Though most bullpup rifles may look like space-age, sci-fi alien blasters, the concept has been around for quite a while. At an elementary level, these types of firearms are space-savers because they place the action to the rear, behind the trigger and grip area. With the action in the rear, bullpup barrels are effectively “shortened” without having to physically reduce the actual barrel length. As a result, bullpups are quite compact while still providing the ballistics of standard-length carbine or rifle barrels. Bullpups come with their pros and cons, but in certain niches, they shine quite well.
IWI Tavor X95 (MSRP: $1,999)
The IWI Tavor X95 is the current iteration of the original Israeli-designed Tavor TAR-21 bullpup military rifle. Although IWI offers different variants of the X95 in three different calibers, the standard is the 16.5-inch 5.56 NATO model. One of the key features of the IWIW Tavor X95 (and the original TAR-21 by extension) is the fact that its action uses a reliable and robust long-stroke gas piston. Even though it is a bullpup, the Tavor X95 action is similar to those found in rifles such as the Israeli Galil and the Soviet Kalashnikov. Considering that Tavors were designed for counter-terror and military operations in the Middle East around tight urban environments, it makes a lot of sense that it would employ that style of action and team it with the compact nature of a bullpup.
KelTec RFB (MSRP: $1,845)
The KelTec RFB is a .308 Win. bullpup semi-automatic rifle that feeds from FN-FAL pattern magazines. Its name stands for “Rifle, Forward Ejecting Bullpup, because KelTec originally designed this rifle to be truly ambidextrous from the ground up. With forward ejection and ambidextrous controls, the KelTec RFB can easily be switched and fired from either shoulder without worrying about rifle brass ejecting from the wrong side, into the shooter. KelTec also implemented a gas regulator at the front that allows end-users to tune the RFB as needed for suppressed shooting.
DesertTech WLVRN (MSRP: $2,499)
The DesertTech WLVRN is the newest bullpup rifle in this list. Amongst DesertTech’s own catalog, this model is the successor to the MDRX bullpup rifle. WLVRN rifles, most distinctively, possess the capability for end-users to easily swap rifle calibers. This is accomplished by means of a conversion kit and easy-to-swap barrel. Therefore, a shooter can convert his or her 5.56 NATO DesertTech WLVRN into a 6.5 Creedmoor or .308 Win. rifle. The WLVRN ingeniously shares the same magazine well and feeds from standard AR-10 and AR-15 magazines as calibers change.
Springfield Armory Hellion (MSRP: $1,999)
Designed by HS Produkt of Croatia, the 5.56 NATO Springfield Armory Hellion is also a fairly new bullpup rifle. It originally debuted in 2023, and HS Produkt is the same company behind the Springfield Armory Echelon handgun and Kuna large-format pistol. This rifle is a clean-sheet, ambidextrous bullpup design that can be set up to shoot from either the left or right shoulder in minutes. The front handguard incorporates industry standard M-Lok slots that make it easy to add accessories or attachments while the Hellion’s integrated optics base offers plenty of real estate to mount nearly any type of optic. To regulate gas-flow, Hellion bullpup rifles rely on a two-position adjustable gas regulator that switches between suppressed and unsuppressed shooting modes. In addition to the standard 16-inch model, Springfield Armory offers 18- and 20-inch barrel versions.
Steyr AUG A3 M2 (MSRP: $2,599)
The original Austrian Steyr AUG arguably put modern bullpups on the map back in the late 70s. Old-school AUGs used translucent polymer magazines before it was en vogue to do so. AUGs also had integrated magnified optics. The original AUG has become not only a cult-classic amongst bullpup enthusiasts but arguably one of the classic military rifles from the Cold War NATO era. The Steyr AUG A3 M2 is an updated version of the original AUG. It’s designed to feed from NATO-standard AR-15 pattern magazines instead of the classic translucent Austrian waffle mags. As a modern carbine, it does away with a permanently attached low power riflescope and gives the end-user more flexibility in optics-mounting options.
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