Steyr AUG

Steyr AUG
AUG A1 with 508 mm (20 in) barrel
TypeBullpup assault rifle
Carbine
Light machine gun (HBAR)
Submachine gun (AUG 9mm, AUG 40)
Place of originAustria
Service history
In service1978–present[1]
Used bySee Users
WarsSee Conflicts
Production history
DesignerHorst Wesp
Karl Wagner
Karl Möser
ManufacturerSteyr Arms
Thales Australia, Lithgow Facility
SME Ordnance
Dasan Machineries
Produced1977–present[1]
VariantsSee Variants
Specifications
Mass3.6 kg (7.9 lb) (20 in barrel)
3.3 kg (7.3 lb) (16.4 in barrel)
3.2 kg (7.1 lb) (15 in barrel)
4.9 kg (10.8 lb) (HBAR)
2.97 kg (6.5 lb) (AUG 9mm)[1]
Length790 mm (31.1 in) (20 in barrel)[1]
725 mm (28.5 in) (16.4 in barrel)
690 mm (27.2 in) (15 in barrel)
900 mm (35.4 in) (HBAR)
665 mm (26.2 in) (AUG 9mm)[1]
Barrel length508 mm (20 in) (AUG)[1]
417 mm (16.4 in) (AUG)
382 mm (15 in) (AUG)
621 mm (24.4 in) (HBAR)
325 mm (12.8 in) (AUG 9mm)
350 mm (13.8 in) (AUG 9mm)
365 mm (14.4 in) (AUG 9mm)
420 mm (16.5 in) (AUG 9mm)[1]

Cartridge5.56×45mm NATO[1]
.300 AAC Blackout[2]
9×19mm Parabellum[1]
.40 S&W
ActionGas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire680–750 rounds/min (AUG, HBAR)[3]
650–720 rounds/min (AUG 9mm)[4]
Muzzle velocity970 m/s (3,182 ft/s) (20 in barrel)
Effective firing range300 m (330 yd)
Maximum firing range2,700 m (3,000 yd)
Feed system
SightsSwarovski 1.5× telescopic sight, emergency battle sights, and Picatinny rail for various optics

The Steyr AUG (German: Armee-Universal-Gewehr, lit.'army universal rifle') is an Austrian bullpup assault rifle chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO intermediate cartridge, designed in the 1960s by Steyr-Daimler-Puch, and now manufactured by Steyr Arms GmbH & Co KG.

It was adopted by the Austrian Army in 1977 as the StG 77 (Sturmgewehr 77),[5] where it replaced the 7.62×51mm NATO StG 58 automatic rifle.[6] In production since 1977, it is the standard small arm of the Bundesheer and various Austrian federal police units and its variants have also been adopted by the armed forces of dozens of countries, with some using it as a standard-issue service rifle.

Steyr AUG importation into the United States began in the 1980s as the AUG/SA (SA denoting semi-automatic). The AUG was banned from importation in 1989 under President George H. W. Bush's executive order restricting the import of foreign-made semiautomatic rifles deemed not to have "a legitimate sporting use." Six years into the ban, AUG buyers gained a reprieve as cosmetic changes to the carbine's design allowed importation once again. Changes included redesigning its pistol grip into a thumbhole stock, and leaving its barrel unthreaded to prevent attachment of a flash hider or suppressor.

The Federal Assault Weapons Ban, passed in 1994, further prohibited the manufacture of additional Steyr AUGs or their copies. The ban expired in 2004, and in 2008, Steyr Arms worked with Sabre Defence to produce parts legally in the U.S.[7][8]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Hogg, Ian (2002). Jane's Guns Recognition Guide. Jane's Recognition Guides. Glasgow: Jane's Information Group and Collins Press. ISBN 978-0-00-712760-3.
  2. ^ "[IDEX 2019] Steyr AUG .300 BLK and STM556 from Austria -". 4 March 2019.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference aug-a1-a2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Steyr AUG A3 9mm XS" (PDF).
  5. ^ BMLVS – Abteilung Kommunikation – Referat 3. "Bundesheer". bmlv.gv.at.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Ezell (1993) p. 223
  7. ^ "Steyr AUG A3: The Incomparable, Futuristic Carbine". RECOIL.
  8. ^ NRA Staff (11 May 2010). "Steyr AUG/A3 SA USA". American Rifleman. Retrieved 27 August 2022.