Posted on Sep 6, 2015
Cpl Dennis F.
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Given that the UK, French and Australian armies have all adopted bull pup battle rifles and we have increasingly become involved in CQC in cities, do you think that its agility in close quarters yet the accuracy of full barrel length is the rifle design of the future?
Posted in these groups: Back to the future part ii original FutureWeapons logo WeaponsRifle logo Rifles
Edited >1 y ago
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Responses: 18
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
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The answer to your question is "yes" but it is a caveated yes, because we're probably 20~ years away from our next service rifle.

The Bullpup design offers a few really great advantages. First, it gives us a shorter profile, without actually sacrificing either barrel length or sight radius, which are essential for accuracy. Second, by bring the barrel "deeper" into the rifle itself, we are able to better protect it in a few ways.

As an example, take a look at the FS2000, which uses the same caliber, same mags, and same accessories we have now... Again, this is just an example.
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Cpl Dennis F.
Cpl Dennis F.
>1 y
I understand that I am asking you to look into the future, the M16/M4 platform has to pass away sometime. You are one of the few that ddi just that. Thanks for the response.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
>1 y
CPL David Rosenlund depends on where the front sight would have been located on the weapon originally. It's a hard argument to quantify, especially when comparing weapons like an M16/M4 v FS2000 however, because of various barrel lengths resulting in some configurations actually ending up "equal" while others not.
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SSG Intelligence Analyst
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I've never fired a bullpup, but from what I've seen of their designs, it looks like every time a new bullpup rifle was made, there seemed to be some sort of notion that they should also use experimental composites and "gimmicks" like built-in scopes and other add-ons at the same time. That makes an already unusual weapon even more complex from the start.

A purpose-designed bullpup, of simple, straightforward and proven principles, would probably work well, with only training needed to overcome the change in center-of-gravity and reloading. Then troops can add sights, scopes, lights, lasers, handles, etc according to their comfort.
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LCDR Naval Aviator
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I think it's the best idea, but I'm not sure how likely it is. As a group, we're very resistant to changes.
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