STEYR AUG A3 M2 NATO

It's #AUGust, and we have something special for you. Our friend Jeff Wood from Cold Bore Miracle has written an excellent review of the STEYR AUG A3 M2 NATO. Experts know that there isn't just one AUG; there are two. The original Austrian version uses its own magazines. However, there is also a version that uses STANAG magazines and has a "NATO stock" designed for this purpose. This version is not well known here. Jeff Wood's review on SPARTANAT introduces this US version of the AUG:

It's another one of those iconic gun stories here today folks. Many of us grew up watching the apex of cinema that was the 1980s, and you couldn’t watch good films back then without seeing iconic firearms. The STEYR AUG became extremely popular in the late 70s and thereafter with a variety of law enforcement and military adoptions. Much like FN’s P90 and the HK MP5, the AUG (which I will always pronounce AWE-g) was so different and interesting that it demanded attention. As a true bullpup aficionado, I felt required to revisit the AUG with the release of the new STEYR AUG A3 M2 NATO version of the rifle.

There have been other variants of the rifle, like the famous waffle mag AUG, and even a 9mm version. But the A3 M2 NATO version of the rifle seems to have the best features of all. This rifle uses standard NATO Stanag magazines, but also incorporates a bolt release. This makes the AUG a bit more formidable and useful in tactical operations (at least that's what I think as an absolute unit of a civilian). I could spend a lot of time talking about the history of the AUG and all of its accolades, but you can go scroll through Wikipedia for that. All you need to know is that the Alpha-male terrorist guy from 1988’s smashing hit Die Hard chose the AUG because of his tactical prowess. And that's good enough for us today.

Karl would for sure have traded his waffle AUG for my NATO A3 model, sadly he turned to ballet, and we lost him in 1995. RIP Karl

The Steyr AUG A3 M2 NATO

The curious looks of the STEYR AUG are matched by an equally interesting operating mechanism. The polymer buttstock houses the sear-pack, recoil pad, and magazine well. The receiver is captured by a sliding plastic former after being pushed in from the front. The barrel features external lugs not unlike a bolt, both of them are inserted in the receiver and rotate to lock in.

Operation

The barrel assembly has a spring-loaded locking detent, making barrel removal extremely quick and easy. The gas piston is located on the right side of the receiver, and pushes a long operation rod that is attached to the right side of the bolt-carrier.

On the opposite side of the bolt-carrier, there is a near twin operating rod that engages the charging handle on the left side. The charging handle has a polymer folding design, it can be folded in both at the front and rear of its travel. It also features two snap-springs that hold the charging handle in place to the front while shooting to stop reciprocation.

The safety is a push-push type, a simple plastic square that goes through the receiver behind the trigger. The trigger itself is also polymer, and attaches to two steel rods that transfer movement to the sear pack in the rear.

Also, on the left-rear-side of the buttstock, you will find the bolt-release that makes this A3 M2 model so much better than previous versions of the rifle. It allows you to seat the magazine and drop the bolt almost in one motion.

Other Features

Up front, you will find the down-grip, one of the AUG’s famous features. The grip can be pulled and folded parallel under the barrel for lower profile. Right above the down-grip on the right side, you will find the gas block and gas valve.

Because it's not 1988 anymore, and the petulant tyrants who banned the import of this Austrian beauty for years because of its incredibly dangerous features; I choose to shoot the AUG suppressed like my other guns, for sporting purposes and whatever else I see fit. So I have the suppressor gas valve for the rifle, which helps reduce overgasing due to suppressor backpressure.

On the right side roughly two o’clock position there is an accessory pic rail for adding accessories. And across the top of the receiver you will find another picatinny rail for mounting sights. There is also a factory made 3X optical sight that can be installed in place of the pic rail. But it DEFINITELY came from the 80s, and there it should stay.

Range Preparation

I was excited to get this rifle on the range, mainly to see how it compared to other bullpups I’ve shot. Which are not few. But before that, I would need to pull the flash-hider that made it so dangerous to import once upon a time. I would try a couple suppressors, first the Yankee Hill Machine Fat Cat because it is super short. Keeping the already compact AUG as short as possible would maintain its designer’s purpose. I’d also use my Anechoic Anechox 35, it too does a great job taming noise. Its flow thru design would hopefully keep me from suffocating in exhAUGst from the ejection port.

