Probably every person with even the slightest interest in weapons has heard of bullpup rifles. This very unusual weapon causes a lot of controversy among experts - some cite their many advantages, while others emphasize their shortcomings. Let's try to deal with both the first and the second.
Weapon Features
To begin with, let's say right away that the bullpup, or "bull", differs from conventional weapons in its layout. In any conventional machine gun or rifle, the magazine is located between the trigger and the muzzle. However, the bullpup is just the opposite. The designers moved the store - now it is located between the hook and the butt. Unusual? Undoubtedly. However, it was precisely this innovation that made it possible to achieve important advantages that gunsmiths have always strived for. Alas, at the same time, it brought additional problems that shooters had not encountered before. Let's talk in more detail about both the first and the second.
Key Benefits
Certainly the main advantagewhat bullpup assault rifles and rifles can boast of is compactness. It is impossible to reduce the length of the barrel below a certain limit - this affects the range and accuracy of fire. However, the new scheme solved the problem. For clarity, let's compare the SVD and the IED created on its basis. The length of the first is 1220 mm, and the second - 980. At the same time, the length of the trunks is 620 and 520 mm, respectively. That is, with a decrease in the barrel length of 10 centimeters, the total length of the weapon was reduced by 24 centimeters. Of course, handling it has become much more comfortable, there are fewer problems when carrying it, and the firing range has changed very little.
Another important advantage that bullpup sniper rifles can boast of is the almost non-existent recoil shoulder. The layout features made it possible to drastically reduce the toss of weapons during automatic fire and, accordingly, increase accuracy.
Finally, if you have to fire from an embrasure or a car window, or an armored personnel carrier, reloading a weapon is much more convenient.
Major flaws
Unfortunately, it has a weapon and a number of shortcomings that put the potential of the new layout in doubt.
For example, it is very inconvenient that many examples of bullpups, when fired from the left shoulder, throw shells right in the face of the shooter. We have to solve this issue in different ways - from rearranging parts to moving the magazine from the bottom to the side or even up.
Since the shutter is much closer to the shooter, the powder gases are thrown directly into his face. It presents particular problemswhen conducting automatic shooting indoors.
Lying (and no one will stand up during the fight) it is very problematic to replace the magazine - it is located too close.
Getting used to the new center of gravity is quite difficult. If in classic weapons it is located between the hands, then in bullpups it is between the pistol grip and shoulder.
In addition, long magazines or drum magazines are often used in battle, allowing you to increase the time between reloads. When using bullpup machines, this becomes almost impossible.
Also, the sharply reduced length makes aiming at an open sight less accurate. You have to install an optical or collimator to solve this problem.
All this casts doubt on the possibility of a further transition of weapons to a new layout and gives undeniable trump cards in the hands of opponents of such weapons.
The world's first bullpup
Few people know, but the first weapon with a new layout was created more than a century ago - back in 1901. It was then that the English gunsmith Thorneycroft set himself the task of developing a carbine specifically for the cavalry, which would have a minimum length, while not reducing the range of aimed fire.
The result of his work was a carbine less than a meter long! At the same time, he had a seventy-centimeter barrel - a very good indicator. The designer placed the store directly in the butt, and during reloading the bolt moved over the crestbutt. For comparison, let's take a popular Lee Enfield rifle at that time, released 6 years before the invention of the first bullpup. Its length was 101 centimeters with a barrel length of about 50 centimeters. The difference is very noticeable. With the same length, the new rifle had a significantly longer combat range.
However, there were also disadvantages. For example, I had to abandon the 10-round magazine, switching to a 5-round one. But even this was not the main problem. Much worse, it was inconvenient to reload the weapon, even standing on solid ground. And there is nothing to say about riding a horse during the battle. This was the reason that the Thorneycroft carbine remained only an experimental model and a topic for active discussion in certain circles.
A few words about "Thunderstorm"
Some samples of bullpups are widely used - they are not only adopted by the armies of the world, but also presented in films, computer games. So it will be interesting for anyone who is fond of weapons to learn more about them.
First, let's talk about OTs-14, also known as "Thunderstorm". Developed in Russia in the early 90s, it was created on the basis of the Tiss assault rifle, the basis for which, in turn, was the 1974 Kalashnikov assault rifle. Usually it is supplemented with an underbarrel grenade launcher - a simplified "GP-25". The simplification lies in the fact that the grenade launcher … does not have a trigger! Yes, shooting from it and the machine gun is carried out with the help of one hook - there is alsofire mode switch. Thanks to this combination, it was possible to create a really powerful combat complex, perfect for urban combat and cleaning up premises. If desired, you can install a flashlight, a silencer, a laser pointer and an optical sight on it.
Honored Steyr AUG
The Steyr AUG, an Austrian modular rifle, is much more famous all over the world. It is not only easy to disassemble, but if necessary, the standard barrel can be replaced with a specialized one, turning the assault rifle into a sniper rifle or light machine gun.
There is no open sight - instead, an optical one and a half times is used. Convenient design, unusual appearance and good combat qualities have led to the fact that the rifle is in service with 40 countries and is actively exported by Austria.
