This weapon system is actually insane. Shot it for the first time 2 months ago and it is such a smooth rifle. light, accurate and really comfortable to move with.
I love how, This is Jonathan Ferguson, the Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in the UK, which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons from throughout history, loves every single variation of the AR-15.
I mean, I don't blame Jonathan Ferguson, the KoF&AatRAMitUKwhacotoiwfth. I think it is impressive how smart some minor changes are and still keeping something developed to death functional
Here in Sweden the army is currently replacing the AK5 (FN FNC produced under licence from Belgian FN) and the AK4 (H&K G3), with AR-15 and AR-10 platforms from Finnish manufacturer SAKO. To say the AR-platform is old, yes it's true, but it's by now a perfected weapon system, and incredibly modular. You can configure it almost anyway you like it, trigger, barrel, buttstock, pistolgrips handuard, gas block can be changed out without being a gunsmith. Unless you're all thumbs, you can wrench an AR. It's that simple.
It’s far from perfected, especially in its default gas impingement configuration. Top 5 needed changes: 1. Restore the top mounted reciprocating charging handle for better ease of malfunction clearance. 2. Replace DI gas with a long stroke rotating piston for better reliability like on the AK. 3. Add more weight to the stock and receiver to fix the front heavy balance issue. 4. Change the flash hider for a break or compensator. 5. Remove mag well and replace it with a rock and lock system And here are three additional bonus fixes I would make: 6. Remove the absolutely pointless charging handle latch. 7. Remove the forward assist as the new charging handle makes it pointless. 8. Make the boat latch button, single function, a release, only by making the boat lock either on an empty magazine or by pulling the charging handle upward at the rear. And here are two more just to round out the list: 9. Make the stock out of something strong instead of that weak fragile plastic. 10. Change the safety into an easily hit long lever with a big knob, One more cuz I really know this gun and dislike it from familiarity 10. Change the bolt to have four big, locking lugs instead of eight tiny ones, and change the extractor from a tiny button to a big claw. I’ve used the AR 15 as my work rifle for years. I didn’t like it before I started and having worked with it for several years now has only made me like it even less. I initially was going to make a joke where things got changed bit by bit until it was just an AK, but I thought better of it after the first couple ad actually came up with tangible improvements beyond making it like the real best rifle in the world.
@@brianmead7556 Your reccomendations are personal options. I can understand some of them but a few make no sense waht so ever. Why would you want a reciprocating charging handle. It adds an un needed point of failure during normal operations, this point 6 of yours. The forward assist was always useless but has been required from its inception by the us military so I agree with ditching it. Di has its advantages much like a gas piston system whether it be long or short stroke. The system was designed for DI and has functioned extremely well with it for 70 years. There are models that use the piston system but it adds to the cost and from my history and understanding of it aside from being a little cleaner it offers no advantages. It does increase reciprocating mass though and while that might be nice for recoil mitigation in a 5.56 application it is not really needed. The muzzle device is operation or application changeable. The A2 birdcage has been in use for decades and there are dmr systems that have a break. Not sure what your point is on this one. Your comment on the bolt latch makes no sense. It is single function unless manually manipulated to hold the bolt open when there is a loaded mag inserted or no mag at all. Rock lock mag retention system allows for more dirt access to the inner workings under operational use. The bolt and carrier system doesnt have loose enough tolerances to allow for excessive dirt while working, this would cause a large increase in function failures. What material would you suggest be used for the stock? The polymer used currently on the A2 style stock is very strong and I have not heard of one breaking under normal use or even heavy use. I will admit I dont know how well it works in theater under extreme use but I would assume if it was an actual issue it would have been revised out. Most platforms use a form of collapsable stock and they are very robust unless they are buying it from temu and I have yet to find one so flimsy. There are some though that are ergonomically horrible. The safety is easily thumb actionable and in ambi set up works for wrong handed people. having one a bight prouder in profile would be nice but it is never in safe unless in base so meh. I dont have an opinion on the bolt face lock up design having a different lock up system might be good I dont know. The only failures I have heard of either fall back to poor maintenance or manufacturing defects. The extractor is a claw, im sure it could be improved though. I think your actual point is you perfer AK's to AR's and thats fine but to say the m16/ar platform is not exceptional is lieing to your self. Every system can be improved but there has been in constant improvment from 1956 to now in both the military and more importantly citizen markets if there was any major short commings they would have been innovated on and adapted in the mass market.
@@brianmead7556 im not sure if your post is satire or not, almost all of these ideas are antiquated and obsolete or just make the gun objectively worse and more unrealiable
@@brianmead7556😂😂😂 The original AR15 was better than what you're describing. I know everyone is entitled to their opinions but your don't make sense. DI is great in certain climates, just like long stroke pistons are. Reciprocating charging handles would ensure that the action stays open more for debris to enter. Rock and lock is much more complicated of a movement than insertion straight up. I could go on. Just get a galil and call yourself good 😂
@@soul0360 Some thoughts (I am experienced, but not an expert :) ) : Suppressors get very hot; put any oil around it and you are going to get smoke, and quite possibly a massive heat sink that might go bang during firing. It's unlikely that you are going to be removing this thing anytime when stealth is an issue; you've either fired, or are firing. Sups also tend to get very tight after putting a few rounds through them, anyway. The carbon build up means that you're going to struggle to get the thing off in a hurry even if you want to. want
Paused the video at 4:52… The “dimples” on that “heavy barrel” also allow for much greater heat dissipation. They provide more surface area for the exposed steel in/on said barrel. Small things like this make a huge difference. As always… Great Video folks! Thank You!
An estimated 10% to 15% more surface area being dimpled which doesn't scale linearly with respect to heat dissipation. For accuracy, something that is more thermally stable or consistent by way of extra mass would be much better but then you got to carry it. Maybe it just looks nice and confidence inspiring.
@@CATANOVAthis would be more thermally stable, it’s the same pattern along the barrel, not mention it will help keep the barrel cooler what has many effects for the gun but also to help with thermal detection
@@adamatch9624 What I'm referring to is that more mass or metal takes longer to heat and cool and therefore operation or shot to shot of the rifle would be more thermally stable when say emptying a clip over the course of a minute or so. If we have a barrel that shed its heat due to some additional cooling arrangement then shot to shot may see higher differential temperatures with intermittent operation. If we consider this alongside knowing that metal moves with temperature (expansion and contraction) then one can deduce that a cooling arrangement may not be the optimal solution for a rifle depending on how the rifle is going to be used. If the rifle was for example going to have mag after mag pushed through it then yes having a good barrel cooling solution would be optimal. If on the other hand having a rifle that was going to be used as more of a marksman bit of kit then the slower cooling or better thermal stability may prove to be more accurate shot to shot within a given timeframe, assuming metal growth of the barrel would have some effect on accuracy. In the real world I have no idea if what I am saying has any merit since I personally have not been to battle and have only watched movies such as Zulu with Michael Caine. 🙂 th-cam.com/video/Of3R0WH-dLY/w-d-xo.html
Knights make some of the nicest AR15 variants on the market today and they have an incredible pedigree as a small arms engineering firm. Really stellar company.
The downside is they are expensive as hell. Pretty much any company that gets government contracts has extremely expensive guns. B&T is another example.
@@Indeciferable KAC stuff is definitely pricey but a lot of that is because of collectors. If you can find an sr15 upper at MSRP it's not quite as bad but still around $2,000+ but you can sell the muzzle device and iron sights and make quite a bit of your money back.
I think the British made an excellent choice. This design was years ahead of its time and has become extremely refined, it's inherently accurate and with quality parts extremely reliable. It's also extremely simple and easy to work on. While I am very mechanically inclined, I have no training in gunsmithing, but I was still able to buy each individual part and assemble all of the upper and lower from scratch and ended up with a couple of very reliable and accurate rifles. It would have been orders of magnitude more difficult for me to do that with an AK47. I've done 2 expensive ones and 1 cheap one and they all three run flawlessly. Imagine how reliable they are when they are built by someone like Knight's Armament.
@@willl7780 The vast, vast, vast majority of the population don't want to own guns. Hence they're 'banned'. Democracy!...keeping British children safe since 1996.
Whoever edits these videos should get a shoutout in the description at least. The little jokes here and there and the poignant info added in post REALLY adds to Jonathan's already amazing quality work. GG's mate!
