General Dynamics’ Rifle
Taking things in a new direction, General Dynamics’ entry into the program, which they’re calling the RM277, is a bullpup. That means that the magazine and operating parts of the rifle are behind the trigger, which is the reverse of the M16. The result is a much shorter rifle for the same barrel length, which some folks quite like. While the idea might take some getting used to for M16 fans, other countries have learned to love their bullpups in NATO; the UK, Germany, and France have all produced and fielded bullpups in the last few decades. Training might be a little trickier, but the more compact nature of bullpups might win over even some of the harsher critics.