IWI Tavor questions

puška m70

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Not in the market right now but I see that Tavors are popular here. I'm not familiar with them and have a few questions.

How do they hold up long-term with the mainly plastic body?

Are these something we're going to see 30 years from now like an AK still chugging along in the Congo?

I know the Israelis make some well engineered firearms like the Galil, great in harsh environments, but it's basically a modernized AKM.

Is the modern Galil ACE MA OK?
 
Tavor is a great rifle, but spare parts aren’t really a thing. IMO, IWI Galil ACE is good to go in MA
 
I like the X95 a lot (esp in MA), short OAL, handles/balances well, and can be shot with ease one handed. The X95 receiver is aluminum and it sits inside the polymer body. The only time I've seen spare bodies for sale was with parts kits that were on GB a while back, bodies def aren't common. I honestly wouldn't be worried about damaging/breaking the body to the point where the rifle wouldn't function, even with hard use. That said, like with anything else, two is one, one is none (+ parts), esp if you plan on actually shooting/training with it a lot. As stated above, some key spare parts are few and far between. The design is sound, I think you'll see the guns kicking around for a long time and still functioning.
 
Not in the market right now but I see that Tavors are popular here. I'm not familiar with them and have a few questions.

How do they hold up long-term with the mainly plastic body?

Are these something we're going to see 30 years from now like an AK still chugging along in the Congo?

I know the Israelis make some well engineered firearms like the Galil, great in harsh environments, but it's basically a modernized AKM.

Is the modern Galil ACE MA OK?

I mean the majority of HK firearms are polymer and are doing just fine. You aren’t smashing it off rocks intentionally and even if you did metal will bend and you’ll still be screwed
 
I have had mine for about 5 years, and not really noticed any wear or tear on it. Really fun rifle to shoot after you get used to the manual of arms.
 
My 2 cents.
Tavors like most other things are fine if you just want it the way it is. There's limited customization and not a lot of players in that market to keep costs down.
Some things like changing a right hand gun to a left hand gun, is supposed to be a feature is really not. Parts are no longer available. You'd need to send it to an authorized service center for what amounts to a bolt change.
A relative bought one and I have no idea why other than CoD maybe. He knows I'm invested in ARs and could support him on that platform.
 
The early generation of Glock pistol frames from the 1980s are still as robust today, as 40 years ago.
Tavor plastic is one of the hardest and strongest plastics I've seen. Better than Glock's, that's for sure

Reliability-wise, there are several areas I'd like to point out:
  • Tavor uses a hammer-forged barrel which in a semi-auto rifle means infinite barrel life. Expect an easy 50-60k life
  • The trigger to trigger bar connection has no bushing. I suspect it will get loose after 20-30k trigger pulls
  • Trigger pack is very robust, including the springs. Compared to AR trigger springs, these are rediculosly overengineered so I don't expect them to fail. ever.
  • The piccattini rail covers are a potenteal weak spot, especitally the locking mechanism. This is ok since most will never touch them or will remove permanently to mount things like lights
  • The bolthead is easy to replace and is over engineered as well. The is not one(like in AR's) but TWO ejector rods. If one fails, the rifle will continue ejecting spent cartriges. The bolt transition from the bolt shaft to the head is curved, eliminating the stress area completely.
  • Early production run of X95's used the wrong type of steel on the bol head and there were several cases of locking lugs breaking off. IWI fixed that issue rather quickly but the number of used rifles out there still has the original part. Many will just buy a new bolt as a spare just in case.
  • The firing pin spring is overengineered but just like the bolt carrier, IWI was using wrong steel for the part and there were half a dozen cases of springs breaking. IWI fixed the issue but just like with the bolt, if you plan to buy a used Tavor, it's a good idea to get a spare firing pin spring.
  • Whoever designed Tavor is a good engineer: there are NO pins that experience lateral strain. Anywhere there are lateral forces, ther are overengineered hard steel pins instead.
  • I suspect the reason a bare Tavor X95 is 16oz heavier that a bare AR-15 is primarily due to the over engineering of the parts. Compared to AR-15, X95 is a tank of a rifle!
 
The above and.... I believe the current models no longer need extra parts to swap charging handle and safety for right and left handedness. Shooting opposite hand, the brass deflector does a pretty good job of keeping brass off your face either hand perhaps mitigating the need to change bolt/ejection port handedness. Some places to get parts and mods include 3Panther (The 'Cutlass Grip' *and* trigger guard grip should have been standard) and, of course Bullpup Armory. The 3PP Gas Buster is imperfect but worthwhile. The charging handle does require more oomph than you might expect but it breaks in (or you do). Cleaning is, IMO, comparable to AR platform rifles (straight shot through butt to muzzle is similar if 'longer pull'). The only lingering durability concern I am aware of is to be sure to follow proper procedures when removing/replacing the charging handle lest you irreparably bend it. Grip tape on the foregrip is helpful. Like many things in life, lube is your friend.
 
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