I would, honestly, like a video where Jonathan Ferguson, Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armouries museum in the UK, (Which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons from throughout history) lists all of his emotional support weapons.. ;) (and any Artillery ditto >< )
As a squaddie from 73 to 88, I loved my 7.62 SLR. It had a kick Like a mule and a ring Like a bell. If you've ever fired one without ear defenders you'll know what I mean about ring Like a bell.😊
Absolutely..!!..I was in RA at Woolwich 1970...my SLR ser no 101...was a fantastic hard hitting piece of kit..being in Skill at Arms team gave me bags of extra fire time that others didn't get ...!!..The 3position sight frequently gave me nasty cut on side of my nose..!!
Yah it is i just built one and love it. Great balistics and still super short and light. Not sure if I like it more than 11.5 barrels like US SOCOM is now using though. 11.5 gives almost the same balistics with full power ammo and is really small even with a suppressor.
@@John_439 An 11.5" barrel does not give "almost the same ballistics" as a 13.7" barrel. When it comes to velocity differences in barrel lengths, the 12.5" to 14.5" is, on average, where you see the smallest gain in velocity by the inch. That said, 14.5" is where you can have a mid-length gas system that functions reliably across a wide operational envelope. There are 12.5" barrels with mid-length gas systems, but the very short dwell time can cause reliability issues. 13.7" mid-length barrels have a slightly larger gas port compared to 14.5" to make up for the decreased dwell time. I think 11.5" is great for 200 yards and in, but they can reliably push out to 300 and even 400 yards with good effect on fleshy targets with the right ammo.
@@AncientGloom you should check out the FBI test they found with their duty ammo and their rifles 11.5 performed almost the same as everything up to a 14.5 barrel. I'm not saying they are always going to keep up with longer barrels but you should also check out a few different balistic calculators and mess around with them. You will find that small amounts of velocity doesn't actually make that much difference to max supersonic range and higher velocity bullets bleed off velocity exponentially faster. The difference between 11.5 and 14.5 is about 50-100m. Both are supersonic with factory loads to +500m and I have shot barrels from 11.5-20in to 500m and beyond. 11.5 does pretty well to about 450m and then starts to drop off but 14.5 doesn't make it past 550m before it drops off. Plus I hand load, so while I could get even better performance out of longer barrels I have designed some loads for short barrels that keep me at 16in barrel velocity out of my 11.5 and are very accurate. They are hot loads but still safe and reliable. My handloads actually keep me supersonic to just past 600m out of an 11.5 at current atmospheric conditions.
It's nice to think of our guys getting arguably the best battle rifle available, with the best optics. A pleasant change for sure...... Until we start looking at new and novel ways of throwing deadly things at the enemy, other than copper and lead - a very well made AR is about as good as it gets (calibre not withstanding).
I heard that they are crap. Soldiers are complaining that it takes too long to cock. Also our gunsmiths have to adhere to UN Sanctions flaunted by The US.
Given how easy that removable trigger guard is likely to be, I am surprised that they did not include it in the civilian version, as an easy source of post sales profit. They could easily charge $29.99 for a 20cent bit of metal all day long. (Also, I hope the military armours have a large and cheap supply of those things, because they will all go missing).
Most civilian versions have detachable or folding trigger guards.. its kinda hard to say "civilian version" as there are a zillion AR variants on the market
@@jonathanferguson1211 should have specified, most civilian rifles in general, my apologies. I agree with Reed, its really not a very useful feature in general, easily taken care of by using trigger finger mittens.
Absolutely love all of Jonathans content, the history, the information all delivered informed and casual with a little bit of humour some times, perfection
Its an audio warning for the squaddie if its unwinding itself during exercise. Otherwise it silently falls off the end of the rifle and the squaddie then gets charged for it.
The Royal Armouries firearms came predominantly the Tower of London and the Enfield pattern room. Herbert James Woodend was the custodian and latterly Paul Ellis. Bertie was by far the UK firearms expert... Back to the 1960s ...long before Ferguson... I worked with Bertie and served my apprenticeship with West & Son Gunmakers. Bertie sadly missed
As I say in the video, for the British military, Irish Republicans and a fair few others in these islands, it meant either and still does. To Americans it almost invariably means the AR-18/180.
United Kingdom: Designated the L403A1. Equipped with L900A1 Optics Suite (Vortex 1-10x low power variable optic in a Reptilia AUS mount, combined with an Aimpoint ACRO P-2 red dot sight in a Reptilia ROF 90 mount). Looks like a RAZOR to me. Badass setup. The other photos I have seen had Magpul BUIS.
It's always good when Jonathan Ferguson, the Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in the UK, which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons from throughout history, goes over the details and use case of obscure military weapons.
@@CatholicKit No one, generally. But at some point a soldier is going to need a rifle that’s got a quiet operation, not one that sounds like a car door being slammed.
as always a pleasure seeing Johnathan showcasing weapons. I would love if you all started including him actually shooting the weapons if that's possible. I wanna know the accuracy of these things!
I have always liked the m110 being a Brit i don't have my own firearms but I am a club member for a range that has an outdoor rifle range with a bunch of interesting firearms for club use and after a life of nothing but 22lr and 12g breakbarrels that 7.62nato was a real experience . Next month we have a range day I'm hoping to get a go at the steyr ssg m1 in 338 lapua
Thanks for providing us with such useful insight Jonathan, i'm also happy you found your brand-new emotional support AR-15. Kudos to Knight's Armament for having developed this high-quality AR-15 for the British special forces since Knight's Armament is renowed for it's high-quality if expensive guns.
Excellent choice going with a Knight's Armament build. They're known to be among the best of the best by AR-15 enthusiasts here in America. I hope KAC serves your needs well and takes care of you as a company. It's an honor of a contract to win.
The AR platform although “old” still does the job in 2017 the NZDF replaced all its AUG’s with the Lewis Machine Tools MARS-L and it’s an excellent weapon.
8:13 no truer words in regards to militaries around the world has ever been said, and it was my first thought also "Thsi is gonna get lost in 1 second".
History will,recall that no triggers guards were ever returned after Artic training making the trigger guard Knights Armoury most popular replacement part and largest income generating part after the rifle it self . 🤣🤣
It kinda makes sense for coalitions to use common tested and mass produced platforms for their equipment It makes things easier and saves a lot in resources and time
I recently learned that the swedish armed forces are in the process of replacing the AK5, a license built version of the FN FNC, with some type of AR15. They are also looking to replace other firearms, such as the FN MAG ksp 58 and the AG 90 i.e. a model of Barrett .50 anti-materiel rifle (AG is short for automatgevär = automatic rifle, for some strange reason). I don't remember which guns that are considered as replacements for those.
I believe it is a joint program with Finland. Here's hoping they select an actual AR-15 type, but nobody would be surprised to see them end up with HK416 like the French. Short stroke pistons can have some upsides with suppressor use, but the internal piston design of the AR-15 makes for a better handling rifle overall. Less weight and better recoil management.
Man smoking a cigarette walks into a petrol station in Northern Ireland, goes to put petrol in his car and spills some over his arm, which promptly catches fire. The petrol station employee dials 999 and reports the incident, at which point the RUC roll up and proceed to shoot the man with the burning arm. “What the hell?” The understandably shocked petrol station employee asks. “We had a report of a man with an arm alight.”
I doubt a lot of youngesters in the UK known the Armalite song. Might as well ask them to sing Black and Tan. Almost no Americans would get those references either. I grew up in Europe was there 1979 to 1992! So I am not typical American.
I assume a reason for specifying a conventional design, was that the Rangers are likely to be training foreign units who use Armalite or Kalashnikov derived weapons. It would be more difficult to teach shooting skills to these forces if you only have experienced of shooting a bullpup design.
Essentially. AR-15 derivatives are also widely available in other armouries or on the global arms market, ideal for getting replacement gear when the Rangers are isolated from the majority of British logistics. The SA80 may be a very flexible platform, but it's definitely not the universal one the AR-15 is.
This is what my eldest son is using he's a commando in the royal marines they just got back from touring Norway, said it's super lightweight but really strong .
