Has any quality U.S. manufacturer considered bullpup AKs?

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MatthewVanitas

MatthewVanitas

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Greetings. At a recent Austin gunshow, I ran across a fella with a bullpup AK, asking $700 ("but I can do you a little better"). For that price, I assume it wasn't an actual 86S, KVAR perhaps?

I was vaguely interested, but I'm about to spend $700-some to get the AR-15 I really want, so couldn't justify spending it on a novelty of unknown condition/origin.

Have either of the Arsenal AK makers, VEPR, etc. ever put out or toyed with the bullpup format? The AK bullpup is a pretty darn cool piece of gear, and seemed a lot less thrown-together than the Bushmaster M17. Plus the parts compatibility with the standard AK market would seem pretty high.

Or does the fact that even the BM M17 went toes-up indicate that the average American gunbuyer doesn't give a flying Philadelphia handshake for bullpups, thus no manufacturer will make them?

Perhaps the new FN spacegun can change opinions....

Thanks for any info,
-MV
 
Whoa! Who built that puppy?

I checked around, and the KVAR kits looked just like what I saw at the show. $225 kit + $300 used WASR = $700 was too high. I've heard the KVAR kits have the standard ungodly triggers due to the linkage wire, but that aside the kit looks pretty solid. I don't know if there really is any solution to bullpup triggers besides just fiddling with the linkage (or electronic trigger).

AKU-94.JPG


Of course, the problem w/ both the KVAR and the the custom hartzpad posted is that the safety seems really unergonomic.

I love the bullpup idea, just have yet to find one I can sink my teeth into. High priority: find an early-adopter of the FN2000 and buy him a beer. I don't care for its looks, but I'd love to fire one. -MV
 
Weird modified Maadi up on Gunbroker currently:

Not quite so graceful as the other AK bullpups...
 

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I read a write-up (on Gunsnet) on improving the AK Bullpups' trigger pulls with the K-Var kit by using small diameter guitar strings and other ways to cut down on friction and slack in the system. The author said that it made the trigger pull much better. He even had some diagrams on how he did it.

I still think that the Steyr AUG is one of the best thought out and most utilized Bullpup out there. I hope they start making these new Steyr A3's here in the U.S. so we can have them:

7ddedc2070.jpg
 
I actually have one of the very few 86S' that are in the US, and if you are probably right that what you saw likely wasn't an 86S - because at that kind of price, you could buy it and turn around and sell it for twice as much and still be selling it for only a portion of what it is worth. Also, China is now fielding a modernized version of the 86S as a special forces rifle and may be transitioned into being the Chinese main issue rifle.

I've heard good and bad things about the AK bullpup kits that are US made, and I think the greatest thing going against them is that they just aren't that pleasing to the eye.

I'm a huge proponent of bullpup's, and one of the reason I think the Bushmaster M17 flopped is because first off it is very clunky looking, and secondly, Bushmaster didn't support and advertise for it like they should have. Average American shooters, who are not as into the sport as those of us who spend time every day on these damned message boards, have likely never seen bullpups , or if they have, they think of them as goofy odd-ball space guns that don't serve any "real" purpose (and then they find out that dozens of nations field the AUG- which is just one military bullpup amoung many - the FAMAS, TAVOR, ect, ect).

I hope that with the FN (and hopefully Steyr ) bullpups coming to market in '06, we will see a rise in the respect and knowledge of bullpups amounst average, everyday shooters.
 
It seems that all three AK-bullpups posted on this thread have pretty much the same design.

Giolli: what's the origin of that bullpup that you posted?

I would write both Arsenal of Houston and Las Vegas to see if they have anything in the works, but I'd feel bad asking about a product that I'm not necessarily committed to buying personally. Just curious at this point.

Grand Inquisitor: great summary of the State of the Bullpup. I'd imagine American attitudes would change considerably if the US adopted a bullpup, but we don't seem in any hurry to change from the M16A4 and M4 anytime soon. Although the flopping of the XM-8 has reopened the playing field.

-MV
 
Same gunshow had a different seller with a Valmet, believe it was tagged around $2,400.

I'm no engineer, but even the Valmet doesn't seem to terribly complicated. One piece cast polymer stock, some mods to sights and safety, and set up a trigger linkage. I'd imagine it would be barely more expensive than the M17, but a lot sturdier-looking, and cheaper by far than the other centerfire bullpups on the market.

Then again, perhaps Arsenal(s) are moving all the AKs they can make in the first place. Arsenal of Houston (I believe they're changing their name to Armory to avoid confusion) had a great booth at the Austin show; really nice products for $499. Considering the upward march of WASR prices, it was pretty tempting. Now if Arsenal could make their own Valmet stock...

-MV
 
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