Enfield EM-2
Royal Small Arms Factory · Assault Rifle · Prototype · 1951
Also known as: Janson rifle, Rifle No. 9 Mk 1, Mamba (Belgian variant designation)
Overview
The Enfield EM-2 is a British experimental select-fire assault rifle chambered in the intermediate .280 British (7x43mm) cartridge. Developed at the Royal Small Arms Factory in the late 1940s, it pioneered the compact bullpup layout with an integral carrying handle and a built-in optical sight, well ahead of its contemporaries. It was briefly adopted in 1951 as the 'Rifle, Automatic, caliber .280, Number 9 Mark 1' but never entered operational service, as Winston Churchill's incoming government reversed the decision to pursue NATO standardisation on the 7.62x51mm cartridge.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3410 g (120.3 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 4150 g (146.4 oz) |
| Overall Length | 889 mm (35.00") |
| Barrel Length | 623 mm (24.53") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Select Fire |
| Magazine Capacity | 20 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 745 m/s (2444 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2519 J (1858 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 700 m (766 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 600 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Phosphate |
Calibers
- .280 British · primary — also known as 7x43mm, .280/30, 7mm Mk1Z
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Fire Selector
- Features: Bullpup Layout, Integral Carrying Handle, Integral Optical Sight, Gas Operated Action, Select Fire
Service history
Operators
- British Armed Forces · adopted 1951 · as Rifle, Automatic, caliber .280, Number 9 Mark 1
Production
Production years: 1948-1951
Experimental program; only prototype and trials quantities produced before cancellation.
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Designer: Stefan Kenneth Janson
Discontinued: 1951
Notes
Only a small number of prototypes were built. Its forward-thinking bullpup design heavily influenced later weapons such as the SA80/L85.
Background
The EM-2 was unofficially known as the 'Janson rifle' after its lead designer Stefan Kenneth Janson, an assumed name of the Polish engineer Captain Kazimierz Januszewski, who had fled to Britain during the Second World War.