The big what if in modern British firearms has to be what if the RA had just adopted the Sterling made AR-18 instead of sticking it’s guts in a box. The AR-18 had been in development for over a decade and was a well proven design that has obviously stood the test of time. With a folding stock it’s shorter and lighter than the SA80 and when unfolded is an objectively easier rifle to handle.
and the short stroke system is very adaptable to different roles. It's better for sustained automatic fire than the DI system in the AR15. The design lends itself to modularity in that the same gas system components can be used for different barrel lengths if you use shorter rods. The Brits could have stuck with the AR18s until the patents expired, and then used it to make any number of improvements. We might have seen the Brits come up with their own version of the BRN-180 before Brownells did.
Had Stoner designed the AR-18 _first,_ he'd have shown it to the U.S. ARMY & they likely would've chosen the AR-18. Had that happened, few if any Militaries & Law Enforcement Orgs would have interest in the dirtier Di design of the AR-15.
We had Armalite AR15s in Hong Kong and Fiji in the 80’s to complement our SLR’s. They were alright but the L1A1SLR was a gun you could trust in every way and it was guaranteed to put people on the wrong side of it into the afterlife where they belonged…
@@MiketheMadness In fairness, many of the saw the L1A1 replaced by the first iteration of the SA80 and preferred the more reliable L1A1. Although those issues were eventually resolved, it was a damaging introduction of the replacement series
@@brighthought11 LMTs are also garbage. I’ve had three that were defective: one was a 300BLK that they hadn’t finished reaming the chamber. When I called they said “yeah, we knew some bad ones got out, but we don’t have a method of tracking where we send the rifles. Another one the lower receiver was so poor (it had a curve upward such that the upper receiver basically took a clamp to close, but that curve was only on one side. Their QC is garbage, and when you realize they make a whole lot of KAC’s parts, it all makes sense. My first SR-15 had to go back to KAC…..twice, and they blamed it on a bad BCG (gas key) and they said they don’t make their own BCGs..: and other than the SR-25, we know they don’t make their own barrels. It’s all on AR15.com. I don’t like Marty Daniel, but he builds a better rifle. So does LWRC, but they have the strange monolithic thing. If they dropped the monolithic concept, they’d be blowing the doors off of other companies. Larue builds a better large frame rifle and so does JP. KAC is all hype and mythology.
This is a fair point - it's really just the name and special status that they share, not the role at all. There was a lot of press/chatter around the UK Rangers following the US Rangers model including similar origins for the original incarnations of both US and British 'Rangers' but they are not fulfilling the same role at all. They are more like the Selous Scouts that inspired their capbadge.
@@jonathanferguson1211 Parallels with Selous Scouts with their connection to apartheid regime and war crimes aren't going to look all that well in the press, are they?
Yeah that noise is very covert, Just to add I know bugger all about these things but the idea tickled me. A trooper holed up not spotted and needing the silencer and that cats choir sounding off lol Great video as always
What the oil bottle in the handle is for. I doubt they will be removing the can, toting it in their pocket, and deciding to put it on at the last minute tho.
Suppressors, for the most part, are only effective beyond ~50 meters. In addition, they won't stop the bullets from making a loud 'crack' sound due to their supersonic speeds. The main purpose of the suppressor is to make distant-ish gunfire hard to locate. They'll know they're getting shot at, but they won't be able to hear where from. Edit: He specifies at around 6:30 that the main purpose of the suppressor is to hide visual and thermal signatures (muzzle flash and heat radiation)
US, UK, Canada and Aussie Spec Ops units it seems are likely the cousin to each other, all based of WW2 SAS/SBS and the Joint US/Canada First Special Service Force, aka Devil's Brigade
Eh? Both the SAS and SBS were formed from the Scots Guards. The only UK regiment to fight in every war the UK has fought. The majority of commando training took place in Scotland, so the Scots Guards and other Scots regiments were the first volunteers for special operations units.
You didn't spend nearly enough time showing off the Optic, that's the best part of this whole package. Vortex needs to hurry up and release it to the public.
The SA 80 was fine for the time - street and house figjting in Northern Ireland and then Afghanistan - this would have been a nightmare in door to door fighting but ideal for open area conflicts. Now the current version of the SA80 is a very good weapon its great they are keeping both options.
I am of an age that in the late 1960s in the Army Cadets we use Lee Enfields .303 that if not pushed into your shoulder on firing could give you a nasty bruise, they were very heavy and I can well recall later on joining the RAF in 1971 my square bashing with them, your arm would really ache. Fifty Four years later watching this TH-cam on this L403A1, I have to say it looks like a toy water pistol but as best I can tell is far more powerful, accurate, lighter, reliant and easier to clean - I wonder what (if we humans are still around) type of weapon soldiers will use in the future. Would be interested to hear what current soldiers think of it.
Well it's a start. At least some of our military now have a decent rifle. They took my L1A1 away from me and gave me A L85A1. I know how the U.S troops felt when they were first given M16's. Just need to quickly phase out the L85 and give this KS1 to all our service men and women.
KS1 will never be the replacement...some one wanted to be flashy so decided to get a small number of these at over £7000 a piece. Whatever replaces the l85 will be a direct result of what the Americans do regarding the new "common cartridge" And I'll eat my hat if the KS1 ends up being it...again at £7000 odd a go, no way.
I used M14s, M16A1s, M16A2s, and M4/M4A1s in the Army. M16A1 and M4A1 were my preferred. M21s were for Sniper Support weapons in 2 of the Recon units I was in, but our primary Sniper systems were M24s. KS-1 is the epitome of a highly-refined AR-15 carbine.
Wouldn't surprise me at all to see the Brits keep the current L85A3 in service beyond 2025 and slowly phase in something new. Once the US Army has had a chance to use its 6.8x51 XM7 rifle and XM250 machine gun, the rest of NATO will be able to make a more informed decision on what to standardize on. It's become apparent that 5.56 NATO has kind of hit the limits of its capabilities. You might see some countries adopt 77gr versions but I think the way forward will be the 6.8x51 replacing the 7.62 NATO and a new intermediate cartridge being adopted, probably something in 6mm, 6.5mm or 6.8mm. There are already several good choices in those calibers and plenty of good rifles around today.
I have a feeling that this is a British Units' work around of getting a replacement for their SA80s. Just like how the US Marines are getting M27s as a 'replacement' for their SAW but somehow the whole rifle squad is using 'Automatic Rifles'. :)
There is a decent argument for replacing the M249 with the M27. Being able to still bring the same amount of fire on target without needing to field a different weapon, sounds pretty reasonable. It does mean changing tactics and training but I do see the appeal. Of course, the M27 can't sustain the rate of fire that the M249 can which means you now need two or three men to do the job previously done by one, so there is a drawback. Pros and cons both ways.
Marine Vet here... Its great to see the Corps finally finessing the system. Marine infantry battalions are arguably better equipped than our 11B bros for the first time in history.
The bolt lugs being rounded was patented by a company during the Assault Weapons Ban in the United States; it was meant to be a weight savings measure i believe. It was discovered that it was a more reliable shape and Knights bought the rights to the patent some time after.
@@bikeracerdude It did for pistols and "assault pistols". The Carbon 15 had the rounded bolt lugs and while it didn't really save any weight I'm sure it at very least was the intent
The new socom urgi rifles are what the rest of the army should go with instead. The 11.5 urgi rifles are awesome and much better than the old 10.3 mk18.
_Some_ 7:37 being those who aren't considering the way the bolt carrier sticks inside the receiver in freezing temperatures or simply haven't an auto sear to function check ツ
@@hairydogstail It happened with GoldenWebb's Trybe Defense upper, the bolt release failed after emptying the first magazine, but he was able to free the carrier by hitting the forward assist
@@darthskrillex The internal piston has passed every US military test given..This is why it is the longest standard rifle in US history..I live in Montana and have never had any issues in minus conditions..
I do take exception to the Regimentation of provision for Special Forces. Historically it was a matter of personal choice within the constraints of the mission, so if you were going to tucker yourself down with something weird and wonderful at the expense of getting it done, you'd need reasons. That's how the AR15 appeared, the No4 and SLR were very heavy.
@@shanemjn Actually it doesn't. The whole production line is setup to have the assist. If they want it gone they're gonna need new forgings and retool their production for two different same uppers and two different internals. Fir a smaller company like KAC it's cheaper to just leave it there.
@@Totemparadox upper, not lower, my mistake. With the greatest of respect, that kind of thinking is wrong. Doing things because "that's the way it's done" isn't the way. Saying it costs money ignores the material savings for the upper, the time saved on machining, the time saved for assembly, the savings on removed parts. Weight costs money when shipping, per rifle it might be very little but it adds up. Slick sided uppers exist, they wouldn't be the first.
