Originally Posted By WriterClarke:
While I prefer bullpups, I'm just not thrilled by the available options anymore. I loved my AUG, but I had to keep altering it to really find a setup I liked, and I really didn't want to add rails or handguards to it as its an already hefty rifle that I didn't want to make any heftier. Hell, I'm looking to go up from 5.56 to .308 for a few reasons, but all the available .308s besides the WLVRN are heavier than I'd like, and I'm not even sure I'd be willing to give Desert Tech my money even if I was sure they were finally done developing the rifle.

I don't trust Black Rain to be able to put out a quality rifle when it comes to the Commando, and the RM277/Genesis is dead in the water despite how much I was hoping for it to come to market with no real news for years.

The only bullpup I'm interested in right now is one I'm not sure will make it to market as it's a one man design project (John Galt's MBAR) and he's wanting to sell the design once he's sure its good enough. AR-15 and AR-10 barrel, bolt, and magazine compatibility. Fully ambi, easy access to the chamber, and is fairly lightweight as his .308 test model is sitting at around 6.5lbs with an 18" Faxon Heavy Fluted barrel. As I said, I doubt it'll come to market so I'll probably wind up settling on building an AR-10, but that's about the only bullpup I have any hope for.

Originally Posted By intheburbs:
Maybe a PS90.

A buddy had picked up an Aug at the same time I was getting into Nerf gunfights with my boys.  He brings it over to my house, and we're finger fucking it, and I realize the trigger on one of the Nerf guns is better than the AUG. All in all, the AUG trigger was about mid-pack compared to 6 Nerf guns.

I don't own a bullpup.  And I really don't feel any particular desire or need for one. And I especially don't have any inclination to have to train myself on a new platform.

Originally Posted By POFChub:
Other than the Amicus or the Commando I have no desire for any cold war bullpups. I don't even know why Desert Tech don't even realize that all they need is bolt controls for your trigger finger would bring them from dead last to dead first.

Please get with the times bullpup manufacturers. Well the ones that are with the times won't ever be released to us civilians.

Originally Posted By FoxValleyTacDriver:
I feel like this is obligatory

https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/285899/1000023243_jpg-3475397.JPG

Originally Posted By Dissident:
If I can be convinced that Steyr has gotten it's poop in a group...then yes.

Originally Posted By ITCHY-FINGER:
I first got interested in them when the pistol brace shenanigans started. I saw an AUG for sale and thought I'd give it a try to replace my trunk pistol since it fits in the same place (but has a 16" barrel) and I didnt want an SBR in my trunk.

After getting that AUG, I fell in love. It felt very natural to handle and I enjoy shooting it more than my typical AR. Its also so accurate that it has become my "target" gun. I just enjoy trying to master that trigger and get groups. Last week I shot a 10 shot a .95" group with factory ammo at 100 yards with my AUG. Its just fun. And it stays amazingly clean vs my AR. Even after hundreds of rounds it looks cleaner than my AR after 10 shots.

They are a little heavier and have much less rail space (they are very short) so as a dedicated night-time war rifle, it takes some work to fit lights and lasers.

Originally Posted By _DR:

I would like to see a bullpup with a shoot by wire electronic trigger.

Originally Posted By _DR:

I would like to see a bullpup with a shoot by wire electronic trigger.

Originally Posted By FrozenIceman:


I think Kel Tech kind of does this mechanically by separating the sear from the trigger pack.  It apparently is a very good trigger out of the box.  The MDRx trigger out of the box is phenomenal as well.

Originally Posted By Tomac:
Decent range, accurate enough for my needs, handy & maneuverable in close quarters and can even be fired one-handed if needbe.
I trust them to be rugged and reliable enough to pass on to my son & grandson someday (along w/some spare parts ).
For me, the only real downside is the weight, but that's ameliorated to some extent by the bullpup design itself so you don't feel the weight as much.

Originally Posted By _DR:
One of the big appeals for me is being able to own a rifle that is 27" long, still has a 16"+ barrel, and doesn't require a tax stamp. A bullpup to me, is like an SBR without the nonsense.

Originally Posted By rb889:

This is not a cost-effective setup, it’s a bit more pricey than a DD, LMT, or G super duty, but it gives you a 16” 20” or 24” rifle with AR ergonomics and NV performance, but the handling characteristics of a naked 11.5” SBR. It’s still heavy, but you don’t feel it when shouldering the rifle.

