IWI Tavor SAR Bullpup Rifle Review

[Mrgunsngear]

After a long wait, the IWI Tavor has finally ended up on American gun store shelves. I was lucky enough to get one of the first ones a couple months ago and have been putting it through its' paces since. Here's what I've found...

Pros:
-Reliable. 1 malfunction out of roughly 1000 rounds and it may very well have been a bad round (more info in the video below).
-26'' OAL yet still has a 16.5'' barrel. Above you can see it next to my 10.5'' SBR'd AR.
-1/2 x 28 thread pattern so AR muzzle devices and suppressors will work just fine on the rifle.
-Comes with 2 QD attachment points built into the rifle.
-Full 1913 top rail for adding whatever optic you choose.
-Built in flip up iron sights. The front sight has a tritium insert for low light visibility.
-Easy to field strip for maintenance.
-Very easy to swap controls for left hand use. Ejection pattern can also be swapped with a left hand bolt (LH rifles will be coming from the factory soon).
-Caliber conversions for both 5.45x39 and 9mm will be released in the coming months.
-Balances very well as most of the weight is in the rear of the rifle.
-Bolt locks open on the last round.
-CHF chrome lined 1 in 7 5.56 chambered barrel.
-Accepts standard capacity AR mags (some Gen2 PMags may not drop free)
-Very easy mag change procedure.


Cons:
-The recoil spring is pinned in to the bolt carrier assembly so I'm not sure how that would be swapped when the round count gets high enough to justify it (US version only as I understand it).
-Trigger. It has some 'linkage' feel to it like most bullpups do. That said, the break is crisp at just over 9 pounds.
-Cost. These things are tough to find and they're going for over $3k on gunbroker and many small gun shops (and people are paying it!).
-Mounting a light on the rail system is awkward unless you're using a pressure switch.
-Not a lot of Tavor specific accessories available currently. We're pretty much limited to adapting/using accessories designed for use on an AR for this rifle so the side/top rail space can get full really quickly.
-Fixed LOP stock. That said, it is comfortable for me in most positions (6'0'' for reference)
-Many folks like to run their rifles with their hand far out toward the muzzle for better control---for them the compactness of the rifle may hinder their weapons handling/control capabilities.


All in all the Tavor has a some of the downsides inherent to the platform but less than probably any bullpup I've seen/owned/handled to date. They're a little on the pricy side but if you're looking for a gun that will be used in a CQB role, this is one that I'd take a hard look at. I really like it thus far and the more time I have behind it the more I like it (I think much of that is due to gaining familiarity with the controls and confidence in manipulating the weapon).

If I could go back in time I'd absolutely buy this rifle again so I guess that's really the ultimate complement.

Here's a video with some shooting, a quick accuracy 'test' (wind and Wolf ammo...), a demonstration of how to manipulate the controls of the rifle, a quick disassembly/assembly, and a discussion of the pros/cons of the rifle.


Tavor HD Video Review Link

[loose_holster_dan]

jealous.
i love bullpups.

[Patriot86]

I agree I want one but not going to be paying 3K for one. Maybe I will pick one up gently used in a few months, but if I am spending 3K on a rifle its going to be a SCAR or a H&K 416 variant.

[Dr Big Bird PhD]

Don't think I'll be ever able to own one in my state, but I think bullpups are the best compromise for people such as myself who prefer to use rifles instead of handguns or shotguns for HD.

[Patriot86]

Does California have an overall length requirment? I don't quite know the inns and outs of your State AWB. You could perm attach the flash hider. I would assume it takes a 10 round magazine and it doesn't technically have a pistol grip.

[Dr Big Bird PhD]

Does California have an overall length requirment? I don't quite know the inns and outs of your State AWB. You could perm attach the flash hider. I would assume it takes a 10 round magazine and it doesn't technically have a pistol grip.

The pistol grip would be a REALLY hard sale. But even if we could pull it off, it is technically an "Assault Weapon" if the OAL is <30 inches.

[Ajtozzi]

We sold about a half dozen of them for $2199. I shot the owners - it's really cool but the trigger is very mechanical feeling and kind of heavy.

[Mrgunsngear]

I agree I want one but not going to be paying 3K for one. Maybe I will pick one up gently used in a few months, but if I am spending 3K on a rifle its going to be a SCAR or a H&K 416 variant.

