Steyr AUG

[Pikey]

How well has the AUG performed in the real world during combat? How does the durability and reliability compare to other greats like the AK or M16? How well is it liked by the soldiers that use them? I have tried to search for info but have not fund much.

[alaskacop]

That is a hard question to answer. AUG's are the primary longgun for several countries but those countries have had limited units in any recent conflicts (except for Australia which used a clone called the F88). In theory, the rifle should be just as reliable, if not more so than an AR. Never been in combat but I use both platforms (for work and competition) and the design seems to hold its own in the reliably department. As far as AK's go, I don't think there is a more reliable design out there (for a general combat rifle) than an AK (although they are far from my first choice in accuracy).

[kal]

A while ago i had read something about the AUG and its development.

If I can summarize, the Steyr AUG rifle was designed to be made as cheaply as possible with the heavy usage of plastic injection molding and cast steel parts.

I suppose how it performs will mirror how it's made?

[steve100]

Try a left sided shoulder transition followed by movement to your 9:00 position while shooting and you likely will return to the AR or AK

[lloydkristmas]

The AUG is a great rifle, but like many reviewers note, it was ahead of its time.

It has a lot of features that were "out there" back then, but are actually considered sound, if not desirable features these days. Vertical grip for stability, ambidextrous safety, transparent mags, quick change modular barrel, etc.

To me, the biggest downside of the AUG is the fixed optic. Sure the optic itself is of great quality, but it is very limiting in its application. Its a fixed power, non-illuminated optic, with crude back up irons at best.

The AUG A3 fixes this problem with the integrated top rail, but it still lacks the ambidextrous ability to fire from L/R shoulders. Then again, the only bullpups (of any substantial quality) that offer a fix to this issue are the FN F2000 and P90. Good guns, but they present some issues of their own.

The AUG is a damn fine weapon, I'd prefer one to an AR/M4, thats for sure. Unfortunately it and other bullpups will likely always be niche type weapons that never truly gain a huge following in military circles.

[kmrtnsn]

I was issued a Colt M4 with an Eotech last year after having carried an AUG-P for several years. If I could have my way the M4 would go in a trashcan and I'd have my AUG back. Nothing like a 27 inch long platform with a 16 inch barrel and a 1.5X optic; an ideal package for CQB and targets out to several hundred yards.

[alaskacop]

A while ago i had read something about the AUG and its development.

If I can summarize, the Steyr AUG rifle was designed to be made as cheaply as possible with the heavy usage of plastic injection molding and cast steel parts.

I suppose how it performs will mirror how it's made?

I can "summarize" by your comment that you have probably never used or even handled an AUG rifle before. Sure, there are people who may not like the platform but I have never heard of someone using "cheaply" and "AUG" in the same sentence. The rifle's design was WAY ahead of it's time and it is definately not plastic injection material in the construction. Do Glocks perform poorly?

I live in an extreme climate (-60 F degees) where cold can really play havoc on rifles. I have personally shot my AUG and MSAR in weather like this, Most AR's malf after a few rounds but the AUG (and AUG clone) kept right one going. Also used them in Texas humid summer's for a match. Guess what, AR's malf'ed (although not as bad) and the AUG kept on going.

[SilentType]

That's a long answer to a short question.

Let me sum it up by saying that there are draw backs to the Steyr AUG design. It doesn't have a free float barrel and as a short stroke gas piston system it is not on average as accurate as a DI AR/M16. It does not suppress well due to its gas regulation. The Australian Defense Force (ADF) had issues for years with attaching a grenade launcher to it without having random POI shifts. There is an issue of hydrolock with the Steyr AUG if it gets submerged in water that basically requires the user to have to seperate the receiver from the stock to drain the water out of what basically becomes tupper wear (polymer stock). The bolt sleeve of the Steyr AUG has been known to break as well. There is no ejection port cover and there are large receiver vents cut into the side of the receiver all of which invite dirt into your operating system.