@@shanemjn With the greatest of respect you're gonna put words in my mouth? Wow. I never said the reason is "Because that's how it's been done." I agree that the FA is mostly pointless but it would cost KAC money to remove it from the KS-1 because their other contract SR-15's require that FA by the buyer and that would make a requirement for two different upper and BCG production lines. Besides, the UK military probably requested it. My point is that even if the FA is pointless, KAC has decided it's equally or more pointless to remove it.
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This weapon system is actually insane. Shot it for the first time 2 months ago and it is such a smooth rifle. light, accurate and really comfortable to move with.
I love how, This is Jonathan Ferguson, the Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in the UK, which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons from throughout history, loves every single variation of the AR-15.
That has to make for wearing two or more name badges
I mean, I don't blame Jonathan Ferguson, the KoF&AatRAMitUKwhacotoiwfth. I think it is impressive how smart some minor changes are and still keeping something developed to death functional
@@matthewgallagher8491I kinda want to make two now. One fully written and one with a ridiculous long abbreviation
@@jackzed2020 That would be great to see
Forgotten weapons has "Gun Jesus" We Brit now have Mr Jonathan Ferguson, The Keeper of Firearms & Artillery..... praise be.
As a curator myself, I approve of the consistency of wearing the gloves for handling a museum object, even if it's brand new.
Don't want them finger smudges on shiny new stuff either.
lol thanks for answering my question
SOP for handling collections,; oils and moisture on hands can do nasty things.
Can't let those deadly rifle-cooties infect you.
Thanks for the shout out Jonathan! Great overview and great to see inside the L403A1!
I enjoy your channel, thanks.
@@trapmouth aww thank you, that's really kind!
Pretty cool rifle
Great to see you here. Love your channel 👍👍
they really need to revamp the designation system!! maybe just start over at number 1?
Behold the future of infantry weaponry! A rifle invented in 1956. 😁
As oppose to other rifles using systems invented in the 30's-40's..
The fn mag is based on the bar iirc
Nothing really wrong with it still
If it works...
@@simon_969 With basically an MG42 feed mechanism.
If it ain't broke...
It is amazing that Eugene Stoner's design is still relevant today, decades later.
John Moses Browning, hallowed be his name, died 98 years ago in 1926. He's still got more designs in production than anyone else.
Like kalaskinovs designs. It just evolved
It’s simply an amazing design
Here in Sweden the army is currently replacing the AK5 (FN FNC produced under licence from Belgian FN) and the AK4 (H&K G3), with AR-15 and AR-10 platforms from Finnish manufacturer SAKO.
To say the AR-platform is old, yes it's true, but it's by now a perfected weapon system, and incredibly modular. You can configure it almost anyway you like it, trigger, barrel, buttstock, pistolgrips handuard, gas block can be changed out without being a gunsmith. Unless you're all thumbs, you can wrench an AR. It's that simple.
It’s far from perfected, especially in its default gas impingement configuration.
Top 5 needed changes:
1. Restore the top mounted reciprocating charging handle for better ease of malfunction clearance.
2. Replace DI gas with a long stroke rotating piston for better reliability like on the AK.
3. Add more weight to the stock and receiver to fix the front heavy balance issue.
4. Change the flash hider for a break or compensator.
5. Remove mag well and replace it with a rock and lock system
And here are three additional bonus fixes I would make:
6. Remove the absolutely pointless charging handle latch.
7. Remove the forward assist as the new charging handle makes it pointless.
8. Make the boat latch button, single function, a release, only by making the boat lock either on an empty magazine or by pulling the charging handle upward at the rear.
And here are two more just to round out the list:
9. Make the stock out of something strong instead of that weak fragile plastic.
10. Change the safety into an easily hit long lever with a big knob,
One more cuz I really know this gun and dislike it from familiarity
10. Change the bolt to have four big, locking lugs instead of eight tiny ones, and change the extractor from a tiny button to a big claw.
I’ve used the AR 15 as my work rifle for years. I didn’t like it before I started and having worked with it for several years now has only made me like it even less. I initially was going to make a joke where things got changed bit by bit until it was just an AK, but I thought better of it after the first couple ad actually came up with tangible improvements beyond making it like the real best rifle in the world.
@@brianmead7556 Your reccomendations are personal options. I can understand some of them but a few make no sense waht so ever.
Why would you want a reciprocating charging handle. It adds an un needed point of failure during normal operations, this point 6 of yours. The forward assist was always useless but has been required from its inception by the us military so I agree with ditching it.
Di has its advantages much like a gas piston system whether it be long or short stroke. The system was designed for DI and has functioned extremely well with it for 70 years. There are models that use the piston system but it adds to the cost and from my history and understanding of it aside from being a little cleaner it offers no advantages. It does increase reciprocating mass though and while that might be nice for recoil mitigation in a 5.56 application it is not really needed.
The muzzle device is operation or application changeable. The A2 birdcage has been in use for decades and there are dmr systems that have a break. Not sure what your point is on this one.
Your comment on the bolt latch makes no sense. It is single function unless manually manipulated to hold the bolt open when there is a loaded mag inserted or no mag at all.
Rock lock mag retention system allows for more dirt access to the inner workings under operational use. The bolt and carrier system doesnt have loose enough tolerances to allow for excessive dirt while working, this would cause a large increase in function failures.
What material would you suggest be used for the stock? The polymer used currently on the A2 style stock is very strong and I have not heard of one breaking under normal use or even heavy use. I will admit I dont know how well it works in theater under extreme use but I would assume if it was an actual issue it would have been revised out. Most platforms use a form of collapsable stock and they are very robust unless they are buying it from temu and I have yet to find one so flimsy. There are some though that are ergonomically horrible.
The safety is easily thumb actionable and in ambi set up works for wrong handed people. having one a bight prouder in profile would be nice but it is never in safe unless in base so meh.
I dont have an opinion on the bolt face lock up design having a different lock up system might be good I dont know. The only failures I have heard of either fall back to poor maintenance or manufacturing defects. The extractor is a claw, im sure it could be improved though.
I think your actual point is you perfer AK's to AR's and thats fine but to say the m16/ar platform is not exceptional is lieing to your self. Every system can be improved but there has been in constant improvment from 1956 to now in both the military and more importantly citizen markets if there was any major short commings they would have been innovated on and adapted in the mass market.
So AR15 works fine in Arctic cold condition?
@@brianmead7556 im not sure if your post is satire or not, almost all of these ideas are antiquated and obsolete or just make the gun objectively worse and more unrealiable
@@brianmead7556😂😂😂
The original AR15 was better than what you're describing. I know everyone is entitled to their opinions but your don't make sense. DI is great in certain climates, just like long stroke pistons are. Reciprocating charging handles would ensure that the action stays open more for debris to enter.
Rock and lock is much more complicated of a movement than insertion straight up. I could go on. Just get a galil and call yourself good 😂
"Alright lads, remember stealth is paramount."
SQUEAK! SQUEAK! SQUEAK! SQUEAK!
😂😂
Lubrication?
Battle rattle
Topper screwing on the arrow heads in Hot Shots part Deux
You beat me to it 🤣
@@soul0360 Some thoughts (I am experienced, but not an expert :) ) :
Suppressors get very hot; put any oil around it and you are going to get smoke, and quite possibly a massive heat sink that might go bang during firing.
It's unlikely that you are going to be removing this thing anytime when stealth is an issue; you've either fired, or are firing.
Sups also tend to get very tight after putting a few rounds through them, anyway. The carbon build up means that you're going to struggle to get the thing off in a hurry even if you want to. want
Paused the video at 4:52…
The “dimples” on that “heavy barrel” also allow for much greater heat dissipation.
They provide more surface area for the exposed steel in/on said barrel.
Small things like this make a huge difference.
As always…
Great Video folks!
Thank You!
And easier to machine than cooling fins.
@@timp3931 truth
An estimated 10% to 15% more surface area being dimpled which doesn't scale linearly with respect to heat dissipation.
For accuracy, something that is more thermally stable or consistent by way of extra mass would be much better but then you got to carry it.
Maybe it just looks nice and confidence inspiring.
