Bullpup " Bullpup " describes a modern firearm configuration in which the action is 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 . Origins of the term " bullpup " for this configuration are unclear . The word is reported as being used in the US in 1957 to denote a target pistol , particularly one with a fancy stock . Description . The bullpup design places the gun ' s action behind the trigger , in front of a short buttstock . This decreases the firearm ' s length and weight while retaining the same barrel length . Bullpups generally allow for a 25 % reduction in weapon length , which allows for better manoeuvrability in confined spaces . An often cited shortcoming of bullpups is that , by design , their ejection ports are close to the face , generally making it difficult for left - handed shooters to use because firearms in general have their ejection port on the right - hand side and eject spent cartridge casings towards the right . This means left - handed shooters must shoot right - handed , as ejected casings would otherwise hit them in the face . Certain designs , such as the FAMAS assault rifle , the Steyr AUG and the Israeli Tavor TAR - 21 , overcome this limitation by allowing the bolt and ejection port cover to be swapped , turning the weapon into a dedicated left - handed version . Other bullpups such as the FN P90 solve the problem by ejecting downward , while the FN F2000 and Kel - Tec RFB solve the problem by ejecting forward of the rifle . The Heckler & Koch G11 largely avoided the issue of ejection by using caseless ammunition ; in the event that a round failed to fire it could be manually ejected downward . Additionally , the bullpup ' s extra weight in the rear may affect balance with respect to muzzle rise and automatic firing accuracy . However , being held closer to the body , the bullpup design has the advantage of causing less fatigue to the user ' s positioning arm when the arm is outstretched for long periods of time . There may thus be a small reaction time advantage in raising a bullpup to fire from a downward pointed direction , a result consistent with a lighter weapon . The bolt may also have to be smaller to be able to fit in the stock , with reduced components , resulting in reduced overall weight . Being more compact and having a shorter length allows for greater close - in weapons usage ; however , being of a shorter length , bayonet length effectiveness would be dimensionally reduced . Accuracy at longer distances is oft - cited as a criticism of bullpups ; however , if barrel length is of similar dimensions , and all other factors are equal , accuracy should be similar . Lastly , due to the forward assembly and the necessary trigger linkage , bullpup trigger pull characteristics are often criticized . History . The concept was first used in bolt action rifles such as the Thorneycroft carbine of 1901 , although the increased distance from hand grip to bolt handle meant the decreased length had to be weighed against the increased time required to fire . It is known to have been applied to semi - automatic firearm s in 1918 ( 6 . 5 mm French Faucon - Meunier semi - automatic rifle developed by Lt . Col . Armand - Frédéric Faucon ) , then in 1936 a bullpup machine pistol was patented by the Frenchman Henri Delacre . After World War II , Western engineers ( among them Kazimierz Januszewski , also known as Stefan Janson ) drew inspiration from the German Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle , which offered a compromise between bolt - action rifles and submachine guns . Januszewski was a Polish engineer who worked at the Polish national arsenal during the 1930s . After being mobilized during the war he escaped German and Russian forces and made his way to England , where he was a part of the " Polish design team " at Enfield Lock ' s Royal Small Arms Factory . The factory was run by lieutenant colonel Edward Kent - Lemon . As Januszewski was developing a new rifle , the " Ideal Calibre Board " was searching for a replacement for the . 303 cartridge . The Board decided on an optimal 7 mm cartridge on which Januszewski and the two teams working at Enfield had to base their designs . One design team led by Stanley Thorpe produced a gas - powered rifle with a locking system based on the Sturmgewehr . The design used steel pressings which were difficult to obtain , and the design was scrapped . The result of the Polish design team ' s efforts was the EM - 2 , which broke significant new ground . The EM - 2 contained some similarities to the Soviet AK - 47 , although Januszewski had never seen the Soviet rifle . The first significant bullpup assault rifle came from the British program to replace the service pistols , sub - machine guns , and rifles . In the two forms of the EM - 1 and the EM - 2 , the new rifle concept was born as a result of the experience with small arms that was gained during the Second World War . It was obvious that the modern warfare would require the infantry to be armed with a light , selective fire weapon , with effective range of fire much longer than that of a submachine gun , but shorter than that of conventional semi - automatic or bolt action rifles . The bullpup design was seen as a necessity to retain the accuracy at range while reducing overall length . The EM - 2 was adopted by the UK in 1951 as the world ' s first ( limited ) service bullpup rifle , but was promptly displaced by the adoption of the 7 . 62×51mm ( 0 . 308 in ) NATO cartridge , to which the EM - 2 was not easily adapted . The decision was rescinded and a variant of the more conventional FN FAL was adopted in its place . A 7 . 62×39mm M43 calibre experimental assault rifle was developed by German A . Korobov in the Soviet Union around 1945 , and a further development , the TKB - 408 was entered for the 1946 – 47 assault rifle trials by the Soviet Army , although it was rejected in favour of the more conventional AK - 47 . The United States briefly experimented in the same year with the integrally - scoped Model 45A bullpup , which never progressed beyond the prototype stage . After these failures of the bullpup design to achieve widespread service , the concept continued to be explored ( for example : a second Korobov bullpup , the TKB - 022 ) . Adoption . The Steyr AUG ( 1977 ) is often cited as the first successful bullpup , finding service with the armed forces of over twenty countries , and becoming the primary rifle of Austria and Australia . It was highly advanced for the 1970s , combining in the same weapon the bullpup configuration , a polymer housing , dual vertical grips , an optical sight as standard , and a modular design . Highly reliable , light , and accurate , the Steyr AUG showed clearly the potential of the bullpup layout . The arrival of the FAMAS ( 1978 ) , and its adoption by France emphasized the slide from traditional to bullpup layouts within gun designs . The British resumed their bullpup experiments with the L85 , which entered service in 1985 . Following persistent reliability problems , it was redesigned by the then British - owned Heckler & Koch into the L85A2 , and it is now a reliable , if heavy , weapon . The Singaporean SAR 21 addressed one flaw of bullpup rifles by using a stiff sliding plate to improve the quality of trigger pull , and by using a shell deflector to achieve a slightly ambidextrous weapon . Having learned from extensive combat experience , Israel Military Industries developed a bullpup rifle : the Tavor ( TAR - 21 ) . The Tavor is extremely light , accurate , fully ambidextrous and reliable ( designed to stringent reliability standards to avoid malfunctioning in desert conditions ) , and is in increasing demand in other countries , notably India . The Tavor shares many similarities with the Singaporean SAR 21 and the South African Vektor CR - 21 . Other bullpups have been adopted recently by the Iranian army and Chinese People ' s Liberation Army : the KH - 2002 and the QBZ - 95 respectively . Some sniper rifles – such as the American Barrett M95 , the German WA 2000 , the American XM500 , the Chinese QBU - 88 , the Russian Dragunov SVU , and the Polish Bor – use the bullpup layout . Military standard issue adoption of the bullpup : However , special operations units in countries that have formally adopted bullpup designs ; for example Australia , United Kingdom and France , have continued to prefer conventional rifles usually of the AR - 15 pattern ( e . g . M4 carbine , Colt Canada C7 / C8 ) , the SIG 550 , or the Heckler & Koch G36 .