The British military’s new elite unit is receiving one of the best rifles in the world.

In 2021, the British military created the Ranger Regiment. With a mission set similar to the Green Berets’ the Ranger Regiment is comprised of four Special Operations Capable battalions. And two years after their establishment, the British Rangers received a truly exceptional rifle – the L403A1. 

The £90 million contract states that 10,000 rifles will be delivered in 10 years, so deploying troops will receive priority for rifles. Officially, the rifle will supplement, but not replace, the L85A3 that was already in use. It’s quite likely the Rangers will keep the L85A3 in their arsenal and use it as the new L403A1 is delivered.

As a whole, the British special operations forces have not been big fans of the L85 series. 

Throughout the years, we’ve seen the SAS and SBS choose the Armalite rifle in various configurations including commercially purchased ARs, M16A2s, and modern guns like the L119A2. Issuance of these rifles has always been somewhat piecemeal. The L403A1 seeks to provide a standardized and modern rifle for the Ranger Regiment and British special operations as a whole.

While the rifle was produced for the Ranger regiment, it’s been seen with Royal Marines and will likely find its way into the hands of the SAS and SBS eventually. 

Breaking down the L403A1 

At its core, the L403A1 is a Knight’s Armament KS-1. (The “KS” in KS-1 stands for Knight’s Stoner, a reference to Knight’s Armament and Eugene Stoner.) An evolution of the Knight’s SR-16, the KS-1 is a premier AR series rifle and arguably one of the planet’s most modern and best-produced AR rifles. 

Its entire configuration makes the L403A1 one of the most modern military rifles on the market. It’s adorned with high-quality parts, pieces, and accessories.

At first glance, it doesn’t look very different from most modern AR-15s. However, Knight’s has made subtle but important changes to the original AR-15 design to produce an outstanding rifle. For example, its use of rounded rather than squared locking lugs greatly increases the rifle’s reliability. 

The L403A1 utilizes completely ambidextrous controls. The charging handle is ambidextrous and extended. The magazine release, bolt release, and safety are mirrored on each side of the receiver, greatly improving the rifle’s ergonomics. 

Knight’s Armament equipped the rifle with a two-stage match trigger.

The L403A1 has a heavy barrel that’s dimpled to slightly reduce its weight. A heavy barrel helps improve accuracy and allows more sustained fire. The barrel is 13.7 inches long to meet the overall length required with a suppressor. The L403A1 weighs 9.6 pounds total. 

The rifle is equipped with the URX-6 handguard. This is a very modern M-LOK handguard system that’s very light and allows you to equip a wide variety of accessories with ease. 

Related: The ACR program or how the Army spent 300 million dollars on nothing

Accessorizing the L403A1 

The L403A1 comes adorned with some of the best modern accessories on the market.

With the rifle, Knight’s provides a QDC/MCQ-PRT suppressor whose modern design provides sound, flash, and thermal suppression. Its flash-hiding front cap reduces visual signature and a shield wrapped around the suppressor helps reduce the rifle’s thermal signature. This is significant as thermal optics are becoming increasingly common on the battlefield. As we’ve seen in Ukraine, commercial thermals are widely available, and suppressors get hot even after just a few rounds. 

The system packs three sight options. The primary is the Vortex 1-10X low-power variable optic. This optics allows the user to fight at close quarters with relative ease and to extend their magnification to 10X for longer-range shots. It’s a versatile sight option. 

Mounted atop the Vortex is an Aimpoint ACRO P-2 on a Reptiliar mount. This micro red dot provides a true close-quarters sight for kicking down doors or taking snapshots as fast as possible. A set of Magpul MBUS Pro flip-up iron sights backs up the optics. 

Magpul provides numerous accessories for the rifle including the CTR stock, the Gen 3 PMAG, and the MIAD pistol grip. Additionally, optional accessories include the Magpul MS4 sling and a Magpul angled foregrip. 

Users can easily attach lighting systems and laser aiming units as required. The series provides plenty of room for varied pressure pads and other mission-required accessories. 

The British have one of the most advanced AR options on the market. The L403A1 is a fantastic rifle at the cutting edge of the Armalite platform: It’s versatile, extremely well-made, accurate, and will be very reliable in the world’s worst conditions. It’s a rifle I’d love to have if I were to be lured into a dangerous world once more. 

Feature Image: A British Ranger with the L403A1 rifle. (British Ministry of Defence)

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