IDF Beginning The Changeover From M-16 to Tavor T.A.R.-21

Israel National News ^ | 21:21 Jul. 21, '03 / 21 Tammuz 5763

[yonif]

(IsraelNN.com) The Defense Ministry has decided to begin the changeover from the M-16 to the Israel Military Industries Tavor T.A.R.-21 assault rifle. The weapon will be distributed to army infantry units. The first order calls for 15,000 pieces.

[archy]

yes, but the LED readout on the count of rounds might be too hard to read in direct sunlight ... LCD might work better ... would be cool at night ...

We can do worlds better than that....

Voila: the ZF-1. It's light. Handle's adjustable for easy carrying; good for righties and lefties. Breaks down into 4 parts, undetectable by x-ray; ideal for quick, discreet interventions. A word on firepower. Three thousand round clip with bursts of 3 to 300. With the Replay button (another Zorg invention) it's even easier. One shot, and Replay sends every following shot to the same location. And to finish the job, all the Zorg oldies but goldies. Rocket launcher. Arrow launcher, with explodin' and poisonous gas heads. Very practical. Our famous net launcher. The ALWAYS efficient flame-thrower. My favorite! And for the Grand Finale, the all new "Ice Cube System!"

[The KG9 Kid]

The Clintons gave those M16s to the PA Security Force, and then the PA armories were broken into by a crowd which 'stole' them while the Pa Police looked upon 'helplessly'.

I hate to poke current problems upon the previous holders of the White House, but the undeniable fact is that the thousands of M16s that have been found into the various terrorist groups hands in 'Palestine' got there by a Clinton penstroke.

[The KG9 Kid]

You only need a left-handed bolt to switch an AUG to shoot fairy, Archie.

[Billthedrill]

Ooooooohhhhh...shiny!

[archy]

I don't know whatever became of the plans, but Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Inc. (the same Robbie Barrett of the world-famous 'Barrett .50 BMG rifle) had a contract to build a civilian version of the Tavor for the US market.

I expect they're waiting for the Brady *Assault weapons ban* to sunset in November of next year. Assuming it does, that should open the floodgates.

[Bobby777]

love that replay button ... that was a cool movie ...

[Bobby777]

too true ... kudos to Bush for making Arafat "persona non grata" ... perfect way to handle him ... other than a Hellfire, I mean ...

[ExSoldier]

" Rate of fire (RPM) 750 - 900; Muzzle velocity (m/sec) 890....."

Does this rate of fire v the muzzle velocity not strike anybody as odd? I have .45 ACP rounds that are this hot. A 5.56mm ought to be in the 2200fps range, NOT 890. The rpm is too fast, too. Is there a burst control on the piece? Otherwise, spray and pray is gonna be mighty quick!

[Shooter 2.5]

Muzzle velocity (m/sec) 890

[meters/Second]

[xm177e2]

By the way, didn't the IDF use the Galil? Do they still make it, to some degree?

Galils are HEAVY. Uziel Gal designed them to match the Kalashnikov's survivability with the .223's lethality and efficiency, but the downside is that they weigh a lot.

The IDF prefers the M16, because they do so much urban work now. They've got plenty of time to clean their weapons. The light weight and accuracy of the M16 makes it their best choice... at least, until they can get their hands on the Tavor.

[Jacob Kell]

Archy told me:"Yep. It looks like the Turkish military equipment sale, which includes reworking the Turkish armored fleet of M48 and M60 tanks to Israeli Magach 7 standards and eventual production of the Merkava 4 in Turkey, may be for Galils rather than Tavors- Turkeys old FN G1 rifles and G3s are getting a little weatherbeaten, but by comparison, the Galil is still quite an improvement, and is as reliable as a Kalishnikov [so long as you refrain from firing rifle grenades with the thing]"

So the Galil is still being made and is still used by the IDF to some degree at least.

[Jacob Kell]

"I've seen a Tavor rifle disassembled, and it seems to me that Israel Military Industries (IMI) isn't even trying to hide the fact that they basically copied the Austrian Steyr AUG in designing it's new Tavor bullpup. Of course, they copied the Galil from the Soviet AK-47, and the UZI from the Czech M23 and ZK476 SMGs."

Not true copies. There are differences as well as similarities between the Uzi and the Czech subguns. Yes they both have wrap-around bolts and magazines in the pistol grips (pretty good similarities), but there are no doubt some differences too. For example, the Czech guns have a grip safety, and you pull the trigger gently to fire single shots, harder to fire full auto, I believe. the Uzi has a conventional selector switch. There are no doubt some differences between the Tavor and the AUG as well as similarities.

[ExSoldier]

"(m/sec)"

OH CRAP! I totally missed it! Must be getting old. Thanks, buddy.

[Jacob Kell]

So it seems that the Galil will continue soldiering for quite some time to come, huh?

[Shooter 2.5]

No problem.

I'm used to this stuff since that darned ShooterReady.com thread last week.

[archy]

So it seems that the Galil will continue soldiering for quite some time to come, huh?

Oh yes. In Israel to be certain, at least for so long as the 5,56x45 mm cartridge remains standard, and more and more commonly in South and Central America, where the carry of a Galil rather than the usual M16 is a mark of distinction for elite military and police units.

[xm177e2]

For that they have this version, with a longer barrel and a bipod. But it's still just a 5.56mm, so don't expect too much in that department.

The .223 is a great round for urban warfare, because it's fast and it can handle anything at the ranges they're likely to face. For longer range/tactical stuff, they've got real sniper rifles (not just accurized assault rifles with nice scopes).

The M16A4 with a mounted reflex sight has served their marksmen very well in urban areas, there is no reason to think the STAR won't be able to match that.

[xm177e2]

Wow.

[archy]

So the Galil is still being made and is still used by the IDF to some degree at least.

In use as recently as earlier this month, per the newsphoto *here*. And I'd expect that the tank crews new micro-Galils will soldier on for a decade, at least, though a shorty Tavor version is available.

We'll see how the sale of Galils and/or Tavors to the Turks goes in a few months, but continued Galil production to meet international orders is pretty much a sure bet. And of course, they're also produced in south Africa as the Vektor R4 rifle. The Israeli troopies call the Galil *Galil* and the shorter 14-inch barrelled carbine version *Glilon*, while the tanker's Micro-version is called *Galat'z*. I've not yet heard from my Israeli pals what name the troops have hung on the Tavor, nor what their opinion of it is. But the Israeli Givati brigade has been trying out the Tavor, so I'm sure they've hung a name on it by now.

[The KG9 Kid]

Don't all UZI SMGs have a grip safety?

Although the Tavor has external looks that appear to match a French FAMAS F2, the numerous internal similarities to the AUG cannot be ignored.