Tavor TAR-21 Coyote Rifle?

[squarepants33889]

I recently found out the IMI Tavor TAR-21 is available in Canada as an unrestricted rifle. Which means it can be taken into the field for varmint and coyote hunting. There a very few high end, small caliber semi-autos legal for Canadians as unrestricted firearms (read: not allowed outside of certified ranges)
I've never been much of a semi-auto fan, but could this serve double duty as a tactical/varmint rifle?
I know very few people who have shot one in real life, and those are limited to a range environment.
I ask the great THR minds this question; could a bullpup .223 Tavor capture the Canadian coyote hunters interest the way the ar-15 has taken over the varminters south of our border?

 

[squarepants33889]

a pic

 

[rcmodel]

could a bullpup .223 Tavor capture the Canadian coyote hunters interest

Maybe in Canada Eh?
But not in the USA.

The Tavor obviously is not a tinker-toy adaptable do-it-yourself kit like the AR-15.
It will never be a long range threat like a AR-15 varminter can be.

IMO: Bullpups suck for a lot of reasons.
Including a crappy trigger on the best of them, muzzle blast in your face, action blast & noise where your face is laying on the stock, and poor balance for precision long range shooting.

rc

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

you either got deep pockets, not much of a concept of varmint hunting or just feel like using a weapon for a purpose it was not meant for. makes me wonder why such silly stuff is posted.

 

[Jason_G]

IMO: Bullpups suck for a lot of reasons.
Including a crappy trigger on the best of them, muzzle blast in your face, action blast & noise where your face is laying on the stock, and poor balance for precision long range shooting.

While I agree with all of that, and raise you that mag changes suck, and then throw in the lagniappe that I hate the feel of the uber-small PDW type carbines as much, I will say that they still have their tiny niche. It's not really coyote hunting though. To the OP, there are better options out there IMHO, but if you just want the rifle, and the yotes are an excuse to get it, I say it's as good an excuse as any. Knock yourself out.

Jason

 

[tarosean]

makes me wonder why such silly stuff is posted.

Id be willing to bet video games.... Much like all the 93R/G18 questions that plague NFA threads...

 

[gunnutery]

I ask the great THR minds this question

A new member politely asks a question and is replied with:

makes me wonder why such silly stuff is posted.

and

Id be willing to bet video games.... Much like all the 93R/G18 questions that plague NFA threads...

Let's go easy on the guy.

I for one am hoping to try out a Tavor when the come to the States, but I couldn't tell you if it'd work well for varmints or not.

 

[armoredman]

Hmmm, he said small caliber semi autos that are unrestricted are hard to come by. Canadian gun laws are a little weird. The barrel length is anywhere from 13 to 18.1, according to the ever fallible Wiki. I'd think the mid length barrels would do fine. I have no idea how the trigger is, would be willing to try one to see. Might be a very handy little rifle from brush and woods. That 5 round mag restriction means you WOULD have to practice the odd mag changes. A lot.

 

[mastiffhound]

Go easy on the guy. Many of us have purchased a firearm just because it's cool. How many people went out looking for S&W .44 magnums after watching Dirty Harry. A few of my dad's friends went out and bought mini-14s because they looked so cool with the folding stock and flash hider on the A-Team, never mind the thin barrels and the terrible accuracy. Most people buy surplus or military rifles because they are cool or love the feeling of wood and iron.

Most people that I know with ar-15s and ak copys bought them because they were cool to have or because they see everyone else has them. I got mine because they are fun to shoot and I hate having to reload after 5 rounds. They also make damn good homestead defense weapons. My chickens like living and I like eggs. Ar-15s are accurate, light, have cheap ammo, and are perfect for taking out coyotes, feral dogs or cats, or any other animal that wants my eggs or chickens. My brother picked up an ar-15 because he wanted to practice and keep his skills up to par when he wasn't serving in Iraq. I say get what you want if you can. You only live once, it's the little things that make life worth living.

 

[armoredman]

Isn't the Tavor now being made for US distribution? Thought I heard someone say that at SHOT. Might be interesting to get a look at...

 

[gunnutery]

Yes, this fall is the anticipated release, supposedly they're trying to make some now to have enough to hit the initial market. Rumor also has it that they're trying to keep it at or under $2K.

As far as the original post goes, I'd say try one out first IF you can, but at least you'd put it to use in multiple ways. How many of us buy tactical rifles for SHTF type senarios and the most use they see is a bit of range time and some fondling when the weather gets "too bad" to shoot.

 

[armoredman]

At that price point they can keep them.

 

[mshootnit]

The bullpup design allows the potential to have a much longer barrel in a shorter package. So for the same length weapon you can have much more fps. A tavor would be fine with a 22" barrel for example. This is part of the logic for the tavor and L85. The L85 is accurate as well (I read)

 

[p2000sk]

As an owner of a different bullpup type rifle (FN fs2000), i will say that it does have its' own inherent quirks, but so do I!
Buy the rifle, regret is doubtful. Enjoy!

 

[tulsamal]

IMO: Bullpups suck donkey gonads for a lot of reasons.
Including a crappy trigger on the best of them, muzzle blast in your face, action blast & noise where your face is laying on the stock, and poor balance for precision long range shooting.

