Israeli army to get new Tavor assault rifle

[2dogs]

http://www.spacewar.com/2003/030722161853.krlr1zso.html

Israeli army to get new Tavor assault rifle

JERUSALEM (AFP) Jul 22, 2003
The Israeli army will from next year be increasingly equipped with the new Tavor assault rifle, made by Israel Military Industries (IMI), the defense ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry has already ordered 15,000 guns with a view to eventually phasing out and replacing the American M-16.

A ministry statement described the Tavor as currently "the best assault rifle in the world".

The Tavor is particularly efficient in street combat, due its precision and lightness, the statement added. The 5.56-millimetre rifle can fire between 750 and 900 rounds a minute.

At 72 centimetres (28 inches) long, it weighs only 2.8 kilogrammes (six pounds) when empty. When equipped with a telescopic sight, complete with night vision, and a 30-round magazine it weighs 3.635 kilos (eight pounds), IMI said.

 

[BDM]

Go to this site www.isayeret.com click on weapons then assault rifles scroll down to IMI and click on tavor,there are design flaws but the IDF has given into IMI pressure to procure units that have been redesigned and the problems are listed there also there is a TAVOR2 variant and IDF is uncomortable going for this variant when initial testing was done to tavor 1 the IDF says cost,no iron sites and slow mag change are part of the features the IDF dont like plus the cost fact its cheaper to get the M16 from us in the aid package they receive each year from us ,go to the site its all about the IDF and IDF special forces.

 

[Badger Arms]

Interestingly statement:

The Tavor is particularly efficient in street combat, due its precision and lightness.

What planet is the author of this statement from. First of all, lightness is a good attribute to have for a Jungle, Desert, or Woodland rifle that will be carried around lots and fired occasionally. An urban rifle needs to have FIREPOWER and it needs to be COMPACT. Accuracy is mostly irrelevant as virtually any modern military rifle has the required accuracy. Beyond that, what's NOT said is that this rifle, being a bullpup, has dubious utility in urban warfare. It is compact, yes, but you can only fire it from one shoulder. What happens is that you need a lefty or two in every squad to handle all those situations when you have a left barricade or a right barricade. I'd rather not be the poor grunt that accidentally picks up a lefty-configured gun and puts a hot, spent 5.56x45 case through his eyeball!

Bullpups are great and there are just some idiosyncrocies that must be dealt with. In my opinion, these drawbacks outweigh the increased utility they offer. Give me an M4 or G-36K any day of the week.

 

[Spark]

Needs a bottom ejection port so it's completely ambi. Why companies haven't figured this out yet is beyond me.

 

[BDM]

the G11 no case at all.

 

[Spark]

Yeah, too bad about that pesky retained heat thing though.

 

[BDM]

yea overheating would definately shut that weapon down,maybe they will design it so it cools somehow.

 

[Correia]

Spark. 2 words for you: FN2000. Somebody has thought of it. And the Russians thought of it 10 years ago, but that rifle lost out to the AN94 in trials.

BDM. Unfortunatly the G11 as we know it is dead in the water.

 

[hksw]

There is, of course, also the P90.

 

[Poodleshooter]

There is, of course, also the P90.

It's a neat bullet if everyone is wearing body armor. Otherwise, not exactly a stellar performer when stacked against true assault rifles.
I'd like an AN94 with that two round burst feature.

 

[hksw]

Referring to bottom eject.

 

[Nightcrawler]

I'm glad the Israelis are adopting their own rifle design. As for the drawbacks of the bullpup design, I'm sure they'll work it out somehow.

I do have a sneaking suspicion that a great many AR-15 lovers will take this personally, though...

It's a neat bullet if everyone is wearing body armor. Otherwise, not exactly a stellar performer when stacked against true assault rifles.

Well, 5.56mm will put a .22 caliber hole clean through somebody, as will 5.45x39mm. So will 5.7mm FN. *shrug*

 

[El Tejon]

Adopt it? Just like the Galil?

Who in Zahal will take that?

 

[Min]

Since I'm a left-eye dominant shooter I would prefer the FAMAS which has a reversible ejection port. If they allowed them in the US I would buy one.

 

[Nightcrawler]

I'm pretty sure the TAVOR has a reversable ejection port.

There was a rumor awhile back (I believe last year's SHOT Show) that Barret was going to import a civilian version of the TAVOR. Doesn't look much like the military one, but is still pretty cool in its own right....

 

[MicroBalrog]

And the Russians thought of it 10 years ago, but that rifle lost out to the AN94 in trials.

Do you mean the AEK-491?

 

[Kharn]

IIRC, Barrett was going to be building Tavors (they had a prototype at the SHOT show a year or two ago), so now the Israelis can use their US govt weapons aid (must be spent in the US, so they used to just buy Colt M16s) to buy Tavor parts from Barrett, assuming they dont just buy complete Tavors.
Israelis get the Tavor, Barrett gets more money (and hopefully sells some civie Tavors here in the US), everybody's happy. Except Colt.

Kharn

 

[George Hill]

I'll adopt a Galil.

No problem. Feel free to ship any unwanted Galil rifles to my FFL. Thanks.