EM2
Encyclopedia : E : EM : EM2 : EM2
 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 |
| Firearm action>Action | Gas operated |
| Length | 889 mm |
| Gun barrel>Barrel length | 623 mm |
| Weight | 3.4 kg |
| Rate of fire | 450 to 600 round/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 771 |
| Effective range | |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
See also
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