Equipment/Proposed/Bullpup Assault Rifle

A proposal for two standard rifle types to better manage an 'international' force. Older styles, and bullpup. Just a thought perhaps to vary things a bit, but I'm not a hundred percent clear even on how I'd do it, but figure maybe with some development it'd make the early game a bit more flavorful. Also, messed up the article name.

Description

Bullpup rifles (like the TAR 21 of Israel, or the German G11; just examples, not recommending either, since no real world weapons) are different than older style rifles in that the magazine is behind the trigger mechanism. The length of the barrel is longer, making the rifle more accurate. Extremely popular designs with many armies. Potent criticisms tend to be that the setup is off-balancing, making prolonged firing awkward, and raising barrel climb, though it's usually viewed as being easier to aim. Just, that aim rapidly degrades in the event of a burst fire being used, and it's rather awkward to reload due to the magazine placement, unless one is specifically trained in use of it. They also have a kind of heavy, awkward trigger system.

The 'traditional' rifle features the magazine before the trigger mechanism (such as the US M-16/M4 variants, the Russian AK series; again, just examples). The mechanism is a bit faster reacting, the weight is better balanced so there is less climb when firing in bursts (that is, to say, superior fire control), but it necessitates a shorter barrel in most cases (certain long rifles mitigate that, but they're not practical assault weapons), reducing accuracy. The primary advantage is increased fire control, and some apparently view it as easier to manage ammunition in this configuration. They're typically cheaper and easier to produce (consider the AKs, very easy to produce), and maintain, so a reduced cost compared to bullpup might be appropriate, but ultimately a lower accuracy, as such, a shorter effective range.