Every Inch counts?... Big guns

[James-Bond]

Excuse the terrible title humour
But does size really matter?

Main Question:
A. Bullpup vs conventional layout, does size matter that much?
B. Is the performance in size saved in bullpup make much of a difference?

So coming from a place where i dont have access to a firing range so Im an atmchair general.
(If I'm wrong about anything correct me)

So looking at it from at extremely simplified view
Barrel and ammo determine performance to hit a target.
In automatics exhaust? Handling mechanisms , effects rate of fire
Everything else is ergonomics for the shooter?

I imagine I haven't factored in other variables like
Design considerations, ease of production, cost.

[Sigirdiwarth]

Pros:
Reduced length makes the rifles easier to transport when mounted in a vehicle (problem usually solved with the use of folding stocks) and less likely to hit obstructions in buidlings.
The center of mass of the rifle very close to the grip makes it easier to hold it on target for extended periods of time at the expense of increased muzzle climb when fired.

Cons:
Increased complexity of manufacture.
The trigger is spongy and the ejection port makes it uncomfortable to shoot left-handed, though those are engineering problems specific to individual designs.

[Shrike]

I remember somewhere on Forgotten Weapons where Ian said the Bullpup concept was kind of dated since with modern conventional rifles you can get similar benefits of a bullpup by altering barrel rotation maker shorter barrels more viable.

Also not that many countries seem interested in bullpups anymore as AR pattern rifles like the M4 and HK416 become more common.

[Grabbed_by_the_Spets]

Also not that many countries seem interested in bullpups anymore as AR pattern rifles like the M4 and HK416 become more common.

Don't know about that, there are still a butt-ton of countries that still use bullpups.

[Killertomato]

Also not that many countries seem interested in bullpups anymore as AR pattern rifles like the M4 and HK416 become more common.

Don't know about that, there are still a butt-ton of countries that still use bullpups.

Yeah but there's no mass movement towards bullpups like there was 20-30 years ago. The last country to go conventional -> bullpup was Israel with Tavor. Since then NZ and now France have gone back to conventional.

Personally, I prefer regular rifles, but that's just what I have (waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay) more experience with.

[Grabbed_by_the_Spets]

Also not that many countries seem interested in bullpups anymore as AR pattern rifles like the M4 and HK416 become more common.

Don't know about that, there are still a butt-ton of countries that still use bullpups.

Yeah but there's no mass movement towards bullpups like there was 20-30 years ago. The last country to go conventional -> bullpup was Israel with Tavor. Since then NZ and now France have gone back to conventional.

Well, that's because the mass conversion has already happened, so there would have to be a conversion back if that wish to convert again.

Besides NZ, Malaysia and France. All other countries using bullpups are sticking to bullpups.

[Fade2Gray]

Bullpups cause more problems than they fix. Your typical AR you can do some wild battlefield hotfixes with if needs must. With bullpups you are far more likely to have a full stop fault that totally deadlines the weapon and needs a dedicated armorer to fix.