# IWI Tavor X95
The IWI Tavor X95 is a bullpup assault rifle developed by [Israel Weapon Industries](https://www.edgepedia.org/israel-weapon-industries) (IWI) in cooperation with units of the [Israel Defense Forces](https://www.edgepedia.org/israel-defense-forces) (IDF) as a refined, more compact successor to the original Tavor (TAR-21). It is known in Israel as the X95 or the Micro Tavor, and the name encodes its two original calibers: "9" for 9 mm and "5" for 5.56 NATO.[1](https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2016/7/25/iwi-us-tavor-x95-rifle/) The rifle uses a long-stroke gas piston with a closed rotating bolt, feeds from 30-round polymer NATO STANAG magazines, and is offered in 5.56 NATO, .300 Blackout, and 9x19 mm.[2](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IWI_Firearm-Specs_Tavor-X95.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), developed with IDF units; US sales through subsidiary IWI US[3](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IWI-US-2018-Catalog.pdf) |
| Calibers | 5.56 NATO, .300 Blackout, 9x19 mm; caliber conversion within minutes using conversion kits[2](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IWI_Firearm-Specs_Tavor-X95.pdf) • [4](https://www.sibat.mod.gov.il/Exhibitions/Defexpo/Documents/iwi.pdf) |
| Operating system | Closed rotating bolt, long-stroke gas piston; semi-automatic in US civilian models[2](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IWI_Firearm-Specs_Tavor-X95.pdf) |
| Dimensions | Overall length 26.125 inches; barrel 13, 16.5, or 18.5 inches; weight 7.95 lbs[2](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IWI_Firearm-Specs_Tavor-X95.pdf) |
| Barrel | Chrome-lined, cold hammer-forged CrMoV steel; 1:7 inch twist, 6 grooves, right-hand[2](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IWI_Firearm-Specs_Tavor-X95.pdf) |
| IDF service | First select-fire carbines entered IDF service in 2010; in 2009 the IDF Ground Forces decided to equip all infantry with the Micro-Tavor[3](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IWI-US-2018-Catalog.pdf) • [5](https://www.idf.il/en/articles/2023/israel-at-75-take-a-look-at-the-idfs-technological-powerhouse/) |
| US recognition | 2017 Golden Bullseye "Rifle of the Year" from NRA Publications' Shooting Illustrated; US commercial debut in 2016[3](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IWI-US-2018-Catalog.pdf) • [6](https://d2culxnxbccemt.cloudfront.net/app/uploads/swat/2017/07/31194753/2016_05_web2.pdf) |
## Origins and development
The Tavor family began when the IDF started testing the TAR-21 (Tavor Assault Rifle, 21st Century), a long-stroke-piston-operated bullpup, with combat units in 2001; it began replacing the M16/M4 in mainline service by 2009.[1](https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2016/7/25/iwi-us-tavor-x95-rifle/) After the IDF chose the Tavor as its main rifle, special forces units requested a shorter 5.56 NATO platform that could convert to a 9 mm submachine gun, and that request produced the X95 designation. The IDF eventually adopted the X95 as a main rifle alongside the Tavor.[1](https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2016/7/25/iwi-us-tavor-x95-rifle/) IWI describes the X95 as developed with the close cooperation of IDF units, which wanted a more compact, more familiar, more modular, and more modern configuration with more efficient use of accessories.[3](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IWI-US-2018-Catalog.pdf)
The first X95 select-fire carbines went into IDF service in 2010 and saw extensive use in several regional conflicts.[3](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IWI-US-2018-Catalog.pdf) The IDF's own history account places the decision to equip all infantry fighters with the Micro-Tavor instead of Tavor rifles in 2009, and describes the Micro-Tavor as possessing accuracy out to 500 meters despite its compact dimensions.[5](https://www.idf.il/en/articles/2023/israel-at-75-take-a-look-at-the-idfs-technological-powerhouse/) A later Israeli Ministry of Defense post announcing the purchase of 2,800 X95 ("Micro-Tavor") rifles for approximately $2.9 million, for the Nahal, Golani, and Givati infantry brigades, states that the X95 has been used by the IDF since 2006.[7](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/israelimod_israel-ministry-of-defense-acquires-2800-activity-7079032440408670209-7uIn)