The infamous Famas
Almost as famous is the Famas, a French rifle. Although her fate was much more sad. The semi-free shutter, initially presented as a real breakthrough, turned out to be not very reliable. Yes, and the machine gun is very picky about ammunition. An open sight was not originally provided - optics were installed on a portable bracket. As a result, after the French factories produced 400 thousand barrels, it was decided to curtail production. The convenient layout, compactness and several firing modes, including firing with a cut-off, 3 rounds at a time, did not save either.
Mistake of British gunsmiths - L85
Another very famousbullpup automatic rifle. Developing it, the experts decided to take as a basis the AR-18, an American rifle from Armalit, which also produced the M-16, AR15 and a number of others. Despite the rather successful scheme of the original machine, after a serious alteration, all the advantages were lost. As field tests showed, the L85 received a whole bunch of important shortcomings. For example, low reliability and frequent failure of individual nodes. A large mass, although it reduced the recoil power, significantly complicated the process of working with weapons. Finally, the ammunition was fed inaccurately, which often caused the cartridges to skew. Subsequently, the German company Heckler & Koch upgraded most of the L85s produced, turning them into the L85A2. However, the reviews still remained very controversial.
Now let's talk a little about the different types of weapons created in the bullpup layout, so that the reader understands a little about the environment of such unusual weapons.
Sniper Rifles
First, let's mention the most famous Russian development among bullpup sniper rifles. Of course, this is the SVU already mentioned above - a shortened sniper rifle. Created on the basis of the SVD, it retained almost all the advantages and general structure. But a high-quality silencer appeared, significantly reducing the volume of the shot.
It was developed primarily for the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who often have to work in the city. Therefore, the design was modifiedallowing you to fire both single shots and bursts! Of course, the powerful cartridge in combination with the low weight of the rifle led to the fact that accuracy began to suffer seriously. However, the decision can be called correct - the automatic fire mode is used only in extreme cases, when the enemy got close to the sniper too quickly, presenting a serious danger to him. At such distances, high accuracy is no longer very important, but the automatic mode gives the shooter at least some chance of survival. Moreover, in order to shoot out a whole burst, it is not necessary to switch the "flag" - just push the trigger to the end.
Amateurs also modified the Mosin rifle: the bull-pup- layout was not very successful. But the weapon received certain advantages, although, of course, it did not go into circulation.
If we talk about bullpup rifles for snipers, we should also mention the German W alther WA2000. The first samples left the assembly line in 1982. The modular system will allow it to be rebuilt to fire.308 and 7 caliber cartridges, 62x51. It is no coincidence that it was equipped with two barrels and two bolts. It has excellent ergonomics and compactness - these are the main advantages of German weapons, which are in demand among professionals around the world. Alas, in order to achieve such a result, I had to seriously fork out: the cost of one rifle was about 10 thousand US dollars. In sum, with low resistance to dirt, this played a fatal role - the rifle was produced for only a few years, after which it was discontinued.
Pneumatics
But bullpup air rifles have taken root. Moreover, the conversation is not at all about children's toys, but about powerful hunting weapons that allow you to effectively and completely silently beat small game - from duck to hare. Alas, the cost of a PCP bullpup rifle is most often simply astronomical - 70-80 thousand rubles and more. True, it is quite easy to buy it - you do not need to issue special permits, register weapons.
Only in our country several dozens of very successful models are produced. The most famous manufacturer was Demyan LLC, which has been operating for more than ten years.
One of the interesting examples is the Ataman bullpup rifle. It is produced in various modifications and for different ammunition. High accuracy of combat is ensured by a rifled chrome-plated barrel. The weapon weighs only 3 kilograms. But the pressure in the tank is simply huge: the working indicator is 300 atmospheres. So, an experienced shooter can easily make an accurate shot at a long distance, shooting, for example, a hare or a partridge.
The "Huntsman" bullpup rifle from the ROK company is also quite popular. These rifles are considered among the best not only in Russia, but throughout the world. Suitable for firing different types of ammunition, depending on its purpose. These bullpup air rifles are a good choice for both hunters and casual sportsmen who like to shoot cans or targets on the shooting range.
Widely known in certain circles and the Kral bull riflepapa The choice here is simply huge, from sniper rifles to shotguns. So such a weapon will be a great opportunity to get used to a real, combat one.
Finally, hunters and sportsmen will definitely like EDgun's "Matador" bullpup air rifles. The company's product range also includes pistols and a huge selection of accessories for improving and maintaining weapons. A rich choice will allow each potential buyer to choose the option that suits him.
Prospects for the bullpup system
Armorers have been arguing about the future of this layout for a long time. Alas, as practice shows, many countries that have been burned by the widespread use of bullpup rifles and assault rifles are nevertheless returning to the standard layout. So, there have long been rumors that the French government intends to abandon the Famas rifle, switching to conventional machine guns.
Israel, having armed its soldiers with TAR21 assault rifles in 2004, is now actively selling these weapons to civilians - apparently, arming will be carried out later.
So it can be said with some certainty that the future of mass-produced small arms remains with the conventional layout, and not with the "bullpup".
Conclusion
This article comes to an end. Now you have learned more about regular and PSP bullpup rifles, as well as machine guns. Let's hope that the article was useful and broadened the horizons in the field of weapons.
