I think the Brits and French use bullpups too. Terrible. Get a real rifle already!
I think the Brits and French use bullpups too. Terrible. Get a real rifle already!
I think they’re working on replacing their bullpups
Ditto for the Aussies.
This is probably "preaching to the choir" (& you've probably heard this before), but IIRC, bullpups were developed for two primary reasons:
(1) Shorter firearms are considered desirable, because mechanized infantry are in & out of vehicles all the time, and conventional rifles (like the M14 & M16) are apparently too long to be convenient.
(2) If you shorten a conventional rifle until it's a handy size, you end up with a barrel that's not a whole lot longer than a soda straw (14.5" on the M4), and your muzzle velocity & ballistic performance suffer. With a bullpup design, the barrel can remain 'rifle length' (18" on the Tavor, 20"-24" with the AUG), with better ballistic performance, while the overall length is reduced for vehicle use. Look at the photo earlier on this thread, showing an M4 next to a Tavor, and you can see there's a major difference in barrel length (muzzle to front of magazine).
So your suggestion that the Israelis "get a real rifle" is kind of funny in a way, because they were trying to get a rifle-length barrel when they adopted the Tavor. With the M4, they're basically giving up, and going back to short barrel ballistics (not a good idea with 5.56). Going to something like the Canadian C7A2 (with 20" barrel, or possibly with an 18" barrel like the Tavor) might have been a much better option...
;^)
The French are dropping the FAMAS F2 *Clarion* bullpup. The Germans have not been happy with the H&K G36, either.