American Company Builds Exact L85 Rifle Replicas From Scratch, Tests Them

The SA80/L85 has been British service rifle lore for decades, but actually owning one in the US has always been close to impossible since the UK military destroys retired examples instead of selling them off. In a video from Garand Thumb, host Mike sits down with Evan Murdoch, founder of Murdoch & Co., to run through the company's American-made recreations of the L85A1 and L85A2, with an L85A3 configuration also mentioned, then puts the rifles through close-range drills and distance shooting.

Snapshot

Murdoch explains his team worked with the Royal Armouries and the UK Ministry of Defence to rebuild the SA80 family from scratch, engineering every stamping die rather than using imported parts kits or surplus tooling. Garand Thumb runs the rifles through a Bill Drill, a Mozambique drill, and shooting out to roughly 300 and 550 yards with an ACOG-equipped setup, finding the action notably smooth and accurate within typical 5.56 engagement distances.

Key points

• Built from a blank slate: Murdoch says the rifles are not parts kits or imports; his company designed its own stamping dies to match UK military dimensions and markings one-to-one.
• Historical partnership: The project worked directly with the Royal Armouries and MOD, done partly because Britain destroys retired L85 rifles rather than releasing them as surplus.
• Trigger and barrel specs: Murdoch cites a mil-spec L85 trigger pull of 6.3 to 7 pounds and a 20-inch barrel, which Garand Thumb says helps the rifle push green-tip ammo to near-max velocity.
• Optic setup tested: The demo rifle wears a Trijicon ACOG on a UOR riser mount plus a Doctor red dot, mirroring the 2008-2010 UK urgent operational requirement upgrade.
• Range performance: Shooters land repeated hits out to about 550 yards, with Garand Thumb calling the action one of the smoothest cycling service rifles they've handled.

Quick take

For collectors and L85 fans who've only ever seen these rifles in British hands or video games, Garand Thumb's walkthrough makes a strong case that Murdoch & Co.'s builds are more than novelty reproductions, with real attention paid to heritage accuracy and shooting performance.

Watch the full video: Garand Thumb