rifle vs. bullpup

[CaptVideo]

I would consider myself a traditionalist in that I like a nice wood stock in a rifle style gun. I have a Mrod .25 and am looking for a .22 and am wondering if I should consider a bullpup style.

Here is my situation, bought the .25 to get groundhogs and raccoons at up to 40 yards. I'm also working on the proliferation of chipmunks, hosp and starlings, which are much closer (8-20 yards) and would plan to use the .22 for this. I have never held or shot a bullpup so I'm not sure what to expect.

Is it easier or more difficult to hold steady?
Does the shorter barrel affect the capabilities?
Does the shorter barrel affect the noise?
A smaller form factor, but many weigh as much or more than a traditional style rifle. I'm surprised by this.

Any other benefits or drawbacks I'm not considering?

I'm looking in the $1k area and would like lever cocking with adjustable power.

[Bob in WV]

Brocock Bantam might be what you want.  It is kind of a cross between a rifle and a bull pup.  I recently traded for one and like it pretty good so far.

Bob in WV

[Nomadic Pirate]

I would consider myself a traditionalist in that I like a nice wood stock in a rifle style gun. I have a Mrod .25 and am looking for a .22 and am wondering if I should consider a bullpup style.

Here is my situation, bought the .25 to get groundhogs and raccoons at up to 40 yards. I'm also working on the proliferation of chipmunks, hosp and starlings, which are much closer (8-20 yards) and would plan to use the .22 for this. I have never held or shot a bullpup so I'm not sure what to expect.

Is it easier or more difficult to hold steady?
Does the shorter barrel affect the capabilities?
Does the shorter barrel affect the noise?
A smaller form factor, but many weigh as much or more than a traditional style rifle. I'm surprised by this.

Any other benefits or drawbacks I'm not considering?

I'm looking in the $1k area and would like lever cocking with adjustable power.

Bullpups are just rifles in a different dress, so not really shorter barrel, reservoir or lighter

[mackeral5]

All my adult life until a very short time ago, I wouldn't even consider a bullpup.  But recently I have found an affinity for smaller (shorter) rifles and that is a bullpup's niche.  They do take some getting used to, but at least in my instance it wasn't very difficult to adapt. 

There aren't many sacrifices in specs--barrel length, air capacity, power, etc are very similar between rifles and bullpups.  Its really dependent upon models being compared.  There are short, light bullpups and there are longer, heavier bullpups.  Same for rifles.

However...on many bullpups a "perfect" trigger can take a lot of work to achieve desired results and may be all but impossible depending on model and your definition of "good" or "perfect" trigger. 

Look for the right deal and buy used, if you like it, keep it.  If you don't, you can likely sell and recover most of your investment.  You may be the type that bullpups just are not a good fit, or you may love them.....good luck!

[ranchibi]

Brocock Bantam might be what you want.  It is kind of a cross between a rifle and a bull pup.  I recently traded for one and like it pretty good so far.

Bob in WV

I second Bob’s recommendation as I have a Brocock Compatto which is the little sibling of the Bantam, and they are considered a semi bullpup. Easiest, most comfortable rifle to shoulder I have tried. I think for your hunting purposes a bullpup style rifle will fit your needs, maybe even a Marauder pistol.

[Old Corps]

Just MY opinion but I've got 2 bullpups and for ME they are much more difficult to hold steady than a conventional rifle. Bullboss and a Kral Puncher Breaker. I like both of them and they're both very accurate IF they're fired on target. I personally wouldn't buy another one. MUCH easier for ME to shoot a regular gun. Most of my shooting is paper punching off a bench so it's not a big deal. Just wouldn't buy another. Good luck with your decision!

Ed

[hollowpoint1911]

Like you, I also would have said I'm more of a traditionalist with an affinity to wood stock traditional style rifles. When I bought my first airguns, there was no way I could wrap my head around the idea of a bullpup. But after more and more time behind the trigger for varminting, it started to become clear that shorter length rifles would be more ideal for ease of maneuvering. I got over my initial dislike of bullpups in the beginning of the year and bought a walnut stock Wildcat (one of the deciding factors was that the Wildcat didn't have the appearance of a Home Depot 2x4 with the action embedded in it). Just like you, I never shot or handled a bullpup before purchasing which made the buy feel a little risky. Fortunately when it arrived, all my intrepidations went out the window. I found that my bullpup was easier to hold, and hold steady even for long periods of time. I like that a good chunk of the rifles weight is close to your body which helps the fore-end feel lighter so it's easier to point at a target. As another mentioned, you generally aren't losing much barrel length because the barrel is just set further back closer to the butt, so concerns with overall capability and sound are pretty moot. One thing I like about bullpups is that you can still run a moderator on the end and you'll still have a relatively compact package, versus adding a moderator to an already long rifle and ending up with something close to musket length (say a Maximus with an additional 6 5 inch TKO moderator). Hopefully you have a little more info to consider now, and good luck with your search for a new rifle.

[skorec]

I would consider myself a traditionalist in that I like a nice wood stock in a rifle style gun. I have a Mrod .25 and am looking for a .22 and am wondering if I should consider a bullpup style.

Here is my situation, bought the .25 to get groundhogs and raccoons at up to 40 yards. I'm also working on the proliferation of chipmunks, hosp and starlings, which are much closer (8-20 yards) and would plan to use the .22 for this. I have never held or shot a bullpup so I'm not sure what to expect.

Is it easier or more difficult to hold steady?
A little bit more difficult. Mainly you need to use higher scope mount which is not disadvantage only for large distance shooting 50+

Does the shorter barrel affect the capabilities?
Does the shorter barrel affect the noise?
YES shorter barrel may increase noise and decrease power but obviosly the barrel has the same length

A smaller form factor, but many weigh as much or more than a traditional style rifle. I'm surprised by this.

