Weapon Name- MA5B
Round Type- 7.62mm x 63mm
Over-all length- 30 inches, 23.5 inches
Barrel length- 20 inches, 15.5 inches
Weight- 7.9 lb
Rate of Fire- 600 RPM
Feed Mechanism- Detachable Box Magazine, Belt Fed
Round Capacity- 20, 30, 60, 100+
Effective Range- 600 meters, 500 meters
Range- 1000 meters, 850 meters
Accuracy- 1 MOA, 1.3 MOA
Accessories- Picatinny Rails
Quick switch firing mechanism- Extra Trigger
Scope/Sights- Picatinny rails, Integrated Scope
Muzzle Velocity- 840 m/s, 800 m/s
Firing System- Long stroke gas piston
Miscellaneous/electronic information- The weapon is essentially a bullpup 7.62mm x 51mm NATO Battle rifle based on the Tavor, with a number of noticeable differences, including a counter-balancing forward-reciprocating mass to help diminish the recoil of the weapon.
Basic Information
The weapon is essentially a bullpup .30-06 Battle rifle based on the Tavor, with a number of noticeable differences. Possessing a long stroke gas piston operated mechanism and sealed from the environment, the weapon is fairly reliable, but also uses a counter-balancing recoil reduction system based on the Ak-108. The Tavor TAR-21 (or simply Tavor) is an Israeli bullpup assault rifle, chambered in the 7.62mm x51mm NATO cartridge, with a selective fire system, selecting between semi-automatic mode and full automatic fire mode. Built around a long-stroke piston system (as found in the M1 Garand and AK-47), the Tavor was designed to maximise reliability, durability, and ease-of-maintenance, particularly under adverse or battlefield conditions. Based off of the FN SCAR, specifically based off of the HAMR variation, the weapon possesses a feature which allows it to fire from an option closed and open bolt firing mod. The weapon fires from a closed bolt, until switching to an open bolt after the weapon overheats. A metal alloy which expands under heat is used to control the selector, which allows the open and closed bolt feature to be automatically activated without additional mechanical or electronic operation. Open bolt firearms tend to cool faster than closed bolt firearms, and thus prevent the weapon from overheating and causing cook offs, or losing accuracy. The weapon can be manually switched to closed or open bolt, as well.
The weapon has phenomenal ergonomics and reliability, despite basing it's operating system on the Ak-47 and M14 long strike gas piston designs, and being designed from the ground up to be as comfortable and ergonomic as possible. The core basis on the design focused on functionality in the harshest of conditions and the ease of use and training. It's back heavy design helps with muscle fatigue, compared to front heavy weapons, which allow it to be easily pointed down range; the exceptional balance and configuration of the weapon means the user doesn't have to fight the weapon to keep it on target, which reduces natural human error brought on by muscle exertion to some degree, makes it faster to draw and fire (feeling virtually weightless on the draw), and generally makes it a more stable firing platform. The weapon is so well weighted that very little pressure is needed to maintain a firing position once the weapon is shouldered, making it ideal for prolonged combat situations, where resting the weapon may not be possible.
The weapon uses a detachable polygonal cobalt chrome "flow formed" 5 groove 1:10 (1 complete turn in 1 in 10 inches / 254mm) right hand turn barrel; the barrel is made of an alloy that contains more than 50 percent cobalt. The barrel is roughly 13% heavier than standard steel barrels, but is more erosion and corrosion-resistant and is designed to retain high strength during long-term exposure to high temperatures. Cobalt alloys are frequently used in the aerospace industry, such as the hot-gas section of turbine engines. A proof of concept M240 7.62mm x 51mm NATO barrel, in practice, had 24,000 rounds test-fired through it, causing it to reach temperatures of 1,100 degrees, without failure. A steel barrel would have failed under such treatment. The barrel itself, combined with polygonal rifling, is extremely durable, and has a minimum 20,000 round barrel life, although it is possible to extend this or get use out of the rifle after the minimum is reached.
