http://www.army.mod.uk/equipment/pw/pw_lsw.htm

try that it has all the weapons used by the british infantry
you could be on about the SA80 though, but my knowledge is limited when it comes to the army, i am an airforce person myself hope it helps some

I always wondered what the standard British rifle was

Are you sure it wasn't the brown bess Fozzer?

Will

Its actually made by good old lee-enfield.

Some bad teething problems at first but the recent H&K (also british owned by Bae) mods make it a damn good rifle.

Thats me out.

Well Fozzer you are fortunate. The Lee-Enfield is the finest bolt action in the world.

The SA-80 or L85A2 was an extreemly reliable weapon when hand made. Unfortunatly when mass produces by machines it lost it quality and became notoriously unreliable. Fortunatly the MOD have plans to replace the SA-80 in the near future.

Its just lucky that we own the the second best gun manufacturer in the world (best I consider to be good old FN makers of the .50 cal machine gun and the Five Seven which is a damn sexy pistol) that means that we should be able to get a fine assult rifle to replace the SA-80...

Denish, as was answered the SA80 'bullpup' rifle is the one you are interested in, it is replacing the L1A1 SLR (self loading rifle), personally I prefer the SLR (a derivative of the FN FAL, only not capable of fully automatic).
There is also a heavy barrelled version called the LSW (Light Support Weapon), basically the same, just with a bipod and longer barrel. This will replace the FN MAG (L7A2) GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun), and the Enfield Bren gun (a personal favourite, and the best light machine gun ever made, accurate to 800m).
If you want a great infantry weapon however you can't beat the M203 (M16 with a 40mm grenade launcher attatchment, and one of my favourite toys, after the H&K MP5).
I find the SA80 to be about as useful as a chocolate oven glove unless it is cleaned after every magazine shot off! It goes wrong far too easily, and bits break or fall off of it.... Expensive piece of junk!

Ozzy

I've done my BTS with the SA80 and would like to say I think its very good. Comfortable and accurate.

The AK-47 is a rugged weapon.  This is shown by the fact that terrorists tote them around without maintenance and they still work!

U.S. Colt arms seem to be pretty good.

Personally I like the H&K G36 series for rifles. 

Mp5 for SMG.

USP for pistol.

Quote:

They were probably special forces. If you looked you could see quite a few SBS kicking about with there M16's and long hair.

I know all that Ozzy. The way to tell an SF soldier apart is by his hair. If its not regulation then he'll be SAS/SBS.

"KSK operators have access to the entire arsenal of German military weapons, and a large number of weapons purchased exclusively for their use. These weapons are known to include the following: HK G36 5.56mm assault rifles, in both carbine and SAW versions with tactical lights, and lasers attached; P8 9mm pistols; HK MP5-SD3 9mm SMGs; HK G8 assult rifles; HK 512 12-gauge shotguns; G22 Sniper Weapon System (Accuracy International AW with folding stock, and German Optics in .300 Win mag); HK PII underwater pistols; HK 21 5.56mm LMG HK 23 7.62mm LMGs; MG3 7.62mm GPMGs; and Panzerfaust 3 and Milan AT Weapons"

thats about the only info i could find, i dont know how up to date it is or if its of any help
i couldnt read the german armys website as i havent spoken german since i was 11, i kinda forgot how to:)

possibly something to do with costs, the smaller the bullet the more you can get out of a piece of metal, thus saving money.

The AK74 is a 5.45mm diameter round.
Oh and Woodie its not just SAS and SBS that have long hair, 14th Int and Commanche company frequently look like refugees from Hair! Also it depends on how long a unit has been in the field, and where. Before going to Norway a lot of my RM friends grew their hair fashionably long for insulation purposes...

Ozzy

  There have been several reasons for the change from 30 caliber (7.62mm) to 5.56mm.
  First of all a 30 caliber weapon in full auto was almost impossible to hold down, and on target, when fired.  True the first round would hit the target, maybe the second but by the fourth round your rifle was an anti aircraft piece.
  Second the recoil of a 30 caliber round was rough on the sholder.  The constant fire of a 30 caliber weapon would just hammer a GI.
  Third, although the 30 caliber round offers good long range ability, fire fights seldom took place at long range and it was felt the need to "reach out and touch someone" wasn't needed by the common foot soldier.   
  But most of all the 5.56 mm is lighter then the 30 caliber, weight wise, meaning the foot soldier could carry more rounds of 5.56mm than the 30 caliber, up to one third more rounds.
  Its felt that the higher velocity of the the 5.56 mm round would make up for any loss of stopping power provided by the heavier 30 caliber.