Steyr AUG

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Steyr AUG
Steyr AUG A1
general information
Civil name: Steyr AUG
Military designation: Assault rifle 77
Country of operation: see usage
Developer / Manufacturer: Steyr Mannlicher
Development year: late 1960s
Manufacturer country: AustriaAustria Austria
Production time: since 1982 (A1), or
since 2004 (A3)
Model variants: see model variants
Weapon Category: Assault rifle
Technical specifications
Charging principle: Gas pressure charger
Lists on the subject

The Steyr AUG ( A rmee- U niversal- G ewehr) is an Austrian assault rifle .

history

The development of the Steyr AUG began in the late 1960s by Steyr Daimler Puch AG (today Steyr Mannlicher ). In 1977 the Austrian Armed Forces decided to introduce the original Steyr AUG A1 as a new assault rifle, but production did not start until 1978. The construction is, especially in Austria, also known under the internal name of the Austrian Armed Forces StG 77 (Assault Rifle 77).

The Steyr AUG Z is the semi-automatic civil version of the AUG A2. It comes with a nine-shot magazine and is approved in some states as a sporting weapon for civilian use. Various assemblies were changed for the civilian version in order to prevent the inclusion of parts from the military production line and the use of a fully automatic trigger group .

With the AUG Z A3 , a semi-automatic, civilian product line of the A3 variant appeared in 2010, which, in addition to the gas pressure charger in the .223 Remington caliber, also includes a pistol carbine with a simple ground lock in the 9 × 19 mm caliber . The variants of the AUG Z A3 are not approved for use in shooting sports in Germany.

technology

Training company with the Steyr AUG in the Austrian Armed Forces with a screwed-on cartridge gun
Visible circular reticle when looking through the optical sight
Steyr AUG A1 with AG-C rifle grenade device from Heckler & Koch

The rifle is a bullpup construction, mostly in caliber 5.56 × 45 mm NATO. The piston is made of fiber-reinforced plastic (its end cap is rubberized), the steel barrel is chrome-plated on the inside. The magazines for 30 and 42 rounds are transparent to enable the contents of the magazine to be checked. The magazine of the 9 mm version holds 25 rounds.

By exchanging the breech and butt, the weapon can also be converted for shooting with the left hand. In the original version, the piston had ejection openings on both sides, one of which was closed by a cover; This meant that only one exchange of the breech block was necessary to convert the weapon to left-handed shooting, whereas on the butt, only the cover was changed from the left to the right side.

The basic version has an optical sight with 1.5x magnification and a mechanical aiming device : If the sight is damaged or soiled, there is an emergency sight on the top of the telescopic sight . The so-called circular reticle in the sight is a black circle with an inner diameter of 6 lines and an outer diameter of 12 lines. (One line covers an arc length of about one meter over a kilometer, therefore it is possible to center a 1.80 m target at a distance of 300 m (the operating range of the Steyr AUG) exactly within this target ring it is also possible to estimate distances).

The modular design allows the user to customize the weapon with a variety of sights, rifle barrels and other pieces of equipment, and this design allows it to be taken apart and reassembled for cleaning or troubleshooting without the need for tools or other aids. Tests by the Austrian Armed Forces before its introduction showed that the rifle is largely insensitive to pollution from mud and water and that it works safely even under extreme weather conditions.

The type of fire (single or continuous fire or burst) is not selected using a separate lever, but rather by means of a trigger with two pressure points: actuating the trigger with the minimum trigger force of 35 N (~ 3.5 kg) triggers a single shot and moves the trigger to the next pressure point; At this second pressure point a force of more than 75 N (~ 7.5 kg) can finally deliver bursts of fire or continuous fire.