At least you put "IMO" at the beginning but that's just so wrong. I used to own a Steyr AUG and currently own a MSAR STG556. It has a perfectly good trigger. There is no "muzzle blast in my face" from the 20" barrel. It only has a 1-4x scope on it so it isn't really set up for "long range precision shooting" so I'll grant you it's isn't really what I would pick up for a 600 yard shot. But neither is one of my M4's with an Aimpoint or similar short scope.

The AUG design lets you have a 20" long barrel in a package that is shorter than an AR-15 with a CAR stock and a 16" barrel. So you get better ballistics in a shorter package. Go to a 16" barrel and you are talking near SMG size. And you can do that barrel switch in seconds since the barrel swap is a push button affair.

I own multiple AR's and multiple AK's and various other rifles but let's not totally dismiss unusual designs like bullpups. They have their quirks but those have to be weighed against their advantages.

Gregg

 

[MistWolf]

you either got deep pockets, not much of a concept of varmint hunting or just feel like using a weapon for a purpose it was not meant for. makes me wonder why such silly stuff is posted.

What's your concept of varmint hunting? How is the Tavor unsuited for hunting coyotes? Have you shot a Tavor? How does the intended purpose of the Tavor make it unsuitable for coyotes?

Coyotes have been shot with such a wide variety of firearms and archery equipment that a rifle would have to practically be unshootable to be unsuitable.

Hey, that's kinda catchy!

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

guess after being 58, shootin coyotes, hogs with common sensible calibers, I see no reason to p*** off money on a rifle like that, my friends would laugh at me and am too used to ARs, AKs, some really good common sense bolt action rifles in .22-250 and such to waste my time on something like a bullpup. to each his own, you would be laughed at in my circle of seasoned hunters. buy it if you got money burning a hole in your britches. you are the new generation of "hunters"

 

[MistWolf]

Being laughed at by Texicans won't change who I am or how I do things

 

[Robert]

you would be laughed at in my circle of seasoned hunters. buy it if you got money burning a hole in your britches. you are the new generation of "hunters"

That is just sad. I would not want to hunt with "seasoned" hunters that would rather laugh at someone than educate them.

The OP lives in Canada. He is very, very limited in what he can take in to the field. Maybe bolt actions do nothing for him or he has a few already and wants to branch out. Who really cares what the reason is. He is looking to expand responsible gun ownership in a country that has a history of not being gun friendly. It is easy to say grab the AR when it is legal to do so. Not everyone is so lucky.

 

[Beaux Nehr]

To the OP: It seems like a very handy little rifle for long walks, and given the circumstances, I think it could fill your purpose. I haven't ever seen one of those, but I think it's neat that you're allowed to get one.

you either got deep pockets, not much of a concept of varmint hunting or just feel like using a weapon for a purpose it was not meant for. makes me wonder why such silly stuff is posted.

God forbid someone likes something you don't like, eh?

 

[mastiffhound]

Did everyone forget about how it was to use an AR-15 for hunting in the beginning? Or for varmint shooting? The first guys to use AR's for hunting were laughed at by the bolt action crowd. It will never be accurate, it's an autoloader. It isn't powerful enough to take anything larger than a groundhog.

I read an article in guns magazine years back about this guy going to a shooting competition with his hopped up, stripped down, overscoped, handmade, single shot bolt action for shooting bullseye. Right next to him was a guy with a rock river AR with iron sights. End of the story is the bolt action guy doing ok and the AR guy winning. I won't knock anyone for the firearm they choose. I will let someone else find the next best thing or do what they call research and development.

 

[armoredman]

you would be laughed at in my circle of seasoned hunters.

I'm sorry to hear that. I am looking forward to using my SA vz-58 for javalina and coyote as soon as the new laws go into effect, for two reasons. One, I think it would be perfectly effective for either, and two, because I have it. I don't care what anyone thinks of it, it's legal and useful.
I also remember a time when ARs were frowned on by seasoned hunters as just a military wannbe playtoy, not a REAL rifle by any stretch, and for the luva Pete, bringing an AK pattern rifle on ANY kind of hunt would have gotten you a horselaugh of all horselaughs. Good thing those days are over.
To the OP, buy your rifle if it's what you want, and please let us know how it does. Thank you.

 

[squarepants33889]

I expected no less diversity in responses. It's the reason I follow this site instead of many others.
I'm not actually looking to purchase one myself. I had the opportunity to shoot one at my local range and it got my curiosity fired up.
I have to admit that its really not even my favourite style of gun. I actually use a bolt action .17hmr for my gopher shootin. But the last few years has brought a H&K SL8, Volquartsen, and Benelli MR1 into our hunting party. Hardly the kind of rifles local ranchers are used to seeing around the windy prairies of Saskatchewan.
It was the shooting position that really sparked the interest. Of all the other features, the stock design lends itself to seated shooting perfectly.
Havent made up my mind yet myself. I'm just trying to get a pro/con debate going.
Thx for all the support guys.
Happy varmint blasting; whatever your shooting.

 

[PercyShelley]

Our ancestors killed plenty of things with muzzleloaders, and pointy sticks before that.

According to my TAR-21 armorer's manual all you need to replace the barrel is a 1.5mm punch and a special wrench. Are these wrenches and longer barrels available in Canada?

I am also amused at anyone who complains about action noise being under your cheek in a bullpup, and then recommends an AR-15 of all things.

 

[squarepants33889]

I believe they are being sold with 18.5" and 20" barrels. Direct from distributor.