“We’re both professionals. This is personal.” - Karl
Steyr Aug A3M1
History:
“The Steyr AUG (Armee Universal Gewehr – Universal Army Rifle) had been in development since the late 1960s, as a replacement for venerable but obsolete Stg.58 (FN FAL) battle rifles for Austrian army. It was developed by the Austrian Steyr-Daimler-Puch company (now the Steyr-Mannlicher AG & Co KG) in close conjunction with Austrian Army. The major design is attributed to the three men – Horst Wesp, Karl Wagner and Karl Möser, who developed most of the rifle features. From the Austrian Office of Military Technology the project was supervised by the Colonel Walter Stoll. The new rifle has been adopted by the Austrian Army in 1977, as the Stg.77 (Assault rifle, model of 1977), and production began in 1978. Since then, the AUG gained serious popularity, being adopted by the armed forces of Australia, Austria, New Zealand, Oman, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Ireland and some others. It also was widely purchased by various security and law enforcement agencies worldwide, including the US Coastal Guard. The Steyr AUG can be considered as the most commercially successful bullpup assault rifle to date. Since the 1997, the Steyr-Mannlicher produced an updated version of the AUG, the AUG A2.
In around 2005, Steyr-Mannlicher introduced the most recent version of AUG, the AUG A3. This version is characterized by addition of four Picatinny-type accessory rails – one at the top of the receiver, and three around the barrel, in front of the receiver – at both sides and below it. Therefore there AUG A3 has no standard / integral sighting equipment; instead, any open, telescope or night vision sights can be installed on the upper rail, using appropriate mountings. Lower rail can be used to mount various attachments like tactical front grips, flash-lights, and a specially designed 40mm grenade launcher. Side rails can be used for equipment like laser-aiming devices.” – Modern Firearms.net
If you really want to go on a deep dive of the history, and you’re more of a visual person, check out the review by Ian of Forgotten Weapons
https://youtu.be/IhEPHfvfqR4 (https://youtu.be/IhEPHfvfqR4)
OAL: 28.25”
Caliber: .223 cal/5.56 mm
Barrel: 16” Chrome lined heavy barrel 1:9
Operating system: Short stroke gas piston; non-reciprocating charging handle. (did you hear that FN?)
First Impressions
Special thanks to KM Concepts for bringing the rifle in for me. The version I ordered was the A3M1 which comes with a 16” 1:9 chrome lined heavy barrel. Typically they come with the “tulip” flashider, but I got one with the OEM muzzle brake.
To me the AUG is the most visually appealing rifle out there. The smooth lines and the way everything seems to come together without any abrupt angles, or sharp edges, it’s as if it was made by an artist. Looks aside, if the rifle doesn’t function reliably while maintaining a modicum of accuracy, it’s just a polished turd.
The short stroke adjustable gas piston system along with the non-reciprocating charging handle ensures that the AUG continues to run in the harshest of environments. I changed out the OEM handle for a Manticore Switchback because I found the angle of the original awkward and difficult to lock the bolt back in an expedient manner. The Switchback makes it possible for me to operate the handle with just three fingers and without having to pull my head off the stock.
I also replaced the front grip with a Corvus Defensio M-LOK Accessory Rail. This allowed me to use my own vertical grip at a slightly more comfortable distance all the while keeping my light close enough to be activated by my thumb.
A ton of people complain about the trigger. It’s pretty infamous as being lousy, but is it unserviceable? No. The entire trigger pack, except for the springs and a metal alignment tab, are made from the same polymer as the body. That’s right, the sears and hammer are all made from polymer. So if your AR trigger was made from the same material it’d feel very similar.
Loading on my version of the AUG is a pretty straight forward, hit the mag release with your thumb or the web of your hand, and yank the mag clear. On the AUG, the mags don’t drop free like on the AR. Simply shove a fresh mag in, make sure it’s seated, hit the bolt release and you’re good to go. On the NATO stock versions though there’s an extra step of locking the bolt to the rear, and releasing it again once your new mag is in. The fun part is doing the “HK slap” like it owes you money.
I wound up replacing the OEM mag release since I tried to break it in over the past few weeks, loading and unloading mags. I wasn’t able to get it to a good place where I could reliably get the mag out, so I installed the Corvus Defensio extended mag release.
A case deflector is a must nowadays since classes and instructors drill switching to the support side. Unless you want to explain the marks on your face to your boss on Monday, it’s a must have.
The AUG handles just like an SBR AR without all the extra ATF paperwork and waiting periods while maintaining a 16” barrel. It’s a non-NFA item with some of the same advantages when it comes to ergonomics and handling. Perfect for tight quarters or maneuvering it in or around a vehicle. I still don’t know why my wife gets so upset when she asks me to sweep the house and I break this thing out.
Having a quick-change barrel is great, but they only come in .223/5.56. The do come in different lengths if you want to change from a CQB to a DMR type set up, but the barrels aren’t cheap and will run the same as high end AR barrel. AUG has hinted there is a 300 AAC Blackout version in the works, but this has been teased for years with no release date yet.
I’ll be adding to this as time goes on as I get more rounds down range. Ordinarily I’d post a review once I’ve had closer to 1,000 rounds but I’m wasn’t sure what an extended round count would achieve in this case since this rifle has been around for so long and its advantages and disadvantages are well documented.
Now here’s a breakdown of the AUG narrated by an attractive woman…
https://youtu.be/E9zDTP0LZRw (https://youtu.be/E9zDTP0LZRw)
Is this the rifle for you? It really depends. Are you tired of all the ARs out there and want something different?
PROs
Quick to get on target due to balance point being at the butt
Long barrel in short package – better maneuverability
Gas piston system
CONs
Barrel is proprietary and no caliber changes
Needs a brass deflector
Non-AR control layout/arrangement