When the rifle was introduced, the revolutionary feature was the simple barrel change system, which made a wider range of functions possible. For example, an assault rifle can be converted into a light machine gun in a few seconds, all you need to do is replace the barrel with a longer one (508 mm) with a mounted bipod. In practice, however, this is rather uncommon, as the three assemblies housing , barrel and bolt are shot in together; a subsequent change of these individual assemblies makes it necessary to zero in the weapon again, otherwise the hit pattern can be significantly worsened.

Steyr Mannlicher developed further versions based on the original concept: the usually fully automatic Steyr AUG A2 and Steyr AUG A3 , which are optionally available with a 3-shot automatic, and a Steyr AUG 9 mm version with a 9 × 19 mm caliber , optionally with semi or fully automatic. In addition to the standard version with a short barrel, the latter is also used by the Austrian police under the designation MP88 (Maschinenpistole 88). In addition, with the Steyr AUG Z and the Steyr AUG Z A3 , two semi-automatic civil product lines have been developed.

The Steyr AUG is a gas pressure charger with a rigid lock and rotating head lock . The gas pressure branched off from the middle of the barrel acts in a controlled manner on the breech via the gas piston. To do this, the gas pressure can be regulated manually in three stages:

  • O - high gas pressure (explosive ammunition (K ammunition) or if the weapon is dirty or iced up),
  • o - normal gas pressure (ordinary ammunition such as full and hollow shell ammunition),
  • GR - no gas pressure (rifle grenade).

The Steyr AUG 9 mm is an exception here, it works on the principle of the opening locking system with an unlocked ground lock.

Model variants

  • Steyr AUG A0 : Introduced in 1978 as a standard weapon in the Austrian Armed Forces (has since been completely replaced by the A1).
  • Steyr AUG A1 : designed in 1982. The difference to the A0 is that the breech block body is 0.4 mm longer, a modified extractor, a fall arrester in the striking device and a spring-loaded firing pin, which prevent a shot from being released when falling onto the muzzle. The telescopic sight is now sealed and equipped with a metal reticle with an indicated reticle and circular reticle. Other components have also been modified.
  • Steyr AUG A2 : It differs from the two predecessors mainly in the housing group. The A2 housing contains a detachable standard rifle scope and thus enables a Picatinny rail (MIL-STD-1913) to be attached quickly .
  • Steyr AUG A3 : Has several Picatinny rails for attaching accessories. Changes to the piston also allow the use of magazines according to NATO standard STANAG 4179.
  • Steyr AUG A3 9 mm XS : AUG A3 in caliber 9 × 19 mm.
  • Steyr AUG A3 SA USA : Semi-automatic version of the A3 with Picatinny rail for the US market. Presented to the public for the first time in 2009.
  • Steyr AUG A3 SF : Variant of the AUG A3 with modified lock and firing pin made from higher quality materials and additional Picatinny rails. Was introduced to the Jagdkommando at the end of 2007 instead of the AUG A3 . (Formerly: Steyr AUG A2 Commando )
  • Steyr AUG P ( P olice): Consists of the same components as the A1, but has a shorter barrel and laser pointer. Was u. a. used by the gendarmerie task force.
  • Steyr AUG P Special Receiver : Similar to the AUG P , only with an integrated telescopic sight.
  • Steyr AUG 9 mm (AUG SMG / AUG Para) : AUG in caliber 9 × 19 mm with a shortened barrel. The weapon was introduced to the Austrian police as MP88 in 1988 .
  • Steyr AUG M203 : AUG A1 with M203 grenade launcher
  • Steyr AUG AG-C : AUG A1 with AG-C grenade launcher (only a small number of items available for testing purposes).
  • Steyr AUG HBAR ( H eavy- B arreled A utomatic R IFLE): A1 with reinforced run and bipod.
  • Steyr AUG HBAR-T ( H eavy- B arreled A utomatic R ifle- T elescope): A2 with reinforced run, two-leg and telescopic sight.
  • Steyr AUG LSW ( L ight S upport W eapon): Lighter variant of the AUG HBAR .
  • Steyr AUG LMG ( L ight M achine G un): Based on the AUG HBAR , can be fired and has a targeting device with 4x magnification.
  • Steyr AUG LMG-T ( L ight M achine G un- T elescope): August LMG with telescopic sights.
  • Steyr AUG Z and Steyr AUG Z A3 : Semiautomatic Z ivilversionen, some with Picatinny rail instead of the optical sight; may u. a. are sold civilly in Austria as they are not considered (forbidden) war material under Austrian weapons law.
  • Steyr USR ( U niversal S porting R predecessor of: IFLE) August Z (to be distinguished from the latter by an additional handle strap between the withdrawal device and magazine).
  • Steyr OA-UG : Variant of the USR with Weaver rail for sighting devices.
Technical specifications
variant Total length mm Barrel length mm Height mm Weight kg Sights caliber Magazine (shot) Fire modes Charging principle
AUG A1 / A2 690 407 275 3.3 1.5x ZF , OV  (A1),
Picatinny rail  (A2) 		5.56 × 45 mm NATO Curve magazine
(30, 42) 		Semi, fully automatic Gas pressure charger
800 508 3.6
AUG A3 365 245 Picatinny rail
407
745 455 3,913
508
AUG A3 SF 715 365 232 3,983 1.5x ZF,
Picatinny rail
407
508
AUG 9 mm A1 / A2 665 420 275 3.3 1.5x ZF, OV (A1), Picatinny rail (A2) 9 × 19 mm Bar magazine
(25) 		Semi, fully automatic Mass closure
508
AUG A3 9 mm XS 610 325 210 3.17 Picatinny rail
AUG Z 790 508 275 3.6 1.5x IF 5.56 × 45 mm NATO Curve magazine
(9, 30, 42) 		Semi-automatic Gas pressure charger
AUG Z A3 830 550 3.8 Picatinny rail
AUG Z A3 9 mm 702 420 3.3 9 × 19 mm Bar magazine
(25) 		Mass closure
  1. ↑ with empty magazine
  2. ↑ and visor mounting options

