Bullpups Are Futuristic: Difference between revisions
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{{trope workshop}}
{{tropestub}}
A "bullpup" rifle is one where the action is behind the trigger. This allows for a longer barrel (which means more accuracy, range and bullet velocity) with shorter overall length and weight, but increases the complexity adding to manufacturing time/cost as well as increasing the chance of malfunction and making maintenance more difficult. Further, in most cases this means the rifle can't be ambidextrous without making it eject spent brass downward (adding further complexity). As the British, French and Australian armies have discovered this is also an issue for right handed users as it prohibits shooting left of cover which is a major disadvantage in today's close range, urban combat.
Why bullpups are seen as futuristic is unclear. Perhaps it is that they are often made with sleekly angled (so that it will not snag on a soldier's gear) plastic or that many of them have integral optics and less prominent iron sights (a tie in with [[Sighted Guns Are Low Tech]]). The prominent ventilation holes, necessary for the barrel to cool effectively, might also play a role. The Mini-14 in aftermarket bullpup kits is an exceptionally prominent example in live-action works due to it keeping the Mini-14's high tolerance for blanks yet not maintaining the Mini-14's exceptionally plain or ugly (depending on configuration) appearance.
For whatever reason, it has been decided that bullpups look futuristic and firearms, and often lasers, in Sci Fi will
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