Posted on 06/24/2006 8:36:25 PM PDT by Lurker
I'm watching Future Weapons on Discovery Channel and saw this new rifle the Israelis will be issuing soon. I thought it perfect for a Saturday Night Gun Porn Thread.
Here's a pic of one of the variants:
Here's the blurb from the source URL:
The Tavor TAR-21 is a gas operated, selective fire, magazine fed assault rifle of bullpup configuration. It is available in several configurations, which differ in the barrel lengths and accessories. The basic configuration is the TAR-21 assault rifle with the 460mm (18.1 in) barrel. Next are the compact assault rifle, called CTAR-21, with the barrel 380 mm (15 in) long, and the micro assault rifle, with the barrel of only 250 mm (10 in) long, called MTAR-21. The latter rifle also featured a redesigned front part of the housing, for a more comfortable hold of the short weapon. TAR-21 utilizes a now-common long piston stroke, rotating bolt action, with the gas piston rigidly attached to the bolt carrier. Gas cylinder is located above the barrel and is completely enclosed by the gun housing. The rotating bolt is similar to one found in the M16 rifle and has seven lugs. The ejection ports are made on both sides of the weapon, and the right or the left side ejection can be selected by installing the bolt with the ejector mounted on the right or on the left, respectively (and, of cause, this change requires the gun to be partially disassembled). The bolt carrier rides on the single guide rod, with the return spring unit located above it, behind and inside the hollow gas piston rod. The charging handle is located at the front left side of the gun and does not reciprocate when gun is fired. The charging handle slots are cut on the both sides of the gun housing, so it can be installed on either side of the weapon, as required. The trigger unit is more or less conventional, with the ambidextrous fire mode selector / safety switch located above the pistol grip.
The TAR-21 has no separate receiver. Instead, all parts are mounted within the high impact-resistant plastic housing, reinforced with steel inserts where appropriate. The access to all the internal parts is controlled by the hinged buttplate, which can be swung down for internal inspection and disassembly.
TAR-21 has no open sights. It is fitted with the standard Picatinny-type accessory rail on the top of the gun. At the present time the standard sighting equipment for the TAR-21 series rifles (except for the STAR-21 sniper rifle) is the Israeli-made ITL MARS, a complicated and expensive reflex-type sight with the built-in laser pointer. For the night time operations the MARS could be complemented with the ITL Mini N/SEAS compact night vision device.
Israel is replacing its world-famous Uzi sub-machinegun and U.S.-supplied M-16 assault rifle with a new flagship firearm.
The design of the Tavor is based largely on lessons learned during military operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the 34-month-old Al Aqsa intifada. The first Tavors, made by Israel Military Industries (IMI), have been issued to elite Israeli infantry units, part of an order of 15,000 announced last month by the Defense Ministry.
Security sources said deals were under way to sell the weapon, retailing at $1,000, to "friendly foreign clients.". "The Tavor is probably the finest assault rifle now available. Its commando variation weighs 2.8 kg (6.2lbs) compared with the Uzi's 3.7 kg and M-16's 3.4 kg. Bullets are loaded through its stock, allowing for a snub barrel.
End Blurb.
It is chambered in 5.56mm NATO and is designed to use the SS109 type ammunition.
Retail price to 'friendly foreign clients' is said to be about $1,000.00 US.
L
---"It is chambered in 5.56mm NATO"
Why not just use spit balls???
Kewl
They kind of suck when you're standing at Parade Rest, though.
L
Indian military & paramilitary units have signed up to buy the Tavor & Galil sniper rifles from IMI.
That's a telephonic rifle. You can really reach out and touch someone with that. Hope you get it.
Bullpup is the old project name for a British rifle project.
Modern assault rifles increase lethality with high velocity (which is helped by a long barrel, but a lot of combat occurs from vehicles, or in built up areas, where short rifle length is an advantage.
My rifle patent allows a 24 inch barrel in a 28 inch rifle, quick change barrel. That is with 7.62X51mm
Patent 6,079,138
The Tavor has pretty nice furniture, and has a nice crisp trigger, but I prefer a pistol grip for the front. No accounting for taste.
