I recently bought a Taipan Veteran, standard .22 laminate. Just got a scope on it today and began playing with it. I found out long ago, if I try to justify my shooting sports purchases by need, I would own one shotgun, one RF rifle, and one air rifle. So, let's be honest, I don't need this thing. But based on an adequate retirement and more time than common sense, I consider it a keeper. It is an incredibly simple contraption, yet it has a very fine trigger design. My limited shooting so far has demonstrated excellent accuracy. So, here's the deal, it can be considered a short, fast handling carbine, but with scope it weighs almost 10.5 pounds. The trigger is very good, as also appears the accuracy potential, but neither in the top shelf match class. So, if one were to assess it in WWII criteria, what we have is an M1 carbine that weighs as much as a Garand! So, to borrow a phrase from an unknown source, we appear to have the perfect solution to a non-existent problem! It's fun to shoot, and I guess that's really the only test it needs to meet. Getting around to my question, just wondering, at what endeavors do all the bullpup owners out there find their bullpups to be superior? And if your answer is mine, that it's just fun, well, I understand.
Question for bullpup owners
- Thread starter elh0102
- Start date
Truck gun. Much easier to get it pointed out the window. (Taipan Veteran Short here). And yes, it's simply fun to shoot.
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Multiple bullpups here. All hunting for me here. Easier to sling, get up on a shooting stick, mine are lighter than your vet, plus I find it easier to be in the field and use a sideshot gopro. Drawback is most don't have a bottle option and you have limited shots with high power, or lots of shots on low power. Trade off I prefer a pup over a rifle, unless I am powder burner hunting.
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I like the shorter overall length, but the barrel is still the same length. I find it convenient for carrying around and holding offhand. I still play with older rifle form factor, but over time the bullpup gets a higher percentage of time and the older format feels clunkier.
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Sounds like the weight of the Taipan Veteran .22 caliber Standard bothers you. I won't argue defending the gun's weight. I happen to own that exact model rifle. I also own the Taipan Veteran .25 caliber Long, which is even heavier the .22 Standard.
I'm a staunch bullpup fan and the Taipans stand out in my opinion. However, the FX Wildcat was my very first bullpup. The Wildcat feels considerable lighter than either of my Taipans. That being said, if I could get my hands on a Taipan Veteran .177 cal, like the one reviewed earlier by a fellow-forum member, I would purchase it in NY second
. The Taipans are quite, accurate, easily power adjustable and mine have been trouble-free.
My first few PCPs were traditional length rifles and to tell the truth, I was forever banging the barrels of my 42+ inches Royales, Wolverines and Air Arms S510 into doors and walls.
PS: My FX Wildcat .177 caliber is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday. The anticipation is mounting.
Oh yeah, right now I have my Viper NightSite kit mounted on my Taipan Veteran .25 caliber Long, just waiting for the Wuloo motion detector to alarm indicating that my bird feeder is being raided by some wayward raccoon or 'possum. The TV .25 caliber has never failed me.
I'm a staunch bullpup fan and the Taipans stand out in my opinion. However, the FX Wildcat was my very first bullpup. The Wildcat feels considerable lighter than either of my Taipans. That being said, if I could get my hands on a Taipan Veteran .177 cal, like the one reviewed earlier by a fellow-forum member, I would purchase it in NY second
. The Taipans are quite, accurate, easily power adjustable and mine have been trouble-free.My first few PCPs were traditional length rifles and to tell the truth, I was forever banging the barrels of my 42+ inches Royales, Wolverines and Air Arms S510 into doors and walls.
PS: My FX Wildcat .177 caliber is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday. The anticipation is mounting.
Oh yeah, right now I have my Viper NightSite kit mounted on my Taipan Veteran .25 caliber Long, just waiting for the Wuloo motion detector to alarm indicating that my bird feeder is being raided by some wayward raccoon or 'possum. The TV .25 caliber has never failed me.
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Yep, it's the fun factor for me. That side cocking lever on the Colibri is just a blast to use. Not to mention both my Colibri and Cricket both hold 14 round mags in .22 cal. Also they're compactness makes it real nice when traveling somewhere to shoot. I have two pups and 4 rifles so I guess I like rifles a hair better? Although that .30 cal Uragan would look good sitting beside my .30 Boss ;-)
As long as the bills are paid up and you want it....I say go for it! Some things just need to be experienced to appreciate at our age.
As of late, another choice for me shooting rifles more is my stupid kitty cat. She just loves to get up there and pester me when I'm shooting, and she'll sit right there up against me and the gun as I shoot. With the longer barrel of the rifles hanging over the bench there is zero chance I would accidentally shoot her if she decided to head in that direction. With the shorter barrel of the pups, they don't hang off the bench and there is a possibility she could slip in front of that barrel while I'm concentrating on the target? It really worries me and I have to run her off the bench when I shoot the pups!
