Bullpup rifles

[subdjoe]

My wife just asked me "Why are bullpup rifles called "bullpup"?"

I gave her the wonderfully informative and erudite answer of "Uhhhh.....because they're short and mean?"

So, why ARE bullpups called bullpups? I could find definitions of them online, but not why they got the name. Anyone care to provide the answer?

[apbrian112]

wow, not even wikipedia has an answer... perhaps that's why there are no responses... "short and mean like a bullpup" sounds like a good answer...

[dondo]

When your wife asks you stuff like that you roll your eyes...throw out the "Honey..you wouldn't understand..."while patting her head and then demand your dinner. Seriously...this stuff works. Go get em tiger!

[subdjoe]

When your wife asks you stuff like that you roll your eyes...throw out the "Honey..you wouldn't understand..."while patting her head and then demand your dinner. Seriously...this stuff works. Go get em tiger!

Wouldn't work. She worked at Montana Hawk and North Bay Firearms for about 5 years. I think she has as many guns as I do. And she is working with me to figure out how to buy a cannon. Patronizing her is likely to get my arms broke for me.

[dondo]

Wouldn't work. She worked at Montana Hawk and North Bay Firearms for about 5 years. I think she has as many guns as I do. And she is working with me to figure out how to buy a cannon. Patronizing her is likely to get my arms broke for me.

What the hell did you go and marry a smart one for? I'll work on a new plan and get back to you.

[NeoWeird]

What the hell did you go and marry a smart one for? I'll work on a new plan and get back to you.

Well if she likes guns too then the obvious answer is "I don't know....maybe we should buy one and look in the manual."

[wilit]

A guy named Thorneycroft designed the first bullpup, so I guess it rules out the idea the guy's name was Bullpup.

The two best pseudo-answers I could find were
1. The design looks like the underbite of a bulldog
2. The British SA-80 was called "project bullpup" though i can't find any confirmation on this and it seems the term bullpup is older than the SA-80

[dondo]

In all seriousness I am very interested to see where this goes. GREAT QUESTION!

[Steyr_223]

http://www.strategypage.com/militaryforums/1-3680.aspx

9.2x18mm RE:Bullpup? What's in a name? 6/25/2004 3:10:48 PM
The term comes from "Project Bulpup", a randomly assigned codename. That was a British project looking at ideal rifle-cartridge combinations, which ultimately resulted in the EM-2 rifle in 7mm British. This rifle had what we call a bulpup arrangement, and subsequent weapons with this arrangement were referred to as 'Bulpup style', later simply 'Bulpup'. The term has nothing to do with description of physical characteristics, similarities to canines, or anybody's name. Similar confusion exists over the first American proximity antiaircraft fuse VT, which people claim stood for 'variable time' as a deceptive measure. VT was simply the next letter that the Navy assigned to a radar related device.

[dondo]

And there we have it. Someone buy him a six pack!