Bushmaster M17S - An American Commercial Bullpup

[@regmason2329]

I was a FFL dealer back in the day. I purchased one of these direct from Bushmaster, before the ban as mine had a full length barrel (chrome lined) and the birdcage flash hider. Took it to the range in Mobile Ala for test firing. I fired two single rounds, no problem, and actually it was quite accurate. THEN, I loaded three rounds in the mag, and touched it off! Braap- three rounds went off so fast, I was still on the target!!! FULL AUTO FIRE!! The range guy charged out of the building- "Who is shooting full auto?" Of course it was me! Apparently the two guide rods were deflecting upwards and not fully engaging the dis-connector. Based on that one episode I would estimate the fire rate at about 1200 rpm!

[@mrb692]

I picked up an early M17S with a 3 digit serial number a year or so, and mine did the same thing! I had loaded and fired single shots to zero the scope, then loaded up the last three rounds I had and they all went down range with the next trigger pull. After examining the rifle, I don’t think it’s the guide rails flexing, but rather the entire lower receiver! The rear takedown pin has a tendency to disengage itself under recoil, allowing the upper and lower to separate just enough that the disconnector won’t catch.

[@McRoma2]

Accidently got a full auto? Its a shame to hear you lost it in a boating accident!

[@elisorrells5314]

Don’t tell anybody

[@cartlundmonson5164]

Mine did that too. They took it back and mounted the allen bolts you see on the left side.

[@crankygunreviews]

Good thing you didn't fill the magazine lol

[@elguusko5481]

Simple firearms that aren't crude are the most interesting to me when it comes to engineering. This M17S is a nice example.

[@AsbestosMuffins]

El Guusko right, its hard to make a simple gun that doesn't explode. you can see someone who knew exactly what they could get out of their materials did a lot of very smart design work on this

[@aserta]

A lot of research went in to that package. To some, it might come as too simple. To me, there's the pen and hands of an engineer team working their nights off on it.

[@shadowstorm657]

If you give a team of engineers unlimited money to build a bridge they will build the best most expensive bridge ever. But giving a team a limited amount of money and tell them to do it under the budget? That shows the real skill. You can make something really complex for alot of money, but making something simple for cheap but also very good takes real skill.

[@rjc0234]

what i love is just how much effort has been made to make this think manufacturable, its not some super detailed 5 axis CNC part. and that Aluminium extrusion is just beautiful.

[@iLLeag7e]

Simplicity is life's greatest luxury

[@Xskills16]

I love how this is a canceled project, but it still does a better job at being a bullpup AR-18 than the L85A1.

[@kingsilas3467]

Everything is better than an A1 I think baseball players stood a better chance just throwing things

[@richardgreen1853]

Yeah but as someone with a lot of experience with the A2 and the L86 LSW I've never had a stoppage or a problem except me being left eye dominant 😂😂

[@marcusborderlands6177]

@@richardgreen1853 well yeah, the a2 was when hk stepped in lmfao.

[@artemis_smith]

I say this as an American who has never handled an L85A1 IRL: from reputation alone, a rubber band gun seems like a better weapon than an L85A1.

[@BillMcGirr]

Not if you’re left handed.🤣👍🍺

[@mmclaurin8035]

Is it me, or is that RIA sign getting bigger?

[@troubleinbound]

It's not getting bigger. *It's getting closer*

[@Mike_Rogge]

@@troubleinbound Run.

[@gerritbleeker6359]

I watch the video twice from the beginning to end... The sign definitely stays the same size the whole video

[@battlefields2mine]

@@troubleinbound Initiated Vibe check

[@victorvangrimgamming6784]

The more we question it, the bigger it gets.

[@TheRogueWolf]

If an AUG A1 and an F2000 had a baby... that'd be pretty weird, because they're guns.

[@ThatGuy-a48]

Mad Max male guns?

[@GamingKeenBeaner]

They have a hole the bullet goes into so I think all guns would be female if anything...

[@fgfsgdomagerd]

Oh it's so much worse than that. There was a G11 in the bedroom as well: The original version of this rifle was caseless...

[@markosofranic3905]

Gun porn at it's finest.

[@Maxx2294-blyat]

The Rogue Wolf they put their magazines into each other

[@illuminatus3125]

Finally, I can say I own a Forgotten Weapon™.

