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Steyr AUG



Overview

Steyr AUG A1

Left side view of Steyr AUG A1 assault rifle with full size 508 mm barrel.
Source: Daimler Puch - © GNU Attribution Share Alike license

Origin
Austria
Type
Assault rifle
Entered service
1978
Status
In service
Development
Early 1970's
1977 (formal adoption)
Developer
Austria - Steyr-Daimler-Puch
Production
1978 - 1982 (A0 model)
1982 - ? (A1 model)
1997 - mid 2000's (A2 model)
Producer
Austria - Steyr-Daimler-Puch (Steyr-Mannlicher after 1989)
Australia - ADI
Malaysia - SME
Designations
AUG / Armee Universel Gewehr
German for 'universal army rifle'
StG 77 / Sturmgewehr 77 (Austrian designation)
F88 (Australian designation for AUG)
Austeyr (nickname for Australian production models)
Notable users
Austria
Australia
Saudi Arabia

Description

Introduction

The AUG is an assault rifle of Austrian origin. It is the most widely used assault rifle in bullpup configuration in the world. The abbreviation AUG stands for 'Armee Universel Gewehr', German for 'universal army rifle'. The AUG was developed in the early 1970's to replace the FAL in Austrian services, but later was exported to many nations.

Design

At the time of the development the AUG featured state of the art design choices. The most distinguishing feature is the bullpup configuration. The trigger is placed in front of the magazine and the receiver doubles as the stock, resulting in a very short weapon. The furniture is made of a tough polyamide. The AUG is gas operated and uses a short stroke gas piston and rotating bolt. An optical sight with 1.5x magnification is integrated in the carry handle.

Firepower

The AUG is known as an accurate and reliable weapon. It fires the 5.56x45mm round from 30 round translucent magazines. The 42 round magazines of the light support variant can also be used. Due to the rifling both the older M193 and newer SS109 rounds can be fired. The two stage trigger allows for semi-automatic fire with a light pull and automatic fire with a full pull. The effective range depends on the barrel length and is given as 400 meter with the standard barrel.

Users

The AUG was first adopted by the Austrian military. It has also been adopted by various nations around the world as the standard issue assault rifle. In addition, many special forces and law enforcement units have adopted the AUG.

Variants

AUG A1

The AUG A1 is the original and standard version of the AUG family. The AUG A1 is fitted with a fixed 1.5x scope and is available with a 508 mm, 406 mm and 350 mm barrel. To distinguish between the barrel lengths the unofficial designations AUG Rifle, AUG Carbine and AUG Commando are used. The 350 mm barrel is rather uncommon.

AUG A2

The A2 is similar to the A1 in most regards, but the sight mount is removable. The A2 model mostly comes with Picatinny rail in order to mount an optic of choice. A 1.5x scope similar to the A1 model can be fitted as well. Due to the quick change barrel design the A2 was available in all three barrel lengths.

Details

Facts AUG A1 (508mm) AUG A1 (407mm) AUG A1 (350mm)
General
Origin
Austria
Type
Assault rifle
Caliber
Caliber
5.56x45mm M193 or NATO
Feed system
30 round detachable box magazine
42 round magazine optional
Barrel length
508 mm
Rifling
4 grooves, 229 mm right hand twist
Muzzle velocity
970 m/s with M193
Operation
Action
Gas operated, short stroke gas piston
Locking
Rotating bolt
Fire selector
Push pin safety
Two stage trigger for semi and full automatic fire
Rate of fire
680 - 750 rpm
Dimensions
Stock type
Fixed, bullpup design
Length
790 mm
Height
275 mm without magazine
Weight
3.6kg empty
Sights
Optics
1.5x optical sight
A2 model has Picatinny optics rail
Mechanical
Backup non-adjustable sights on top of optical sight

Media