Surprising Numbers From IWI About Tavor Sales

I will admit that I was more than a little surprised when I read the following press release announcing that IWI US (Israel Weapons Industries' US subsidiary) had shipped their 20,000th Tavor SAR bullpup carbine. The market for a bullpup like the Tavor SAR or the Steyr Aug would seem a bit limited given the design and the price but obviously I'm wrong in my estimation. And reading their press release below, it seems I'm not the only one wrong in my estimation. Sales were three times greater than IWI US projected themselves.

The press release announcing this milestone:

Harrisburg, PA (March 2014) - IWI US, Inc. a subsidiary of Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) Ltd., proudly announces the 20,000th TAVOR® SAR has been shipped. The IWI US facility was officially opened in December of 2012 and began shipments to distributors of the highly anticipated; Israeli designed and built rifle in late March of 2013.

2013 became the year of the TAVOR® SAR, with unexpected demand that tripled projected sales and garnered the receipt of two coveted awards: American Rifleman’s Golden Bullseye Award for Rifle of the Year and the popular blog, TheTruthAboutGuns.com, Rifle of the Year. IWI US doubled their employee base to meet the demand for the TAVOR® SAR, as well as hired additional management as the product found a receptive audience in the law enforcement community.

IWI US expects to expand its facility in 2014 to accommodate continued growth. Additionally, IWI US will launch an online store with a variety of IWI US approved accessories for the TAVOR® SAR in the coming weeks.

“This is a watershed moment for IWI US and our employees,” Michael Kassnar, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for IWI US commented. “We could not have met our goals without the enthusiasm, dedication and the Pennsylvania work ethic of the IWI US team.”

Unusual Choice Of Firearm For This Police Department

When it comes to choosing a long arm for use by its officers, most police departments recently have been going with some form of an AR-15. Thus, when the Pennsylvania State Capitol Police chose the IWI Tavor SAR for use by its officers, it caught my attention.

The Pennsylvania State Capitol Police is an 86 member department charged with providing security and protection at the Capitol Complex in Harrisburg as well as at state office buildings in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Scranton. They are also charged with investigating crimes that occur within its jurisdiction. Established in 1895, they were the first police agency in Pennsylvania to come under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and are the second oldest state police agency in the country after the Texas Rangers.

So why choose the Tavor when virtually all other departments are going with some form of AR-15?

According to the press release announcing the adoption, it was due to it close quarters capabilities.

“We ar e honored that the Pennsylvania State Capitol Police have chosen to be outfitted with the TAVOR® SAR ,” Michael Kassnar, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at IWI US commented. “ The State Capitol Police were looking for an extremely reliable rifle that was built specifically for close quarter battle and the design of the TAVOR® SAR bullpup was a perfect fit for their requirements.”

There is no word on how many of these bullpup rifles were purchased nor is there any word on the exact configuration.

Prior to joining IWI USA, Mr. Kassnar had been president of Harrisburg-based Charles Daly and KBI as well as Trans World Arms LLC. Charles Daly and KBI went out of business in 2010. Given that Mr. Kassnar and IWI USA are Harrisburg-based as were KBI and Charles Daly, I would not be surprised to find out that he had a long standing personal and professional relationship with the State Capitol Police. Notwithstanding that, I do believe the Tavor should perform very well in close quarters.

IWI Tavor SAR Rifles Shipping

It's good to have a story today that doesn't deal with stupid politicians for once. IWI-US Inc. has started shipping their TAVOR SAR bullpup rifles to dealers across the United States. I know there was a good deal of excitement over this rifle at the SHOT Show and now they are heading out to dealers.

From their press release:

Harrisburg, PA (March 21, 2013) - IWI US, Inc., a subsidiary of Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), has commenced shipments of the long-awaited TAVOR® SAR bullpup rifles to their distributors. Shipments have been carefully choreographed for product arrival to various distributors across the country at relatively the same time. IWI US continues to ramp up production and shipping in the coming weeks. An assortment of black and FDE TAVOR® SAR rifles in 16.5" barrels and several black, left-hand rifles along with a small quantity of the TAVOR® SAR IDF model are among the initial product shipments.

The body of the TAVOR® SAR, specially designed for the US market, is crafted from high strength polymer, and will be offered in black or Flat Dark Earth colors. Features include full ambidextrous controls, removable 16.5" or 18" barrels, Cold Hammer Forged (CHF) CrMoV chrome-lined barrels with 1:7 twist, a full-length top-mounted integral Picatinny rail and another short rail forward at a 45° angle for mounting accessories. A stock left-hand model with 16.5" barrel and an "IDF" model with integral MEPRO-21 reflex sight round out the product line. The TAVOR® SAR uses standard AR-15/M16 magazines and can be easily field-stripped into sub-assemblies for routine maintenance. The standard caliber is 5.56 NATO (.223REM), with conversion kits available in 9mm Luger Parabellum and 5.45X39mm. MSRP starts at $1,999.00.

About IWI US Inc.

IWI US, Inc. is a subsidiary of Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), which for many years has operated in the global Defense and Law Enforcement markets. IWI US, Inc. was established in 2012 in order to offer the hig hest quality and most advanced products available - as well as to provide a high level of service and support - for American consumers. Located in a 21,000 sq. ft. facility in Harrisburg, PA, IWI US has appointed a very experienced team of senior managers to oversee its operations in the US market. The IWI US line of products includes several configurations of the TAVOR ® SAR, and the UZI ® PRO Pistol.