[@stefanmolnapor910]

I'm jealous

[@tehsnekychicken]

@@stefanmolnapor910 Some aerospace engineer actually bought the rights to this, improved it, and is selling it now. Called K&M Arms, made in 5.56, .308, and .300 blackout I think. Great reviews.

[@tommytwotacos8106]

Was anything done about the trigger? I remember that being my only real complaint.

[@illuminatus3125]

@@tommytwotacos8106 I put a trigger kit on it from K&M Aerospace, but it pretty well still sucks, because you can't really do much because it has a connector bar (because bullpup) so... fun, but not practical.

[@RadSalacan]

I love seeing this Bushmaster stuff. I live about 3 minutes from the old Bushmaster plant in Windham. Now it's Windham Weaponry.

[@BillMcGirr]

My girls mom owns a house in Naples... We drive by it all the time.👍😊🥃

[@sn00ke]

Pretty cool hearing about what ArmsTech was up to before Kenneth Baker was killed in the Shadow Moses Incident.

[@ЄвгенМельник-ш8о]

Also pity that Donald Anderson didnt made up to these days to be glad, that Gun Jesus made a video about his friends gun

[@RIEKSONE]

Beat me to it lol

[@FalcoMoment]

Snakes don't belong in Alaska

[@tlshortyshorty5810]

*Who are the Patriots?*

[@masterknuckles1888]

@@tlshortyshorty5810 La Li Lu Le Lo

[@Kheir112]

I used to own one of these. I really liked it. Short, accurate and reliable. Really easy to take down and clean too.

[@jordanwalsh1691]

I think ease of cleaning is an underrated aspect of firearms design. I have plenty of guns for which I wish the designer had tried to round a few corners, open up a few angles, etc. Not always possible of course, but cleaning merits consideration in design.

[@dougr5379]

I purchased my M17S new pre-ban. Same as the the one you're showing except mine does not have the crude iron sight in the carry handle and only has 4 horizontal pic rail horizontal cuts. Has always shot great in spite of the mushy trigger. Mine came with a 30 round Bushmaster aluminum magazine. Interestingly mine has a solid one piece upper tube that does not have the 4 screws on the left side. The one thing that surprises many people is the heavy weight of the rifle.

[@simonrook5743]

I find it amusing that a gun developed in Australia where ‘Bushmaster’ would be a very acceptable Australian name was then made in the USA by a company named Bushmaster!

[@AshleyPomeroy]

The designer's name? Shane Bushmaster.

[@kurtbergh]

A bullpup AR-180 that works? l love it. This should've taken off way more.

[@mannyowlstein8144]

Keep in mind that when these were in production street price was around $650, you could buy ak's for $275 (AR's were a minimum of $700) Cetme's for $300 and G3's and FAL's for around $450.

[@MrGeorocks]

Street price woulda been higher than 650, you are getting it without all those annoying serial numbers and background checks. Retail was about 650, street closer to 900 probably.

[@slthbob]

looks to be rather unrefined and fragile... did you see the components dealing with the charging? The dust cover spring? AWB probably kept them from spending the capital to make it viable... only thing the AWB did was scare off capital investors.... Modifications to an ar-15 for compliance was remove the bayonet lug and flash hider.... done. Because bayonet charges and gunbattles at 300 meters at night were a big thing back them...LOL

[@rosebarnes9625]

@@slthbob yes, removing the flash hider and bayonette lugs from an AR is so much simpler than removing the flash hider from this.....🤔 Unrefined, yes, fragile, no.... that "flimsy" piece of stamped metal is strong enough to operate the probably 200k times I've jerked the charging handle back on mine in 20 years.... The only real problem with the M17S was the upper getting too hot to touch after blasting through a few mags... Kurts Kustom Firearms made a business of machining lightening and cooling holes in the upper, and when he passed, Ken of K &M Aerospace filled the void and then started producing his "modernised" version.

[@slthbob]

@@rosebarnes9625 You missed my whole statement and focused on the humorous filler... capital investment during the timeframe it was entering the market... a new spoon is still a spoon... but without being able to manufacture it at a profitable margin... the new spoon will fade away... over complexity of simple parts.... or requiring 3 components to achieve what 2 can do... can keep that margin from being viable.... not all good guns are profitable endeavors... the lack of market saturation of this design speaks for itself.

