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behind the grip and trigger. The bullpup was The submachine gun (SMG) is categorized as
designed to be even more compact than the car- a type of machine gun. Unlike other machine
bine and much easier to maneuver in compact guns, which use rifle caliber cartridges and fixed
spaces. Placing the firing controls further for- stocks and 14.5” and longer barrels, the SMG is
ward allows the action to double as the stock. chambered for pistol caliber rounds, uses collaps-
This configuration allows the rifle to be much ible and folding stocks, and barrel lengths around
shorter without sacrificing barrel length. The 8”. The SMG was designed to be easily conceal-
bullpup is also much lighter than a rifle with able and compact enough for small spaces like
the same barrel length. Its compact, lightweight helicopters, tanks, and other vehicles. The use of
design and balanced handling also help to a smaller cartridge also makes the firearm more
mitigate some felt recoil and reduce operator fa- controllable under burst and automatic fire. The
tigue. The bullpup still fits within the 16” barrel submachine gun is used primarily by military and
and 26” OAL for rifles. police for close quarter battle (CQB) roles where
over-penetration from rifle rounds is a concern.
Figure 18: A bullpup (top), carbine (left), and SMG (right).
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