Originally Posted By FrozenIceman:
I wouldn't say AR ergonomics.  It is still a bullpup, with bullpup controls, and weight affects ergonomics.  It is really more of a feature improvement than an ergonomics one.

Originally Posted By Tomac:


My Tavor X95's have an AR-style/location safety & mag release and a more ergonomic charging handle location.

Originally Posted By FrozenIceman:


Understood, I am just saying none of the 2025 Aug updates changed any of those for the Aug.

Originally Posted By rb889:
Steyr finally brought the AUG into the 21st century, they’re just charging you more for it.

~$1700 AUG A3M2, with the requisite $400 extended QD rail, matches the AR for use with NV, which was its main handicap. You can use any AR-based LAM with a thumb over bore grip to eliminate the need for goofy tape switches, and Holosun is releasing the perfect LAM for this use case later this year, the Iris-4 with an integrated 25k candela light.

KNS is releasing an adjustable regulator later this year with 3 gas ports and 13 exhaust vents to choose from, think it’s $150. Should fix any issues with suppressing the AUG. Only caveat is that I don’t know if it’ll fit the QD rail… There might be some modification needed.

Last major gripe is mounting a sling. $30 GHW takedown button, slap a $20 paraclip adapter in it, and call it a day. Drop an allen key into the stock with your cleaning kit to allow for field disassembly. Could do the same with the QD’s on the extended top rail, but I’m not a big fan of mounting a sling to a cantilevered optic rail.

This is not a cost-effective setup, it’s a bit more pricey than a DD, LMT, or G super duty, but it gives you a 16” 20” or 24” rifle with AR ergonomics and NV performance, but the handling characteristics of a naked 11.5” SBR. It’s still heavy, but you don’t feel it when shouldering the rifle.

Bonus, you can mount a LAM to the extended rail and have an LPVO behind it without the laser blocking half of your FOV on 1X. It’s really nice.

Originally Posted By AR18:
I picked up a Tavor SAR for a damn good price. Why not.

Originally Posted By Manticore_Arms:
In response to the OP, needing/wanting controls like the magazine release and bolt release to be at your firing hand is a very AR-centric point of view. Different firearms have different manuals of arms, and most modern firearms don't have a "better" or "worse" manual of arms, just different.  

It is like the guys who insist on reaching over/under an AK to run the bolt handle- just hold the AK with your offhand on the forend and run the bolt and safety with your trigger hand, and suddenly the operation of the bolt handle and safety make a whole lot more sense. If you are trying to pull the trigger while doing either of those actions, you are doing something wrong.



Your offhand can just as easily run the bolt catch and magazine release when located around the magwell of a bullpup, you just need to learn the manual of arms of the firearm you are using.  And before the "well I shouldn't have to look at the controls are" comments, no one who is practiced in an AR-15 looks at the mag release button or the both catch when operating it, nor does anyone practiced with their particular bullpup.


The main advantage is a bullpup shaves a foot of length off of a rifle compared to a conventional layout rifle, which means you can have rifle ballistics in an SBR package, and rifle ballistics AND a suppressor to boot in a package slightly smaller than a 16" barreled AR carbine. This also means as a civvy you don't even need to register the rifle as an SBR and can still have SBR size- great for those in a state that does not allow SBR's (yes, there are some of those, no not everyone can just up and move somewhere more free....)

Also, the weight of the rifle is not cantilevered so much out in front of your support arm/offhand, which is a nice bonus.  Doubly so with a heavy can on the gun.


I feel the OP was less about wanting to understand the actual reasons people may choose a bullpup, and more likely woke up one morning, picked the bullpup forum, and chose violence.  

Sven
Manticore Arms

Originally Posted By vectorsc:
I own a gun store.  I shoot every day almost.  

I have or have had every modern AR-type gun available in the US, and every single bullpup that had been available in the US.  

The Springfield Hellion is my main "having a war, right now, get your shit" gun.  The SCAR's and the LMT's and the KAC's are gonna sit there.  

The 3 we have at the shop are all sub-moa, completely reliable, shoot good and flat, and run clean as fuck with a can.  Quiet enough to live with, full full ambi.  

Originally Posted By lazyengineer:
It's a good question.  The answer is, would you like a full power rifle that is smaller than a collapsed M4?  