@@CATANOVAthis would be more thermally stable, it’s the same pattern along the barrel, not mention it will help keep the barrel cooler what has many effects for the gun but also to help with thermal detection
@@adamatch9624 What I'm referring to is that more mass or metal takes longer to heat and cool and therefore operation or shot to shot of the rifle would be more thermally stable when say emptying a clip over the course of a minute or so. If we have a barrel that shed its heat due to some additional cooling arrangement then shot to shot may see higher differential temperatures with intermittent operation. If we consider this alongside knowing that metal moves with temperature (expansion and contraction) then one can deduce that a cooling arrangement may not be the optimal solution for a rifle depending on how the rifle is going to be used. If the rifle was for example going to have mag after mag pushed through it then yes having a good barrel cooling solution would be optimal. If on the other hand having a rifle that was going to be used as more of a marksman bit of kit then the slower cooling or better thermal stability may prove to be more accurate shot to shot within a given timeframe, assuming metal growth of the barrel would have some effect on accuracy.
In the real world I have no idea if what I am saying has any merit since I personally have not been to battle and have only watched movies such as Zulu with Michael Caine. 🙂
th-cam.com/video/Of3R0WH-dLY/w-d-xo.html
Jonathan has a new emotional support AR-15. 🧸
I blame cod for poor Jonathan needing all of these emotional support weapons, first we had the STG-44 and then the M16A2
Emotional support, yeah, that's why I need one.
@@l.yvonnemurray6521 doesn’t cuddling a 10k gun make you feel better?
How long till Dave shows him a cursed version of this in some game.
When is the next CoD coming out? Cos that'll be when some swine puts a pink My Little Pony skin on it and festoons it with nonsense.
"I made a brand new rifle"
"Brand new? or AR-15 again?"
"AR-15 again :("
Last time the british tried something different it didn’t work out too well
like it or not
best in the world
period
to even have a brain, that can entertain any other concept, makes that person less than a true human
as it should be
"If you're hitting the bull, Laddie, don't fiddle with the sights."
@@julesbower762I would take my Tavor x95 or an Aug over an AR
I can listen to Jonathan for hours.
Jonathan and Ian are my favourite people to learn from.
They are a bit more high-brow than, say, Herrera or GarandThumb, yes.
Those MG42/MG3 in the background really do look menacing 👀
Jonathan is willing to low-key flex in this way. Very cool.
Everything German looks menacing - they always make the coolest guns.
@@17cmmittlererminenwerfer81 only for the goose stepping reach around club.
YOU SHALL LIKE THE NEW GUN OR GET BUZZ SAWED!
I didnt notice. Good look.
Knights make some of the nicest AR15 variants on the market today and they have an incredible pedigree as a small arms engineering firm. Really stellar company.
I wish I could afford one
The downside is they are expensive as hell. Pretty much any company that gets government contracts has extremely expensive guns. B&T is another example.
@@Indeciferable KAC stuff is definitely pricey but a lot of that is because of collectors. If you can find an sr15 upper at MSRP it's not quite as bad but still around $2,000+ but you can sell the muzzle device and iron sights and make quite a bit of your money back.
But very expensive.
They have some of the tightest QC in the world. The amount of parts and material that gets rejected from them is pretty insane.
I think the British made an excellent choice. This design was years ahead of its time and has become extremely refined, it's inherently accurate and with quality parts extremely reliable. It's also extremely simple and easy to work on.
While I am very mechanically inclined, I have no training in gunsmithing, but I was still able to buy each individual part and assemble all of the upper and lower from scratch and ended up with a couple of very reliable and accurate rifles. It would have been orders of magnitude more difficult for me to do that with an AK47. I've done 2 expensive ones and 1 cheap one and they all three run flawlessly. Imagine how reliable they are when they are built by someone like Knight's Armament.
As an American,I’m glad my British brothers will have a proven and comfortable boomstick.I’ve been to the UK five times,always a nice time
🇬🇧🤝🇺🇸
Right back at ya mate 🫡
PS - "boomstick".I'm liking that 😊
sad they cant own guns
@@willl7780they can, just heavily controlled.
@@willl7780 The vast, vast, vast majority of the population don't want to own guns. Hence they're 'banned'.
Democracy!...keeping British children safe since 1996.
@@adamdriver1016 Just remember that only applies to pistols......
Whoever edits these videos should get a shoutout in the description at least.
The little jokes here and there and the poignant info added in post REALLY adds to Jonathan's already amazing quality work.
GG's mate!
video chapter names are on point
Agreed
I'm surprised it hasn't been nicknamed "The Fleshlight"
One of my favourite 5.56 rifles. I mean, it looks and performs the part as well
2:08 "Special Operations Brigade"... They seriously went with calling themselves SOB?
Love that optic.
Its an diversion tactic.
Enemy soldier entering the command tent. Sir, it's it's it's the ... SOB
General: Quit Sobbing and tell me which unit it is.
@@viper11 Could also be marketing. I hear their memoirs are a real SOB story.
It will become a lot ruder should they ever upscale into a Division.
Who and what is the UK defending with these ?
@@parabot2Special Operations aren't for defence (unless you're taking about a pre-emptive strike or attack being the best form of defence).
I would, honestly, like a video where Jonathan Ferguson, Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armouries museum in the UK, (Which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons from throughout history) lists all of his emotional support weapons.. ;) (and any Artillery ditto >< )
..... I fear I could listen to him telling me about the paint drying on the wall.
As a squaddie from 73 to 88, I loved my 7.62 SLR. It had a kick Like a mule and a ring Like a bell. If you've ever fired one without ear defenders you'll know what I mean about ring Like a bell.😊
Absolutely..!!..I was in RA at Woolwich 1970...my SLR ser no 101...was a fantastic hard hitting piece of kit..being in Skill at Arms team gave me bags of extra fire time that others didn't get ...!!..The 3position sight frequently gave me nasty cut on side of my nose..!!
Knight's Armament KS-1
Barrel: 13.7″ (34.8cm) 1:7 Twist - FUN TIMES !
13.7 and 1:7. Literally perfect setup
Yah it is i just built one and love it. Great balistics and still super short and light. Not sure if I like it more than 11.5 barrels like US SOCOM is now using though. 11.5 gives almost the same balistics with full power ammo and is really small even with a suppressor.
@@John_439 I think the longer barrel probably helps with further reducing the thermal signature.
@@John_439 An 11.5" barrel does not give "almost the same ballistics" as a 13.7" barrel. When it comes to velocity differences in barrel lengths, the 12.5" to 14.5" is, on average, where you see the smallest gain in velocity by the inch. That said, 14.5" is where you can have a mid-length gas system that functions reliably across a wide operational envelope. There are 12.5" barrels with mid-length gas systems, but the very short dwell time can cause reliability issues. 13.7" mid-length barrels have a slightly larger gas port compared to 14.5" to make up for the decreased dwell time. I think 11.5" is great for 200 yards and in, but they can reliably push out to 300 and even 400 yards with good effect on fleshy targets with the right ammo.
@@AncientGloom you should check out the FBI test they found with their duty ammo and their rifles 11.5 performed almost the same as everything up to a 14.5 barrel.
I'm not saying they are always going to keep up with longer barrels but you should also check out a few different balistic calculators and mess around with them. You will find that small amounts of velocity doesn't actually make that much difference to max supersonic range and higher velocity bullets bleed off velocity exponentially faster. The difference between 11.5 and 14.5 is about 50-100m. Both are supersonic with factory loads to +500m and I have shot barrels from 11.5-20in to 500m and beyond. 11.5 does pretty well to about 450m and then starts to drop off but 14.5 doesn't make it past 550m before it drops off.
Plus I hand load, so while I could get even better performance out of longer barrels I have designed some loads for short barrels that keep me at 16in barrel velocity out of my 11.5 and are very accurate. They are hot loads but still safe and reliable. My handloads actually keep me supersonic to just past 600m out of an 11.5 at current atmospheric conditions.
It's nice to think of our guys getting arguably the best battle rifle available, with the best optics. A pleasant change for sure......
Until we start looking at new and novel ways of throwing deadly things at the enemy, other than copper and lead - a very well made AR is about as good as it gets (calibre not withstanding).
Knights Armament is going to start making drones soon 😄
The UK has always been generous with it's special forces and marine regiments when it comes to small arms.
It’s not a battle rifle lol. It’s just a rifle.
The 6.8mm Spear M27 rifle is.
