6 Oct 15
IMI Tavor Rifle:
Last weekend on the East Coast, we did and Urban Rifle Course.
We have several ARs, one Kalashnikov, and one Tavor. This is the latest of a dozen Tavors weâve had in Class, and all, including this one, have run well. Out of five-hundred rounds fired, there was only one hiccup, a failure to eject.
The Tavorâs solid, one-piece stock and simple, expeditious field-stripping, with no small parts to get lost, and its âbullpupâ pattern, which makes it very compact (handy for low-profile transport) and puts most of the weight at the rear, all make it attractive as a patrol rifle and for personal defense.
I donât own a Tavor yet, but I may.
There are three âissuesâ with the Tavor that currently give me pause:
1) The factory trigger is heavy, gritty, and not conducive to any kind of accuracy.
2) The trigger itself âdanglesâ in space, not well protected
3) There is no way to push the bolt forward. No forward-assist.
The Tavorâs factory trigger is, in fact, so disagreeable that my friend Bill Geissele put-together a drop-in replacement almost immediately after Tavors began to be imported. Several others now make replacement triggers too.
In fact, my student had a Geissele Trigger installed in his copy of the Tavor, and it was wonderful! Like all Geissele triggers, it really works. I highly recommend it to all Tavor owners!
The âtrigger guardâ on a Tavor is big enough to accommodate all fingers, not just the trigger-finger! The effect is that the trigger just dangles in space and is thus not well protected from inadvertent contact. The rifle really needs a more protective trigger-guard, in my opinion.
A bolt forward-assist on an autoloading rifle is always a subject of controversy. Some will argue that such a capability is superfluous, and they have a point. However, my opinion is that on all military rifles, there needs to be a built-in capacity for the operator to force the bolt in both directions.
The lack of a forward-assist is particularly annoying when one performs a âchamber-check,â in an attempt to confirm a round is chambered. When the bolt is withdrawn from battery only part way, when released it only falls forward from half-way back. When it then does not fall forward with enough force to put it into full battery, there is no way to âbumpâ it the rest of the way.
Perhaps this is seldom an issue with clean rifles and clean ammunition, but with dirty rifles and âsoiledâ ammunition, often encountered in real war, it is an issue!
I realize that other very good rifles, like the FAL and some ARs, share this same issue. But, In my opinion, it detracts from the rifleâs true utility as a competent weapon.
When I talk with the Tavor folks at the SHOT Show in January, Iâll, once again, bring all this up. Iâm sure theyâll politely listen to me, and may agree, and may not!
ââTactâ is the art of making a point, without making an enemy.â
Isaac Newton
/John