That has a lot of appeal for a lot of reasons to me.  To date, and to your point, the bulk of the bullpup market are Cold-War designs, or updated copies of Cold-War designs.  In particular, iconic and bad-ass guns like the Steyr AUG are:
-Heavy (like, really heavy)
-Terrible Trigger
-Ambi Questionable
-Kaboom terrifying
-loud (the AUG in particular, is F'ing LOUD)
(Cant' think why...)
https://i.postimg.cc/nzMckHR7/Video-Capture-20250214-132507.jpg
-Surprisingly more jumpy recoil than you'd think
-Kind of expensive
-Spotty supressor hosts
And did I mention the terrible trigger?

So all of that.

But wait.  What if there were a modern bullpup that addressed all of that? Every single one of those problems?

There is.  It's called the RDB, and almost  everyone who runs bullpups quitely gravitates to one.

They even are Kaboom safe, with a continous sheet of strong steel by your face, not plastic and no door-cover; since it's ambi and downward ejects.   Recoil is non-existant.  The trigger appraoch is very clever, with really long trigger parts vs using a coat hanger linkage, that gives a pretty nice 2-stage trigger.  And most importantly, they figured out how to get the weight under control.  Lifting up an AUG/Tavor/VHS which are all way overweight, with just your right arm is slow.  ANd yea, fatigue prone.  The RDB is much ligher and more pleasant.  The RDB is the single best form-factor for supressed of all gun options combined, included SBR's, since it's downward ejected with an 18(?) position adustable gas system.  since it's a long strokenfor the downward eject, it has the smoothest mildest action of any gun ever since ever - while also light.

Two issues with the RDB.
-It's KelTec quality of assembly.  Meaning you better run 1000 rounds through it and really know your gun, and know and have addressed which of the 100 screws needed to be tightened and lock-tight.  This addressed by exactly that - RUN your gun.  and get to know it.
-SOME people don't care for the difficult chamber checking.  I'm not one of them.  I consider the sealed form-factor a feature, the gun is crazy reliable, and in my experience more tolerant and recoverable from ammo issues (like undersized reloads), than AR's are, in fact.  I'm not really worried about it.

So that's the long answer to OP's question.  The short answer - get an RDB, but a light weight optic like a micro-prism 3x,  and run it.

And finally - price.  They had gotten up to over $1k (still about half the other older beasts), but with the current market collapse, you can get new ones for under $800.  You are crazy not to get one at that price.  I've basically retired my AUG which I only bring out for European guests - and run the RDB now.  It's just a better gun.  

Originally Posted By vectorsc:
I consider the RDB's design to be superior.   The problem is its manufactured by Kelgren's Midget Cocaine Disposal Factory and Gun Company.   I just....wish they would sell this design to someone who was good at making shit.  

The Keltec works, but it almost works out of spite.  Like "I'm a superior design so I'm gonna AK47 my way to fame..."   Instead, I would have wanted a Sig 550....the AK made by the Swiss.  

The workmanship on the Hellion is 10/10.   HK grade.

Originally Posted By vectorsc:
I own a gun store.  I shoot every day almost.  

I have or have had every modern AR-type gun available in the US, and every single bullpup that had been available in the US.  

The Springfield Hellion is my main "having a war, right now, get your shit" gun.  The SCAR's and the LMT's and the KAC's are gonna sit there.  

The 3 we have at the shop are all sub-moa, completely reliable, shoot good and flat, and run clean as fuck with a can.  Quiet enough to live with, full full ambi.  

Originally Posted By vectorsc:
IMHO, the trigger on the RDB and the Hellion stock trigger, as well as the X95 (and the DTA MDR guns, but lets not go there.  Tired of the smell of burning trash) are good enough.  

They are up there with a factory AR.   The Hellion with the JARD is around Geissele SSA levels.  

No these guns aren't wine connoisseur pleasing, but they are very very combat functional.

Originally Posted By tep0583:


Yer KILLING me here.....

Once there's enough of those out there for me to be comfortable that they have all the bugs worked out of them, I'm getting one.

Honestly, the factory trigger is far better than I expected, based on the reputation of bullpup triggers. I consider mine as good as some of my better "milspec" triggers. Obviously, it can't touch the good AR aftermarket triggers, but for a factory unit, it's perfectly acceptable.

Originally Posted By vectorsc:
I consider the RDB's design to be superior.   The problem is its manufactured by Kelgren's Midget Cocaine Disposal Factory and Gun Company.   I just....wish they would sell this design to someone who was good at making shit.  

The Keltec works, but it almost works out of spite.  Like "I'm a superior design so I'm gonna AK47 my way to fame..."   Instead, I would have wanted a Sig 550....the AK made by the Swiss.  

The workmanship on the Hellion is 10/10.   HK grade.