## Changes from the Tavor SAR
The X95 addresses the main criticisms of the earlier Tavor SAR, and the same modifications had been requested by IDF units. IWI lists a relocated, non-reciprocating charging handle moved closer to the shooter's center mass, a reconfigurable pistol grip and trigger guard, a lightened trigger pull, and a relocated magazine release.[2](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IWI_Firearm-Specs_Tavor-X95.pdf) The magazine release is perhaps the most significant departure from the Tavor SAR: instead of a single central lever, the X95 has an ambidextrous button on either side of the chassis above and in front of the trigger, at a position similar to the AR-15/M16 index-finger location.[3](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IWI-US-2018-Catalog.pdf) • [1](https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2016/7/25/iwi-us-tavor-x95-rifle/)
**Modularity and controls.** The Tavor "cutlass" style trigger guard is modular and can be converted to a pistol-grip design with a traditional trigger guard and a smaller, lower-profile bolt release button.[3](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IWI-US-2018-Catalog.pdf) • [2](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IWI_Firearm-Specs_Tavor-X95.pdf) The forearm carries Picatinny rails at the 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions with removable vented rail covers, and a full-length MIL-STD top rail accepts optics; folding backup iron sights are integral, with a tritium front post and aperture rear.[2](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IWI_Firearm-Specs_Tavor-X95.pdf) • [3](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IWI-US-2018-Catalog.pdf) The rifle is 100 percent ambidextrous capable, with an optional left-hand bolt for 5.56 NATO or .300 AAC, and a stock left-hand version (XB16L) ships with all controls assembled for left-hand operation.[3](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IWI-US-2018-Catalog.pdf)
**Trigger pull.** IWI specifies a 5 to 6 lb trigger pull for the X95, lighter than the SAR's pull that American consumers had complained about.[2](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IWI_Firearm-Specs_Tavor-X95.pdf) • [1](https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2016/7/25/iwi-us-tavor-x95-rifle/) American Rifleman's review of the US rifle measured a 7 lb 6 oz pull.[8](https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/nra-gun-of-the-week-iwi-tavor-x95-rifle/)
## Caliber conversion
A defining feature is multi-caliber design: IWI markets the X95 as one rifle in three calibers, with technology allowing conversion among calibers within minutes, which the company says saves training time, spare parts, and overall costs.[4](https://www.sibat.mod.gov.il/Exhibitions/Defexpo/Documents/iwi.pdf) Conversion kits were offered at $899 in 5.56 NATO and 9 mm and $499 in .300 Blackout when the rifle debuted in the US.[6](https://d2culxnxbccemt.cloudfront.net/app/uploads/swat/2017/07/31194753/2016_05_web2.pdf)
## US market variants
IWI US introduced the X95 to the American commercial market in 2016 at a suggested retail price of $1,999, in three colors (Black, Flat Dark Earth, OD Green) and, per the 2018 catalog, two barrel lengths and three calibers.[6](https://d2culxnxbccemt.cloudfront.net/app/uploads/swat/2017/07/31194753/2016_05_web2.pdf) • [3](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IWI-US-2018-Catalog.pdf) The X95SBR is the most compact member of the Tavor family, with an overall length of 22.8 inches around a 13-inch cold hammer-forged chrome-lined barrel; it was originally available only to military, police, and special forces in select-fire configuration before IWI offered the same design semi-auto only for the commercial market.[3](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IWI-US-2018-Catalog.pdf) Restricted State models for Maryland and New Jersey use the 18.5-inch barrel with a non-removable, pinned-and-welded 2-inch muzzle brake yielding an overall length over 30 inches, and ship with 10-round magazines.[3](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IWI-US-2018-Catalog.pdf) The rifle's predecessor, the Tavor SAR introduced in 2013, sold 50,000 units in about two and a half years, which Shooting Illustrated called the best sales performance for a commercially available bullpup rifle in history.[1](https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2016/7/25/iwi-us-tavor-x95-rifle/)