Tavor Bullpup Coming To America

Israel Weapons Industry - IWI - announced that they have leased a 21,000 square foot facility in Harrisburg, PA and will soon start up operations there. They initially will be marketing the Tavor SAR bullpup and the Uzi Pro Pistol. Both of these will be specifically adapted for the US market.

From their release:

Ramat Hasharon, Israel, December 12, 2012 - Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) – a leader in the production of combat-proven small arms for governments, armies, and law enforcement agencies around the world – launches operations of its US subsidiary, IWI US, Inc. The company has leased a 21,000 sq. ft. facility in Harrisburg, PA, and will initially begin marketing the TAVOR® SAR bullpup rifle line in several configurations and the UZI® PRO Pistol, which will be showcased at the 2013 SHOT Show, January 15-18, in Las Vegas, NV at booth #15238.

According to Uri Amit, IWI's CEO, "We are pleased to announce the launch of the operations of IWI US to shooting enthusiasts in the US. We have operated for many years in the global Defense and Law Enforcement markets, where we have invested significant resources in developing quality, innovative weapons that answer the needs of our customers, and our products enjoy great popularity around the world. All of the weapons we have developed have become the standard for the IDF as well as for the armed forces, Special Forces, and police forces throughout the world. We have now decided to enter the civilian market in the US and offer products that have been specially developed for the US commercial market. Initially, we will offer several configurations of the TAVOR® SAR and the UZI® PRO Pistol, which have undergone changes and adjustments to suit the needs of the American consumer."

Mr. Amit continued, "Over the years, rumors have circulated regarding the launch of our US operations, which has created expectations in the civilian market, and we look forward to an excellent reception of our products by US shooting enthusiasts. We will be introducing our new weapons at the upcoming SHOT Show - and invite you to visit our booth to take a closer look."

About Israel Weapon Industries (IWI)

Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), located in the center of Israel, has been a world leader in small arms for the past 80 years. IWI is a member of the SK Group, which is composed of companies that develop and manufacture a wide array of military products for governmental entities, armies, and law enforcement agencies around the world. IWI’s best-known products include the TAVOR® and GALIL® ACE families of Assault Rifles, the NEGEV™ Light Machine Gun, the legendary UZI® SMG (Mini, Micro and UZI® PRO) and the JERICHO® family of pistols – which have all been considered weapons of choice by military units and top law enforcement agencies around the world. The company’s firearms are developed in close collaboration with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). IWI and the IDF join forces in developing these weapons, whose final configurations are the product of ongoing interaction, field tests, and modifications, resulting from combat requirements and experience. All IWI weapon systems are in compliance with the most stringent military standards (MIL-STD) and ISO 9000 standards.

If the Tavor is made here in the US, then I guess they won't have to worry about BATFE and problems with meeting any sort of "sporting purpose" for importation. As the Instapundit might say, heh!

UPDATE: Steve at The Firearm Blog is reporting that IWI-US has gone live with their website and has posted the MSRP for the various models of the Tavor SAR. They start at $1,999 and go up to $2,599 with the Mepro reflex sight attached.

I did find this bit interesting:

The TAVOR^® is a perfect fusion of an ordnance grade steel receiver coupled to a Mil-Spec cold hammer forged barrel and encased into a high-impact strength polymer uni-body with exceptional situational ergonomics. The ultra-compact form factor allows for easy transitions in close quarter situations…or even in your favorite deer blind.

Unfortunately, in many states, legally the .223 is considered too small for deer.

UPDATE II: I received some more info today on the Tavor and Uzi from IWI's marketing firm. I'm posting it below and it gives some more info on both of these firearms.

The TAVOR® Family of Bullpup Rifles are versatile, innovative, and technologically advanced. They have been extensively proven on the battlefield, performing with precision and reliability, and meeting the needs of human ergonomics. The TAVOR® family was developed in close cooperation with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), based on lessons learned from actual combat, and is in service in the IDF Infantry and Special Forces as well as in other countries throughout the world.

The body of the TAVOR® SAR, specially designed for the US market, is crafted from high strength polymer, and will be offered in black or Flat Dark Earth colors. Features include full ambidextrous controls, removable 16.5" or 18" barrels, Cold Hammer Forged (CHF) CrMoV chrome-lined barrels with 1:7 twist, a full-length top-mounted integral Picatinny rail and another short rail forward at a 45° angle for mounting accessories.. A stock left-hand model with 16.5" barrel and an "IDF" model with integral MEPRO-21 reflex sight round out the product line. The TAVOR® SAR uses standard AR-15/M16 magazines, and can be easily field-stripped into sub-assemblies for routine maintenance. The standard caliber is 5.56 NATO (.223REM), with conversion kits available in 9mm Luger Parabellum and 5.45X39mm.

Developed in cooperation with the IDF, the 9mm UZI® PRO semi-automatic pistol is the newest member of the legendary UZI® family - one of the most popular weapon families in the world, with millions of units sold around the globe. Created especially for the US market, the exceptionally lightweight and compact UZI® PRO Pistol is ergonomically designed and easy to operate by right or left-handed users. It offers closed-bolt operation for maximum accuracy and safety. With many of its components made of advanced polymeric materials, the UZI PRO's features include two Picatinny rails for various accessories, one on the top of the pistol and a second one forward under the barrel. It will be supplied with two magazines, one 20- and one 25-round.