[@Reckec]

Yeah, I own a Forgotten Weapon !! I really like my Bushmaster. Other than the charging handle / carry handle assembly. It's too tall. However, their is a company, K&M Areospace, as he says, they have great fixes / changes for numerous parts : removing the charging / carry handle, adding rails, color changes, trigger improvements, caliber changes and even a new all aluminum version of the whole rifle. I have kept mine original for now. It's a great shooting gun (for a right hander like me). Maybe a second one to modify ?? Hmmm...

[@kwstill556]

A noteworthy unusual feature that was omitted is the tensioned barrel system (using the barrel sleeve braced against the receiver cap and tightened with the muzzle device). This stiffens the medium contour barrel and reduces barrel droop as a result of prolonged firing/heat. A system that isn't used on many other rifles (WA-2000 is the only other example that I'm aware of).

[@planeflyer21]

One forgotten weapon I haven't forgotten about! Very glad to see this report, Ian!

[@chrausis]

7:43 the bolt carrier group seems surprised to be handled

[@mysss29]

haha!

[@nubcake67]

lul. this is fantastic.

[@highvelocity6529]

It looks beautiful and practical too

[@zacharyrollick6169]

That jokes been funny since the AR-18 came out.

[@Targetpopper]

I really like mine. It is EXTREMELY picky when it comes to magazines and ammo. Anything loaded hotter than 3000FPS seems to work and some of the GI syle mags don't fit! The magazines mine likes the most are the IWI polymer mags and the Lancer 5 magazines. Pretty accurate and actually a fun little rifle.

[@AdMan-The-LabRat]

I know right.. Finicky little BRAT of a Rifle.mine is.

[@Reckec]

Targetpopper I haven't found mine to be picky about ammo but Yes on mags. Older mags, like GI style or older cheap polymer don't like to fit. I have owned mine since the Ban years, and had problems with the mags available during and just after the Ban expired. But newer (I use Hex mags) style polymer magazines have fit well.

[@Targetpopper]

Yeah the Hex mags work alright in mine and the brownell's USGI mags work. Pmags are ok in it. C-products mags wont even lock in. The mags that work the best for me are the ones I mentioned. It's funny. I shot the PMC bronze which says 2900FPS on the box and it cycled a few but short stroked a lot of them then I went to American Eagle which is just over 3000 and it runs like a champ. Wolf, Tulammo, etc. won't work. American Eagle it is!

[@CallsignSaru]

I was about to say the same thing. My gun seems to shoot just about any ammo I feed it but is super picky on magazines. Mine likes Gen 2 Magpul magazines but not Gen 1 or 3. It's really strange.

[@Kundry]

So, the inevitable question with a bullpup; how's the trigger pull?

[@ScottRuggels]

I was always intensely curiously about these, and they were in the gun store racks for ages. never got one, but the curiosity remains.

[@DM-hq9jt]

I have one of these that I bought back in the day. I actually got it a short time before I left to work overseas and have never even fired it. Interesting to see this excellent video. I may have to sell this one as, like I said, I've never shot it. Maybe I'll contact the auction house.

[@rsoul7282]

The Australian Army looked at it and said “Yeah, nah”.

[@tehsnekychicken]

The K&M Arms version is doing fairly well lately, made in 5.56, .308, and .300 blackout I think. Great reviews, gun is a lot more metal and where he could he switched to standard replaceable parts and generally improved the gun. May be worth a follow-up video.

[@RyanYouTubs93]

I like the look of this gun. Looks futuristic

[@der_pinguin44]

I have one of these. Love it.

[@der_pinguin44]

I took a look at the listing on the website, it's exactly what I would expect to pay. Also, since you pointed it out, Ian, I'm an ambidextrous shooter, and the M17S is one of the guns I don't left hand either. It's a shame 'cuz it's a fun rifle to learn with.

[@keithhh488]

I just got a pre ban with a scope it is very accurate and no problems love it more accurate than any other bullpup I have had lately!!!!

[@gkarjala]

Best gun vids going. i used to be a gun salesman and our whole-sale dealer always instructed me on the merch. His style was different but, this reminds me of the primers i recieved in my dealer days. thx.

[@Dies1r4e]

WHY ARE WE NOT MAKING THESE. lord it would be nice to have a bullpup under 800 dollars on the market.

[@lukemasmaximus1616]

Bloke on the range using this in finish brutality this year made me want to watch this again.

[@Chimera262]

'Established an office in California' First mistake.

[@brownicusfutiv2175]

@gaogle censors Did you?

[@paullytle1904]

Worked for armalite

[@artemis_smith]

Thanks, Ronald Reagan!

