you’ll have excuse my ignorance, but i saw this (on the RAF’s Facebook page) and instantly noticed the unconventional Left hand shoulder position, it may well be common place with this weapon system so maybe someone can shed some light and explain the situatino
It’s the L129A1 Sharpshooter, which has an ambidextrous cocking handle and thus can be fired from either shoulder.
Is that what these Regt guys were toting in these presumably-temporary* Olympics helicopter gunships? I was amazed as to how highly-uncommented it was on ACC that they were wearing mudguards in No.14 dress…
wilf_san
(* unless they’re still on ‘det to the Met’ and are, even as I type, crusing up Kensington High Street at 0ft…)
[quote=“wilf_san” post=1115]Is that what these Regt guys were toting in these presumably-temporary* Olympics helicopter gunships? I was amazed as to how highly-uncommented it was on ACC that they were wearing mudguards in No.14 dress…
wilf_san
(* unless they’re still on ‘det to the Met’ and are, even as I type, crusing up Kensington High Street at 0ft…)[/quote]
You mean these bad boys?
It’s not those - that looks like it might be the .338 (although it’s difficult to tell at that angle - muzzle brake makes me think is might be the AS50) and the combat shotgun. Quite why you’d want to fire the latter from a helicopter I have no idea!
Could it have been that no one actually gave a stuff as they were RAF and not ATC. If it had been a cadet or member of staff, it would have been multi-page within hours of the OP.
Could it have been that no one actually gave a stuff as they were RAF and not ATC. If it had been a cadet or member of staff, it would have been multi-page within hours of the OP.[/quote]
I did mean in an RAF dress-regs context, as it’s something I’d certainly never seen before. And I know ACO staff can’t normally claim days for gunship duty 
wilf_san
Could it have been that no one actually gave a stuff as they were RAF and not ATC. If it had been a cadet or member of staff, it would have been multi-page within hours of the OP.[/quote]
I did mean in an RAF dress-regs context, as it’s something I’d certainly never seen before. And I know ACO staff can’t normally claim days for gunship duty
wilf_san[/quote]
Don’t worry, the proverbial was thoroughly taken by various veteran and not so veteran Regiment types.
As to the sharpshooter rifle, it can be fired from either shoulder, same as any other weapon based on the Stoner/Armalite/M16 design.
you could consider the L98 A2 ambidextrous, using the left hand much like the use for the A1 but firing from the left shoulder is not permitted…
i always took it that the ejected round was the issue, from the RHS is ejected into the space right of the firer’s hip behind their shoulder
from the left that same ejected round woudl have the ejecetd path into the face would it not???
you could consider the L98 A2 ambidextrous, using the left hand much like the use for the A1 but firing from the left shoulder is not permitted…
i always took it that the ejected round was the issue, from the RHS is ejected into the space right of the firer’s hip behind their shoulder
from the left that same ejected round woudl have the ejecetd path into the face would it not???[/quote]
See my reply above.
The SA80 family (including L85 and L98, both A1 and 2) are not ambidextrous because they can’t be fired from the left shoulder. As you correctly identified, this is because they are a bull pup design and the round would eject into the user’s face (and the cocking handle would probably smash them in the teeth or nose as it reciprocated).
The L129A1 is a totally different design and not a bull pup at all. It’s basically a very souped-up, high speed/low drag AR10.
[quote=“steve679” post=1139]i always took it that the ejected round was the issue, from the RHS is ejected into the space right of the firer’s hip behind their shoulder
from the left that same ejected round woudl have the ejecetd path into the face would it not???[/quote]
Indeed, but the more pressing issue is the cocking handle coming back and smacking you in the teeth/mouth. I’ve seen pictures of resulting injuries and they aren’t pleasant!
As a self-confessed lefty, who has always slightly struggled with the A2 right handed, the picture is quite a promising one, I suppose I need to become a sharpshooter!
sorry to sound like a pleb but i am no “gun nut” so can you explain that?
i presume you mean the ejector port doesnt send the round in the same direction…but a quick “Google image search” it looks to me that the ejector port is placed in a position which would still create risk when firing from the Left…
A bull-pup design has the working parts housed within the stock. The rifle above (like the SLR, M16 etc.) is of “classic” design with the working parts more central in the whole design, leaving the stock simply being a stock.
the upshot is that the bullpup has the ejector port much further rear so that the cases are spat out much closer to the firer and, more importantly, the cocking handle’s field of motion can intersect with the firer’s face.
That family of weapon systems (ARs and the like) are all ambidextrous - I have fired M16s/M4s in the US right and left handed and they are fine from both. Although it is quite alarming as the empty cases fly across your vision at close range. Generally, these weapon systems are fired from the right shoulder.