Back in 1945 Britain began experimenting with a bullpup rifle in the EM1 which was designed to eliminate the outdated .303 cartridge in favor of a 7x44mm (.280) cartridge good out to 1000 yrds where it was reasonably assumed that most combat would take place (in fact it is more like 300-600 yds). The design was compact but very complicated so by the late '40s the EM2 was the refined, simplified design. Gas blow-back selective-fire weapon with scope integrated with the carrying handle. Was very easy to shoot and handle, clean, and store. But NATO and the US rejected the idea as unsound. They preferred full power cartridges and by 1953 had decided on the 7.62x51mm cartridge as standard which the EM2 could not be modified for. The US basically upgraded the M-1 Garand into the M-14 and Europe went with the FN FAL (with Spain using Mauser's WW2 STG-45 as a guide to the CETME and then back to Germany as the HK G-3). Britain was forced to abandon the EM2 in '57 and equally went with the FAL before the bullpups SA-80 and SA-85 which share nothing with the EM series and are less reliable by direct comparison!