[@artemus419]

I have owned mine for over 20 years and have done a bit of work to it. Vent slots on both sides to aid in cooling. Shortened barrel to just over 16" Replaced the charging and carrying handle with and upgraded top rail with a custom charging handle. I also added a rail underneath just behind the barrel. It has always been a fun shooter.

[@johnnewcomer1293]

As always, nice job presenting the details and history.

[@AdMan-The-LabRat]

Finally something that I own and LOVE... Thanks for the review IAN!

[@rezicannmann808]

That's an oddly beautiful gun

[@vthegoose]

“Law and govt use only” Me, a Missourian: that’s a funny joke

[@richardlea818]

I love this state lol. No gun regulations to speak of, and dry counties are illegal. Once pot is legal itll be the mecca of freedom

[@Hiddenus1]

I thought only Texas is gun state

[@theinstitute1324]

@@richardlea818 And drugs, but all things considered we can just shoot methheads when they become problematic, which is not consistently a valid solution in other states lol. Sidenote, saw one of these for sale at the last gun show I went to in Springfield. Kinda wanna see if I can score it next time I go.

[@Devin7Eleven]

@@richardlea818 Pot is horrible. Kills brain cells and makes everywhere smell like downtown San Francisco. No thanks.

[@SvendleBerries]

A guy named "Hand" working for Armstech? Neat :D

[@f1r3hunt3rz5]

What a simple and nifty little gun. I like it.

[@allenmitchell8846]

I have one and like it for plinking and coyotes. Something he didn't mention was, it is 29 inches long and has a 21 inch barrel. It is shorter than a standard AR15 with a 16 inch barrel and a standard fixed stock. You do need to have decent optics for it.

[@whatthefuckisthis7]

The fact that it’s a bullpup rifle hurts my soul.

[@whatthefuckisthis7]

Deplorabology I just really dislike them

[@davidgreen5099]

sleek looking firearm! thanks for your hard work.

[@nlb2000]

"That upper making method is an economical way" then why does the SCAR cost so damn much!?

[@MarkivKonvict]

Brand Value. Same as Apple.

[@XanthosAcanthus]

@@MarkivKonvict I'll duck tape my my iPhone 12 pro max, which I don't have, to my scar, which I don't have. Ultimate clout achieved.

[@RustyDroid]

Marketing, that's why!

[@zacharyrollick6169]

It's not even that much better of a gun than an AR-15.

[@aaronsanborn4291]

Bushmaster is now Windham Weaponry

[@sappet102]

This gun was long overdue, great video! Gonna get around to a Demro Wasp soon?

[@swiley223]

I had one of these for a long time. It functioned fine as long as you had good mags. Sights are rudimentary to the point if absurdity and the trigger is appalling. It has a 21 inch match grade barrel which is the ultimate paradox when you combine it with the heavy spongy creepy completely unpredictable trigger. Oh and it's heavy as an anvil.

[@laurencekerr956]

Is the stock as uncomfortable as it looks?

[@mrb692]

@@laurencekerr956 It’s not great, not terrible. If you’ll pardon the old meme, it’s 3.6 Roentgen. Shoulders fine, shoots fine, and it’s not really noticeable under it’s absolute chonkiness. My AR-15 weighs 6lb 5oz (2.9 kg) and my M17S weighs 9lb 4oz (4.2 kg), all centered pretty much right on the pistol grip.

[@laurencekerr956]

@@mrb692 thanks for replying! I didnt realize it was a 2 year old comment until after I posted xD

[@mrb692]

@@laurencekerr956 Hah, and what’s it say that I’m looking at replies to a two year old comment on a 4 year old video? But yeah, it’s .223 from a >10 pound rifle (once you add optics and ammo), the stock really isn’t a big deal. Oh, speaking of ergonomic issues, it doesn’t fit in one of those standard soft rifle case. Since the rail is right over the pistol grip it ends up nearly 9 inches tall at that point, without a scope!

[@TovSeismo]

Looks and works like a creation you see in bad trips, but in some features it’s unique masterpiece… idk what to say, I like it. Especially it’s upper receiver.

[@BillMcGirr]

The world: Left handed people exist. The British army and Bushmaster: Nah it’ll be fine. 🤯🥃

[@BohicaJones22]

i used to have one. I loved it. Fun to shoot and easy to clean.

[@MrObeast44]

K&M Arms makes an updated version of this rifle and it is absolutely fantastic.