Like most bullpups, it's overall length is shorter for it's barrel length than traditionally laid out firearms. The weapon configuration is designed so that the action and magazine are located behind the trigger group and alongside the shooter's face, so there is no wasted space for the buttstock as in conventional designs. This permits a shorter firearm length for the same barrel length for improved maneuverability, and reduces weight. In comparison, an M16 has a 20 inch long barrel and is approximately 40 inches long; this is considered too long to be practical in close quarters, which is why the M4 carbine was developed, which is 33 inches long, although 30 inches long with a collapsed stock. This however shortened the barrel length to 14.5 inches; because accuracy and power are heavily dependent on barrel length, especially for 5.56mm and 7.62mm rounds, the trade off between a carbine and full sized rifle is power, range, and accuracy, for improved CQB abilities, increased maneuverability, and a faster draw. The Tavor, on the other hand, with an 18 inch barrel, is always 28 inches long, without needing to collapse the stock (and thus become less ergonomic); in comparison, with a full length 20 inch barrel, the tavor would be 30 inches long, as long as an M4 carbine, with the length of a 20 inch M16 barrel. Thus, bullpups provide a longer barrel length for the same overall length of the weapon, allowing for both power, range, accuracy, and good manoeuvrability. For bullpup weapons using carbine length barrels, they can become shorter than most submachine guns, and are so easy to use they rarely need to be ducked in combat when moving around corners, at all.
The TAR-21 has ejection ports on both sides of the rifle so it can easily be reconfigured for right or left-handed shooters. However, this process requires partial disassembly, so it cannot be quickly reconfigured while the rifle is in use. It's ambidextrous fire mode selector above the pistol grip has a semi-automatic mode and a fully automatic mode. The Tavor is designed to be easily field-stripped, without the need for any additional tools. The rifle is waterproof and its internal mechanism is fully sealed from outside elements. The Tavor features a last round bolt catch, whereby the bolt holds open after the last round empties. This is a request of modern armies, as it helps to allow soldiers to know when their magazine empties and to reduce reloading times during combat. The bolt however can be locked after a magazine is added to the weapon, allowing for it to virtually automatically lock after the weapon is reloaded, making the weapon even faster to be ready to fire. The Tavor features a self-contained, drop-in trigger group, so that the trigger group can be changed or replaced without the use of additional tools. The weapon also makes heavy use of polymers, which reduces the weight and increases it's strength, as well as making it more resistant to corrosion.
As the weapon is fed with caseless ammunition, it's magazines are slightly different in overall size and function. However, they are fundamentally based on Ak-47 magazines, specifically the generation 3 Magpul magazines, which are known for their high strength polymers and general reliability. 7.62mm x 39mm cartridges are approximately 16.3 grams per cartridge; comparatively, the 7.62mm x 51m NATO round is about 12.5 grams per cartridge. This means that, in the same 30 round magazine, it's possible to carry approximately 39 rounds. With 40 round magazine variants, you can carry 52 rounds. The magazines, when fully loaded, can hold up to 60 rounds. The magazines are known for their reliability and function, and thus are well suited for high capacity volumes. Further, the magazine release uses a slide to help guide the magazine in to place, and a lever to help release the magazine, preventing the magazine from slipping and being much easier to load than a standard Ak-47 magazine. The mechanism is similar to that found on the XM8, and is easily reachable with the trigger finger.
The system is significantly more reliable than the direct impingement system. The firing system is based off of the Ak-47, which uses a long stroke piston system, similar to that in the M1 Garand, Ak-47, BAR, or M14. In July 2007, the US Army announced a limited competition between the M4 carbine, FN SCAR, HK416, XCR, and the previously-shelved HK XM8. Ten examples of each of the four competitors were involved. Each weapon fired 60,000 rounds in an "extreme dust environment." The purpose of the shoot-off was for assessing future needs, not to select a replacement for the M4. The XM8 scored the best, with only 127 stoppages in 60,000 total rounds, the FN SCAR Light had 226 stoppages, while the HK416 had 233 stoppages. The M4 carbine scored "significantly worse" than the rest of the field with 882 stoppages. However, with the HK416, 117 of the 233 malfunctions were from just one of the 10 weapons. In comparison to this, the Ak-47 jams only approximately once per every 1000 rounds, in all environmental conditions, under rapid, sustained fire, without needing to be cleaned often, even with corrosive ammo, compared to the M16 under ideal conditions. This makes the Tavor's operating system far more rugged and reliable than the M16, as well as durable, which allows it to outlast the M16, and be used in a greater range of demanding environments (such as the jungle, arctic, or desert). Fine sands or even water can greatly impact the reliability of direct impingement systems, and it's larger mass and simpler design over short stroke gas pistons gives it a higher degree of reliability than them, despite their similarly increased improvements over Direct impingement systems.