On the plus side the gas piston system is adjustable to allow for increased gas setting at an "H" for foul conditions (or in the case of civis for weak as hell .223). The quick change barrel although not free float does return to zero well with minimum to no POI shift (less than 1 MOA shift). The AUG was built as a "system" to lower costs so that a DM rifle, LMG, and service rifle along with PDW version like the 9mm PARA were all available with a common platform. That's just smart and makes sense. The rifle is very easy to use. The polymer is beyond top notch. The polymer is more impact resistant than wood or even metal due its ability to flex or give (it wont dent in other words or splinter). The polymer will also not rust and requires less cleaning. The hammer pack and other parts not exposed to heat are polymer and this makes sense. Polymer is more consistent to produce thanks to the molding process than metal is to cast or forge. The large trigger guard area makes using gloves with the AUG pretty easy and I imagine that was a key requirement for the Austrians.

Peformance in combat appears to be acceptable. The Australians are updating the AUSTEYR F88, but sticking with the design. Although I must admit that the Australians use of the F88 combat has not been on the scale or level of US Forces in Afghansitan. Most the Australian SASR have used M4 Colts (no not Diemacos) due to the suppression advantage, M203, and tons of rail space. The Australians using the F88s have been their reconstruction teams who have come under fire and engaged a fair amount of times. The Aussies also had operations in Iraq and had a few limited engagements. The Austrians have deployed to Sudan on "peacekeeping" and the Irish have deployed to Kosovo on peace keeping operations. The Saudi Royal Marines have engaged terrorists in limited skirmishes with their Steyr AUG A1s.

I've also seen the Steyr turn up in decent number in the Balkans. During the late unpleasentness there it was not uncommon to see Croatians with Steyr AUGs. Also I think of note is that the AUG was used by US Customs who adopted it and it is seen even recently on some ICE raids.

It's hard to beat the M16 and AK47 for combat proven experience though simply because there are an estimated 80,000,000 M16s out there and probably over 100,000,000 AK variants. Plus the AK47 went into service in 1949 and the M16 went into service in 1962 (not really en masse until 65'). The Steyr AUG didn't go into service until 1979 and until Iraq and Afghanistan most conflicts have been fairly low intensity since the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam.

Overall I'd go to war with it. The AUG has its weak points, but so to do the M16 and AK47.

[kal]

I can "summarize" by your comment that you have probably never used or even handled an AUG rifle before. Sure, there are people who may not like the platform but I have never heard of someone using "cheaply" and "AUG" in the same sentence. The rifle's design was WAY ahead of it's time and it is definately not plastic injection material in the construction. Do Glocks perform poorly?

I live in an extreme climate (-60 F degees) where cold can really play havoc on rifles. I have personally shot my AUG and MSAR in weather like this, Most AR's malf after a few rounds but the AUG (and AUG clone) kept right one going. Also used them in Texas humid summer's for a match. Guess what, AR's malf'ed (although not as bad) and the AUG kept on going.

I was not talking down on the AUG. I wish I had the link that expressed the AUG philosophy of manufacture.

I'm just saying it's a rifle made with better mass production techniques compared to the rifles available at the time the AUG came out, and therefore that element may have created a rifle that ultimately wasn't as durable compared to the competitors (like the melting G36).

We still don't know exactly what kind of abuse the AUG is capable of handling.

[alaskacop]

I was not talking down on the AUG. I wish I had the link that expressed the AUG philosophy of manufacture.

I'm just saying it's a rifle made with better mass production techniques compared to the rifles available at the time the AUG came out, and therefore that element may have created a rifle that ultimately wasn't as durable compared to the competitors (like the melting G36).

We still don't know exactly what kind of abuse the AUG is capable of handling.

Since the rifle has been in production since the late 70's, I would think that we have some kind of idea as to the of abuse it will take. Anyone who (or does) own a A1 AUG (like me) knows that a gun that has been floating around since 1989 or earlier is not one that is going to fall apart. Yes, now these are kept as prestine as possible but back before the ban, people treated them like any other "tool". One guy I talked to kept his A1 in the back seat of his pickup for years on his ranch in. He used it to shoot pairie dogs as he drove his property so it got banged up a lot. Never saw an A1 so beaten up (on the exterior) but it still worked just like it did the first day it came out of the box.