Bullpup

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Buhl Bull Pup or AGM-12 Bullpup.

SVDS
, a conventionally configured rifle using the same action

A bullpup firearm is one with its firing grip located in front of the breech of the weapon, instead of behind it.[1] This creates a weapon with a shorter overall length for a given barrel length, and one that is often lighter, more compact, concealable and more maneuverable than a conventionally configured firearm. Where it is desirable for troops to be issued a more compact weapon, the use of a bullpup configuration allows for barrel length to be retained, thus preserving muzzle velocity, range and ballistic effectiveness.[2]

The bullpup concept was first tested militarily in 1901 with the British

Austrian Army became the first military force in the world to adopt a bullpup rifle, the Steyr AUG, as a principal combat weapon. Since then the militaries in many countries have followed suit with other bullpup designs, such as the Chinese QBZ-95, Israeli IWI Tavor, French FAMAS and British SA80
.

Etymology

The origin of the term "bullpup" for this configuration has long been unclear. In 1957, the word was reported to denote a target pistol, particularly one with a fancy stock.[3]

British firearm expert

puppies (colloquially called "bullpups" in England during the late 19th and the early 20th century), which were considered "squat, ugly but still aggressive and powerful".[4]
The original meaning of the word to describe dogs has since fallen out of use.

Description

The FN P90 uses the bullpup layout in conjunction with a unique top-mounted feeding system, making it the most compact submachine gun with a fixed stock.

The bullpup design places the gun's action mechanism and magazine behind the trigger, and the

Neostead, the magazine can extend forward beyond the trigger.[6]

Advantages

Disadvantages

History

Thorneycroft carbine patent

The earliest bullpup firearm thus far identified is a heavy

bolt-action rifles such as the Thorneycroft carbine of 1901, although the increased distance from hand grip to bolt handle meant the decreased length had to be weighed against the increased time required to fire. It is known to have been applied to semi-automatic firearms in 1918 (6.5 mm French Faucon-Meunier semi-automatic rifle developed by Lt. Col. Armand-Frédéric Faucon), then in 1936 a bullpup machine pistol was patented by the Frenchman Henri Delacre.[13] The first bullpup design used in combat was the PzB M.SS.41 anti-tank rifle during World War II.[14] It was a Czech weapon used by the SS
, produced under German occupation.

EM-2, an experimental British assault rifle from the 1950s.

After World War II, Western engineers drew inspiration from the German Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle, which offered a compromise between bolt-action rifles and submachine guns. Among them was Kazimierz Januszewski (also known as Stefan Janson), a Polish engineer who had worked at the Polish national arsenal during the 1930s. After being mobilized during World War II he escaped German and Soviet forces and made his way to England, where he was a part of the "Polish design team" at Enfield Lock's Royal Small Arms Factory. The factory was run by lieutenant colonel Edward Kent-Lemon. As Januszewski was developing a new rifle, the "Ideal Calibre Board" was searching for a replacement for the .303 cartridge. The Board decided on an optimal 7 mm cartridge on which Januszewski and the two teams working at Enfield had to base their designs. One design team led by Stanley Thorpe produced a gas-powered rifle with a locking system based on the Sturmgewehr. The design used steel pressings which were difficult to obtain, and the design was scrapped. The result of the Polish design team's efforts was the EM-2, which broke significant new ground.[15]

The EM-2 contained some similarities to the Soviet AK-47, although Januszewski had never seen the Soviet rifle. The first significant bullpup assault rifle came from the British programme to replace the service pistols, sub-machine guns, and rifles. In the two forms of the EM-1 and the EM-2, the new rifle concept was born as a result of the experience with small arms that was gained during the Second World War.[15]

It was obvious that modern warfare would require the infantry to be armed with a light, selective fire weapon, with effective range much longer than that of a submachine gun, but shorter than that of conventional semi-automatic or bolt-action rifles. The bullpup design was seen as necessary to retain the accuracy at range while reducing overall length. The EM-2 was adopted by the UK in 1951 as the world's first (limited) service bullpup rifle, but was promptly displaced by the adoption of the 7.62×51mm NATO (0.308 in) cartridge, to which the EM-2 was not easily adapted. The decision was rescinded and a variant of the more conventional FN FAL was adopted in its place.[16]

TKB-408

A 7.62×39mm M43 calibre experimental assault rifle was developed by German A. Korobov in the Soviet Union around 1945, and a further development, the TKB-408 was entered for the 1946–47 assault rifle trials by the Soviet Army, although it was rejected in favour of the more conventional AK-47. The United States briefly experimented in the same year with the integrally-scoped Model 45A bullpup, which never progressed beyond the prototype stage; John Garand designed his T31 bullpup, abandoned after his retirement in 1953.

