The L-98A1 Cadet GP Assault Rifle is a version of the L-85A1 designed for training new troops. It fires 5.56mm NATO ammunition, but it is not designed for repeating fire the charging handle must be cycled by hand between shots. Though it is not technically a boltaction rifle, for game purposes the L-98A1 Assault Rifle effectively has the same fire rate as a bolt-action rifle, which is why under ROF below it is listed as “BA.” However, the shooter may also use a trick in which he keeps the trigger held down, and cycles the bolt repeatedly; this essentially means that the L-98A1 fires a shot every time the charging handle is cycled. In this case, the shooter may fire up to three shots per round but accuracy is seriously degraded, with the range being reduced to 38. In addition, aimed fire is not possible when using this technique, and if the L-98A1 is equipped with a SUSAT, that sight will also be impossible to use. (The L-98A1 is not normally equipped with a SUSAT, and this is reflected in the stats below.
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| L-98A1 Assault Rifle |
The L-98A1 Assault Rifle can otherwise use the same accessories as the L-85. It can be converted to semiautomatic fire, or even into a full L-85A1, by adding the appropriate parts, such as in the gas system and the cocking handle. (Note that the weight below is estimated.) There is a newer version of this rifle, the L-98A2; this version is basically a semiautomatic version of the L-85A2, and for game purposes may be treated as a semiautomatic only version of the standard L-85A2. It too is typically not equipped with a SUSAT, and like the non-SUSAT version listed above, costs $200 less and is 0.4 kg lighter than the L-85A1/A2.
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| L98A2 Assault Rifle |
The newest iteration of the L-85 is the L-85A2E. This version has a fore-end with MIL-STD-1913 rails at 3, 9, and 6-o’clock; online British Army friends of mine this was done primarily to allow the addition of a vertical foregrip under the handguard and the use of items like laser pointing devices. A MIL-STD-1913 rail is not normally included above the receiver, but the L-85 does have a STANAG optics mount above the receiver, and a STANAG-to-MIL-STD-1913 rail adapter kit does exist which allows the L-85A2E (or any other L-85) to mount a rail above the receiver. This does, however, appear to be little-used. The L-85A2E
modifications are done by Daniel Defense and are applied to already existing L-85A2s, as they primarily consist of replacing the handguards. The L-85A2E Assault Rifle is identical to the L-85A2, but the weapon weighs 0.05 kg more and costs 1% more.
Law Enforcement International (LEI) makes a rimfire-firing variant of the L-85A2E Assault Rifle called the LEI SA-80. It is virtually identical to the L-85A2E Assault Rifle, except that it is semiautomatic-only, chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge and feeds from curved magazines or various capacities. The magazine well is externally nearly identical to that of a standard L-85A2E Assault Rifle, but is adapted for the much smaller-width .22 Long Rifle magazines. The barrel and internal parts are likewise altered to suit the new chambering.
Many of these weapons have been ditched by 2000 by British troops in favor of both allied and enemy
weapons that are more reliable and don’t fall apart. Except for a very small number in the hands of British special operations troops, the L-98A2 is unknown in the Twilight 2000 world. Very small numbers of the L-85 Carbine were produced, mostly in the 290mm barrel version. They have most of the same problems as the L-85A1. The L-85A2 does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline, nor does the L-98A2 Assault rifle. Most L-98A1’s have been converted into L-85A1’s or to semiautomatic fire, and issued to homedefense troops.
British special operations prefer the L-98A1 Cadet GP Assault Rifle series and its variants to the L-98A2 Assault Rifle; other than that, most British troops are still using the IW. It is almost unknown anywhere else in the world, except with the Gurkhas and Jamaican armed forces. There are about equal numbers of both versions of the L-85 Carbine; numbers of both versions are small. The shortbarreled versions have the same problems as the L-98A1 Assault Rifle, while longer-barreled versions are more similar to the L-98A2 Assault Rifle.
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