I heard that they are crap. Soldiers are complaining that it takes too long to cock.
Also our gunsmiths have to adhere to UN Sanctions flaunted by The US.
I was an army cadet when I was teenager and everyone whinged about the SA-80 back then. I'm in my 40's now and we're still using it... madness.
You don't have a clue do you...the SA-80 is a magnificent gun now...
The same 80 has been massively updated and is now a very respected gun when it was first introduced isvwas garbage
Not a bad rifle but you guys lost the plot when you moved away from the FN 7.62
@JohnJKelly-of4dc ...calm down you triggered numb nut...🤣🤣
Always love how in-depth Jonathan goes in these videos 👏🏻
Given how easy that removable trigger guard is likely to be, I am surprised that they did not include it in the civilian version, as an easy source of post sales profit. They could easily charge $29.99 for a 20cent bit of metal all day long. (Also, I hope the military armours have a large and cheap supply of those things, because they will all go missing).
Most civilian versions have detachable or folding trigger guards.. its kinda hard to say "civilian version" as there are a zillion AR variants on the market
Knights Armament rifles are never in stock. I have no idea how some can actually get their hands on one. The civilian version might as well not exist.
Metal?
Knight specifically says in the video I reference that they didn't think the civilian market wanted the removable trigger guard.
@@jonathanferguson1211 should have specified, most civilian rifles in general, my apologies. I agree with Reed, its really not a very useful feature in general, easily taken care of by using trigger finger mittens.
The lads in the Royal Marines who tested these out in the KS said it’s extremely accurate. The KS 1 is a wonderful rifle.
Absolutely love all of Jonathans content, the history, the information all delivered informed and casual with a little bit of humour some times, perfection
'Some sound suppression.' Screech, screech, screech.
That's what comes of people trying to ban WD-40.
Ha.. On Silent special ops.. Hang on let me put my surpresser on I just cleaned screech screech.
It was a suppressed screeching :).
Its an audio warning for the squaddie if its unwinding itself during exercise. Otherwise it silently falls off the end of the rifle and the squaddie then gets charged for it.
If you're taking your suppressor off in a gunfight, you're in the wrong job 😊
The Royal Armouries firearms came predominantly the Tower of London and the Enfield pattern room.
Herbert James Woodend was the custodian and latterly Paul Ellis.
Bertie was by far the UK firearms expert...
Back to the 1960s ...long before Ferguson...
I worked with Bertie and served my apprenticeship with West & Son Gunmakers.
Bertie sadly missed
To be honest, “Armalite” to refer to a particular rifle in the context of “these islands” makes me more likely to think of the classic AR-18.
As I say in the video, for the British military, Irish Republicans and a fair few others in these islands, it meant either and still does. To Americans it almost invariably means the AR-18/180.
"A comrade on me left and another one on me right, and a clip of ammunition for me little ArmaLite."
Oh, me little armalite...
Arnalite produced the AR 10 for Stoner then SELF designed the AR 15
In the pre 1990s regulars the m16 was always referred to as 'the armalite' as was the ar 18 in paddyland
United Kingdom: Designated the L403A1. Equipped with L900A1 Optics Suite (Vortex 1-10x low power variable optic in a Reptilia AUS mount, combined with an Aimpoint ACRO P-2 red dot sight in a Reptilia ROF 90 mount). Looks like a RAZOR to me. Badass setup. The other photos I have seen had Magpul BUIS.
It‘s shorter than a razor and the turret caps and magnification ring look different, though the latter two are just cosmetic changes.
It's a Razor AMG 1-10x, shorter than the Razor Gen III 1-10x.
This ^^😊@@LRRPFco52
Back in 1978 we had the red dot single point sight on our SLRs which was banned in Northern Ireland because of it's accuracy.
It's always good when Jonathan Ferguson, the Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in the UK, which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons from throughout history, goes over the details and use case of obscure military weapons.
That bolt sure does give a satisfying kerchunk.
Yeah, the design deficiency of a loud warning to the enemy that you’re putting one up the spout.
@@seanlander9321who’s running around without a round in the chamber in combat?
@@CatholicKit No one, generally. But at some point a soldier is going to need a rifle that’s got a quiet operation, not one that sounds like a car door being slammed.
@@seanlander9321 Yeah, they should all have bolt-actions.
@@seanlander9321 Perhaps you can slowly ride the bolt down and complete the action with the forward assist?
as always a pleasure seeing Johnathan showcasing weapons. I would love if you all started including him actually shooting the weapons if that's possible. I wanna know the accuracy of these things!
I have a 14.5” SR15 & currently putting together a M110 Enhanced. Top tier stuff
I have always liked the m110 being a Brit i don't have my own firearms but I am a club member for a range that has an outdoor rifle range with a bunch of interesting firearms for club use and after a life of nothing but 22lr and 12g breakbarrels that 7.62nato was a real experience . Next month we have a range day I'm hoping to get a go at the steyr ssg m1 in 338 lapua
Thanks for providing us with such useful insight Jonathan, i'm also happy you found your brand-new emotional support AR-15. Kudos to Knight's Armament for having developed this high-quality AR-15 for the British special forces since Knight's Armament is renowed for it's high-quality if expensive guns.
Thanks Jonathan, always look forward to these videos!
Another excellent examination by Jonathan Ferguson - of perhaps the ultimate in Eugene Stoner's original concept.
Jonathan gets to have an AR15 as a treat!
Very nice video! We are honored to be a part of this system contract.
What makes your guy’s rings stand out from the rest?
Royal Armouries being up-to-date is just a blessing.
One should be thankful, but for the British Armed Forces, it should be a bare minimum requirement, not a blessing.
Excellent choice going with a Knight's Armament build. They're known to be among the best of the best by AR-15 enthusiasts here in America.
I hope KAC serves your needs well and takes care of you as a company. It's an honor of a contract to win.
That squeaking the suppressor made at 5:30 was actually the bald eagle inside the rifle trying to come out
The sound of freedom
Bald Eagles chirp, not screech
The AR platform although “old” still does the job in 2017 the NZDF replaced all its AUG’s with the Lewis Machine Tools MARS-L and it’s an excellent weapon.
8:13 no truer words in regards to militaries around the world has ever been said, and it was my first thought also "Thsi is gonna get lost in 1 second".
It is not Squaddie Proof.
Seriously. If they wanna make something like that removable it needs a little wire lanyard. Like the ACOG turret caps.
@@hoilst265Isn't this intended for spec ops and the like?
@@budgetcommander4849 Not all squaddies are Spec Ops, but all Spec Ops are squaddies.
"And then you lose it!".......yep exactly what I was thinking 😂😂
History will,recall that no triggers guards were ever returned after Artic training making the trigger guard Knights Armoury most popular replacement part and largest income generating part after the rifle it self . 🤣🤣
What a job! Royal armouries. Love it
Some interesting ironmongery in the background. Another super tour - I am glad you were given this by whoever. A really generous donation.❤
It kinda makes sense for coalitions to use common tested and mass produced platforms for their equipment
It makes things easier and saves a lot in resources and time
Poor Jonathan, having to deliver "for some reason wanting a weapon that's not an SA-80" as straight-faced as possible; love from the US my brother
I recently learned that the swedish armed forces are in the process of replacing the AK5, a license built version of the FN FNC, with some type of AR15.
They are also looking to replace other firearms, such as the FN MAG ksp 58 and the AG 90 i.e. a model of Barrett .50 anti-materiel rifle (AG is short for automatgevär = automatic rifle, for some strange reason). I don't remember which guns that are considered as replacements for those.
Maybe they named it automatic in the same way semi auto pistols used to be called automatics?
Seems strange to me. I thought the AK5 was a perfectly good rifle and could be modernized just like an AR-15 can.
@@rays5073 That's certainly possible, but slightly more archaic than I would have expected of even the swedish armed forces.
I believe it is a joint program with Finland. Here's hoping they select an actual AR-15 type, but nobody would be surprised to see them end up with HK416 like the French. Short stroke pistons can have some upsides with suppressor use, but the internal piston design of the AR-15 makes for a better handling rifle overall. Less weight and better recoil management.
Sako has been selected.
It took £90million and two years of deliberation just to land of the idea 'lets just use what the US use'. Outstanding innovation, lads.. *slow clap*
Same process for all successful procurement… 🥺
@@philipspencer1834 It's honestly a bit of a piss-take. We need sensible, decisive leaders so we can spend the money more effectively elsewhere.
