IWI-US Tavor Bullpup Now Compliant with Massachusetts, Maryland, and New Jersey Laws
Russ Chastain 07.24.14
The Tavor SAR, a piston-operated bullpup rifle by IWI-US, has recently become popular with American shooters. A new version, dubbed Tavor SAR RS, has now been introduced to comply with restrictive laws in Massachusetts, Maryland, and New Jersey.
The bullpup design places a rifle’s receiver far to the rear, usually right next to the shooter’s cheek. This allows for a very short overall length for any given barrel length. For instance, a Tavor SAR with 16.5″ barrel has an overall length (OAL) of just 26-1/8 inches, and the 18″ version measures just 27 5/8″ overall.
Laws in the aforementioned states require a minimum OAL for rifles, so the RS sports a long muzzle brake that’s permanently attached to the 18-inch barrel. This gives it an OAL of 30 inches. Magazines provided with RS Tavors are low-capacity (10 rounds), another nod to state laws.
The standard chambering for the SAR is 5.56 NATO, but 9mm conversion kits are available. Left-hand (LH) versions are available, and a 5.56 Tavor can be converted to LH by adding an optional LH bolt. Tavors accept AR-15/M16 magazines and its front sight is of the AR type.
Tavors have become increasingly popular with law enforcement agencies, as more and more of them arm themselves with military equipment. The short length makes them convenient for any shooter, and IWI-US has a solid reputation for quality that helps ensure that Tavors will deliver what their shooters demand.
One nice touch is that Tavor SARs include built-in iron sights in the picatinny top rail, so you can always aim ’em–and the front sight even has tritium.
MSRP of a standard Tavor SAR is $1,999; add $50 for the new all-black RS model. Actual price on Tavors seems to currently fall in the mid-$1,600 range, so we can probbaly expect the Tavor SAR RS to be about $1,700 or so, plus tax/transfer/etc.
Standard Tavor SAR features include:
- Bullpup configuration (short rifle convenience with long rifle accuracy)
- Ergonomic design
- Clean, long stroke piston operation
- Detachable, cold hammer-forged barrel (CHF), chrome-lined with 1:7 twist, CrMoV steel
- Optional 9mm Parabellum conversion kit with CHF barrel, 1:10 twist, CrMoV steel
- 100% ambidextrous configuration and operation with optional left-hand bolts for 5.56 NATO. No additional parts required to convert 9mm Parabellum to LH configuration
- Integral ambidextrous front and rear quick detachable sling swivel receptacles with push button swivels
- Simple field stripping into easily serviceable subassemblies
- Mil-Std 100% interchangeability of all TAVOR SAR parts
- Last round – bolt holds open on an empty magazine
- Integral rubber recoil pad
