The US IWI Tavor (pics)

[Sturmgewehre]

http://www.intempusphotography.com/photos/i-5J97vpw/0/L/i-5J97vpw-L.jpg

http://www.intempusphotography.com/photos/i-nVzBcBD/0/L/i-nVzBcBD-L.jpg

Due around May.
Price: $1900 MSRP

[5.56RifleGuy]

Thanks for the pictures and update.

[savage1r]

Deleted because I didn't read that OP was Sturm. Sorry.

[Achilles11B]

Is there anywhere I can get more info?

[JHansenAK47]

Ohh great, a teaser.
Who is the importer?

[Patriot86]

Looks like I will be getting a Birthday present next year afterall!

A shame I need to wait until May but if everything looks GTG I will be picking one up.

[Bamashooter]

Not a big fan of the bullpups with the exception of the AUG. You guys enjoy.

[insomni]

have fun pwning all the BF3 noobs!

[Fishbed77]

Deleted. Sorry - wrong thread.

[TWA]

Learn more about IWI US and the TAVOR SAR at www.iwi.us.

IWI US is also now on Facebook at www.facebook.com/IWIUS. Please visit and "LIKE".

[Woody55]

Sure ain't purty.

How much does it weigh?

[Patriot86]

Want to get my hands on one bad...real bad...Would love to have the 9MM conversion kit too.

[Achilles11B]

I'm looking forward to their release. I'd love to see how it feels before dropping $2k for one. The 9mm and 5.45mm kits sound pretty good, though.

[johnwilliamson062]

I am also very interested. The only modern design at that pricepoint that has my attention.

[RampantAndroid]

I don't get these new guns...for much less I can get a good AR...which albeit isn't ambi or bullpup, but 1900 or so for a Tavor or a SCAR? Really?

[johnwilliamson062]

Will it include the red-dot linked to the safety?

I scrolled down and saw the red dot is an additional $600. A bit pricey IMO.

[Fishbed77]

I don't get these new guns...for much less I can get a good AR...which albeit isn't ambi or bullpup, but 1900 or so for a Tavor or a SCAR? Really?


It's great to live in America and have choices!

[Bart Noir]

It's great to live in America and have choices!

Agree. Even if we make bad ones.

But back to the Tavor. I think the concept of having a bayonet lug on these is a tad silly, even for the real-deal soldiers. How can you actually use this to stab somebody???

Yeah, yeah, I know about the British troops who made the famous bayonet charge in southern Iraq with their bullpup rifles. Likely it was the whole concept of any sort of infantry charge that caused the Shiite irregulars to skedaddle out of their. The Brits could have been charging with weed-whackers and got them to run :D

Especially the ones with the thick plastic string.

To Sturm, a thanks. I had been waiting and wondering about these new rifles. Now I am much more confident that they will actually be sold here in the US.

Bart Noir

[Bart Noir]

So, looking at the first picture that Sturm posted...

Is that a keyhole just forward of the ejection port? Say it ain't so!

Bart Noir

[TripHlx]

Just conjecture really, but judging by the position of the 'keyhole', it might be a lock for interchangeable barrels. Swapping calibers in the field doesn't really seem practical to me, not in this type of rifle, so requiring some sort of 'key' to swap to the 9mm barrel seems like a good idea.

[sailskidrive]

You know... every time I see a picture of an IDF soldier they are carrying an M4.

Are they actually issuing the Tavor???

[Tucker 1371]

Nifty... If the weight was around 6.5lbs I might bite. Something tells me it's heavier.

[Patriot86]

Google is my friend..

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Dm4Xx59f6NM/SPeDHQBFhfI/AAAAAAAABnk/M-PFnp3CyYU/s400/tavor_idf_1.jpg

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/5294/israel2008b023.jpg

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSx9lfxmgFnuZX5aCgSB6GrV1ocmt2ZtK9TfiWk7zYz8SHRzEZvUlJBqmwvEQ

http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/7/4/1799503e-24b8-48a5-94ff-2a4e0e60a7e6.Full.jpg

http://www.ynet.co.il/PicServer2/02012008/1397963/SDE04_wa.jpg

Last I understood it the TAVOR is being phased in slowly , mainly on the unit level? At least that's what I read a couple of years ago.