Mp 6@@_burd
We use HK's now. If the U.S. military was smarter, they'd be using civilian AR tech as well.
@@PaytienceT True! But they also got to guarantee mass production, which is often why smaller private operations don’t make it to milspec
Fantastic platform. Solid. Super reliable. Robust and cost-effective. It's a great replacement for the SA80.
Man smoking a cigarette walks into a petrol station in Northern Ireland, goes to put petrol in his car and spills some over his arm, which promptly catches fire.
The petrol station employee dials 999 and reports the incident, at which point the RUC roll up and proceed to shoot the man with the burning arm.
“What the hell?” The understandably shocked petrol station employee asks.
“We had a report of a man with an arm alight.”
As a Retired RUC officer I approve of this joke. 🇬🇧 😂😂😂😂
I doubt a lot of youngesters in the UK known the Armalite song. Might as well ask them to sing Black and Tan. Almost no Americans would get those references either. I grew up in Europe was there 1979 to 1992! So I am not typical American.
That's absolutely terrible. I'm stealing it.
What a terrible joke
..
..
..
I approve it
Harsh, they don't muck about with fire-arms in the U.K.
I assume a reason for specifying a conventional design, was that the Rangers are likely to be training foreign units who use Armalite or Kalashnikov derived weapons. It would be more difficult to teach shooting skills to these forces if you only have experienced of shooting a bullpup design.
Essentially. AR-15 derivatives are also widely available in other armouries or on the global arms market, ideal for getting replacement gear when the Rangers are isolated from the majority of British logistics. The SA80 may be a very flexible platform, but it's definitely not the universal one the AR-15 is.
He literally says that in the video.
@@nowtelsematters😊
That's utter nonsense.
@@Tool683 is it what they meant by “proprietary"
This is what my eldest son is using he's a commando in the royal marines they just got back from touring Norway, said it's super lightweight but really strong .
The big what if in modern British firearms has to be what if the RA had just adopted the Sterling made AR-18 instead of sticking it’s guts in a box. The AR-18 had been in development for over a decade and was a well proven design that has obviously stood the test of time. With a folding stock it’s shorter and lighter than the SA80 and when unfolded is an objectively easier rifle to handle.
and the short stroke system is very adaptable to different roles. It's better for sustained automatic fire than the DI system in the AR15. The design lends itself to modularity in that the same gas system components can be used for different barrel lengths if you use shorter rods. The Brits could have stuck with the AR18s until the patents expired, and then used it to make any number of improvements. We might have seen the Brits come up with their own version of the BRN-180 before Brownells did.
Had Stoner designed the AR-18 _first,_ he'd have shown it to the U.S. ARMY & they likely would've chosen the AR-18. Had that happened, few if any Militaries & Law Enforcement Orgs would have interest in the dirtier Di design of the AR-15.
RA - the Royal Artillery? (RAF, RN, but British Army)
We had Armalite AR15s in Hong Kong and Fiji in the 80’s to complement our SLR’s. They were alright but the L1A1SLR was a gun you could trust in every way and it was guaranteed to put people on the wrong side of it into the afterlife where they belonged…
And the added advantage was that if you clobbered someone manually with it, they didn't get up too quick.
The number of colour sgts I’ve heard go on about the fucking L1A1 😂
@@MiketheMadness because it was great!
@@MiketheMadness In fairness, many of the saw the L1A1 replaced by the first iteration of the SA80 and preferred the more reliable L1A1. Although those issues were eventually resolved, it was a damaging introduction of the replacement series
The same CS would have loved the EM2
Brilliant as always but I can see every soldier wanting one, the SA80 has had its day, shouldn’t really have had so many days👍🏻
The British procurement system really nailed it. That is one of the best rifles on the planet
Lol. The delusional KAC fanboys are here everyone! (I own an SR-15 - they're very average).
@@OFFICIALUND ? not many systems better than what is shown here, LMT, maybe SIG spear series. hard to beat this with the new upgrades.
@@brighthought11 I was expecting gas over DI for modern-day..
@@brighthought11 LMTs are also garbage. I’ve had three that were defective: one was a 300BLK that they hadn’t finished reaming the chamber. When I called they said “yeah, we knew some bad ones got out, but we don’t have a method of tracking where we send the rifles. Another one the lower receiver was so poor (it had a curve upward such that the upper receiver basically took a clamp to close, but that curve was only on one side. Their QC is garbage, and when you realize they make a whole lot of KAC’s parts, it all makes sense. My first SR-15 had to go back to KAC…..twice, and they blamed it on a bad BCG (gas key) and they said they don’t make their own BCGs..: and other than the SR-25, we know they don’t make their own barrels. It’s all on AR15.com. I don’t like Marty Daniel, but he builds a better rifle. So does LWRC, but they have the strange monolithic thing. If they dropped the monolithic concept, they’d be blowing the doors off of other companies. Larue builds a better large frame rifle and so does JP. KAC is all hype and mythology.
Not an AK, can’t be best.
U.S. Army Rangers are door kickers not force multipliers. That's the green berets.
That job got turned over to SFAB (brown berets).
This is a fair point - it's really just the name and special status that they share, not the role at all. There was a lot of press/chatter around the UK Rangers following the US Rangers model including similar origins for the original incarnations of both US and British 'Rangers' but they are not fulfilling the same role at all. They are more like the Selous Scouts that inspired their capbadge.
@@jonathanferguson1211 hopefully they're better at their jobs than the Selous Scouts.
@@jonathanferguson1211 Is the Ranger concept a British or American invention?
Rogers: "Yes."
@@jonathanferguson1211 Parallels with Selous Scouts with their connection to apartheid regime and war crimes aren't going to look all that well in the press, are they?
Wow that action sounds like it's absolutely on the money.
Knights Armourment ... Wow, Very High Quality. I don't blame them for picking this rifle. It appears to be Top Notch, Outstanding.
British lads using rifles made by the Florida man, I’ll drink to that 🥃
No.
As an owner of two Sr15s. They are amazing
That’s a beautiful rifle.
Yeah that noise is very covert,
Just to add I know bugger all about these things but the idea tickled me. A trooper holed up not spotted and needing the silencer and that cats choir sounding off lol
Great video as always
What the oil bottle in the handle is for. I doubt they will be removing the can, toting it in their pocket, and deciding to put it on at the last minute tho.
The can will only be removed for cleaning purposes
Suppressor, not silencer.
Suppressors, for the most part, are only effective beyond ~50 meters. In addition, they won't stop the bullets from making a loud 'crack' sound due to their supersonic speeds. The main purpose of the suppressor is to make distant-ish gunfire hard to locate. They'll know they're getting shot at, but they won't be able to hear where from.
Edit: He specifies at around 6:30 that the main purpose of the suppressor is to hide visual and thermal signatures (muzzle flash and heat radiation)
I appreciate the detail about the rounded edges of the bolt, that's a pretty cool way of increasing the durability of such a weapon.
US, UK, Canada and Aussie Spec Ops units it seems are likely the cousin to each other, all based of WW2 SAS/SBS and the Joint US/Canada First Special Service Force, aka Devil's Brigade
Eh?
Both the SAS and SBS were formed from the Scots Guards. The only UK regiment to fight in every war the UK has fought. The majority of commando training took place in Scotland, so the Scots Guards and other Scots regiments were the first volunteers for special operations units.
@@Mark-Haddow I'm a former Army infantry combat grunt I absolutely love learning new information thank you
6 foot 4 Bavarians outclassed 5 foot 6 coal miners rickets English boys in WW1.
We know this gentleman.
@@jaypee389 Yeah ..Those tall Germans won WW1 and WW2 ...
@bigtony4829
I'm joking. WW2 was a damn waste.
You didn't spend nearly enough time showing off the Optic, that's the best part of this whole package. Vortex needs to hurry up and release it to the public.
Love how Johnathan managed to get in his super fast reassembly at the end there 😎
Don't love ARs but that is unquestionably cool
Its ok. Not everyone can have good taste.
ARs may be bland, but it is undeniably the best modern service rifle
@@P90XGetRipped no argument, it's proven in every way possible, just doesn't butter my parsnips you know 🙂
This isn't an AR15 as it has a third hole in the lower receiver...
