The SLEM-1 was a bullpup semi-automatic battle rifle of British origin. The weapon is gas-operated and uses a unique diverted recoil where the bolt slightly over the firers shoulder and is fed from the 10 round magazines from Lee-Enfield rifles and the grip section from Bren guns.

Development

The Belgian design team had been working in Britain throughout the war, having escaped the occupation 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 8x57mm IS, the Belgian team designed the SLEM-1 (Self Loading Enfield Model 1).

When the 8x33mm Kurz was tested everything changed and the British set up the Small Arms Calibre panel that led to the 0.27 in (6.9 mm) and 0.28 in (7.1 mm) rounds. The Belgian team then redesigned the SLEM to become the prototype FAL, first in Kurz and then in 0.28 in (7.1 mm). It was made in both normal and bullpup configurations. The extractor groove of the .280 was changed to meet US specification and became the .280/30.

Postwar the SLEM became the FN Model 1949

FN Model 1949

The Fabrique Nationale Model 1949 is a semi-automatic rifle designed by Dieudonné Saive and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale...

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