"Why the Next War Will Be Fought with Bullpups" Topic

"It's quite likely that in the next few years, a new infantry rifle will end the half-century run of the M16 and its descendant, the M4A1. So, it's time we look at a design whose time seems to have come—the bullpup. A bullpup is a rifle whose trigger is placed ahead of the action and almost always, ahead of the magazine….."
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Amicalement
Armand

Interesting… I had no idea.

As with all things, there is a trade-off: short means easier to transport and use, especially indoors and other cramped settings, but bullpup magazine placement makes reloading from a prone firing position more time-consuming.

A votre service mon ami!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Next war? I guess this "Gun Nut" has never heard of EM2. Adopted in 1951 (although consequently shelved for political reasons)Steyr,(Ok its in the article) FAMAS, SA80 obviously never fired in anger?

I like the IMI Tavor. There's one in the rental shop at the local gun range. It's comfortable to shoot in a controlled situation.

I imagine it'll take some simple technique and lots of drilling to address the clumsy, prone position magazine re-load concerns.

I'm a fan of the Tavor as well. I did have my Ruger Mini-14 in a bullpup stock before I sold it. I think the SA80 and FAMAS have definitely proven that the concept works just fine.

Considering France has adopted the HK416 along with Germany, Norway, and probably more nations soon enough… I'm not so sure the bullpup is up for a comeback. The design is is best suited for mass deployment in large conscript armies.

This "theory" has been put forth for 40+ years.

I see some nations have adopted them, but not many.

Perhaps they need better marketing people………..

Had an airsoft FAMAS F1, it was quite nice and easy to handle. But when the French are going to the HK416 instead of a 3rd-gen FAMAS, well…

I can't see the Brits finding enough money to replace their L85s, but the special ops community has transitioned to M4s or HK416s. Same with the Aussies.

Not going to happen. See France and New Zealand replacing their FAMAS and AUG rifles with AR-pattern rifles, and the widespread adoption of AR-pattern rifles by SOF worldwide.

The secondary draw of bullpups -- reduction in overall length while maintaining barrel length may have been worthwhile when using M855 and/or M193-type 5.56 loadings optimized for longer barrels. Mk 262 and M855A1, as well as numerous specialty rounds developed for the civilian and LE markets, use faster-burning powders to ensure near-complete powder burn even in shorter barrels. The end effect is that outstanding performance is possible out of short-barreled conventional rifles without the ergonomic deficiencies posed by bullpups.

I've worked with bullpups, mainly TAR-21 Tavor derivatives, and was not impressed. The mechanical trigger linkage results in a trigger pull worse than a GI AR/M4 trigger, let alone something like a Larue MBT-2S or Geissele SSF. Accuracy was acceptable but not impressive; the shooter and optic are the biggest factors in the practical accuracy of a service rifle. I like the rearward weight distribution and accompanying ease of one-handed manipulation, but nothing else.

Bullpups do look cool, though!