EM-2
Encyclopedia
The EM-2, Also known as Rifle No.9 Mk1 or "Janson rifle", was an experimental British
assault rifle
. It was briefly adopted by British forces in 1951, but the decision was overturned very shortly thereafter by Winston Churchill
's incoming government in an effort to secure NATO standardisation of small arms and ammunition in the face of American intransigence. An innovative weapon with the compact bullpup
layout and an optical sight, it used one of the early intermediate cartridges
(a concept introduced by the Germans with the 7.92x33mm Kurz) as a result of combat experience and German advances in weapons design during World War II.
It used the experimental, intermediate powered, but highly efficient .280 British
("two-eight-oh") round, which was designed to replace the venerable .303
("three-oh-three") round and Lee-Enfield
rifle variants which had served since before the turn of the 20th century. The United States
claimed the .280 British round was too weak for use in rifles and machine guns, and instead favored the much more powerful 7.62x51mm round. As the EM-2 could not be easily adapted to the longer and more powerful round, it faded from use. However, the bullpup
layout for a British service rifle was finally adopted some years later in form of the SA80
assault rifle, the EM-2's spiritual successor, which remains in service today.
era, the British Army
, like many other forces, started research into their own assault rifle. The British Army had originally planned to replace their .303 inch rimmed cartridge before World War I
, 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 as well as considering a machine gun using the same round, the Taden gun
. At the same time Fabrique Nationale expressed considerable interest in the round, and started development of their own rifles based upon it. The Canadian Army also expressed interest in the new round, both to maintain commonality with the British and to modernize their forces.
The Royal Small Arms Factory
(RSAF) at Enfield
started working on four designs of which two generally similar designs known as the EM-1 (designed by Stanley Thorpe) and the EM-2 (the "EM" standing for Experimental Model) came to the fore. The EM-3 (designed by Major Eric Hall) and EM-4 (designer unknown) did not proceed beyond the drawing board. The nomenclature was made official on January 6, 1948. Both were unofficially named after the lead designers in each team and were known as the Thorpe rifle and the Janson rifle respectively (Stefan Kenneth Janson was an assumed name of the Polish firearm designer Captain Kazimierz Januszewski).
Both were Bullpup style weapons; 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 (the overall length of the EM-2 is 9.5 inches less than the U.S. M14
, but its barrel is 2.5 inches longer). Both EM-1 and EM-2 used 20-round magazines with "stripper" reloads (as opposed to box magazines), included simple conical optical sights for fast aiming, 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 metres). The two designs were very similar looking, but were internally very different in design and construction, with no parts in common other than the sights. The EM-1 used steel plate pressings for simpler manufacture, and was slightly heavier. A fifth design was commissioned from the BSA company, who built prototypes of a more conventional rifle using the same 7mm round, the BSA 28P.
The EM-2 was eventually selected as the better design, and was adopted as the British Army's new rifle on April 25, 1951 as the Rifle, Automatic, Calibre .280, Number 9, the designation by which it had been known in the War Office
since the American weapons tests of 1950 .
In common with other 20th century British designs such as the P14 and SA80
, the EM-2 was designed to achieve a high degree of accuracy due to the tradition of British Army emphasis on marksmanship.
Though not adopted, the British Herald Miniatures toy soldier
company designed its modern British Infantry figures using the weapon.
was also tested. 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 and overturned the decision by the previous Labour Minister of Defence
, Manny Shinwell
, who had already announced an intention to move to the .280 and the EM-2. During this time, prototype EM-2s were built in several different calibres. Chambons built two for the 7x49mm "Second Optimum" cartridge and another two for the 7.62x51mm. One of the Chambon prototypes was even rebuilt for the US .30-06 cartridge. RSAF-Enfield and BSA built 15 and 10 prototypes for the 7.62x51mm, respectively. Canadian Arsenals Limited also built 10 rifles for the 7x51mm "Compromise" cartridge.
It was clear the EM-2 could not be easily adapted to the powerful 7.62x51mm round, so the only realistic alternative was to adopt a licensed version of the FN FAL from Fabrique Nationale. The FAL was itself a re-designed version of FN's own design for an intermediate cartridge rifle using the .280 round (first protoypes had used the 7.92x33mm Kurz German round from the MP44). However, the FAL was more easily adaptable to handle the more powerful, longer round. It grew in weight and length as a consequence. 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, the US adopted the T44 as the M14
, which had won US trials against the more radical T25 experimental weapon.
