This video was initially done to counter some assertions made on another forum, hence the early reference to that forum.
Hope y’all find it informative.
For those who prefer a quick and dirty abstract:
The hypothesis was I could shoot all 6 1/2 of these conventional bullpups left handed and not generate enough discomfort to impair their usability.
The conclusion turned out that yes, it’s altogether doable.
There’s a miniscule bit of accommodating necessary, but nothing drastic at all.
Were I running any of these guns through a high round count class, all I’d need would be eye pro (not to be forgotten anyways), and a bandanna or equivalent tied around my nose and mouth.
As long as you keep a mission first attitude, you probably won’t even care about some measly brass slinging past or bouncing off you while taking a left-hand corner or moving leftwards.
From what it looks like in the video, on some of the rifles you ride it pretty far back which seems like you are sacrificing sight picture and control of the weapon.
It seems your cheek weld was on the back 3 inches of the stock (not optimal) and there was alot of play in the weapon and that your face bounced off the stock which would screw up sight picture.
It’s just one more thing to play around with. In my opinion, soldiers in combat and under stress will probably never use it. I think a brass deflector would have probably been a better idea.:laugh:
For a bullpup, I remain convinced that some sort of forward ejection system is ideal.
The P-90 and F2000 are extremely reliable and I never heared of any ejection problems. Tho I think you need an experienced serious company to get it done right.
It is more complicated for the design team but it offers peace of mind to the soldier that has to use it under stress.
Your video pretty much shows why bullpups suck for left hand shooting. You said that you didn’t really have to accommodate, but I’d say you were in a major way. Your control of the gun while shooting from the left side was weak at best.
It’s not about whether conventional side ejecting bullpups are the best solution to the problem.
They obviously come with their own necessary workarounds.
The assertion has been long held and oft repeated that you can’t use them for left hand shooting.
And that’s just as obviously not true.
As a right-handed shooter, where contextually would you need to use them from the left shoulder anyway?
For deliberate fire in an intermediate range shooting position (as some here may be thinking)?
Unlikely, unless the terrain 100% dictates it.
Coming around a left-hand corner so as not to expose more flesh than necessary?
Yes, here’s a serious need that can be met.
Also, during dynamic movement, many have found themselves most facile with a long gun when shooting across the body.
Thus leftwards movement (towards, say, 11:45 to 6:15) is most easily achieved with the long gun on the left shoulder.
Again, a conventional bullpup can be pressed into service adequately here.
The point behind this isn’t what’s the best rifle to buy at the gun show…
But if you are so equipped with a side ejecting bullpup
(either being issued one by your organization, battlefield pickup, or other circumstances),
can you make it work well enough?
The answer is yes.
Not hellz yes it’s the best, but yes, you can still make things work well enough.
i wouldn’t use that video as evidence if you’re trying to make the argument… halfway through the video i realized that your position was that NO, it’s not doable. lo and behold, your position was the opposite… i laughed.
getting hit in the face with a reciprocating charging handle is not just suck, it’s a malfunction. so is, obviously, brass in the ejection port. as others have pointed out, you had to hold your cheek WAY back on the stock on all of them, and some of them STILL malfunctioned. so the result is terrible weapon handling, greatly decreased sight usability/ performance- impossible, even, with most magnified optics, and very potentially a blunt-force-only weapon after the first shot. discomfort aside, it’s a bad idea to shoot bullpups support/left side.
and there ARE times in the field when you’ll go support side. just last night, i found myself instinctively going support side with a magnified optic weapon- the situation dictated it was the right thing to do. if it’d been a bullpup, i would have had to have had my cheek welded TO the ejection port, to get a sight picture.
I get the point, you can shoot lefty. Is is practical? No. Is it efficient? No.
So I at least like to base my employment methods, weapon selection, and ttp on things that are practical, efficient, reliable and applicable. You demonstrated none of those with your video.
Terrain/cover/enemy pos./wounds are not right hand friendly. If you have the training and ability to go lefty you are that much better off.
Bullpups seem to take a potential advantage of being able to effectively work a weapon system left handed, and shit all over it.
