Articulatable surgical instruments with movable jaws located in close proximity to an articulation axis

A surgical stapling device, comprising:

• a shaft assembly;
• a surgical end effector, comprising:
• an elongate channel movably coupled to said shaft assembly for selective articulation relative thereto about an articulation axis;
• an anvil comprising an anvil mounting portion pivotably coupled to said elongate channel for selective pivotable and non-translatable movement relative thereto about a non-moving pivot axis between a fully open position and a closed position, and wherein said shaft assembly further comprises:
• an axially movable firing member configured to selectively move between a proximal-most starting position corresponding to said fully open position of said anvil and a fired position adjacent a distal end portion of said surgical end effector, wherein said axially movable firing member comprises a pair of anvil engagement features configured to slidably engage a corresponding anvil ledge in said anvil, wherein each said anvil engagement feature comprises an anvil engagement feature total axial length, wherein each said anvil engagement feature protrudes proximally beyond said non-moving pivot axis an anvil engagement feature distance that is less than said engagement feature total axial length when said axially movable firing member is in said proximal-most starting position;
• and
• an axially movable closure tube selectively movable between a proximal-most beginning position corresponding to said fully open position of said anvil and an ending position, wherein said axially movable closure tube is configured to move said anvil from said fully open position to said closed position when said axially movable closure tube is moved from said proximal-most beginning position to said ending position, and wherein said axially movable closure tube protrudes distally over at least a portion of each of said anvil engagement features when said axially movable closure tube is in said proximal-most beginning position and said axially movable firing member is in said proximal-most starting position.