Always wanted a Taipan and even more now that they offer the laminate stock like you have. But it would just be another gun that collects dust after the new wears off with all the guns I have. Can't make myself sell the Cricket pup to justify it and doubt it could be any more accurate to start with?
As long as the bills are paid up and you want it....I say go for it! Some things just need to be experienced to appreciate at our age.
As of late, another choice for me shooting rifles more is my stupid kitty cat. She just loves to get up there and pester me when I'm shooting, and she'll sit right there up against me and the gun as I shoot. With the longer barrel of the rifles hanging over the bench there is zero chance I would accidentally shoot her if she decided to head in that direction. With the shorter barrel of the pups, they don't hang off the bench and there is a possibility she could slip in front of that barrel while I'm concentrating on the target? It really worries me and I have to run her off the bench when I shoot the pups!
Always wanted a Taipan and even more now that they offer the laminate stock like you have. But it would just be another gun that collects dust after the new wears off with all the guns I have. Can't make myself sell the Cricket pup to justify it and doubt it could be any more accurate to start with?
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"long" guns are not superior in ALL...circumstances..!
But...the military, Secret Service (and probably more) has already proved that short weapons can be handled much more quickly in tight areas than even short, but full length rifles. Take a look at the FN, P90 (very short), this is a highly regarded weapon in may US agencies, even with it's little .17 round.
Mike
If you do some searching, there are many powder fired "Bullpups" used in the worlds military's and various protection agencies.
But...the military, Secret Service (and probably more) has already proved that short weapons can be handled much more quickly in tight areas than even short, but full length rifles. Take a look at the FN, P90 (very short), this is a highly regarded weapon in may US agencies, even with it's little .17 round.
Mike
If you do some searching, there are many powder fired "Bullpups" used in the worlds military's and various protection agencies.
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My bullpup has a long barrel yet it's about 31" long. Power is quick to adjust from backyard plinking, upwards for starlings, squirrels, crows, feral cats, raccoons and probably a coyote. Most of my shooting is lower power for pests. So I get a lot of shooting from 480cc bottle, 16 round drum magazine, good adjustable trigger, moderator, mounts a scope, small high intensity lite, sling swivels and if i chose to, a bipod. All that and most of all I can shoot EVERYDAY, ANY TIME. cheap to shoot. I was going to have a small .25 acp rifle built and use corbin swaging equipment to make bullets. I reload. But I'm happy with my .25 FX Impact, have more time and opportunity to shoot plus I can purchase other caliber kits all for less money and have more enjoyment then the rifle I was going to have built. I still have lead for swaging pellets if I choose. But Hard Air Magazine says .25 Hades are almost ready to ship. I believe with free shipping for a large order and a holiday sale I can lay in a good supply for more cheap shooting. I forgot I have always thought the bullpup was the best Idea for a rifle. It's shorter, lighter, handier, easy to store. I had a bullpup mountain rifle for hunting, 24" barrel in 7mm Ackley improved. Good for deer and elk. I sold it, I'm 70 now, no hiking mountains now. When FX offered the Impact I was thrilled to get one. Now I have a 700mm .25 barrel and a 26 round magazine waiting to be installed. And still haven't spent what the .25 acp rifle would cost to build plus the cost of the corbin swaging gear and I enjoy the Impact. Now if the Impact could have a semi auto action, Well that's my Idea of a true joy to have and shoot pest gun. I don't want the LCS SK 19 or the Huben. I like being able to adjust power down for starlings and up for raccoons. And I want a manufacturer who responds to the customer. FX can't keep up with the demand for their rifles. And I really want the Compact Impact barrel, and 300cc bottle kit. Haven't seen it offered yet, it was shown at IWA 2019.
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Forgot to mention in my original post, another aspect that I hope will be a positive feature of the Taipan, and that is a very robust construction that (I hope) will prove more durable and dependable in hunting situations. I treat all my air rifles and firearms with care, trying never to abuse them. But, in a woods hunting scenario, the occasional bump with a tree or limb is almost unavoidable. I have found most air rifles are not very good at holding zero against even minor handling events, but they vary. My FX Royale has been good at holding POI, but a Crown I had was extremely vulnerable to POI variations. I attribute that to the complex barrel liner/sleeve/shroud design. With the Veteran's threaded barrel attaching system, I am hopeful it will be a sturdy platform.
And to answer the observation above regarding the weight of the Veteran bothering me, it really doesn't, it just surprised me. But in fact, it's probably a good thing, since it makes a short, twitchy rifle easier to hold steady, with or without a rest. And if I use it in the woods, my squirrel hunting doesn't involve a lot of walking, as I can usually drive to within a couple hundred yards of where I hunt.