Any other benefits or drawbacks I'm not considering?
A lot of bullpups have fixed   barrel to air reservoir too hard  what can affect POI when air pressure is changing. But commonly is it easy to cut free.  Also it is necessary mainly  for rifle 50+ distances. 

https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=128618.msg1263775#msg1263775
https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=133115.msg1323717#msg1323717



I'm looking in the $1k area and would like lever cocking with adjustable power.

[Nomadic Pirate]

I would go for an Air Arms S510 Carbine.


https://www.pyramydair.com/product/air-arms-s510-xtra-fac-sidelever-pcp-carbine?m=2280

[skorec]

I am already using "AA S510 carbine .177" for a  ten years at 18FPE. I just had to change valve popped  one time.
Be Carrefour because  Increasing oh hammer strike may decrease  accuracy. Also band between barrel shroud and air reservoir is better to cut free. 

[cast]

I bought a used edgun very nice you might consider a cricket or a P-15.

[tommy2toes]

Any chance you can locate any local GTA members who might own a bull pup?  If so, you could try their gun possibly before you buy one.

[rkr]

I would consider myself a traditionalist in that I like a nice wood stock in a rifle style gun. I have a Mrod .25 and am looking for a .22 and am wondering if I should consider a bullpup style.

Here is my situation, bought the .25 to get groundhogs and raccoons at up to 40 yards. I'm also working on the proliferation of chipmunks, hosp and starlings, which are much closer (8-20 yards) and would plan to use the .22 for this. I have never held or shot a bullpup so I'm not sure what to expect.

Is it easier or more difficult to hold steady?
Does the shorter barrel affect the capabilities?
Does the shorter barrel affect the noise?
A smaller form factor, but many weigh as much or more than a traditional style rifle. I'm surprised by this.

Any other benefits or drawbacks I'm not considering?

I'm looking in the $1k area and would like lever cocking with adjustable power.

For me bullpups are easier to hold steady, the balance is more towards rear so if you find long guns easier to hold it is unlikely that bullpups work for you. Barrel length is usually the same as it is in normal rifles, if it is short (like on some 20" bullpups) it will reduce air efficiency and increase noise level. For short range shooting bullpups have a problem as the scope sits higher up above the barrel line. As an example I have my backyard pup zeroed for 20 yards to reach 45 yards and at 8 yards I need to aim about an inch above the point I want to hit. Vulcan, FX Wildcat and Priest would be nice pup choices for your needs.

[Joekrooz]

I would go for one of each, or do like I did and do three or four of each 

[Nomadic Pirate]

I would consider myself a traditionalist in that I like a nice wood stock in a rifle style gun. I have a Mrod .25 and am looking for a .22 and am wondering if I should consider a bullpup style.

Here is my situation, bought the .25 to get groundhogs and raccoons at up to 40 yards. I'm also working on the proliferation of chipmunks, hosp and starlings, which are much closer (8-20 yards) and would plan to use the .22 for this. I have never held or shot a bullpup so I'm not sure what to expect.

Is it easier or more difficult to hold steady?
Does the shorter barrel affect the capabilities?
Does the shorter barrel affect the noise?
A smaller form factor, but many weigh as much or more than a traditional style rifle. I'm surprised by this.

Any other benefits or drawbacks I'm not considering?

I'm looking in the $1k area and would like lever cocking with adjustable power.

For me bullpups are easier to hold steady, the balance is more towards rear so if you find long guns easier to hold it is unlikely that bullpups work for you. Barrel length is usually the same as it is in normal rifles, if it is short (like on some 20" bullpups) it will reduce air efficiency and increase noise level. For short range shooting bullpups have a problem as the scope sits higher up above the barrel line. As an example I have my backyard pup zeroed for 20 yards to reach 45 yards and at 8 yards I need to aim about an inch above the point I want to hit. Vulcan, FX Wildcat and Priest would be nice pup choices for your needs.

That is the one reason I don't like Pups for hunting,...fine for shooting at known distances but when you get shots with a wide variation with the scope hight you gotta always be on your toes and make sure you remember you hold overs and unders,
when hunting with variable distances I want a gun with the scope as close to the bore as possible.

[Marc In Iowa]

[Tweeter]

I always like traditional rifles or so I thought until I bought a bullpup.  Like others have said you really arent sacrificing too much (as far as performance) by going with a bullpup.  I do find that they are harder to hold steady than long rifles also but I think the compact size is worth the trade off.

[SilentMatt]

That is the one reason I don't like Pups for hunting,...fine for shooting at known distances but when you get shots with a wide variation with the scope hight you gotta always be on your toes and make sure you remember you hold overs and unders,
when hunting with variable distances I want a gun with the scope as close to the bore as possible.

That's why you just buy one of these and never worry about it again....

[Nomadic Pirate]

That is the one reason I don't like Pups for hunting,...fine for shooting at known distances but when you get shots with a wide variation with the scope hight you gotta always be on your toes and make sure you remember you hold overs and unders,
when hunting with variable distances I want a gun with the scope as close to the bore as possible.

That's why you just buy one of these and never worry about it again....

Nope, not gonna help and actually will make things worse,...we are trying to get the scope closer to the bore not higher 

[SilentMatt]

Nope, not gonna help and actually will make things worse,...we are trying to get the scope closer to the bore not higher 

That's odd, worked great on my Kral and on my buddy's Wildcat...
 
Every bullpup I've seen needs high/extra high rings or a riser, so why can't this take up some of that height?  You know, medium rings and the optimizer... No need to make the scope sit higher.
It also allows you to dial in a set point for any yardage you choose, to take care of hold issues.

I wasn't saying this would lower the scope to bore height, I was saying it would take care of the inch holdover at close range.