## The bullpup trade-off
The X95 illustrates what the bullpup layout buys and what it costs. Placing the action and magazine behind the trigger lets a full-length barrel ride in a short rifle: the X95 measures 26 inches overall with a 16.5-inch barrel, while the [M4 carbine](https://www.edgepedia.org/m4-carbine) is just under 30 inches with a 14.5-inch barrel.[9](https://taskandpurpose.com/tech-tactics/us-military-bullpup-rifles/) In a database comparison of 55 rifles, the X95's barrel accounts for 54.6 percent of its 0.65 m overall length (355 mm barrel, 3.4 kg empty), against a median of 60.1 percent for bullpups and 44.1 percent for conventional layouts.[10](https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/bullpup-barrel-share-rifle-length/)
The costs are ergonomic. The magazine sits behind the grip near the shooter's body, so reloads differ from AR-15 habits even though the X95's relocated magazine release mimics the AR-15 button position; loading a fresh magazine still requires reaching behind the trigger, since the magazine well sits well behind it.[1](https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2016/7/25/iwi-us-tavor-x95-rifle/) A controlled live-fire study of 48 participants shooting two bullpup and two conventional rifles of the same caliber found that bullpup designs provided a significant advantage in shooter accuracy and biomechanical stability, while participants still preferred the conventional weapons, likely from familiarity.[11](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0018720813509107)
## References
1. [IWI US Tavor X95 Rifle, Shooting Illustrated (2016)](https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2016/7/25/iwi-us-tavor-x95-rifle/)
2. [TAVOR X95 specification sheet, IWI US](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IWI_Firearm-Specs_Tavor-X95.pdf)
3. [IWI US 2018 Catalog, TAVOR X95 section](https://iwi.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IWI-US-2018-Catalog.pdf)
4. [ISRAEL at DEFEXPO 2016, IWI brochure, SIBAT, Israel Ministry of Defense](https://www.sibat.mod.gov.il/Exhibitions/Defexpo/Documents/iwi.pdf)
5. [Israel at 75: Take a Look at the IDF's Technological Powerhouse, IDF website (2023)](https://www.idf.il/en/articles/2023/israel-at-75-take-a-look-at-the-idfs-technological-powerhouse/)
6. [IWI US TAVOR X95 debut announcement, SWAT magazine PDF (2016)](https://d2culxnxbccemt.cloudfront.net/app/uploads/swat/2017/07/31194753/2016_05_web2.pdf)
7. [Israeli Ministry of Defense post: acquisition of 2,800 IWI X95 rifles, LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/israelimod_israel-ministry-of-defense-acquires-2800-activity-7079032440408670209-7uIn)
8. [NRA Gun of the Week: IWI Tavor X95 Rifle, American Rifleman (2018)](https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/nra-gun-of-the-week-iwi-tavor-x95-rifle/)
9. [Why the US military refuses to adopt bullpup rifles, Task & Purpose](https://taskandpurpose.com/tech-tactics/us-military-bullpup-rifles/)
10. [Bullpups Fit a Rifle Barrel Into a Carbine Body, WeaponSpecs (2026)](https://www.weaponspecs.com/articles/bullpup-barrel-share-rifle-length/)
11. [Stone, R. T., et al. (2014). Biomechanical and Performance Implications of Weapon Design: Comparison of Bullpup and Conventional Configurations. Human Factors 56(4), 684-695.](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0018720813509107)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Engineering and manufacturing › Firearms and ammunition › Rifles and carbines › Battle and service rifles › Titles I to V*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
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