12-02-2011, 10:30 PM
That's funny, because I was just thinking about the Universal Infantry Cartridge Thread and I walked away thinking that the 800m and CQB requirement could be met with a bullpup with .260 Rem or 6.5x47 Lapua ballistics. If you used a polygonal rifled barrel, you could maybe increase the barrel life. Since the Grendel already will bite the heels of .260 Rem out of a bolt gun, I would lean towards the Grendel case with longer mag COAL, meaning a new magazine design entirely. The bullpup would also need a larger bolt geometry to take the pressures, since we are talking about a higher pressure cartridge no matter how you look at it. To get the pressures more moderate, you need to increase case capacity and that means larger mags, less mag capacity, etc.
With the magazine in the rear of the weapon, you do face certain prone profile limitations that aren't ideal, especially if you're using a magazine with more capacity than 20rds. I don't think the mag change issue is a huge deal, and ejection is solved with the forward eject system prototyped by the Soviets that everyone is copying now. The real hurdles that would need to be overcome would be ergonomic interface as to mag release and bolt catch/bolt hold-open with the firing hand.
The Tavor has addressed the selector control, but it has a mag release that requires two hands, and the bolt stop is at the toe of the butt of all places. I like bullpups, but have yet to see a real viable platform with the features I like, to include the above ergonomic interface devices that are standard on the AR.
To the layman, we are basically re-visiting the EM-2/.280 Enfield.
With the magazine in the rear of the weapon, you do face certain prone profile limitations that aren't ideal, especially if you're using a magazine with more capacity than 20rds. I don't think the mag change issue is a huge deal, and ejection is solved with the forward eject system prototyped by the Soviets that everyone is copying now. The real hurdles that would need to be overcome would be ergonomic interface as to mag release and bolt catch/bolt hold-open with the firing hand.
The Tavor has addressed the selector control, but it has a mag release that requires two hands, and the bolt stop is at the toe of the butt of all places. I like bullpups, but have yet to see a real viable platform with the features I like, to include the above ergonomic interface devices that are standard on the AR.
To the layman, we are basically re-visiting the EM-2/.280 Enfield.