The weapon makes extensive use of high strength polymers, which protect the weapon both from corrosion and heat. Based on magpul polymers, the materials strength is far beyond that of ordinary plastics. The weapon is inherently designed to use a number of accessories, most important a hydraulic recoil buffer in the stock, and a muzzlebreak. The hydraulic recoil buffer is similar to that of an M249, which reduces felt recoil and spreads out the recoil of the weapon over time, making it more controllable under rapid fire (this mechanism hinges at an angle down into the stock. In addition, it uses a surefire muzzlebreak, which reduces the recoil of the weapon by diverting the expanding gases at the muzzle rearword (and slightly up), which counteracts the recoil of the backwards impulse of the weapon, and in addition helps compensates for muzzle rise. This makes the weapon more controllable under rapid fire, as well as more comfortable to fire, and reduces the felt recoil by nearly 40%. Combined with the hydraulic recoil buffer, the weapon has approximately 60% less felt recoil, and is much more smooth and easier to handle, with nearly all the recoil going straight back into the user's shoulder, keeping the weapon on the target, thus increasing the accuracy. The weapon also possesses 2 inches of adjustibility, based on sniper guiding rods, which helps when wearing armor or thick clothing, and allows different users to adjust the weapon for their liking. The weapon is 28 inches long with the stock fully collapsed, and 30 inches long with it fully extended.
On top of this, the firing system utilizes a counter-balancing recoil system which helps to eliminate recoil. This system uses a recoil-reducing countermass mechanism with two operating rods that move in opposite directions, thereby providing "balance". One operating rod, the upper, has a gas piston facing forward while the lower also has a gas piston. The gas tube at the forward end of the handguard is double-ended to accommodate the two rods. The enlarged gas tube cover of the upper handguard guides both rods in their travel. Following Newton's Third Law, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. By providing a counter balancing system that moves forward, the backwards recoil of the bullet and piston can be compensated for, therefore reducing the felt recoil of the weapon. When combined with the recoil buffer and muzzle break, the weapon has close to no felt recoil, similar to a .22. The weapon is heavier than average, being approximately 7.9 pounds, but because most of these is to the rear of the weapon, it's easy to balance and handle despite it's weight.
The weapon is designed to be used with a number of accessories. This includes a scope, a gasblock locking device, and a flashlight and laser accessory. The flashlight works in a variety of ways, the most obvious being able to provide a standard illumination which can highlight targets. The second is a directional light that can illuminate extremely brightly in a single direction, like a floodlight. This prevents the light from scattering too much and blinding the user. The third is an infrared light, which can function as a simple illumination light or with a focused beam. This allows the light to illuminate in a spectrum that can only be seen with night vision and thermal vision, preventing the enemy from seeing the target. This allows the user to have partial illumination to increase the impact of the scopes, rather than simply provide brighter light. The light also possesses two lasers, one in the visible light spectrum and another for infrared. This serves as an infrared laser-range finder, which can reveal the distance to the user to make it easier to guage how to aim the rifle. On top of this, the scope possesses an automatic tracking feature, which allows it to track moving targets and autocorrect, which is especially useful out to long ranges. The scope itself is an adjustable 1-4x 32mm aperture scope, with a reflex sight or iron sight on top. This allows the user to make ranged accurate shots, while still maintaining the ability to engage targets easily at close range. The gasblock lock allows the system to be easily adjusted in the field, but difficult to be knocked off accidentally. It also helps to stabilize the firearm and barrel, improving accuracy somewhat by improving the barrel harmonics.
