British Commandos using new 7.62 Semi-Automatics in Combat

New rifles in fight against Taliban - Royal Marines serving in Afghanistan have become the first British troops to use a powerful new long-range rifle on the front line, the Ministry of Defence has announced...The new semi-automatic weapon fires a 7.62mm round, larger than the Army's standard issue SA80 A2 assault rifle, and is more accurate over long distances. More than 400 of the guns (represent) the first new infantry combat rifle to be given to troops in more than two decades...Royal Marines from 40 Commando have been using Sharpshooter rifles on the frontline for about a fortnight...
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Full story @ Southport Visiter
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Like the American M855 round, there have been consistent complaints about the SA80 "Bullpup" since it was first used in combat. There is little specific info given on this mysterious "new 7.62 rifle", but this is essentially the Brits going back to what they used before the introduction of the SA80, the heavy but superb FN/FAL 7.62mm NATO battle rifle; and is consistent with the Americans deploying upgraded 7.62mm "EBR M-14" Rifles for their Squad Designated Marksmen, basically what they used before the introduction of the M-16. For both, "what is old is new again". (It will be interesting to see which performs better, the traditional 7.62x51mm NATO "long" (aka: '.308 Winchester") or the new U.S. "Super" 5.56x45mm (aka:".223 Remington"), in the crucible of combat)...(S9)