In time, the British position on intermediate cartridges was vindicated. The 7.62x51mm was too powerful to be controllable in automatic fire and smaller cartridges were proven to be necessary for that use. Due to its experience in Vietnam in the mid-1960s, the US adopted the AR-15
as the M16
. Chambered for the 5.56x45mm intermediate cartridge, the M16 displaced the M14 which had been adopted little more than a decade earlier. Some years afterwards, NATO also agreed to move to a smaller round more suitable for full-automatic fire and lighter weapons, ultimately adopting the 5.56x45mm. Prior to committing to the 5.56mm, the British Army conducted additional intermediate cartridge research. Around 1970, a pair of the original .280 EM-2 were re-barrelled for an experimental 6.25x43mm cartridge. However, the revival of the EM-2 was short-lived as the 6.25mm was dropped for an even smaller 4.85mm cartridge in a completely new rifle, the L64/65
which evolved into the 5.56mm SA80 currently used by the British Army. In spite of having a similar appearance due to its bullpup layout, the SA80 is not mechanically related to the EM-2; rather it is essentially a bullpup adaptation of the AR-18/SAR-87
. However, the idea of an Infantry Personal Weapon which lead to the design of the EM-2, was reflected in the SA80 system.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
. It was briefly adopted by British forces in 1951, but the decision was overturned very shortly thereafter by Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
's incoming government in an effort to secure NATO standardisation of small arms and ammunition in the face of American intransigence. An innovative weapon with the compact bullpup
Bullpup
Bullpups are firearm configurations in which the action is located behind the trigger group and alongside the shooter's face, so there is no wasted space for the buttstock as in conventional designs. This permits a shorter firearm length for the same barrel length for improved maneuverability, and...
layout and an optical sight, it used one of the early intermediate cartridges
Intermediate cartridges
An intermediate cartridge is a military assault rifle cartridge that is less powerful than typical full power battle rifle cartridges such as the 7.92mm Mauser or US .30-06, but still significantly more powerful than pistol cartridges...
(a concept introduced by the Germans with the 7.92x33mm Kurz) as a result of combat experience and German advances in weapons design during World War II.
It used the experimental, intermediate powered, but highly efficient .280 British
.280 British
The .280 British was an experimental intermediate rifle cartridge. It was later designated 7 mm MK1Z, and has also been known as 7 mm NATO, .280/30, .280 Enfield, .280 NATO, 7 mm FN Short, and 7×43mm. It was designed by the British Army in the late 1940s, with subsequent help from...
("two-eight-oh") round, which was designed to replace the venerable .303
.303
.303 may refer to:* .303 British, a rifle cartridge* .303 Savage, a rifle cartridge* Lee-Enfield rifle* .303 , a short film...
("three-oh-three") round and Lee-Enfield
Lee-Enfield
The Lee-Enfield bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle was the main firearm used by the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century...
rifle variants which had served since before the turn of the 20th century. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
claimed the .280 British round was too weak for use in rifles and machine guns, and instead favored the much more powerful 7.62x51mm round. As the EM-2 could not be easily adapted to the longer and more powerful round, it faded from use. However, the bullpup
Bullpup
Bullpups are firearm configurations in which the action is located behind the trigger group and alongside the shooter's face, so there is no wasted space for the buttstock as in conventional designs. This permits a shorter firearm length for the same barrel length for improved maneuverability, and...
layout for a British service rifle was finally adopted some years later in form of the SA80
SA80
The SA80 is a British family of 5.56mm small arms. It is a selective fire, gas-operated assault rifle. SA80 prototypes were trialled in 1976 and production was completed in 1994....
assault rifle, the EM-2's spiritual successor, which remains in service today.
Background
In the immediate post-World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era, the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, like many other forces, started research into their own assault rifle. The British Army had originally planned to replace their .303 inch rimmed cartridge before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, 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 as well as considering a machine gun using the same round, the Taden gun
Taden gun
The TADEN was a British experimental light machine gun firing the .280 in intermediate round. Alongside the bullpup EM-2 rifle design, it formed part of a proposal to reequip the British Army with new small arms which would use a round smaller than the .303 inch which was shown to be impractical...
. At the same time Fabrique Nationale expressed considerable interest in the round, and started development of their own rifles based upon it. The Canadian Army also expressed interest in the new round, both to maintain commonality with the British and to modernize their forces.
The Royal Small Arms Factory
Royal Small Arms Factory
The Royal Small Arms Factory was a UK government-owned rifle factory in the London Borough of Enfield in an area generally known as the Lea Valley. The factory produced British military rifles, muskets and swords from 1816...
