leads it to be a controllable and effective weapon for the front lines.
Attachments[]
| Optics | |
| Underbarrel | |
| Barrel | |
| Magazine | |
| Siderail | |
| Ammo |
Media[]
| Weapons of Insurgency: Sandstorm | ||
|---|---|---|
 Security Forces
|
 Insurgent Forces
| |
| Submachine guns | Grease Gun • MP5A5 • MP7 • Vector | Sterling • MP5A2 • Uzi • P90 |
| Carbines | G36K • Mk 18 CQBR • M4A1 • Honey Badger | SKS • AKS-74U • SG 552 • AS Val |
| Assault rifles | M16A4 • L85A2 • VHS-2 • Galil SAR • AUG A3 • QTS-11 • WCX • F2000 Tactical | M16A2 • AKM • AK-74 • Alpha AK • QBZ-03 • Galil • FAMAS F1 • QBZ-97 • AR7090 • F2000 |
| Battle rifles | Mk 17 Mod 0 • G3A3 • Mk 14 EBR • Tavor 7 • MDR | FAL • ACE 52 • M1 Garand |
| Machine guns | M249 • M60 • M240B | RPK • PKM • MG3 |
| Shotguns | M870 • KSG | KS-23 • TOZ-194 |
| Sniper rifles | M24 • TAC-338 • M110 SASS | Mosin-Nagant • L96A1 • SVD |
| Anti-materiel rifles | M82A1 CQ | M99 |
| Handguns | Tariq • L106A1 • M45 • PF940 • MR 73 | Welrod • Makarov • Browning HP • M1911 • M9 • Desert Eagle |
| Melee | Baton • Combat Knife | Kukri • Shiv |
Trivia[]
- The L85A2's handguard by default is the original, smooth plastic version. However, when any attachments such as grips and laser sights are added, the rifle's handguard is changed to a railed variant.
- The L85A2 is the first bullpup firearm to make an official appearance in the Insurgency series.
- The empty reload animation shows the character hitting the bolt as a way to assist it forward and make sure it is fully in battery. This method is more often used on the A1 rifle rather than the A2.
Sandstorm
- It being a 5.56 rifle, the L85A2 is also able to take STANAG magazines from other weapons such as the M4A1 and M16.