I used to hate the AUG. I thought bullpups were silly guns, and with the AUG being the best-known bullpup, that made them the most silly gun. They offered absolutely nothing to me except a handsome movie appearance.
And I already had that myself.
Then I was handed one in a gun shop. I had managed to avoid them until then, but I didn’t want to be impolite.
Fine. I’ll look.
Hey, this isn’t so bad.
This was during the 94-04 ban, and the going rate at the time meant I sure wasn’t going to buy it to try it. However, the thought of one stayed in my mind, simmering. Maybe even nagging.
In mid-2012, I was hearing Steyr was going to start making (assembling) them in the USA. The price was still around what that one was several years before, but since everything else had gone up since then, it didn’t seem quite so ridiculous. I ordered one, and got one of the first.
And I’ve been sold on them.
A contributing factor to my desire for one was a back injury. Lower back pain sucks, and I’ve dealt with it since my early 20s. I’m always looking for ways to minimize it. Even as light as ARs are, snapping one up from Low Ready puts a strain on the lower back pretty quick. The AUG is heavier than a similarly-equipped AR, but the weight is much more rearward. The AUG pops up, whereas I have to lever an AR up. Granted, this may mean little to nothing to many people, but it means a LOT to me. I readily admit this no doubt biases my opinion into liking the AUG more than I should.
Yes, there is good and bad. The good is really good, and the bad isn’t near as bad as many assume it to be or have heard.
I am guilty of that myself. Perhaps I feel I have to make amends for my earlier hatred by pitching the AUG every chance I get.
In addition to the balance, they handle well. I’ve used some bullpups that were awkward, but this isn’t one of them. You may not see that if you only shoot a few rounds, but it won’t take much more and you should see it.
The mechanics are good. It’s a gas piston design for those who care, but all I care is that it works. And it does work. I haven’t had any trouble, and can’t think of a weak spot.
As seen in the video, it is easy to maintain, and some of its parts act as its own tools. One of the action rod ends acts as a carbon scraper for the gas cylinder, for example.
The magazines are excellent. They cost a little more than most AR mags, but I think it’s a better mag than any AR mag. Magpul makes a 30-rd AUG mag that costs only a couple bucks more than their 30-rd AR mag. AR mags larger than 30-rds have been so-so until the past few years but Steyr has had a 42-rd magazine for over 45 years that works every bit as good as the 30-rd.
If the Steyr mags really bother you, they make a “NATO version” that’s simply a different stock. It uses AR mags.
More on that later.
Oh, but the bullpup trigger is unmanageable and the mag changes are slow!
Not really. In either case.
The trigger pull is heavy, at maybe eight pounds. I know it sounds strange to say it, but it’s a smooth eight pounds. (But it’s a dry heat!) Pull weight isn’t everything. I’ve had ARs and other rifles with lighter triggers but were harder to use than my AUG’s because they had little catches in them.
You just have to try it.
Mag changes aren’t so bad. I bring a new mag up sideways and hit the mag catch with the mag’s spine and bump the old mag out in one motion. When the mag is seated, the bolt stop is right where the thumb lands on it to release the bolt.
And in all honesty, I don’t see that the tiny difference in mag change speed should matter all that much between rifles using mags this size. And hey, if you use the 42-rd mags, you aren’t changing mags often anyway!
True negatives?
Negative One.
It’s not as mechanically accurate as a typical AR. That’s right. I can still get 1-1/8 MOA groups with most decent bullets. That’s not exactly tragic.
Negative Two.
Parts aren’t as readily available as for ARs or some other rifles. True, but I bought a parts set of “likely suspects” when I got mine for I think $140, but it might have been less. I haven’t needed any of them, but I do have them. I always keep a complete spare bolt around for ARs, so I got one for the AUG. I think it was around $200, but I’ve seen them for less. Again; haven’t needed it, but have it. For under $350, I have everything I could ever imagine, with duplicates of some, and wouldn’t be surprised if I never use any except maybe some springs I replace precautionary. Most of us know people who spend at least half that much “upgrading” common parts on other rifles before they ever shoot it whether they need it or not.
Come to think of it, there are AUG bolts out there that use AR small parts like the extractor and springs.
Negative Three.
I don’t like the NATO stock.
Several years ago, the standard stock had a bolt stop added above the magazine well. Before that, the bolt would lock open when empty but you had no manual button to do so (although you could, and still can, use the charging handle to lock it open). The NATO stock lacks this hold-open button, although I’ve heard it may be coming. For now though, after a mag change, you have to give the charging handle a tug to drop the bolt with the NATO stock.
The NATO stock also has a slightly different trigger bar arrangement. The trigger bar (it’s more of a rod than a bar) runs from the trigger to the sear/hammer/etc (called the trigger pack). On the standard stock, this trigger bar is Y-shaped with long arms (more like an NFL goal post than a Y). The trigger contacts the leg, which runs rearward, then Ys off into two legs that run one on each side of the magazine and both meet the appropriate points on the trigger pack.
The NATO stock’s trigger bar only has one of these legs. The trigger action can feel less precise, for lack of a better description.
That’s the cost of deviating from the original design. You lose some things as a tradeoff. At least they offer the choice. I still might get a NATO stock someday, because it opens up more magazine options.
Negative Four.
People say “Its for right handed people only.”
Yes and no. You can get it with a LH bolt, and the empties eject out the left side. You just can’t switch back and forth on the fly.
So it’s for RH only…OR……it’s for LH only. Pick one.
But that isn’t exactly 100% true either. Off-shoulder shooting is far from impossible. I’ve messed around shooting it from the wrong shoulder and found ways to hold my head just right to keep from getting my snout pelted by brass.
Either way, it’s no worse than being in line at a class and getting hit with brass by the shooter next to you. At least they don’t land on the back of your neck and go down your shirt.
Enough rambling.
I like it. I’ve had a lot of rifles and the AUG is one of my three favorites. I love the Garand. I also like the FN SCAR 17. If the AUG could be had in .308, I am pretty sure it would knock the SCAR off my list.
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