Keep in mind while the Israeli's front line MBT is the merkava IV, they still have old M48's and M60 tanks in use with reserve units...Israeli's don't just scrap equipment like us, they seem to mothball it sort of like the Soviets did. Heck the Israeli's just took the last F-4's out of service in 2004.

I imagine you are still going to be seeing the UZI, M4 and M16 in regular use for the foreseeable future. I don't think its any sort of a mark for or against the TAVOR.

I know I can get a good AR and a Half for the same price as a TAVOR but I am willing to give a more modern system a chance.


Nifty... If the weight was around 6.5lbs I might bite. Something tells me it's heavier.

Looks like the weight of the Micr-Tavor is around 6.5 lbs, with a 10.5" barrel. I would have to imagine the US version is a little closer to 7 or 7.5 lbs.

[uradaisyifudo]

That rifle is cool, I like that you can have a short rifle that still has a 16.5 inch barrel so it is not consided a sbr. I don't have to think too hard to see the value in a compact 5.56 rifle.

[spencey89]

Anymore updates? I heard rumors of May at the earliest.

[Skans]

Why would I buy a Tavor over an Aug? They look about the same to me.

[Kimio]

Newer technology, among other things more likely, but mostly personal taste.

I like both but would choose an AUG over the TAVOR as well, the AUG just screams sexy IMO.

[CUBAN REDNECK]

Awesome. Hopefully the buying panic will subside my August.

[I'vebeenduped]

I think that I really NEED one of these! I really, honestly do!

[Darker Loaf]

They look pretty sick. Anybody know what a 9mm conversion kit would cost? That's not the worst MSRP at $1900 if it's super reliable (Is it? I'm assuming it would be) and if the 9mm kit is solid.

I kind of want a 9mm carbine of some sort and that would be a pretty sick setup, rather than a SBR. It'd still be nice and compact. Strum, do you know what kind of mags that would take? Another problem, I feel with 9mm carbines, is getting something with reliable mags. I wish everything would just take Glock mags... heh.

[IXLR8]

I held one at SHOT Show, and they are very nice. I am pretty sure that the 9mm uses UZI mags, so they should be easy to find. The word on the street is that the first shipment has already sold out nationwide. It is unlikely that you will find one for MSRP any time soon.
The Meprolight reflex sights are designed to be used with them. After doing some research I cannot find a reason not to use one except the price.

[Bart Noir]

Is "sick" supposed to be a favorable comment?

Bart Noir
Who understands "nifty" :D

[Darker Loaf]

Yes, "sick" is. Sorry, that's skater slang from my wannabe days. I should have said, "Man! Those guns look really put-together and well designed."

[Darker Loaf]

I want one as an alternative to an SBR. Though I am going to go for an NFA Trust, I still don't like the baggage of paperwork and the expense. Further more, I like the compatibility with my collection of AR .223 mags, and the 9mm conversion.

If the conversion is done really well, I'd take that instead of my goal of doing a 9mm AR carbine (which would likely also run on UZI mags). But I would LOVE a review or input on the reliability of said conversion. I am immediately suspicious of conversions, but the Israeli origin (military) of the gun makes me think that there is the possibility of high-reliability.

[trg42wraglefragle]

What would that rear sight be like?
It looks as though it would be terrible to aim through, as well as destroy any peripheral vision you would have.

[Ludwig Von Mises]

Can confirm firsthand that the Tavor is being issued on a unit by unit basis, mostly to specialized groups, I have a couple friends who carry em over there. Could scroll down my Facebook and see pics right now. However, the M4 and flattop M16 are still the go-to.

What would that rear sight be like?
It looks as though it would be terrible to aim through, as well as destroy any peripheral vision you would have.

I don't know, I wouldn't want to try, the red dot on the IDF/IMI Tavor is phenomenal, iron sights on it are for backup only. I believe it is meprolight manufactured.

