Our club visted the Royal Armouries a few years ago and I took the opportunity of examing the EM2.
This is a copy of the post I did back in 2003. Larger fotos in my original post....
http://www.milsurpafterhours.com/bb/vie ... f=3&t=1174
This weapon is in their reserve collection . It is the Enfield Model 2 in .280 calibre, and it may have been the British Armys first bullpup rifle if Winston Churchill had not pulled the plug on its development.
Left and right views
Non magnifying optical sight mounted on the carrying handle, small aperture to the left is emergency battle sight!
Front emergency battle sight
Gas plug and cocking handle
Dust cover open showing bolt assembly
The .280 cartridge case with .303 and .308 for comparison
Radway Green 1949 stamp
The EM2 was trialled in the UK in 1948 and 1949, engineering trials were conducted at Aberdeen Proving Ground, USA, from March to May 1950. Troop trials by the US Army Infantry Board were conducted at Fort Benning, Georgia, from may to November 1950.
After firing almost 57,000 rounds of .280 ammunition, the overall stoppage rates on automatic fire were less than 5 per 1,000 rounds, and 3.4 per 1,000 semi-auto fire. In contrast the M1 Garand rifle, which was used as a control weapon for the trials, averaged 3.8 stoppages per 1,000 rounds firing semi-auto only.
Inspite of it being the most reliable and accurate weapon in the trial, the American Ordnance authorities considered the .280 round lacked power. The Enfield design team increased bullet weight and velocity but the Americans were still unimpressed, and considered the T65 American cartridge as the round to be desired. The T65 of course became known as the 7.62mm NATO cartridge.
The Enfield design team developed a 7.62mm version of the EM2, there is an example of this in the pattern room, unfortunately minus its magazine.
heres a couple of pics of it.
