Saw one at the local range, wound up chatting, helping get his new M21 sighted in, and we swapped for a few shots.
I shot maybe 20 rounds through the Tavor.
Pic for comparison; the Tavor is a
very small bit shorter, perhaps 1/2", mainly due to the longer flash hider on the AUG.
It's an interesting gun, and definite thanks to the owner for letting me shoot a few.
The M21 with bullseye reticle is, well, sort of gigantic. I like the optic itself, but can definitely see why people prefer the triangle. I had some 10x17" reactive targets, so set up a pair of them on their side so with a 17" wide target @25 yards, the outer portion of the bullseye reticle encompassed roughly 2/3rds to 3/4 of the width of the target. The bullseye/center dot itself covered the 1" target bullseye completely, so guessing it's probably ~5MOA center dot. Probably very decent for real CQB, but pretty tough the further out you get.
Initial impression first time lifting the Tavor w/M21, vs my A3 w/Pete's A2-ish rail, VX6 1-6 and rings is the Tavor is heavier. I'm not sure if it's really heavier, or weight distribution being possibly more forward, but it was noticeable on first picking it up.
The built-in irons looked like they're insanely high, but gives a pretty good picture in use (I didn't shoot it this way, but shouldered a few times w/irons to check it out). Aside from the sling mount getting in the way, it shouldered pretty well, with irons..we put the M21 on and sighted it in at the range. I could see it needing a riser for some optics.
I could probably adjust to the mag release; it moves fairly lightly. The bolt release doesn't seem in the best spot, sort of like an afterthought. Not sure if you can keep a thumb extended as you load a new mag, and manage to seat the mag followed by 'no or little shift' to release the bolt, or not.
The rear sling mount isn't in a great spot - it sticks out enough to get caught up in my sweater, would definitely relocate it to the right hand side (as a righty).
Trigger is heavy, noticeably so vs my OE AUG pack + Neu-trigger. The owner knew about, but didn't remove the 'extra' spring.
Inserting a mag into the Tavor was interesting - no audible or tactile mag lock-in like I'm used to, so I think we both were giving 'an extra' tap to make sure it was seated fully.
I like the fore-arm on the Tavor, it's the right size, right location, right width. I'm not so sure on the charging handle..it never bothered me in pictures, but it as well as the AUG both call out for folding changing handles, IMO.
Shooting it seemed to have a bit more recoil vs the AUG, not sure why, maybe it's bore position, dunno. It's still a .223, so it's not a huge difference, but it was there, at least to me.
The owner commented about the AUG feeling lighter and the trigger difference, as well.
Looking at them side by side, it's like Beauty and the Beast, or a Block (at least the rear half of the gun; I like the forearm)
Shouldering and shooting each, who cares what they look like? They both shoulder well.
I wouldn't mind spending some more time with one with a different optic.
For me, no regrets at all on the AUG, but I could see someone being happy with either firearm.