And to answer the observation above regarding the weight of the Veteran bothering me, it really doesn't, it just surprised me. But in fact, it's probably a good thing, since it makes a short, twitchy rifle easier to hold steady, with or without a rest. And if I use it in the woods, my squirrel hunting doesn't involve a lot of walking, as I can usually drive to within a couple hundred yards of where I hunt.
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I really like bullpups for hunting. I find that the shorter overall length is helpful in the woods plus, for me anyway, they are easier to shoot off handed. I was just out squirrel hunting with my fx wildcat yesterday and limited out in a couple of hours. I have a Diana Skyhawk in .22 that is probably my favorite woods gun due to its short form factor and very light weight...I did have to put a little work into this one though.
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elh0102,
the main purpose of a bullpup seems to be a SHORTer gun (and often lighter weight) – without reducing power and precision when compared to a regular long gun.
SHORT is required for those who want to take their gun on a trip and want to fly there instead of driving. Actually, every half inch counts (unless you want to pay for a gun case, and the airline's fees for excess sized luggage).
SHORT is needed for backpacking the gun.
SHORT is needed for those who need to carry their gun through urban areas with plenty of gawking gun-phobics around.
SHORT is needed for shooting through car windows and sun roofs.
SHORT is helpful when shooting from a hide or from a building.
SHORT is helpful for getting through heavy brush while hunting.
SHORT is needed for those who want a PCP with excessive power (via an extra long barrel), and/or exorbitant shot count (again, long barrel), but still want to keep it at the length of a regular mid-powered rifle.
SHORT is needed if LIGHT weight* is important. Less stock = less weight. And there are so many who almost obsess about light weight – this is an issue to hunters, hikers, people with less physical strength due to injury or age, etc. etc.!
If you don’t need SHORT, no problem!
You can still easily justify the purchase by rationalizing to yourself and your significant other that you have to be prepared for any situation, and that you just NEED a bullpup in your gun collection. Or two, as backup, just in case.
Matthias
*Some of the LIGHT bullpups:
• Artemis (SPA) P15: Weight: 4.6lbs = 2.1kg
• FX Dream Pup: Weight: 5.3lbs = 2.4kg
• Kalibrgun Cricket Compact: Weight: 5.7lbs = 2.6kg
• Diana Skyhawk: Weight: 6.0lbs = 2.7kg
• FX Wildcat MKII: Weight: 6.1lbs = 2.8kg
• EDgun (SPA) Lelya 2.0: Weight: 6.4lbs = 2.9kg
• AGT Uragan Compact: Weight: 6.4lbs = 2.9kg
the main purpose of a bullpup seems to be a SHORTer gun (and often lighter weight) – without reducing power and precision when compared to a regular long gun.
SHORT is required for those who want to take their gun on a trip and want to fly there instead of driving. Actually, every half inch counts (unless you want to pay for a gun case, and the airline's fees for excess sized luggage). SHORT is needed for backpacking the gun. SHORT is needed for those who need to carry their gun through urban areas with plenty of gawking gun-phobics around. SHORT is needed for shooting through car windows and sun roofs. SHORT is helpful when shooting from a hide or from a building. SHORT is helpful for getting through heavy brush while hunting. SHORT is needed for those who want a PCP with excessive power (via an extra long barrel), and/or exorbitant shot count (again, long barrel), but still want to keep it at the length of a regular mid-powered rifle. SHORT is needed if LIGHT weight* is important. Less stock = less weight. And there are so many who almost obsess about light weight – this is an issue to hunters, hikers, people with less physical strength due to injury or age, etc. etc.!If you don’t need SHORT, no problem!
You can still easily justify the purchase by rationalizing to yourself and your significant other that you have to be prepared for any situation, and that you just NEED a bullpup in your gun collection. Or two, as backup, just in case.Matthias
*Some of the LIGHT bullpups:
• Artemis (SPA) P15: Weight: 4.6lbs = 2.1kg
• FX Dream Pup: Weight: 5.3lbs = 2.4kg
• Kalibrgun Cricket Compact: Weight: 5.7lbs = 2.6kg
• Diana Skyhawk: Weight: 6.0lbs = 2.7kg
• FX Wildcat MKII: Weight: 6.1lbs = 2.8kg
• EDgun (SPA) Lelya 2.0: Weight: 6.4lbs = 2.9kg
• AGT Uragan Compact: Weight: 6.4lbs = 2.9kg
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Having both rotator cuffs repaired twice, I like my pup because I can hold it. Not that it is that much lighter, but the weight is back closer to your body. I still like the looks of a nice walnut stocked long barreled rifle better.
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