[@Tokey_The_Bear]

Just bought one, and it's GOOD.

[@JeffNeelzebub]

I can’t believe they built a whole rifle around those weird raceway office space electrical conduits that came out in the 90s.

[@louisgiokas2206]

'De Bushmaster, we used to shout. Actually, I have one of their XM15 guns built under the assault weapon ban. When the ban ended, I purchased a Bushmaster AR15-A2 barrel. So now it is up to M16-A2 spec, of course semi-auto. It is a great gun. It was produced before they were sold. I was always interested the M17S, but never got one. I regret that.

[@jackmurphy6510]

3:35 You come dangerously close to calling the SCAR economical.

[@willkenny5687]

Jack Murphy economical for FN, not for the end consumer.

[@hazard4349]

I can't believe that fucking gun is 35,000 for the military

[@UnDeaDCyBorg]

Quite interesting for it's simplicity, that one.

[@amorembalming]

SA80 done correctly then?! looks nice, decent sights on it and it's a peach. Lovely jubbly.

[@thegoldencaulk2742]

Sort of. Lacks the modularity though.

[@amorembalming]

TheGoldenCaulk good point!

[@amorembalming]

Pekka Rastas this is very true. As my learned friend above said it lacks modularity though. Makes you wonder why this wasn't even in contention though eh?

[@wierdalien1]

Pekka Rastas unless you ask australians who hate the AUG

[@amorembalming]

iatsd and now I know. Thank you for everyone's informed info.

[@JohnDoe-pv2iu]

No records of Australian military trials...Guy shows up with this gun. Inspector asks how do you clean the gas system? Guy says well its buried up in there. Inspector says 'get this crap outta here'. A military could never use a weapon that the gas system couldn't easily be cleaned. Great Video!

[@jezdimir2007]

Youre basically right. I've seen and had in my hands one of the original trials rifle this thing was derived from, so 30 years ago in a George St. Gunshop in Sydney. They said at the time (and this was during military trials) the army had complained the gas system couldn't be cleaned and they were supposedly designing a removable gas system as that you could lift out in one integrated moulding. Judging by the Bushmaster which is very similar in appearance, they never did get around to it. That said, the trials rifle which they were calling the 'Pheonix' felt heavy, but solid. It did have a very nice and compact ghost ring style optic sight - that apparently the army liked.

[@sgtsempersquid531]

I had one of these many years ago. It looked neat and it was very light. That's about all the good that I can say about it. It jammed constantly and would misfeed if not held at or near straight up and down while firing. I sent it back to the factory twice for the jamming issue. Both times they claimed to fix it after they "deburred" the chamber. No joy. I ended up selling it for about half of what I purchased it for.

[@thevoiceofthelost]

i love simple firearms, idk why maybe it's my adhd, but they seem much more user friendly to me. this particular model rifle is something i hope to own one day, ideally before they become super rare.

[@KERNOWHAM123]

Hi Ian, big fan of all your videos as an airsofter and as an engineer its so nice to watch someone with your correct technical understanding! Was relieved you said capscrew! (caphead here in the uk) instead of allen key bolt or whatever else I've heard! keep up the good work!

[@Broadshore]

If I am correct... Reasons why it didn't pass the Weapon testing was that Charging handle and the weak point on the lower receiver. Mainly it was the Charging handle that was hated.

[@whiskeyinthejar24]

I really like the simplicity of this design. Great example of experienced firearms designers vs the SA80 team......

[@USAF-mt1tu]

Ian, could you do the history of bushmaster firearms?

[@joansummers873]

Ian, do a video on the Department of Energy 9mm AR15 633. You seem to be able to get your hands on all sorts of unicorns. Please like so he could see my comment!

[@zachkinnison6390]

Joan Summers he usually just reviews guns that are going up for auction, he would need someone to offer him their rare guns to review for example a museum.

[@ezekielglenn5009]

Wth does the department of labor need with guns lol

[@Snakesht172]

@@ezekielglenn5009 My guess would be for protecting nuclear sites.

[@ezekielglenn5009]

@@Snakesht172 let's hope

[@bikkiikun]

The charging handle alone already disqualifies this rifle from adoption by any military.

[@stephanematis]

I had seen pictures before, but never expected it to be such a nice minimalist setup. I wonder if the ergonomics are good enough. Being a AR-18 descendant, it is non-restricted in Canada.