(RSAF) at Enfield
Enfield Town
Enfield Town is the historic town centre of Enfield, formerly in the county of Middlesex and now in the London Borough of Enfield. It is north north-east of Charing Cross...
started working on four designs of which two generally similar designs known as the EM-1 (designed by Stanley Thorpe) and the EM-2 (the "EM" standing for Experimental Model) came to the fore. The EM-3 (designed by Major Eric Hall) and EM-4 (designer unknown) did not proceed beyond the drawing board. The nomenclature was made official on January 6, 1948. Both were unofficially named after the lead designers in each team and were known as the Thorpe rifle and the Janson rifle respectively (Stefan Kenneth Janson was an assumed name of the Polish firearm designer Captain Kazimierz Januszewski).
Both were Bullpup style weapons; 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 (the overall length of the EM-2 is 9.5 inches less than the U.S. M14
M14 rifle
The M14 rifle, formally the United States Rifle, 7.62 mm, M14, is an American selective fire automatic rifle firing 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition. It was the standard issue U.S. rifle from 1959 to 1970. The M14 was used for U.S...
, but its barrel is 2.5 inches longer). Both EM-1 and EM-2 used 20-round magazines with "stripper" reloads (as opposed to box magazines), included simple conical optical sights for fast aiming, 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 metres). The two designs were very similar looking, but were internally very different in design and construction, with no parts in common other than the sights. The EM-1 used steel plate pressings for simpler manufacture, and was slightly heavier. A fifth design was commissioned from the BSA company, who built prototypes of a more conventional rifle using the same 7mm round, the BSA 28P.
The EM-2 was eventually selected as the better design, and was adopted as the British Army's new rifle on April 25, 1951 as the Rifle, Automatic, Calibre .280, Number 9, the designation by which it had been known in the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
since the American weapons tests of 1950 .
In common with other 20th century British designs such as the P14 and SA80
SA80
The SA80 is a British family of 5.56mm small arms. It is a selective fire, gas-operated assault rifle. SA80 prototypes were trialled in 1976 and production was completed in 1994....
, the EM-2 was designed to achieve a high degree of accuracy due to the tradition of British Army emphasis on marksmanship.
Though not adopted, the British Herald Miniatures toy soldier
Toy soldier
A toy soldier is a miniature figurine that represents a soldier. The term applies to depictions of uniformed military personnel from all eras, and includes knights, cowboys, pirates, and other subjects that involve combat-related themes. Toy soldiers vary from simple playthings to highly realistic...
company designed its modern British Infantry figures using the weapon.
NATO standardisation
With the creation of NATO in 1949, there was a clear preference that NATO forces would have commonality of weapons and ammunition, so weapons designs had to meet with the approval of more than one government, and it was hoped, would be adopted by the organisation as a whole. It was at this point that the US put forth its own designs for NATO standardisation, using the 7.62x51mm round in their prototype T25 and T44 rifles. 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 rifle in full-automatic mode. At the same trials the Belgian .280 FN FALFN FAL
The Fusil Automatique Léger or FAL is a self-loading, selective fire battle rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal . During the Cold War it was adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries, with the notable exception of the United States...
was also tested. A series of lengthy debates followed, which were finally settled in an unlikely fashion when Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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 and overturned the decision by the previous Labour Minister of Defence
Minister of Defence (UK)
The post of Minister of Defence was responsible for co-ordination of defence and security from its creation in 1940 until its abolition in 1964. The post was a Cabinet level post and generally ranked above the three service ministers, some of whom, however, continued to also serve in...
, Manny Shinwell
Manny Shinwell
Emanuel "Manny" Shinwell, Baron Shinwell CH, PC , familiarly known as Manny, was a British trade union official, Labour politician and one of the leading figures of Red Clydeside....
, who had already announced an intention to move to the .280 and the EM-2. During this time, prototype EM-2s were built in several different calibres. Chambons built two for the 7x49mm "Second Optimum" cartridge and another two for the 7.62x51mm. One of the Chambon prototypes was even rebuilt for the US .30-06 cartridge. RSAF-Enfield and BSA built 15 and 10 prototypes for the 7.62x51mm, respectively. Canadian Arsenals Limited also built 10 rifles for the 7x51mm "Compromise" cartridge.
