By the way, my dad grew up under communism. Natural southpaw forced into becoming a righty. Writes better righthanded than I do. Shoots better too.. Won a few competitions while he was in active service - now he's technically a reservist but wouldn't be called in unless there was an all out invasion. I grew up when the country shifted a little to the right and became socialist, so lefties were left to be lefthanded. The point I'm trying to make is that a southpaw can achieve pretty good right-handed shooting results, so the ChiComs aren't completely insane
So you're saying lefties should just relearn how to shoot right handed so they can gain what advantage again?
So if balance isn't one of the main benefits to a bullpup, then what exactly is there left to ooo and aww over? I agree that bullpups do balance nicely, but a 7-9 lbs conventional rifle is hardly difficult to handle.
The Tavor and FS2000 may be ambi, but they bring other issues. The "ejection tube" and lack of access to the chamber of the FS2000 is a horrible nightmare for clearing a stoppage of any sort. The Tavor is not ambi without replacing the bolt(as do other designs).
All bullpups require the user to take eyes off the target to observe the chamber(if you're into that methodology).
(Which brings me to a side note. For those Magpul Dynamics fanboys, please explain how the MD "system" works with your bullpup rifle, or any other rifle other than an AR and a right handed shooter?)
The LOP issue is an issue if you know how to shoot properly. Sitting at the bench is not what these rifles were designed for. Blading your body and shooting like grandpa taught you is also not an appropriate method of operation. The square stance is the go to stance for rapid shooting while allowing you the most versatility in terms of positions and/or movement. The control benefits and flexibility in movement are proven facts.
Lets add a short eye relief optic, armor, LBE, and its that time of year, winter clothing. Add all this to a short shooter or a female shooter and tell me how well that's gonna work out with a fixed LOP. There's a reason adjustable stocks are the norm now, and its not because it looks cool.
As for ergonomics. There is no way you can reload a bullpup or clear a stoppage faster than a conventional rifle while keeping eyes on target. Again, this isn't a test done slick(that's no gear for those who aren't following). Add a chest rig, armor, and winter clothing and show me a fast reload or malfunction drill? And we still don't have an answer for transitioning shoulders. How does someone fire from the opposite shoulder without eating brass or the charge handle? Again, I'm not talking about some half a$$ed "hold your head away from the E port" or "cover the E port" method. I'm talking about switching shoulders, mounting the rifle and running it like a lefty would.
Mechanical offset, the distance between line of sight and boreline. The Tavor has a brutal mechanical offset. The FS2000 is almost as bad. FAMAS is horrid, the AUG has minimal offset if you run it with a flattop. It appears the type97 is fixed sights only which is a major setback. We all know carry handle mounts are excellent choices. No cheek weld, insane offset, yeah that's a solid option.
The "full" rails on a Tavor are a joke. Where and how would a guy mount a reddot with magnifier, night vision, laser(DBAL, not some NC star garbage) light and sling? Same for the FS2000, Type97, and AUG. In fact, there is a solution(kind of) for the AUG(http://www.sidearmor.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=54&products_id=36) its a rail for the exposed barrel, so you can run a light where it should be placed and other accessories.
Apparently I'm the only one who understands the downfalls of the bullpup, as the benefits are all of two and one isn't really worth discussing. The balance is nice but not required, and the "compact" package argument is great if you intend to spend most of your time indoors or confined in a vehicle. Even with that being said, the negatives a bullpup bring with it far outnumber any perceived advantages. Hey, at the range from the bench it sure looks cool, guess that's all that matters..
TDC
