Have yet to add a bullpup to the stable, one of these caught my eye. Its like new in box, and they want $1700 for it. Model is discontinued, which also attracts me a bit.

Go or no?

Yes!

Isn’t the only difference the included optic? If so, I would pass as PSA just had a blowout on these at $1,099 or so. Even buying the optic separately would still be under $1,700.
Unless there are other differences I’m missing.

The IDF model has a different rear sight, magnifier mount, and no top rail iirc

I wouldn’t for $1700.  That seems on the high side for a Tavor these days, much less for this particular model since it doesn’t have a rail.  The optic is attached to the barrel, so you can’t really replace it with something else.

Thanks for all the advice, looks like the money is best spent elsewhere.

I'd go for a regular SAR or x95

personally I’d get it!

Sven is being nice, that optic is a TURD! Sold my IDF and glad I did.

Tavor isn't a very good bullpup, Steyr Aug is considered the better pup by most.  The tavor looks cool and had good marketing, only reason they sold so many.

I've got a SAR IDF and a couple of AUGs. I like the AUG better, but the Tavor does have significant advantages too.

It come down to which set of compromises you prefer.

There is a polarizer set that takes care of the M21 wash out problem, although wash out is usually more of a corner case.

AJ

There is also the rem21 illuminator for $30.

Yeah. That’s a negative.

AUG hasn’t won a single .gov contract in yeeeeaaaars...

I like the AUG a lot but overall the Tavor TAR21/X95 has been a much better success both civilian and .gov in recent memory.

More SARs were sold in about a year than AUGs have sold in 30, and that was before the x95 and Tavor 7.

But even as an SAR owner, I'd look somewhere else if I were OP.  The PSA deal leaves a lot of meat on the bone for any upgrades you want; I put a MI extended rail, x95 trigger pack, and Meprolight RDS on mine, and all of those upgrades together would still be cheaper than the 1700.

The Tavor is carefully designed to be simpler than an AK to maintain yet has great ergonomics, all in a very small package.

The Tavor assumes that you have armorer support to do things like change barrel length or caliber. With the AUG the end user is able to make those changes w/o tools. The Tavor is simpler than the AUG at the cost of some flexibility. The AUG's features are at the cost of being more complex and not being as soldier proof.

If I needed to buy 10,000 rifles to equip average guys, the Tavor would be on higher on my list. It's just more soldier proof.

AJ

It's much cheaper to add an aftermarket trigger upgrade to the AUG than it is the Tavor.

I have an MSAR Stg556, and two Tavors, I prefer the Stg. I feel it has better ergos.

You get what you pay for.  I have a Ratworx 20/20 in my Steyr A3 and it’s not near as nice as the Geissele and Shooting sight triggers in my Tavor and X95.

I'd agree with your assessment. The 20/20 sear makes the AUG trigger acceptable for aimed fire by improving length of pull and shortening the reset. Shootingsight's Tavor trigger is a thing of joy.

AJ

TBH I don't even know if what Sven says is true. As soon as I learned the following expensive detail, I decided I wouldn't even bother looking into the optic any further.
For me, the killing issue with that optic, is that you will have to replace it in 7-10 years. I contacted Mepro about replacing the Tritium when it has started fading, and the only fix is a complete rebuild. There is no replaceable tritium capsule, according to them. Not so big of a problem for the IDF, since military rifles are usually going through some form of upgrade or at least a depot level maintenance at that point, anyway. For me, I'd rather buy a couple extra batteries and call it a decade.

If you want the SAR, get one. However, get it with a rail instead of the IDF model.

Well, what he said IS true. It’s subpar compared to almost anything battery operated including Mepro’s own RDS. The M21, like the Trijicon Reflex (do you ever even hear about this one?) were surpassed many years (decades?) ago. If one wants a Tavor with a M21 for nostalgia, it makes a little sense, but if one wants a decent optic, it makes none. Why anyone would buy a M21 and stick a polarizer or a battery operated flashlight on it just to have it be mediocre is beyond me.

FWIW, I’m a current Mepro RDS and MOR, Aimpoint T1 and Nano, Eotech 512 and XPS2, Trijicon MRO, Hensoldt RSA, Steiner R1X, and a bunch of mini red dots owner and everything I listed is leaps and bounds better than the M21.

I really like my Tavor IDF and don’t find the Mepro to be that bad of an optic. I still prefer their new TruDot and Aimpoints, but the IDF with the snap on MX3 optic is super and not a rifle I’d easily part with. The stock trigger is meh, but does smooth out (I did allot of dry firing on mine and live fire - my best estimate is about 2500 pulls). I will say that I paid 1300 for mine, which was a smoking deal, but it’s definitely a rare variant.

It’s an ok rifle I like mine because it’s closer to the issued variant. The m21 is mediocre at best and some reticle it can come with really suck. The magnifier built specifically for the Israeli quick detach system is also very mediocre and the quick detach system is very meh fold to the side or something would be more practical.

They were discontinued first and will probably go up in value given limited numbers made and IDF allure if you collect stuff.

I had IWI convert my flattop to a IDF model, as I was able to source a MARS sight.

Took roughly 9months of bugging them, and they won't even entertain it now.
I have the flattop hardware sitting in a tub if anyone wants to convert their IDF to a flattop, even trade for parts.....

Here's +1 for the IDF Tavor.

I too run a MARS optic on my IDF16. It's THE way to go with this gun. It's a fantastic optic--very clear red dot, plus IR laser which is great.

The IDF model is a collectible, but it also has its advantages. The rear gas block has an integrated BUIS and a QD mount for the Mepro MX3 magnifier, which works with either the M21 or MARS sight. The IDF gas block/integral M21 or MARS also fits on the X95, BTW, if you want to make a more authentic IDF X95 clone. The IDF Tavor is also cooler because it looks almost identical to the military TAVOR-21, which we should all be able to own anyway here in the Land of the Free.

How often are you really going to switch around optics? If you can be happy with the M21 or the MARS, the IDF is the way to go. And the M21 is not a bad sight, as long as it has the triangle reticle. I have one on my X95 and I love it. People hate it because they look through it indoors and it looks tinted and weak. This optic is happy in sunlight. It's a fiber optic sight, after all. Get outside and give it a chance on a bright, sunny day, and you won't have any issues. It's extremely rugged and doesn't need batteries. And it even has tritium. It also looks cool with its green lens and has accessories readily available like a washout reducer and polarizer/killflash kit.

If you want to run an optic other than the M21 or MARS, then no, the IDF is not for you, and why were you considering one in the first place? The Tavor with full length top rail is obviously what you'll need.

P.S. Warning: If you do want to run an integrally mounted MARS sight on a Tavor, you'll have to remove the QD levers from the MARS optic and swap the bolts over to the MARS sight. It took me about an hour to do it right. There are pins you have to press out of the M21 mount and push fit into the MARS optic. Just study the M21 integral IDF mount and you'll figure it out. If anyone decides to go this route and wants more advice, PM me and I'll get you some pics so you know what you need to do.

My MARS IDF Tavor is my favorite gun.

At least until IWI finally releases the round handguard for the X95... then that will reign supreme.

To be fair the AUG is/has been in use by more countries than the Tavor.

The Tavor being a younger product took advantage of all the lessons learned by other bullpups and was designed with more modern requirements in mind.
When the AUG was developed there were no picatinny rails, no stanag mags, no ambidextrous requirements etc

Will the Tavor still be here in 40+ years? I would think so but we will see..

AUG is a fine weapon but it is not being adopted anymore...and sadly I do not think Steyr is going to update much on it either...shame...because it is one of the smoothest operating long guns I ever shot.