[RangerHAAF]

I like the look of it and will buy one if they ever come out with one that operates with AK magazines in 7.62x39 or 308 Winchester. I'd love to take one in the woods with me for hunting.

[Mark54g]

They will take standard AR style magazines, and the 9mm will NOT use Uzi mags (though you can probably modify them to take them). They take 9mm AR style mags, though I wish they'd have made a conversion kit to take an easier to find/cheaper alternative too.

I want one. I want ALL the kits, and a nice reflex optic up top, with perhaps a laser on the side or bottom.

[Sturmgewehre]

9mm Colt mags are copied from Uzi mags. Both the Colt SMG mags and the Uzi mags can be modified to work in the Tavor.

[Sturmgewehre]

I picked up my Tavor last Friday. Here's a video showcasing the rifle, the full review will be coming in a couple of weeks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEY1XdQf_JA

http://www.intempusphotography.com/photos/i-kbvJXbb/0/L/i-kbvJXbb-L.jpg

[Patriot86]

I need to start selling off a couple of my safe queens to buy one of these!

[Sturmgewehre]

They are in full production, they have racks of them just waiting final packing materials -- things like manuals and warranty cards. They will be shipping next month to distributors for sure at this point. I'm not sure what the initial shipments will be in terms of volume, but I'm told they will have quite a few of them available. I suspect the first few shipments will be snapped up by people and the price of them on places like GunBroker and GunsAmerica will be grossly inflated. Hopefully that will subside a bit over a few months and people who want them will be able to get them for the $1999 price.

From IWI:

http://www.intempusphotography.com/photos/i-FnMzTwG/0/L/i-FnMzTwG-L.jpg

[Aberration]

I want one!

[Patriot86]

I am not one for paying above MSRP, if I can't get one of the base models for under $2,100.00 with all the crazyness and lack of AR supply I will wait. Would be a nice Birthday present for myself though.

[Darker Loaf]

Sturmgewehre, thanks for doing the Tavor review, by-the-way. I've really come to appreciate your youtube page and reviews. Keep up the good work!

[BerdanSS]

I always thought they were kinda mutely looking....but if they'er solid performers...who cares, right? I always favored the FN 2000 for a bullpup though. Looking forward to the full range report:)

Congrats on the new weapon by the way:cool:

[SPEMack618]

Neat looking piece. Too bad as a lefty I would never be able to shoot one.

In regards to the IDF phasing them in, I follow the Israeli consulate on Twitter.

And they tweeted some pics of the IDF working at getting a relief convoy into Ghaza. The trucks were driven by reservists, armed with Galils and the guys manning the checkpoints were armed with a mixture of Tavors and flatop M-16s/M-4s.

[Achilles11B]

They do have a left-handed version in the works, with the charging handle on the right side. This southpaw is pretty excited about that and will gladly consider selling/trading his 16" AR to fund picking one up one day.

[Dr Big Bird PhD]

Will there be a California compliant version for me to get my hands on? (or a bullet button I can personally install?)

[5.56RifleGuy]

I can't wait to get one. I'm on the list for one at my local shop, and have been for a while, but I guess we will see. I'm not going to pay a ton for one.

[Fishbed77]

Neat looking piece. Too bad as a lefty I would never be able to shoot one.


The Tavor is completely ambidextrous, so I'm not sure why you couldn't shoot one.

[Patriot86]

They are also shipping some units already set up for lefty's so its GTG out of the box ;)

Bad news is supposedly there are going to be very few shipped like this
Good news there are far fewer left handed shooters than right so finding one might not bee as hard as you think.

I wonder how long it will be before right handed people are buying lefty models and converting them because of availability?

[SPEMack618]

That was my concern, was the necessary modifications to make it ambi-.

The thought of tinkering on an expensive carbine like that makes me nervous.

[johnwilliamson062]

You don't have to tinker at all. You take it apart more or less like you need to to clean it and put it together with the controls on the other side of the gun. THere is a video or two on youtube showing how easy it is. The charging handle is the only thing that might take more skill than simple cleaning.