You'd not want to get shot with the 223 at close range and this Israeli "rifle" is clearly meant for shooting things close up, as would be the case in gaza. It wouldn't be a useful hunting weapon.
Yes, yes, uhhh, hi, ahem, should have gone with the 6.8 round IMHO.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of the bullpup compared to a standard assault rifle configuration? (Just curious; I've used an M-16 but have never handled any other rifle.) Where do you put the bayonet?
I don't know how friendly you are but... Dude, want some gumbo, wash your car,...
Caliber: 5.56 mm NATO (KE) and 20x85mm (HE)
Action: Gas operated, rotating bolt (KE), unknown (HE)
Overall length: 890 mm
Barrel length: 250 mm (KE) 460 mm (HE)
Weight: ca 5.5 kg empty; ca 6.8 kg loaded
Magazine capacity: 20 or 30 rounds box (KE) and 6 rounds box (HE)
The history of the one of the most ambitious projects in the history of small arms, known as the OICW, or the Objective Individual Combat Weapon, began late in the 1986, when the US Army Infantry School at Ft. Benning published a military paper, named "Small Arms System 2000" (SAS-2000). Despite the current trends towards the caseless and fleschette ammunition and appropriate weapons, researched and developed under the ACR program (see HK G11 and Steyr ACR entries for some details), this paper stated that the conventional small arms already reached its technological peak, and the only way to increase the hit probability in the small arms is to introduce a weapon that will fire explosive and fragmentation warheads, combined with the smart fusing and sighting / aiming technologies. While the most small arms research during the late 1980s in the USA was conducted under the ACR program, the idea first developed in the SAS-2000 was supported by another US military paper, published in 1989 by the US Army TRADOC (Training & Doctrine) center. This paper, called "The Small Arms Master Plan" (SAMP), requested for a family of infantry "Objective" weapons, namely the Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW), Objective Personal Defense Weapon (OPDW), and the Objective Crew Served Weapon (OCSW). The SAMP stated that such weapons must utilize the latest developments in computers and visual technologies, as well as in the small arms, and combine both high explosive warheads and traditional bullets fire capabilities in a single weapon, that should be fielded circa 2000. Of cause, the timelines and most of the weight and cost requirements set in this paper looked unrealistic from the start, but the development of the Objective weapons began in the early 1990s.
During the early stages of research and development in the mid-1990 one out of the two teams was selected as a winner for further development contract. This team is lead by the US based Alliant Techsystems corporation (ATK), with the Heckler-Koch (Germany), Brashear and the Omega companies (both of USA) as the other team members. The ATK is responsible for system integration, and also develops the 20mm Air Burst munitions; HK is responsible for both the 5.56mm rifle and the 20mm grenade launcher; Brashear works on the sighting equipment and Omega provides the training means. The resulting weapon was type-classified by the US Army as the XM-29 circa 2002, and is scheduled to enter the service during the year 2008 in limited numbers. It will be then consequently upgraded with the new technologies then available. Present plans for fielding the M-29 are to issue four units per one infantry squad of 9 men. Early in the 2002 the XM-29 test weapons were successfully tested with the newest 20mm HEAB (High Explosive Air Bursting) munitions, which will be a major "kill factor" for the M-29 weapon. At the same time the "kinetic energy" part of the XM-29 was type-classified as the XM-8 light rifle, and, in the near future, could possibly replace the current Colt M4 carbines as a standalone compact conventional small arms.
I promise to send it right back when I'm done.
Honest...really I will.
L
Too bad the OICW was canceled.
L
Lucky you, rub your head for me, please.
That is too bad. I just saw it as part of a firearms history show on The History Channel.....must have been an old show.
It also makes it easier to handle in close quarters such as narrow alleys or inside an armored vehicle.
I'm not sure any provision has been made for a bayonet. I saw no mention of one on the website. Hopefully that will be corrected before they're issued generally.
Bayonets are a huge psychological weapon IMO.
L
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