It was clear the EM-2 could not be easily adapted to the powerful 7.62x51mm round, so the only realistic alternative was to adopt a licensed version of the FN FAL from Fabrique Nationale. The FAL was itself a re-designed version of FN's own design for an intermediate cartridge rifle using the .280 round (first protoypes had used the 7.92x33mm Kurz German round from the MP44). However, the FAL was more easily adaptable to handle the more powerful, longer round. It grew in weight and length as a consequence. Churchill had hoped that with the British Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
and other NATO countries adopting the FN FAL, the US Army would do so as well. In the end, the US adopted the T44 as the M14
M14 rifle
The M14 rifle, formally the United States Rifle, 7.62 mm, M14, is an American selective fire automatic rifle firing 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition. It was the standard issue U.S. rifle from 1959 to 1970. The M14 was used for U.S...
, which had won US trials against the more radical T25 experimental weapon.
In time, the British position on intermediate cartridges was vindicated. The 7.62x51mm was too powerful to be controllable in automatic fire and smaller cartridges were proven to be necessary for that use. Due to its experience in Vietnam in the mid-1960s, the US adopted the AR-15
AR-15
The AR-15 is a lightweight, 5.56 mm, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed semi-automatic rifle, with a rotating-lock bolt, actuated by direct impingement gas operation. It is manufactured with the extensive use of aluminum alloys and synthetic materials....
as the M16
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
. Chambered for the 5.56x45mm intermediate cartridge, the M16 displaced the M14 which had been adopted little more than a decade earlier. Some years afterwards, NATO also agreed to move to a smaller round more suitable for full-automatic fire and lighter weapons, ultimately adopting the 5.56x45mm. Prior to committing to the 5.56mm, the British Army conducted additional intermediate cartridge research. Around 1970, a pair of the original .280 EM-2 were re-barrelled for an experimental 6.25x43mm cartridge. However, the revival of the EM-2 was short-lived as the 6.25mm was dropped for an even smaller 4.85mm cartridge in a completely new rifle, the L64/65
L64/65
The L64 was an intermediate calibre British bullpup layout assault rifle developed in the 1970s. At one time it was known as the 4.85 Individual Weapon....
which evolved into the 5.56mm SA80 currently used by the British Army. In spite of having a similar appearance due to its bullpup layout, the SA80 is not mechanically related to the EM-2; rather it is essentially a bullpup adaptation of the AR-18/SAR-87
Sterling SAR-87
The Sterling SAR-87 was a military assault rifle of the late Twentieth century. The Sterling Assault Rifle was jointly engineered by Sterling Armaments Company and Chartered Industries of Singapore in the early 1980s as an advanced version of the AR-18 for the export sales...
. However, the idea of an Infantry Personal Weapon which lead to the design of the EM-2, was reflected in the SA80 system.
See also
- KAL1 General Purpose Infantry RifleKAL1 General Purpose Infantry RifleThe KAL1 General Purpose Infantry Rifle was an Australian bullpup rifle designed in the 1970s for jungle warfare following complaints about the weight and length of the L1A1 SLR rifles then in service with the Australian Army. The design never entered service however, with the bullpup configured,...
, Similar Australian concept intended for Jungle Warfare conditions. - SLEM-1SLEM-1The SLEM-1 was a bullpup semi-automatic battle rifle of British origin. The weapon is gas-operated and uses a unique diverted recoil where the bolt slightly over the firers shoulder and is fed from the 10 round magazines from Lee-Enfield rifles and the grip section from Bren guns.-Development:The...
- L64/65L64/65The L64 was an intermediate calibre British bullpup layout assault rifle developed in the 1970s. At one time it was known as the 4.85 Individual Weapon....
- Model 45AModel 45AThe Model 45A was a battle rifle / light machine gun developed by the United States Army in the Philippines in 1945. The weapon existed in prototype or mockup form, but never entered production...
- Sieg rifle
External links
- Enfield EM2 at securityarms.com
- Enfield EM2 at world.guns.ru
- Enfield EM2 info
- Stefan Janson's FN FAL derivative
- Mid powered British cartridges in the 20th Century, focussed on .256 but including .280 and the EM2 rifle
- EM2 specifications
- British Pathé newsreel of the EM-2
- Canadian Arsenal Limited variant with winter trigger
- EM-2 fired with one hand
- "New British Rifle Outfires U.S. Garand" , October 1951, Popular Science of the first general public articles on the EM-2 in the US.
- Antill, P. (29 July 2009), The EM-2 (Rifle No. 9, Mk 1): Britain's Original Bullpup Rifle
