Shot a friends, years ago. I didn't care for it at all - not my cup of tea. I can see where it would be ideal in urban combat/building clearing operations, though. I was pretty well impressed with the quality.
I've always been a curmudgeon - now I'm an old curmudgeon. ~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
I trained with an eye doctor at ThunderRanch who had a TAVOR X95 with an Acog and a Geiselle trigger
It was a nice rig and he shot it well. It was reliable and accurate
The manual of arms is completely different though
BMT
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Had a conversation with LEO/ instructors back in the 90's who had shot the AUG and thought it was an excellent firearm, accurate, reliable, only downside was cost.
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"Why can't men kill big game with the same cartridges women and kids use?" _Eileen Clarke
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Reminds me, somehow, of the guns carried by the expendable THRUSH thugs in The Man From Uncle series.
It’s certainly a proven arm, even if it does look like a toy. Supposedly there’s an aftermarket trigger available for it. Bullpups have a rep for crappy, spongy triggers due to the long linkage.
I’d think they’d shoot pretty low at close range with that high-mounted optic. I’m also not too keen on my face being that close to the breech in the event of a case failure.
I trained with an eye doctor at ThunderRanch who had a TAVOR X95 with an Acog and a Geiselle trigger
It was a nice rig and he shot it well. It was reliable and accurate
The manual of arms is completely different though
BMT
When you use manual of arms in that context, what does it mean? It was used a few times in the video, and I believe I understand it, but never have had it explained to me.
I trained with an eye doctor at ThunderRanch who had a TAVOR X95 with an Acog and a Geiselle trigger
It was a nice rig and he shot it well. It was reliable and accurate
The manual of arms is completely different though
BMT
When you use manual of arms in that context, what does it mean? It was used a few times in the video, and I believe I understand it, but never have had it explained to me.
When I get a bolt lock on an empty mag my trigger fingers goes to the mag release on an Ar-15.. on an aug it’s completely different. Mag drop requires me to remove my support hand and hit the mag release and then strip the mag.
Same with going from safe to fire. It’s a cross bolt style found on a lot of shotguns.
Charging the weapon is different as well. I’d say it’s “better” on the aug but it’s also different so my muscle memory from doing double feed malfunction drills is vastly different.
And also dropping the bolt once I reload the gun is just a reach with the thumb to the ping pong paddle on an ar. Again a lot different on the aug.
The “problem” outside of manual of arms with bullpups is a fairly long one. Some to aug, but others to bullpups in general.
They aren’t “cheap”. That doesn’t hold a ton of water in terms of design flaws, but a colt 6920 is 750$ today. A dang good factory upper and lower build w it h great barrel, trigger is well under 1200$
Secondly they really don’t fill a truly underserved niche. Meaning I can make a short ar-15 even with the 16” oal barrel length. It’s about a 1” difference between a p&w upper with an lwrc pdw stock and a steyr aug with a 16” barrel.
Not an apples to apples comparison, because you could p&w the aug, and you don’t run an ar15 usually with the stock fully collapsed.. but for practical purposes you can make small, compact ar’s
The aug especially is funky to run accessories. Not saying you can’t, but juxtaposed to the ubiquitous 13” mlok/pic rail hand guard on an ar15 you have to do some prioritizing
It’s awkward to run bullpups but especially the aug as a DMR/spr/ bipod gun.
They aren’t very light. pencil barrel modern ar’s shoot tight groups and are a full pound and a half lighter.
The triggers aren’t great. They are more like a modern polymer pistol trigger then a 1911.
Parts for them either for maintenance or say changing configurations isn’t great.
There other negatives, but they are more trivial. I think the aug is a good weapon. It’s a svelte design. It’s fairly accurate, it’s a known reliable entity. And you get 16” ballistics in a 11.5” sized weapon.
That said it’s a niche Gun not useful to american civilians.
You can adjust the length of pull on an AR depending upon your clothing/equipment. For instance, if you are wearing a T-shirt, you'll probably have the stock fully extended. If you have on Winter clothing or body armor, you'll probably have the stock collapsed. Can't do that with an AUG.
I've had one for a little over a year and have about 1,000 rounds of assorted ammo through it, so I can offer an actual use-based opinion.... Although probably not as entertaining as some Youtuber's costume party five-yard mag dumps.
I had a few magazines through military AUGs belonging to Australian and Moroccan troops. These were the original military style with the 1.5x "donut of death" integrated optic. The only impression I formed was that the trigger was weird with the two stage semi or full auto pull, but the gun was easy to shoot. What did impress me was how much the soldiers that were issued the rifle liked it and the confidence they had in it.
My main reason for getting one was me getting pissed-off at ATF shenanigans with pistol braces: I had a CMMG 12.5" with brace that I liked, but I figured I'd get something just as short with a 16" barrel and the feds could screw themselves. I got the standard (non-NATO). I wasn't worried about not being able to use AR magazines because Magpul makes good mags for the AUG that are available for less than $20; the Aussies use them. (Not sure if they use them in their current domestic produced upgraded AUGs.) I also like the bolt release on the original better than the NATO version.