[@firefox12702]

it looks kinda like a calico and a scar had a weird child

[@UraniumReaperActual]

Eddie Lee that is exactly what I thought

[@rhyssuy8361]

Spot on

[@brucebaxter6923]

Yay Australia! Tried the Lithgow small arms museum for information?

[@magicman9218]

John Lithgow has a gun museum?

[@Goonygoon84]

You need an endoscope camera for the interior shots. I think that might help out a lot with some of the videos where you haven't been able to get in close.

[@neils2357]

Quite a nice looking rifle!

[@pewpewTN]

I'm a big time Bullpup fan, so it's a shame I've never even had the chance to fire one of these, let alone own one.

[@davekrab3363]

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie - Bang, Bang, Bang!

[@Jesses001]

I remember shooting one of these . I loved it. I wanted one for myself but it never happened. The only issue I had with it is the front end aluminum soaked up a lot of heat and got hot where you put your hand rather fast. So, wear gloves, ha. Maybe I will watch this one at auction. I have a feeling the price will go too high though.

[@33Luger]

I added a barrel mounted vertical grip that mounted on the barrel to escape the heat. Recently sold it for $900 because of the current CV panic.

[@revision29]

Karl needs to buy this and do a comparison with the Tavor. Will it survive your mud tests?

[@PromotedPawnTV]

With that cover over the charging handle slot, and no other means of ingress, it's like this one was made for mud tests.

[@PromotedPawnTV]

I forgot those holes. IDK.

[@ootdega]

Considering it's part of the gas system, anything that gets caught in there is just going to get blown back out. It's part of the reason the AR-15 does so well with the mud test. Different system, same principle.

[@GunFunZS]

Looks pretty clean.

[@devreed5931]

so simple its beautiful

[@ealtar]

this one is probably one of the only modern guns that absolutely deserves an engineering revisit it realy should be redone it has so much potential comme on, this could be a realy great gun

[@ComissarZhukov]

www.kmarms.com/ Done.

[@MyDailyUpload]

I remember the name of the company was Edenpine Ltd. I received a flyer and shortly after Bushmaster had it. I bought a pre-ban that needed to be replaced as there were problems with the take down pins coming open and the trigger bar getting loose and causing the gun to double or even go full auto.

[@indeed7289]

Ian i know i'm late but i know a fair bit about this Rifle being Australian Army myself i'd be happy yo let you know what i know but essentially it came down to two main things 1. Soldiers didn't like using it and felt it had too many problems 3. it was intended to be caseless Ammunition but the weapon emptied its entire mag and exploded during a weapons demonstration the weapon was then rushed to be turned into a conventional weapon using 5.56 NATO but the job wasn't done well and Armtech just shoved an AR18 into the existing design which didn't work well the third thing was that there were issues over licencing and manufacturing locations

[@yoitired]

Pretty sweet looking gun! If I saw it do well on a youtube torture test I could see it becoming one of my go to guns.

[@thegoldencaulk2742]

Dat height over bore tho

[@jakejones3501]

utilize the throat weld.

[@Gungeek]

not that bad :/

[@loafismlg2920]

Aim for the head, hit em in the dink

[@AdMan-The-LabRat]

I put a C-More on top of mine and she shoots just fine out to 100 Yds.

[@dmanx500]

you should see my t97.

[@DeltaOps3]

Whoever designed this was a serious engineer. I can tell this is an extremely modern design that could be contracted out to not just dedicated firearms plants but feasibly just different suppliers supplying parts and then just assembling them somewhere else requiring not a lot of capital. Like each of these guns wouldnt cost more than 200 or 300 dollars a pop depending on quantity to build and make. The barrel is no doubt the most expensive part.

[@classifiedad1]

That would be Charles St. George.

[@DeltaOps3]

@@classifiedad1 i heard alex hand.. lol. I meant as a general project.. those who are responsible are impressive

[@classifiedad1]

@@DeltaOps3 I believe Ian McCollum has an interview with Charles St. George, where he does talk about other designs he did.

[@snsm6730]

VERY COOL !!! Thanks Ian...I had asked if this gun could be reviewed in a comment somewhere a while back. Have shot one and they are certainly ...different...like some prop from a sci fi movie 8)

[@philippefrater2000]

Bullpups are great!

[@randomweirdo2701]

I bought one from a pawn shop in non-functional condition. I called Bushmaster, they actually had parts. I fixed it up had lots of fun shooting it. I sold it when I got laid off so I could pay rent. No regrets.