It would be a tough pill to swallow. Crazy thing is I think once the 9mm kits hit the market (supposedly a couple months) and the 5.45 kits arrive (supposedly by the end of 2013) the popularity of these may actually go up so the price will remain relatively high.

I hope I'm wrong, but....

[Justice06RR]

Sweet rifle. But $3k pricetag


Congrats.

[5.56RifleGuy]

When stuff settles down they wont be 3k. I got mine for msrp.

[Patriot86]

I want one bad but I am still going to wait until the "New" craze wears off and pick up a gently used one for hopefully $1500 or 1600. It will happen, might take a year or two but it will.

[DasGuy]

I want one.

[ThatBeardedGuy]

I keep hearing nothing but good things about this rifle. Definitely picking one up.

[ThatBeardedGuy]

I do have a question though. Coming from the AR, I wanted to ask if you figured out a good system for reloading the bullpup. Did you need to unsocket the rifle from your shoulder and cant it to reload?

[Mrgunsngear]

I do have a question though. Coming from the AR, I wanted to ask if you figured out a good system for reloading the bullpup. Did you need to unsocket the rifle from your shoulder and cant it to reload?

I don't. In fact, I think that with practice reloads on the Tavor can certainly be faster than the AR. If you watch the video (link above) you'll see me change mags several times.

[5.56RifleGuy]

The placement of the bolt and mag release helps a lot too.

[ThatBeardedGuy]

Right, I finally loaded up the video and saw your process for reloading. Loading videos in Afghanistan is a several-hour exercise sometimes. Thanks for the reply.

[ThatBeardedGuy]

At any rate, watching you run the rifle definitely assures me that it'll be well-worth the price. A coworker of mine bought one but hasn't gotten to shoot it yet, and we've got another one who's looking at it to fill the CQB role his SCAR 17S is a little long for.

[Mrgunsngear]

At any rate, watching you run the rifle definitely assures me that it'll be well-worth the price. A coworker of mine bought one but hasn't gotten to shoot it yet, and we've got another one who's looking at it to fill the CQB role his SCAR 17S is a little long for.

It would certainly be much better in CQB scenarios than a 17S; even with the NFA barrels...

[4V50 Gary]

At $3k I'll pass.

[ThatBeardedGuy]

It would certainly be much better in CQB scenarios than a 17S; even with the NFA barrels...

That seems to be his viewpoint. He enjoys the 17S, but it's a lot of gun for pieing a corner. The Tavor SAR manages to work a mid-length barrel into a something shorter even than your average "carbine".

I look forward to picking mine up when I get home, and I'm in a place where I can afford the somewhat inflated price to get one.

That said, I think the prices will stay level. Through all of this mess, prices on bullpup rifles have stayed more constant and reasonable than they have on traditional designs like the AR or the SCAR. I think it's partly that a lot of American shooters are going to look at this rifle like it's a plastic toy, and putting the magazine and receiver group behind the trigger is something very few American gun companies experiment with (the Kel-Tec RFB comes to mind as an example).

However, I think a lot of Americans also understand that Israel can't afford to field a weapon system that sucks. The Israelis know that anything they put into military supply chains is going to be used pretty much immediately, and the Tavor is combat-proven in a country that's always in combat.

[Spats McGee]

Originally Posted by Ajtozzi

We sold about a half dozen of them for $2199. I shot the owners - it's really cool but the trigger is very mechanical feeling and kind of heavy.

Dude! If shooting customers is SOP in your store, I am SOOOO not shopping there.

Seriously, though, I'm not a huge fan of bullpups, that may well be related to my never having shot one.

[loose_holster_dan]

Seriously, though, I'm not a huge fan of bullpups, that may well be related to my never having shot one.

you don't have to shoot it to realize you'll love it. just shoulder it and swing it around (unloaded hopefully). it just feels so right. unfortunately, shooting it does take some of the perfection away, since most have a 9lb trigger. that can be fixed on some bullpups tho. my msar gets right around 5lbs with the htm hybrid trigger from rat worx installed.

btw - how do you get that formatting for your quoted text?

[Spats McGee]

TBH, I'm not even sure I've ever seen anything in a bullpup configuration around here. If I see one at a gun show, I'll take a minute to handle it.

[RangerHAAF]

What about MOA at 100 yards? Was that mentioned?