IWI US Inc., a subsidiary of Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) Ltd., has announced that it will be phasing out the original Tavor SAR from the company's product line.

The Tavor SAR bullpup carbine was first introduced in 2013. When the "next generation" Tavor X95 was released in 2016, sales of the original SAR declined as consumers willingly embraced the improvements and upgrades in the X95.

"The market has spoken and it prefers the Tavor X95," said Michael Kassnar, VP of Sales and Marketing for IWI US. "We will phase out Tavor SAR production over the next few months and concentrate on our X95, along with our recently announced Tavor 7, for the future."

The 2017 Golden Bullseye Award-winning rifle of the year from Shooting Illustrated, the Tavor X95's compact, ergonomic design coupled with its outstanding reliability has won rave reviews from the public and shooting sports media, as well as law enforcement agencies, according to the company.

IWI Tavor SAR X95 bullpup in 5.56 (Photo: IWI US Inc.)

The Tavor X95 bullpup includes many upgrades from the original SAR model including a new fire control pack with a 5- to 6-pound trigger pull, a repositioning of the ambidextrous mag release to an AR-15 location, Picatinny rails at the 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions on the forearm with removable rail covers, the charging handle moved closer to the shooter's center mass, and a modular Tavor style pistol grip that can be replaced with an optional standard pistol grip and traditional trigger guard with a smaller, lower profile bolt release button.

The Tavor X95 is available in 5.56 in 16.5" barrel for right and left handed shooters, and an 18.5" barrel (also available for restricted states), 9mm with a 17" barrel, and the new .300 Blackout version. Conversion kits in 9mm and the new .300 Blackout are also available and color finishes include Black, Flat Dark Earth, and OD Green. MSRP is $1,999 (.300 BLK is $2,049).

For more information, visit www.iwi.us .