The SLEM-1 (Self Loading Experimental Model 1) was a semi-automatic battle rifle. The weapon is gas-operated, semi-automatic and feeds from a 10-round magazine.
Development
Fabrique Nationale
Fabrique Nationale Herstal (), trading as FN Herstal and often referred to as Fabrique Nationale or simply FN, is a leading firearms manufacturer based in Herstal, Belgium. It is currently the largest exporter of military small arms in Europe.
...
's Belgian design team, led by
Dieudonné Saive
Dieudonné Joseph Saive (; 23 May 1888 – 12 October 1970) was a Belgian small arms designer who designed several well-known firearms for Belgian armsmaker Fabrique Nationale, including the Model 1949 and the FAL (''Fusil Automatique Leger'' o ...
, worked in Britain throughout the war, having escaped the German occupation of Belgium in 1940. They worked for the Small Arms Design Department which had been moved from Enfield to the drill hall at Cheshunt, about five miles away. When the British General Staff decided in 1944 that the future British infantry cartridge would be the
8×57mm IS, already in production for the
Besa machine gun
The Besa machine gun was a British version of the Czechoslovak ZB-53 air-cooled, belt-fed machine gun (called the TK vz. 37 in the Czechoslovak army"TK" from ''těžký kulomet'' "heavy machine gun"; "vz" from ''vzor'' "Model").
The name came f ...
and generally more suitable to autoloading weapons than rimmed
.303 British
The .303 British (designated as the 303 British by the C.I.P. and SAAMI) or 7.7×56mmR, is a calibre rimmed rifle cartridge. The .303 inch bore diameter is measured between rifling lands as is the common practice in Europe which follows th ...
cartridge, the Belgian team designed the SLEM-1 (Self Loading Enfield Model 1).
When the
8×33mm Kurz was tested everything changed and the British set up the Small Arms Calibre panel that led to the and rounds. The Belgian team then redesigned the SLEM to become the prototype FAL, first in 8mm Kurz and then in
.280 British
The .280 British was an experimental rimless bottlenecked intermediate rifle cartridge. It was later designated 7 mm MK1Z, and has also been known as 7 mm NATO, .280/30, .280 Enfield, .280 NATO, 7 mm FN Short, and 7×43mm.
Li ...
. The extractor groove of the .280 was changed to meet US specification and became the .280/30.
After the war, the SLEM was further developed into the
FN Model 1949
The Fabrique Nationale Model 1949 (often referred to as the FN-49, SAFN, or AFN (automatic rifle version) is an autoloading battle rifle designed by Belgian small arms designer Dieudonné Saive in 1947. It was adopted by the militaries of Argen ...
and subsequently the
FN FAL
The FAL (a French acronym for (English: "Light Automatic Rifle")), is a battle rifle designed in Belgium by Dieudonné Saive and manufactured by FN Herstal (simply known as FN).
During the Cold War the FAL was adopted by many countries of th ...
.
See also
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EM-2 rifle
The EM-2, also known as Rifle, No.9, Mk.1 or Janson rifle, was a British assault rifle. It was briefly adopted by British forces in 1951, but the decision was overturned very shortly thereafter by Winston Churchill's incoming government in an ...
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FN Model 1949
The Fabrique Nationale Model 1949 (often referred to as the FN-49, SAFN, or AFN (automatic rifle version) is an autoloading battle rifle designed by Belgian small arms designer Dieudonné Saive in 1947. It was adopted by the militaries of Argen ...
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FN FAL
The FAL (a French acronym for (English: "Light Automatic Rifle")), is a battle rifle designed in Belgium by Dieudonné Saive and manufactured by FN Herstal (simply known as FN).
During the Cold War the FAL was adopted by many countries of th ...
*
List of battle rifles
Battle rifles are Full-powered rifle cartridge, full-powered rifles, full-length, fully automatic or semi-automatic rifles that have been adopted by a nation's military. The difference between a battle rifle and a designated marksman rifle is ofte ...
References
External links
{{cite book , last=Walter , first=John , date=2006 , title=Rifles of the World , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Eq2Dnj4sDZIC , location=Iola, WI , publisher=Krause Publications, Inc. , page=107 , isbn=978-0-89689-241-5
Rifles of Belgium
7.92×57mm Mauser battle rifles
Trial and research firearms of the United Kingdom