  • Steyr AUG A1 with 508 mm barrel.

  • Steyr AUG A2 with 407 mm barrel.

  • Steyr AUG A3 with handle, 1.5x rifle scope and tactical light .

  • Steyr AUG 9 mm with 420 mm barrel.

use

Worldwide distribution of the Steyr AUG

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Steyr AUG  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Service regulation StG 77 of the Austrian Armed Forces (PDF; 2.0 MB) kalasnyikov.hu. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  2. ↑ a b Official site of the Australian Armed Forces about the F88. (defense.gov.au) Department of Defense, accessed April 30, 2010 .
  3. ^ Army Weapons - Steyr. (No longer available online.) In: military.ie. Defense Forces, archived from the original on March 30, 2010 ; accessed on April 30, 2010 (English).
  4. ^ SALW Guide - Global distribution and visual identification. (pdf) Cameroon Contry Report. BICC, accessed on August 29, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Steyr AUG 5.56 mm. (No longer available online.) In: armee.lu. Lëtzebuerger Arméi, archived from the original on July 20, 2011 ; Retrieved April 30, 2010 (French).
  6. ^ World Infantry Weapons: Malaysia. Retrieved April 30, 2010 (English).
  7. ↑  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.bernama.com
  8. ↑ Defense Force Weapons in Multy Million Upgrade. Retrieved January 15, 2011 .
  9. ↑ By Hans Breitegger | 09:00 p.m., 07 August 2018: New armament: Police mothball their old assault rifles. August 7, 2018, accessed August 12, 2019 .
  10. ^ Assault rifles for police radio vehicles. In: Vienna. ORF .at, August 1, 2018, accessed on August 1, 2018.
  11. ↑ Our History. Retrieved January 15, 2011 .
  12. ↑ www.taringa.net of September 27, 2015
  13. ↑ Steyr AUG. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007 ; accessed on April 30, 2010 (English).