Steyr AUG Z 5.56/.223

[Korium]

Just a few impressions on it so far. I have not had much opportunity to see how accurate it can be, but hopefully within the next month or so a part two can be written with suggestions on what works.

I first saw the straight-pull Steyr at Bisley when they began importing them a few years ago. They were a very expensive rifle, the model I looked at was £1400 from recollection, so about £1200 was RRP at the time, although I may be wrong. Overall, it wasn't going to endear itself to many potential buyers as the price was similar to that of a decent AR-15, and this is probably why they seemed a bit thin on the ground to begin with.

Prices began tipping eventually and now sit in the £750/£799 bracket new. This is around what I see more basic AR15s from the better builders go for S/H. When the Steyr appeared, there seemed to be quite a few cheaper ARs about from various makers which appear to have vanished now; Cactus Arms and Sabre spring to mind possibly, although they all seemed S/H too.

So, this came from Sportsman down in Exeter. They have these, plus self-loading models in stock which are cheaper for some reason. Good service as usual; it's an amazing American size shooting shop, well worth visiting.

It came in a basic cardboard box, supplied with 10rnd magazine and manual. I think they came with 10/20/30rnd included originally and still might at cost. The manual is OK, albeit a bit basic, but I worked it out without much trouble. They come screw cut as standard with thread protector; watch that, it works loose when firing. Not sure what sized thread.

They are basically the AUG A2 in civilian/Police format, but with a few differences. It has no quick change barrel feature on most models and no flash suppressor. Not sure what other differences there may be, apart from obvious lack of gas parts.

The build quality is very good with virtually everything being plastic, including the trigger unit. It is quite high strength and has a quality feel. The receiver and barrel are the main metal parts.

Mounting options are good as far as optics go. It includes a weaver rail which is removable for fitting the proprietary factory optic. I managed to fit a 16X50 without trouble in medium mounts, but used a 10X42 for most shooting which worked well. I now have a SUSAT to go on it. Smaller conventional scopes do unusually well with the rifle, but I thought something more original would be fun.

In terms of accessories, you are a bit stuffed. They do not really take a bipod without investing quite a bit of cash. The A3 has a railed handguard for adding accessories and I'm not sure why it hasn't been offered on UK spec models. They have sling fitments as standard which accept quite a variety of different options, a cheap and effective one being an SA80 sling.

Ergonomically I think they are very good. It still beats the SA80 with the new vertical grip fitted, and certainly the original green handguard. Not sure how it fairs next to Tavors or the Famas, but I would be impressed if they had the balance of this. These are usable with the grip folded, but don't try and fire a self-loading version like this. The lack of bipod can be quite limiting, but it does work well for any freehold position.

The trigger and general mechanics are fairly poor. I find the trigger usable, although it takes care to use it accurately. Cocking effort is quite high in comparison to other, conventional straight-pull designs, and it'll limit you in rapid-fire shooting. It extracts everything I have tried, including RG (sometimes a bit tightly), and favours commercial .223.

Easy enough to field-strip and maintain. It comes apart with one button, and the trigger unit is removable if required. Some lubricant in the right places helps it cycle. Pity the barrel doesn't come out.

They have a 20" inch, chrome-lined barrel with a 1/9 twist rate. Try either a 69gn SMK or Scenar with Viht N140 and you should get excellent groups. Most loads intended for AR-15s group well from the AUG. 73gn is about the maximum bullet weight which will suit the barrel, although some people have had success with heavier 75gn or 77gn bullets.

I am quite pleased with it overall. They are more of a fun rifle, unless you hunt, but I will find a niche for competitive shooting with it.

Also worth mentioning after-market work isn't really available, but the trigger tamers can easily be fitted at home, if you can obtain one. Mark Bradley did offer various modification, but has apparently stopped.

Thanks for reading.