Bullpups, are the guns of the future…. And they always will be. I joke, but the amount of bullpups available every year is slowly growing. During Shot Show I decided to jump into the world of bullpups. I can’t say I’m a fan boy, but I’m open to the idea. Anyway, let’s roll into the Arms Guide Bullpup round up of Shot Show 2017.
Uzkon Arms Defense UNG-12 Bullpup shotgun
Shotguns excel at close quarters combat, and bullpups shrink a gun to handy size. So a shotgun bullpup makes sense right? Uzkon thought so and we got the UNG-12. This magazine fed, semi automatic shotgun weighs a little over 8 pounds and is 33 inches long. To compare a standard Mossberg 590 weighs 7.25 pounds and is 41 inches long. The mags hold 2 or 5 rounds, which from a capacity standpoint maybe a con for some.
The Uzkon looks cool, and it felt well balanced in the hands. The charging handles was easy to operate, the sites were nice, and you get some rails for an optic. It looks similar to the old FN F2000 and everything is pretty intuitive. It has a standard bullpup trigger, and comes in a ton of different colors.
http://www.uzkon.com.tr/
Standard Manufacturing DP-12
The Moe Szyslak special, a pump action double barrel. This gun was revealed a few years ago and made a big splash. This double barrel, pump action bullpup shotgun is a beast. This bad boy holds sixteen rounds and looks cool and is a neat concept. It’s also a heavy beast, at over 9 pounds unloaded it loses a bit of that rapid point and shoot shotgun technique.
The pump is easy to run, but the gun is pretty complicated. What do you expect from a double barrel pump action that is the first of its kind? I got to handle it at range day and had a good time operating it. The double barrel system takes a lot of getting used to. Every Time I fired I’d want to pump the gun instead of firing the second shot. It looks cool, is fun to shoot, and the pump noise is always fun.
http://www.stdgun.com/green-dp-12-double-barrel-pump-shotgun/
Bullpup unlimited Mossberg/Remington stock kit
Not technically a bullpup, but a simple drop in stock that allows you to convert a standard Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 into a bullpup platform. The bonus here is you get a reliable platform to turn into a bullpup. It’s f course pump action. The downside is the extra weight of the stock makes it heavier than the standard 500 or 870.
https://bullpupunlimited.com/
Jard Bullpups
These were one of the first guns I saw at Shot Show.Near the media room on the 3rd deck these bad boys stood out and seem really interesting and neat. One of the biggest gun fads right now is the pistol caliber carbine. Jard took one of those and made it a bullpup. Jard actually makes a lot of bullpups. In order they go
Jard 67 – a 9mm, Glock magazines using, 26 and ⅛ inch bullpup with some Mlok rails that uses a blowback design.
The Jard 68 – A 9mm, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP, Glock magazine using, 26 and ¼ inch bullpup, also has Mlok rails and ambidextrous features.
Jard 12 – A 12 gauge monster that’s only 26 and 8/7 inches long and weighs 8.25 pounds that uses Saiga magazines.
The Jard 56 – A standard 223 Wylde bullpup rifle that’s only 26 and ⅛ inches long and weighs only 7 lbs and 2 ounces. It also takes AR magazines and has got lots of Mlok slots.
Jard 1023 – This isn’t a rifle, but a chassis system that allows you to convert your Ruger 10/22 into a bull pup. It’s light, short, and simple.
Jard is a pretty smart company that makes use of already existing magazines which makes life infinitely easier. I actually really like the Jard 68, and hopefully we’ll see a 10mm variant. Check them out here.
Kel Tec RBD-C
One of the cooler rifles to be designed for California’s dumb laws the RBD-C is a California compliant semi-auto bullpup rifle. The weapon is featureless and has a very slick and futuristic design. It’s in 223 and feeds from AR mags. Hopefully, Kel Tec will have a few out shortly and we can get a better look at this sleek and slim rifle.
https://www.keltecweapons.com/rifles/rdb/
Steyr AUG
One of my bucket list rifles is the Steyr AUG, the original design with optic and in that odd teal color. (It’s a Die Hard thing) I didn’t see that model at Shot, but they had an all white model that looked really nice. The AUG is a classic and well-designed bullpup. It’s been around for a while and has proven itself well in multiple militaries.
It’s light at only 7.7 pounds and is only 28 inches long with a 16 inch barrel. The AUG NATO can use standard AR 15 magazines, and it features healthy amounts of rails. The trigger isn’t great at over 9 pounds it’s kinda long and mushy but it’s Karl approved.
https://steyrarms.com/steyr-aug-a3-m1.html
Tavor/x95
The Tavor kinda spawned the modern bullpup popularity. The Tavor is of course based on the Israeli military rifle. The X95 and Tavor are basically the same rifle, the x95 is a little more ergonomic and refined. The rifle is pretty nice, is heavy on the back end, but it’s balanced once it’s in your shoulder. The Tavor series by IWI were absolutely everywhere. People were showing off their varies goods and do dads hanging off the Tavor. Like most bullpups the trigger isn’t perfect, but it’s adequate. The Tavor probably has the most support for customization out there.
https://iwi.us/Tavor-Test/TAVOR-TSFD16.aspx
Desert Tech MDR
The MDR is a rifle many, many people are looking forward to. This bullpup is coming in a variety of calibers including 5.56, 300 Blackout, and 308. I got hands on with the 308 at a private range day and had a blast with it. The ergonomics are spot on and well thought out. It’s light and short, easy to use, and has the second best trigger of all the bullpups I ran into. This is a super modern design that is adaptable and easy to customize. It’s not on the market. It feeds from common magazines and is quite accurate and controllable even in 308.
https://deserttech.com/product_overview.php?product_id=4&load=product_overview
The Best Bullpup For Last
The K&M Arms M17S Bullpup
The biggest flaw in bullpup design is the crappy triggers they typically have. K&M Arms is different. They don’t just have an okay trigger, they have a good trigger. It’s akin to a high end AR trigger. It literally blew my mind, I walked by to simply snap a photo and then stuck around checking the rifle out for quite some time. Mark, Rick, and I were blown away by it.
Not just the trigger, but the whole rifle is well thought out and designed. It is based off the old Bushmaster M17S. The rifle weighs a little more than 7 pounds and the trigger pull is 4 to 5 pounds and adjustable. It’s also the only bullpup made entirely of metal, which is pretty sweet. There are CA compliant versions, and it uses a few AR parts so customization is a little better than most bullpups.
http://www.kmarms.com/M17S556.html
So that’s it for our bullpup round up. Did I miss a few? Most likely, but a guy can only take so much bullpups. SO if I missed any feel free to tell me below.
