I just bought one and am having a difficult time deciding.  Is there something that is most recommended regarding fit and ease of use on this particular platform?  Thanks.

depends on what you want to do with the rifle, but ive always thought a compact acog would be sweet on one of those.

I use a Aimpoint T1 on mine and think its about perfect.  I tried my Aimpoint C3 on it, but thought it was too cramped with front and rear buis.  An EOTech XPS works well too, but I find the AA EOTechs have the same problems as a full size Aimpoint, that is they are too large for the amount of rail space.  I've never tried and ACOG so I cannot comment on one....

I use a Trijicon TA01 looks great plus it has the back up sight s built in even if they are rudimentary. But it works

I have an EOTech XPS2-0 mounted on my STG-556 with an MI SPLP rear BUIS on my MSAR E4 optic rail and an MI FFG front sight on my Inventure Concepts tri-rail, which gives me absolute co-witness. I purchased the EOTech from Primary Arms, which had the best price at the time and is an industry sponser here as well. From time-to-time EOTech will run rebates as well so it's always worth checking the EOTech website.



What I like about the EOTech XPS2-0 is that it was very affordable, has far fewer reports of issues than previous models, is very bright so that it doesn't wash out when I use my Nitecore Extreme R2 220 lumen weapon light, uses a CR123 battery the same as my weapon lights (TLR-2 on my Steyr MA1 pistol and the Nitecore on my STG), and I personally like the 65 MOA ring with the 1 MOA dot sight picture.



I'm so/so about the battery life of the EOTech XPS2-0 since it's not as high as the Aimpoints. I also am so/so about the ease of adjustment of the brightness compared to the Aimpoint.



What I don't like is the auto shut-off of 8 hours on the EOTech XPS2-0, but I live with it because I am civilian and don't tend to have my rifle in a defense posture for longer than that, but the ideal would be to have it always on. Everything is a trade off though and I really like having the fine 1 MOA dot on the EOTech for the range and the large 65 MOA gives me warm fuzzies for HD.



I didn't drop the coin for the 3-0 simply because I don't run night vision. Unless you already own NVGs I think it's kind of a waste of money to spring for the 3-0.

My A3 is set up for close in defensive use.  It sports a T1 with back up irons in a Larue medium (HK) mount.  It works great.  Always on, always ready.  Zeroed for MPBR, so its basically "put the thing on the thing and pull the thing".  Its really hard to miss.

D

I have a TA33-R8 on mine and love it. Good eye relief and the BDC works great even out to 500 meters.

Get this one:

Trijicon TR24G









I have this on my MSAR STG-556

I have a TA 31RCO on mine and love it.  I had it on an AR but hated it cause of the crappy eye relief.  I only put it on the A3 cause I didnt have another optic to put on it and I wanted to shoot it.  I was totally surprised at how much I loved it on my A3.  It just seems to work so much better for me on the A3 than it did on my AR.  I also have a Docter red dot on top which works much better for close in work than it did on my AR as well.

I had the Leupold CQ/T on my MSAR for quite awhile and was happy with the set-up.  The scope looks right at home on there.  The reticle is quick and easy to use and and magnification comes in handy for longer shots.

I tried an xps on my MSAR E4, but don't care for the width or height, which is too high for a good cheek/stock spotweld for me.  I'm now using a Sightron Red Dot on a half inch riser.  One of it 4 reticles is a crosshair type which is great for target shooting.    Sightron is moderately priced too.  I know it doesn't compete in popularity with the high-end stuff, but it's great for my purposes.

TA11 on mine.  Thought it might be too much but really ended up liking it.

I have a trijcon TA44 1.5x on my 16" MSAR and it is very lightweight with a good reticle.  If I had my druthers the field of view would be a little bigger, but it is still about 50% larger than the stock AUG?MSAR optic and the glass is very good.  I have the dot in circle over vertical line reticle, by far the best reticle they offer in the TA44.

I have a weaver 1-3x on my 20" MSAR, and it is a really nice economical scope, also the lightest low power scope I am aware of.  It is not illuminated, but at 8 ounces and a bit under $200 it is a steal.  I do plan to upgrade to a Trijicon TR24G eventually, as in my opinion, save for the lack of hahs marks for ranging use they are about the perfect scope.

Sven

It is funny because I had the same experience with my TA44- put it on my AR-15 and my Daewoo and it just didn't feel right, put it on my MSAR and it was perfect.

Yup, that's the thing about sights they're really subjective. I like the height of my XPS, but some folks like Trpshtr may not.



I always tell folks don't be afraid to put something up on the E&E and take a small loss on it if you want to try something different. Look at TOMAC he's played around with multiple sighting options.  



Don't get caught up in the "everyone uses such and such" either, because what everybody else is using might not be the right fit for you.

Excellent advice there.  I have gone through multiple optics, and what is the best optic is very subjective, just like some guys like bullpups and some dont!

SilentType, I tried to send you a PM, but your box is full.

Hey Dawg, my inbox is cleared out so I should be able to get IM's.  

I have a TR24G on my STG and really like it. It's not the lightest, cheapest or best but I've yet to find anything it doesn't do better than I can. Even if I sold my STG, the TR24G would stay to find a home on another rifle...

The RX30 Reflex sight should go well on the AUG. Tomac has some on his MSARs, so his experience might be valuable to you. A TA-33-8 would let you us the rifle's long range capability better but if you are shooting under 250yds an unmagnified optic is fine.

That's easy, buy the original Austrian A3 military scope that Pete sells!   Expensive but worth it!

Those are really built with the taller military rail in mind.  The checkweld will be quite low on a A3 US with the A3 optic. The US rail was designed shorter to work with standard optics and BUIS...



 

Aren't these out of stock?

I put a Bushnell 4200 1.25-4x on mine and I am a happy camper.  I put an eotech on there for a bit when I first got my rifle built, but for the longer (200-300yd) shots, the extra mag was worth it.  Its a bit heavier, but with an illuminated dot and pretty clean glass I was very happy with it.  The Trij TR24 is another good option.  A decent 1-4x scope seems to compliment this platform really well.  One thing to watch out for with the 1-4x scopes is that with some, like the leupolds, the eye relief can vary from low to high power and on a bullpup that can cause problems.

Why those aren't even illuminated are they? No way would I pay that much for one. Too many other more affordable and high performance options unless you're really buying the A3 for a collection or just a real die hard Steyr fan looking for the authentic look.



Then again I was never a big fan of the 1.5x optics. If I wanted the "look" of the classic Steyr lines with my STG I'd DEFINITELY go with the Talon and get a good aftermarket optic so I had that nice look, but practical performance.



Thing about variable optics though is the eye relief.  With the Steyr/AXR/STG/E4 you've got that fixed stock so if you're switching from range/course/competition use to LEO or SHTF use with thick body armor I think that might impact your eye relief. So I'd want good eye relief on any variable optic.  With the Red Dots and HWS you have unlimited eye relief.  



Like I said earlier though you've got to play around with sights.  I don't know to many people who don't buy at least one or two different optics in their search for what works for them.