.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 alternatively as .280/30, .280 Enfield, 7 mm FN Short and 7×43mm. Like most armed forces in the immediate post-World War II era, the British Army began experimenting with intermediate rounds after combat experiences with StG 44-equipped German units. The Army began development in the late 1940s, with subsequent help from Fabrique Nationale in Belgium and the Canadian Army. The .280 British was tested in a variety of rifles and machine guns including the EM-2, Lee–Enfield, FN FAL, Bren, M1 Garand and Taden gun. Despite its success as an intermediate cartridge, the .280 British was not considered powerful enough by the US Army and several variants of the .280 British were created in an attempt to appease the US Army. However, the US Army continued to reject these variants, ultimately adopting the cartridge that was then designated the 7.62×51mm NATO.