@@aaronkinder2807 wrong my guy. 100% an AR-15. AR15 has nothing to do with 3rd hole or full auto capacity
“Need or want something that isn’t an SA80” so anyone left handed
Or indeed anyone in the British armed forces
Its called human rights for a reason… not human lefts.
@@bobsyeruncle5557It was improved and is now a fine rifle as far as I know.
@TheFirstCurse1 ...one of the best now...love it...
The SA 80 was fine for the time - street and house figjting in Northern Ireland and then Afghanistan - this would have been a nightmare in door to door fighting but ideal for open area conflicts.
Now the current version of the SA80 is a very good weapon its great they are keeping both options.
Excellent review thank you 👍🏻
the year is 2750, the world is still trying to find a replacement for the ar-15
Love his presentation
We need to get Jonathan to Demolition Ranch for a range day
UK rifle, manufactured 2 hrs away from me in FL 😂
But yet can barely get one because Kac says screw the civilian marker
It's a dope rifle that unfortunately is too expensive for most people to own.
Hey it’s like the iphone- it maybe branded as being American, but it’s actually manufactured in some third world state! 😂
And was improved in Germany.
In canada we finnaly got a new look at are new C8A4 and thay don't look half bad as it's modern and not a m16 lookin rifle
I am of an age that in the late 1960s in the Army Cadets we use Lee Enfields .303 that if not pushed into your shoulder on firing could give you a nasty bruise, they were very heavy and I can well recall later on joining the RAF in 1971 my square bashing with them, your arm would really ache. Fifty Four years later watching this TH-cam on this L403A1, I have to say it looks like a toy water pistol but as best I can tell is far more powerful, accurate, lighter, reliant and easier to clean - I wonder what (if we humans are still around) type of weapon soldiers will use in the future. Would be interested to hear what current soldiers think of it.
Zulu
th-cam.com/video/Of3R0WH-dLY/w-d-xo.html
has Johnathan already looked at the US Military's Sig Spear yet?
Well it's a start. At least some of our military now have a decent rifle. They took my L1A1 away from me and gave me A L85A1. I know how the U.S troops felt when they were first given M16's. Just need to quickly phase out the L85 and give this KS1 to all our service men and women.
I'm currently making an L1A1 ( US based now) My dad had one when he was in the army. A SR-15 is on the list too unless Knights will sell KS-1.
KS1 will never be the replacement...some one wanted to be flashy so decided to get a small number of these at over £7000 a piece.
Whatever replaces the l85 will be a direct result of what the Americans do regarding the new "common cartridge"
And I'll eat my hat if the KS1 ends up being it...again at £7000 odd a go, no way.
I used M14s, M16A1s, M16A2s, and M4/M4A1s in the Army. M16A1 and M4A1 were my preferred. M21s were for Sniper Support weapons in 2 of the Recon units I was in, but our primary Sniper systems were M24s. KS-1 is the epitome of a highly-refined AR-15 carbine.
Wouldn't surprise me at all to see the Brits keep the current L85A3 in service beyond 2025 and slowly phase in something new. Once the US Army has had a chance to use its 6.8x51 XM7 rifle and XM250 machine gun, the rest of NATO will be able to make a more informed decision on what to standardize on. It's become apparent that 5.56 NATO has kind of hit the limits of its capabilities. You might see some countries adopt 77gr versions but I think the way forward will be the 6.8x51 replacing the 7.62 NATO and a new intermediate cartridge being adopted, probably something in 6mm, 6.5mm or 6.8mm. There are already several good choices in those calibers and plenty of good rifles around today.
Cost too much
Mate I found you on History hit
But I’m loving your work bro
Incredible looking rifle
Very interesting and informative. Thank you.
I got to use this platform in 2018. Compared to SA80, it's like going from crawling to running.
I have a feeling that this is a British Units' work around of getting a replacement for their SA80s. Just like how the US Marines are getting M27s as a 'replacement' for their SAW but somehow the whole rifle squad is using 'Automatic Rifles'. :)
There is a decent argument for replacing the M249 with the M27. Being able to still bring the same amount of fire on target without needing to field a different weapon, sounds pretty reasonable. It does mean changing tactics and training but I do see the appeal. Of course, the M27 can't sustain the rate of fire that the M249 can which means you now need two or three men to do the job previously done by one, so there is a drawback.
Pros and cons both ways.
Marine Vet here... Its great to see the Corps finally finessing the system. Marine infantry battalions are arguably better equipped than our 11B bros for the first time in history.
@@ryanh2479 last time that happened, the army was shooting the Krag and the USMC (through the Navy) had the 6mm Lee Navy rifle.
The bolt lugs being rounded was patented by a company during the Assault Weapons Ban in the United States; it was meant to be a weight savings measure i believe. It was discovered that it was a more reliable shape and Knights bought the rights to the patent some time after.
Not about weight savings but like you said, it's a tougher shape.
@@Totemparadox I mean back then it was, something to do with having to shave as many ounces as possible so it wouldn't be an assault weapon.
It's designed to handle increased operating speeds while suppressed
@@Snougaloogie Weight didn't play any role in the AWB here in the U.S.A.
@@bikeracerdude It did for pistols and "assault pistols". The Carbon 15 had the rounded bolt lugs and while it didn't really save any weight I'm sure it at very least was the intent
Very excited to be visiting for the first time next week
Surprised the UK mod isn't pimping out a sten gun.
That was the Sterling :)
Far better choice than the NGSW.
The new socom urgi rifles are what the rest of the army should go with instead. The 11.5 urgi rifles are awesome and much better than the old 10.3 mk18.
@@John_439SOCOM and the rest of the army have different needs.
Procurement actually got it right this time. I wish my Canadian Army did the same.
_Some_ 7:37 being those who aren't considering the way the bolt carrier sticks inside the receiver in freezing temperatures or simply haven't an auto sear to function check ツ
Never happens lol..
@@hairydogstail It happened with GoldenWebb's Trybe Defense upper, the bolt release failed after emptying the first magazine, but he was able to free the carrier by hitting the forward assist
@@hairydogstailNever had your rifle in rough enough conditions
@@darthskrillex The internal piston has passed every US military test given..This is why it is the longest standard rifle in US history..I live in Montana and have never had any issues in minus conditions..
The optic goes upto 11 if you are SAS!😂
*Chortle*
Legend has it that the magazine goes up to 31 rounds...if you're SAS.
I do take exception to the Regimentation of provision for Special Forces. Historically it was a matter of personal choice within the constraints of the mission, so if you were going to tucker yourself down with something weird and wonderful at the expense of getting it done, you'd need reasons. That's how the AR15 appeared, the No4 and SLR were very heavy.
0:35 The Irish also have a long history with the Armalite as well...
Yeah, it’s a popular weapon for terrorists.
Yes indeed. I thought I referenced that but perhaps not.
@jonathanferguson1211 omg he replied to me (keep it cool) 🥵
Not all the Irish, just the terrorists.
It's interesting that it has a forward assist. Eugene Stoner wasn't a fan and the SR25 doesn't have one. I wonder why this does
Because why not.
@@Totemparadox because its unnecessary, adds cost, adds parts, adds machining operations to both the lower and to the bolt carrier. It's not needed
@@shanemjn Actually it doesn't. The whole production line is setup to have the assist. If they want it gone they're gonna need new forgings and retool their production for two different same uppers and two different internals. Fir a smaller company like KAC it's cheaper to just leave it there.
@@Totemparadox upper, not lower, my mistake.
With the greatest of respect, that kind of thinking is wrong. Doing things because "that's the way it's done" isn't the way.
Saying it costs money ignores the material savings for the upper, the time saved on machining, the time saved for assembly, the savings on removed parts. Weight costs money when shipping, per rifle it might be very little but it adds up. Slick sided uppers exist, they wouldn't be the first.
@@shanemjn With the greatest of respect you're gonna put words in my mouth? Wow.
I never said the reason is "Because that's how it's been done." I agree that the FA is mostly pointless but it would cost KAC money to remove it from the KS-1 because their other contract SR-15's require that FA by the buyer and that would make a requirement for two different upper and BCG production lines.
Besides, the UK military probably requested it.
My point is that even if the FA is pointless, KAC has decided it's equally or more pointless to remove it.
About time the army had update weapons
Should never given up the SLR
So true. How many variants of the Lee Enfield... How many variants of the SA80... How many variants of the SLR...