Changes I've made: A Silencerco flash suppressor to use with my Omega can; a Corvus mag release; and Talon grip tape made for AUG grip. I put a strip of 100mph tape behind the ejection port because I'd heard that ejected brass could leave dings in the stock, but there's no sign of that. Corvus makes an ejection port guard, but their stuff is expensive and I don't feel it's really needed. I also added a standard AUG military sling.
The AUG offers less real estate for optics, lights, NV, etc; but there's options out there to improve on that. The Australian military's changes to the platform seem to be primarily forcused on addressing the issue. I've got to select a light, but the rail already on the gun will work fine for that. I've used an Aimpoint PRO, my old Vortex Razor 1-4x, and currently (and probably permanently) a Primary Arms SLX 3x prism, which I really like.
The AUG is one of those rifles where you think "What a [bleep] trigger!" and find out it doesn't seem to prevent you from achieving good accuracy with the gun. Honestly, it isn't any worse than a lot of military rifle triggers: G3, AK, FAL, etc. I'll probably get around to installing a Ratworx sear one of these days. I'm also considering get a Steyr suppressor gas plug, but there's been no problem running a can with the standard plug.
I was wondering how the 1-9" twist would perform. Most shooting has been done with PMC or Privi M193 and depending on the optic groups have run around 2 MOA or under for 5-shot groups. My two standard handloads with 40 grain Nosler BT or Hornady VMAx and my M262 clone with Sierra 77 grain will edge 1MOA or under if I stick my tongue out just right. I think I could do better if I put a higher power optic on it, but that's really not what the gun is for. Steyr barrels are GTG as far as I'm concerned.
If all your experience is on an AR platform, the manual of arms will seem foreign, but a little practice easily overcomes that. All bullpups feel oddly balanced at first with loaded mags, but spend some time maneuvering them in thick cover or confined spaces and they start to feel pretty good.
The rifle has been totally reliable and easy to maintain, but that should be expected of a refined military design. I'm happier with owning one than I expected to be, and have no regrets with my purchase.
One more thing: Garand Thumb's video is entertaining, but for a little more useful information check out James Reeves TFB TV Youtube videos dealing with the AUG.
I've had one for a little over a year and have about 1,000 rounds of assorted ammo through it, so I can offer an actual use-based opinion.... Although probably not as entertaining as some Youtuber's costume party five-yard mag dumps.
I had a few magazines through military AUGs belonging to Australian and Moroccan troops. These were the original military style with the 1.5x "donut of death" integrated optic. The only impression I formed was that the trigger was weird with the two stage semi or full auto pull, but the gun was easy to shoot. What did impress me was how much the soldiers that were issued the rifle liked it and the confidence they had in it.
My main reason for getting one was me getting pissed-off at ATF shenanigans with pistol braces: I had a CMMG 12.5" with brace that I liked, but I figured I'd get something just as short with a 16" barrel and the feds could screw themselves. I got the standard (non-NATO). I wasn't worried about not being able to use AR magazines because Magpul makes good mags for the AUG that are available for less than $20; the Aussies use them. (Not sure if they use them in their current domestic produced upgraded AUGs.) I also like the bolt release on the original better than the NATO version.
Changes I've made: A Silencerco flash suppressor to use with my Omega can; a Corvus mag release; and Talon grip tape made for AUG grip. I put a strip of 100mph tape behind the ejection port because I'd heard that ejected brass could leave dings in the stock, but there's no sign of that. Corvus makes an ejection port guard, but their stuff is expensive and I don't feel it's really needed. I also added a standard AUG military sling.
The AUG offers less real estate for optics, lights, NV, etc; but there's options out there to improve on that. The Australian military's changes to the platform seem to be primarily forcused on addressing the issue. I've got to select a light, but the rail already on the gun will work fine for that. I've used an Aimpoint PRO, my old Vortex Razor 1-4x, and currently (and probably permanently) a Primary Arms SLX 3x prism, which I really like.
The AUG is one of those rifles where you think "What a [bleep] trigger!" and find out it doesn't seem to prevent you from achieving good accuracy with the gun. Honestly, it isn't any worse than a lot of military rifle triggers: G3, AK, FAL, etc. I'll probably get around to installing a Ratworx sear one of these days. I'm also considering get a Steyr suppressor gas plug, but there's been no problem running a can with the standard plug.
I was wondering how the 1-9" twist would perform. Most shooting has been done with PMC or Privi M193 and depending on the optic groups have run around 2 MOA or under for 5-shot groups. My two standard handloads with 40 grain Nosler BT or Hornady VMAx and my M262 clone with Sierra 77 grain will edge 1MOA or under if I stick my tongue out just right. I think I could do better if I put a higher power optic on it, but that's really not what the gun is for. Steyr barrels are GTG as far as I'm concerned.
If all your experience is on an AR platform, the manual of arms will seem foreign, but a little practice easily overcomes that. All bullpups feel oddly balanced at first with loaded mags, but spend some time maneuvering them in thick cover or confined spaces and they start to feel pretty good.
The rifle has been totally reliable and easy to maintain, but that should be expected of a refined military design. I'm happier with owning one than I expected to be, and have no regrets with my purchase.
One more thing: Garand Thumb's video is entertaining, but for a little more useful information check out James Reeves TFB TV Youtube videos dealing with the AUG.