After these failures of the bullpup design to achieve widespread service, the concept continued to be explored (for example: a second Korobov bullpup, the TKB-022PM).

Adoption

The Steyr AUG was one of the first bullpup rifles to enter widespread use.
FAMAS F1 rifle.
The L85A2 rifle, variant of the SA80 series of weapons.
IWI Tavor TAR-21
The QBZ-95 is one of the most-produced firearms in the world with approximately 3 million weapons made.
FN F2000

The Steyr AUG (selected in 1977) is often cited as the first successful bullpup,[17][18][19] being in service with the armed forces of over twenty countries, and becoming the primary rifle of Austria and Australia. It was highly advanced for the 1970s, combining in the same weapon the bullpup configuration, extensive use of polymer, dual vertical grips, an optical sight as standard, and a modular design. Highly reliable, light, and accurate, the Steyr AUG showed clearly the potential of the bullpup layout. The arrival of the FAMAS in 1978, and its adoption by France emphasized the slide from traditional to bullpup layouts within rifle designs.[19]

The British resumed their bullpup experiments with the L85, which entered service in 1985. Following persistent reliability problems, it was redesigned by the then British-owned Heckler & Koch into the L85A2, to become a fully reliable weapon.[20] As of 2016, it is being replaced with the L85A3 which is lighter, more adaptable, and more durable.

Having learned from extensive combat experience,

Tavor TAR-21. The Tavor is light, accurate, fully ambidextrous and reliable (designed to stringent reliability standards to avoid malfunctioning in desert conditions), and is in increasing demand in other countries, notably India.[5] The Tavor shares many similarities with the SAR 21 and the South African Vektor CR-21.[5]

The Chinese

light support weapon variants. The Islamic Republic of Iran Army has adopted the KH-2002 in limited numbers.[21]

Some sniper rifles such as the American

Neostead and Kel-Tec KSG.[24]

Bullpups are currently in service as standard issue rifle by the following armed forces:

Bullpups were in service as standard issue rifle by the following armed forces:

See also

References

  1. ISBN 9781733424622
    .
  2. ISBN 9781733424622
    .
  3. ISBN 978-1-317-62512-4
    .
  4. ^ "Origin of the Term "Bullpup" – with Jonathan Ferguson". YouTube. Archived from the original on 19 April 2020.
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-0-425-21750-4
    .
  6. ISBN 978-1-4402-2709-7
    .
  7. ISBN 978-0-7864-7321-2
    .
  8. ISBN 978-1-4402-1892-7.[permanent dead link
    ]
  9. ISBN 1-4402-2684-9
    .
  10. ^ Reeves, James (25 March 2021). "A Year with the Desert Tech MDRX (Review)". The Firearm Blog. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  11. ISBN 9781733424622
    .
  12. ^ Curtis 1866: The First Bullpup – with Jonathan Ferguson, archived from the original on 11 December 2021
  13. ISBN 978-0-88935-026-7
    .
  14. ^ McCollum, Ian (23 June 2017). "The Model SS41 – A Czech Bullpup Anti-Tank Rifle for the SS". www.forgottenweapons.com. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  15. ^
    ISBN 978-0-88935-002-1
    .
  16. ISBN 978-1-78096-904-6
    .
  17. ^ Cunningham, Grant (1 October 2015). "The Bullpup Rifle Experiment, Part 4: do they have a place in the home defense arsenal?".
  18. ^ Crossley, Alex (1 September 2013). "Gun Review: The VLTOR AUG A3".
  19. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4402-2400-3
    .
  20. ISBN 978-1-58574-835-8
    .
  21. ISBN 978-1-61200-389-4
    .
  22. ISBN 978-1-4728-1102-8
    .
  23. ISBN 978-0-7627-8876-7.[permanent dead link
    ]
  24. ISBN 978-1-4402-3752-2
    .
  25. ^ "Delivery first batch 400 HK416F assault rifles French army 10305173 | May 2017 Global Defense Security news industry | Defense Security global news industry army 2017 | Archive News year".
  26. ^ "SME Ordnance SDN BHD Products & Services". Archived from the original on 23 November 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  27. ^ a b New $59 million weapons package begins Defence Force rollout Stuff.co.nz, 16 June 2017

External links


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