For sights, I installed my Primary Arms PLxC 1-8 low power variable optic (LPVO). The impressive clarity and sharpness would come in handy for shooting this rifle.

I grabbed a few different mags to see how they each faired in the AUG. And to fill the magazine, I would use a few different options. Some PMC Xtac 55 grain ammo, as well as some Hornady 62 grain FMJ ammo, and for accuracy I figured I’d try some PMC Match 77 grain.

Shooting the Steyr AUG A3 M2

I do a lot of my shooting outdoors and in the wild mountains that surround me. But today I took occasion to frequent a local range, which I don’t often do. For today's purposes, it would be fine. The two-hundred yards available to me were more than enough to test the legs of the AUG.

Shootability

As an ardent bullpup fan, the AUG came to me as very familiar. The balance and weight was like others I’m used to. But since I was used to other rifles like my WLVRN, I did have to reconfigure a few of my muscle memories.

The mag release works great, and makes sense to have it there. But I wouldn’t mind if it was more like my WLVRN or an X95. The balance on this rifle was outstanding, even with a suppressor up front. You could single-hand shoot this rifle all day.

Reliability

The STEYR AUG has been well known for its reliability. Both in law enforcement and military, the AUG has seen long-term service on basically every continent. We found the AUG A3 M2 to be perfectly reliable, with no malfunctions experienced during testing.

Ergonomics

You definitely don’t want to shoot the AUG left-handed, its ejection will likely hit you in the mouth or chin. (except the newer models with shell deflector) The seamless back end of the rifle doesn’t offer a great deal of adjustment. So there is no way to adjust the comb-height or length of pull.

The grip has a cutlass style trigger-guard, normally I would say I don’t like them. But the way the trigger is seated within the guard and tucked up I think was well done. The controls in general are simple and no nonsense. The safety is easy to function, though it does feel like a fifty-year-old design. The charging handle is foldable both at the front and rear of its travel, it can be a little close to optics mounting which can cause occlusions with your knuckles.

Trigger feel is often a concern with bullpup rifles. I have experienced both poor triggers and excellent triggers from some of my favorite bullpup rifles. Previous versions of the AUG were among what I would call ok triggers, but this one seems a little better. Not mushy and more short and crisp than I expected.

Accuracy

I was quite happy with the accuracy of the AUG A3. I wasn’t expecting to be anything fantastic, but 1.5 MOA was decent best groups. Especially considering I was using an LPVO at 8X, I expect I could have done better with a little more scope.

Value

The bullpup 5.56 field is getting pretty deep, though the AUG has been in it for longer than most. The IWI X95 is particularly popular with many folks, and while I don’t hate it, there are others I prefer. The X95 can be had for about the same price as the AUG A3 M2, and I think I prefer the Steyr. The Springfield Armory Hellion is around the same price on any given day, and it too shares a strong service record like the AUG and X95.

If you want something cheaper, you could go with the Keltec RDB, and if you want something made in the USA the Desert Tech WLVRN is my favorite of all of these bullpup rifles.

Pros and Cons

I’m not gonna lie, I really like the STEYR AUG A3 M2 more than I expected to. It shoots well, has a nice impulse, and is quite compact. There are really only a few things I suppose I would change; I’d like a mag-release that could be done with your trigger finger, I really like that feature in the other rifles. And I suppose I’d also like one of the different fore ends made for the AUG by the aftermarket. The down-grip is comfortable, but I think I might like something a little different. Lastly, it would be nice if there was some modularity in the back end of the gun, like for length of pull and such.

It's no wonder to me that this gun has remained as popular as it has. It is fun to shoot, and with the added capabilities of the NATO mags, and the new bolt release it really brings the AUG to a better place.

Last Words on the AUG A3

Bullpups are my thing, so I suppose you shouldn’t be surprised I liked one of the most popular models out there. But I’ll also say it's not just because I’m a bullpup guy. I found the AUG A3 M2 NATO offers a bit more than its predecessors, and all the good features of every other AUG model. So if you are simply looking for a reliable, compact and fun rifle to shoot, the AUG could fill that role. And while you do it, you can LARP as the 1980s action hero you watched as a kid.

This review was first published on Cold Bore Miracle