how do you feel about, uh, bullpup designs
(hghgghgh sorry for such a late reply, got super distracted and then super carried away on the answer.)
That’s honestly a pretty general question that’s not especially easy to answer, so first, let’s define what a bullpup and is and exactly why it exists as a concept. The simple answer is that a bullpup rifle is one that places the action and magazine behind the trigger, the reason for this is that a bullpup design grants you a shorter overall length for the rifle while still maintaining a longer barrel which is good because longer barrel means better ballistics. So, in theory, you can get the compact size necessary for infantry getting in and out of cramped armored vehicles without sacrificing any capabilities of the rifle.
The problem with this idea is that in practice, outside of the shooting range, they generally handle and perform worse than their short-barreled counterparts. Bullpups are infamous for having pretty universally awful triggers thanks to the mechanism that makes the designs possible and left-handed shooting is typically at best awkward and at worst dangerous thanks to the fact the ejection port is right beside left-handed shooters faces. Additionally, due to their design, they are inherently harder to update and adapt to modern developments, meaning the militaries or individuals using them have to either go without new upgrades or cludge something together that just looks awful. You also have the issue of them kinda being samey in practice, which leads to any new bullpup basically having to have some kind of gimmick to justify their existence.
Basically as a general rule, if I was given the option between a standard configuration of rifle and a bullpup, I’d probably take the regular rifle.
So with that in mind, here’s my big long list with my opinions about all the biggest and most notable bullpups out there, including their GFL counterpart because of course.
The Steyr AUG
The AUG was not the first bullpup but it’s probably the most prolific and one with the most right to exist. It was forward thinking with integrated optics and also has a quick change barrel function which is pretty neat. It honestly has taken pretty well to modernization efforts both aesthetically and functionally. The only outlier is the Australians weird lumpy monstrosity but we don’t talk about them. Honestly, I’d take an AUG with no complaints.
In GFL she’s a YoRHa Type B android with a gun.
The FN P90
One of the more interesting bullpups and one that definitely has a reason to exist. With its really compact size, 50 round mag, and armor-piercing cartridge the P90 has some pretty compelling reasons to use it. I honestly unironically like it.
In GFL she looks like this which is kinda unfortunate, she has a Gas Mask tho, so that’s cool.
The IMI Tavor
You know how I said bullpups basically need to have a gimmick to justify their existence? Well, the Tavor doesn’t. It’s gotten infamous for the fact the designers literally designed it’s exterior before the actual action. It was basically designed to look cool and that’s it, it has no other reason to exist and the people who unironically praise it as the best gun are the kind who have bad taste and even worse opinions.
In GFL Tavor is some kinda leotard rabbit-eared cyborg who I find so aggressively boring I wasn’t willing to get a good photo of her.
The IMI X95
It’s the Tavor but “better.” The problem is the Tavor only had one thing going for it and that was it’s aesthetic but the X95 completly destroys it. Which means your left with an aggressively ok gun that’s marginally better than it’s prettier predecessor.
In GFL it accurately portrays the real-life one by being so boring I forget what it looks like when I look away from it.
The FAMAS
The last hurrah of Frances firearms industry, the final military rifle that will likely ever come out of France and it’s a damn fine one at that. It looks nice, it’s reliable, and most shooters have nothing but praise for it. It, unfortunately, did not take well to most modernization efforts with a really weird and lumpy silhouette but thankfully that doesn’t seem to be the norm for them.
In GFL she looks good and is actually in an action pose which is a blessing.
The L85
The L85 is a bit like the Famas in that it’s the last hurrah of British firearms design, but whereas the Famas is actually good the L85 was designed by engineers with no firearms experience in a country that has been openly hostile towards guns since the early 1900s so it’s a bit…well…
It’s ugly! It’s Heavy! It blatantly ripped off the AR-18s design! It only got produced thanks to British hubris! It would break the teeth of a left-handed shooter! It took HK completely gutting and rebuilding it to make it actually function! It’s garbage! Hot steaming garbage!
In GFL she has an unironically good design which makes even less sense when you realize it’s the objectively worse and nonfunctional version of the gun.
Type 95
The only good bullpup AK design to ever come out of China or even in general. While it’s not parts interchangeable with an AK it’s functionally identical just in a slick looking package with a fancy supposedly magical cartridge if the Chinese government is to be believed. (They aren’t.) If you live in Canada you can get the Type 97, which is the exact same gun but in 5.56 and can take m16 mags. It’s honestly probably fine but is once again aggressively boring and doesn’t bring anything new to the table.
In GFL she is an incredibly patriotic doll with a spine made of FUCKING STEEL.
The Desert Tech MDR
The MDR is a pretty bog-standard bullpup that has one notable feature, the ejection port shoots spent brass forward instead of to the side. The reason this is noteworthy is that it basically makes left-handed shooting completely safe and just as useable as right-handed. It had some teething issues on launch but Desert Tech was very accepting of criticism and feedback and seems to have ironed out most if not all of them, I honestly don’t have any problems with this gun, though I don’t know if I’d ever personally use it.
In GFL MDR is a gremlin who has a design I really dunno how to feel about but some spicy abilities that make me use her anyway.