[@tiiBBzi]

That gun is cursed, just like Metalstorm! Cursed I tell ya!

[@danieljob3184]

The only curse regarding Metal storm is the one I put on the DSTO for rejecting the grant application that could have led to it being manufactured in Australia creating jobs for locals!

[@John1911]

I had one back in the day as well. Kinda wish I had kept it now that we have a reference collection. I recall the trigger being sucky. But it never malfunctioned. Not that I ran it as hard as I do rifles professionally. Being more experienced, I do wonder what I would think of it now? Marky

[@BrodieD]

love to see a bit of australian fire arm history

[@KaDaJxClonE]

they call it a carry handle, but by god, if I see you strolling down the street with a M16 like its a frickin lunch box!

[@jonbocz]

I bought one of these in the mid 90s, don't remember exactly when or how much I paid for it. I was into AK's but was around a bunch of AR guys and they told me I should get an AR. I got the M 17S which they made fun of because it wasn't an AR. With a 4X scope or Red-dot it was really handy and the 21 inch barrel maintained the velocity that the 16 inch barrel AR's lost. The balance was at the pistol grip so it could be fired like a pistol. It was reliable with G.I. magazines and smoothing down the sides of the trigger improved that, but putting a piece cut from a milk jug where the back of the trigger rubbed with the real fix. Smoothing out and lubricating the trough for the trigger bar completed the work, giving me a smooth, reasonable trigger. The only bad thing was that it was ridiculously heavy with that long, thick aluminum body. Except for that I would put it up against an AUG any day.

[@raysiris]

when it comes to guns USA will always be the best market

[@williamgammon4453]

raysiris but its Aussie design, mate!

[@isosev]

So how is that gun ban working out for the gun market down under?

[@jamesjohnson3334]

That charging handle would be a pain in the ass

[@gmac1321]

James Johnson just looking at him work the charging handle, first though is I'd pinch my hand in it.

[@mikeisenhower9789]

I owned one of these a few years back. Accuracy was good, even with the crappy trigger.

[@munawarhussain9859]

love your videos keep it up .........................................

[@vguyver2]

Pretty effective design materials wise. Perfect for a for a logistically manufacturing challenged nation.

[@aries_9130]

That's freaking cool.

[@Bert2368]

Have one, a quirky but cool little rifle. One thing about that Aluminum extrusion- Excellent heat conductor, the unshielded gas system quickly brings it up to branding iron temperature... If you want to do a couple of mag dumps, bring gloves! I always wondered if a small computer fan running off of a thermoelectric generator with the "hot end" attached to the gas system would fit in that extrusion? Not going to modify a collector item, but still? It is eye catching, fun to shoot and reasonbably accurate/reliable with most generic brands of 55gr FMJ ammo. It's not the most refined trigger in the world, but quite manageable. I have a Sterling AR 180 as well. As Ian said, this is the same guts in a space gun package (plus AR15 style controls, the safety & bolt hold open/mag releases are superior to the originsl AR 180) .

[@justinm2037]

yea i remember seeing them on the shelf next to a steyr usr (the thumbhole aug)

[@troy9477]

Interesting. Using the AR-18 components makes sense, since it would be very hard to have a buffer tube and buffer assembly at the rear of a bullpup. It would also defeat the purpose of making a shorter rifle. The charging handle needs work- it is stretching that spring, which is not good. And for the love of God, put sone decent iron sights on it! A good set of A-1 style would be fine, with the front tower out at the front end of the upper. I remember hearing about these and seeing photos. Don't think they were ever available here in Kali because of our 1989 ban. Great video as always. Thank you

[@Todd_Coward]

man this thing is nifty.

[@norrisgilham6304]

Have you Done a episode that covered the Bushmaster arm's pistol?, you should Do some research on it, then make a Video explaining & analyzing one, the only exotic Forgotten weapon that you never mentioned yet on your show.

[@The_austinhull]

All I need is a freaking mill and I really really want to build one of these. It wouldn’t be too too hard. The hardest part would be the “receiver” which would just need to be redesigned to either square or round. Everything else can be milked easily or modified out of something that already exists.

[@davidmorris1018]

a fellow shooter I know used to have straights-pull/manually operated version of this rifle here in the UK. not the most suitable rifle for our bullshit laws but was at least a bit of fun. I don't know how many were imported but I haven't seen any around since.

[@luket9539]

Who else is looking forward to Ian going over some Kel-Tec bullpups in 20 years time?