Is that the right video?

Yea, it's experimental.  I used the "slow motion" feature on the phone, which is so-so, and then combined with slow-motion in Youtube (if one selects it), and you can watching the gun eject a round and cycle in the next.  I wanted to see if the round pops up strangly (precurser to double feeds), or if it strips it from the magazine.  Expectation is that it will lay flat and strip it from magazine per normal, which is exactly what it does.

Great video since I shoot mine as opposed to watching other people shoot it. Or I'm trying to spotfor them.

9/9/2018 update:  Fired 171 rounds.  No failures of any kind.

Fired at 200 yard paper precision from the bench, and gongs from off-hand, then when to 25 yard speed drills.  Gun was reliable, but accurate was not the days strongest suit.  With 3 different lots of ammo, it was grouping between 2.3 and 3.6 MOA of ammo.  Match quality 69 and 73 gr ammo did about the same as 55 FMJ.  Tried shooting it with both hands, as well as rested in the middle, as well as resting with the weight "monopod" on the forward grip, with no real accuracy differences.  Though Monopod style shooting did seem to shift POI about 2 MOA left.

So... it worked fine; but I wish it shot a little tighter today.  Gun hasn't been cleaned in many hundreds of rounds, I'll go ahead and do that today.

55 FMJ (one of the better of the day)


73 gr Berger match ammo:


Total round count: 4920

I get great bench results by folding the grip and resting it on sandbags positioned up against the front of the trigger/hand guard

RUAG SS109/M855


MEN M193

Bags under the stock at trigger guard, not under the folded grip?

9/16/2018 update:  Broke 5000 rounds through the gun today.  Fired 185 rounds.  Mag #1 failed to close into battery on fresh load - roundjump (known problem-mag: need to just throw that mag away)

Fun day - 55 gr ammo.

Tested a "better" green laser.  This is the Firefield FF25007 version - designed for AR15 and similar rifle usage, on sale at WalMart.   Another strike-out with final result is I'm sending it back.  It doesn't mount as close to the bore as my older little red laser, which is OK; but the entire purpose was to produce a visible green dot in bright daylight, and it pretty much failed past maybe 10 yards.   So!  I'm just going to put my cheap little bitty $10 red laser back on - and call that an indoor/night usage option only.  I still might try to get one of those shell deflectors - which then will allow a holo-sight mounted on the side of the scope, and rifle rotation usage.




So I yanked that off and continued on with my shooting.

Accuracy was pretty Meh - typical groups at 200 yards were in the 3 MOA range:




Then just pounded rounds through it at steel and had a blast

Total round count: 5,105

question.  Are you really shooting a 25m zeroing target at 200 yds?  The aim point must be teeny tiny

With the 3X scope, it's not so bad

Here's what the inside of an FN made chrome lined AUG BBL looks like at 5000 rounds.

End of chamber:  where the brass casing would end, and the barrel-proper, starts.  
 

Move in to the "throat" area, where the bullet jump before it hits the rifling


After a somewhat long 5.56 chamber bullet jump, the rifling starts.  Shiny part is chrome, dull is bare metal where the chrome lining is worn off.  You can see the lands (the part that deforms the rifling into the bullet) are by where the chrome is gone, at this point.


And progressing down the barrel for a quarter inch or so:


And eventually back to where the chrome on the lands is intact again


Here's the gasport (and looks like a hair is stuck on the lens, that's not in the barrel)


Moving past the gas port, you can see where the momentum of the gas being diverted down the hole erodes into the barrel, and ripped off some of the chrome
 

And we finally make it to the muzzle.  Where you can see some more of the chrome (and maybe base metal, can't tell) is eroded off in the crown/muzzle area.



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To rearange all those photos in sequence, if you have a really wide screen, moving down the barrel:

(internet grab photo - not mine)


5000 rounds


So!  What of this is normal, and what is not?  I honestly can't say; though much of it is.  I know that an AUG BBL will last a great many rounds before keyholing (at least 50,000) - but when it comes to accuracy affects short of that, I don't know - hopefully others will scope their barrels and comment with their round counts.  I do feel that my rifle's accuracy has fallen off a bit - but it still hits.  According to the Lucky Gunner test (https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/brass-vs-steel-cased-ammo) brass cased ammo shouldn't be causing accuracy loss after even 10,000 rounds - with an M4 (but then, their accuracy standard was 4 MOA; so we're still well under that).  Of all the items of note, the crown deformations (if that's what those are) are probably the most affect, followed by a rough throat.   The gas port erosion is actually pretty typical, and probably no big deal.

10/23/2018 update:  Fired 110 rounds.  No failures of any kind.  All 55 gr ball ammo.

Gun ran great.  Tested out a new PMag AUG mag, which ran well also.

Total round count: 5,215

11/25/2018 update:  Fired 50 rounds.  No failures of any kind.

Reliability remains as strong as ever, though accuracy does not appear to be improving.  Wolf Gold tests (which I use as benchmark for this gun) show 2 - 2.5 MOA results now.  Serviceable, but my Middy M4 with 6,714 rounds is more accurate.  I wonder if a new barrel will improve AUG accuracy.  Was hoping to see a 1/8 or 1/7 offering from Steyr in 18 or 20", at black friday sale pricing... but no.

Total round count: 5,265

12/2/2018 update:  Fired 145 rounds.  No failures of any kind.

Short-range 3-gun match this weekend.  Just watched Die Hard again while doing Christmas decorations - so HAD to take the AUG!  And it shot very well.  Runs like a champ.

Total round count: 5,410

1/29/2019 update
No rounds fired in a bit (other projects); but am trying to work on getting one of those Corvo Defense shell deflectors.  If successful, then will do some experiments with off-set holo-sights, for CQB type of shooting.

I have one of the deflectors, so far so good. It locks in pretty tight but if you over tighten it it starts bowing out slightly. Make sure you lock tight the screws or it will work itself loose. IMO it’s nice, but the mag release its a necessity now.

2/2/2019 update:  Fired 15 rounds.  No failures of any kind.

Tested some 69 SMK and 55 gr loads to check zero.  AUG performance was decent, but not stellar.  69 gr ammo was close to 3 MOA, but OK.

Total round count: 5,425

2/3/2019 update:  Fired 105 rounds.  No failures of any kind.  (223 rounds of 9mm this run)

Fired the AUG at an open-field 3-gun match today. Default zero with the 69 gr Sierra Match King ammo in it was dialed in at 200 yards.

Stage 2: pistol and rifle: close range.  Shot at 100 yards at gongs, and paper close.  3X was a little strong for the 10 yard paper target quick acquisition, but gun did well.

Stage 3: Pistol only run.

Stage 4: Pistol on a Texas Star.  Then take the AUG and shoot at steel gongs out to 510 yards from inside a school bus (because that's how they do things at this 3-gun range).  What worked well was to add 6 more clicks on the scope, which took the zero up to 400 yards (with this ammo).  Based on prior testing (recorded in this thread), knew that 1 click =0.86 MOA (1/4 MIL).  So was able to click it up with confidence prior to the run.  And then ran a ballistic calculator in the field.  So knew to just hold right below the target bottom at the <200 yard targets.  And hold about 2' high at the 510 yard target.  Worked very well.

Stage 5: John Whick Stage (took off the +6 clicks, returning the rifle to a 200 yard zero; which is also the 50 yard zero) - run through a 100' long ditch shooting targets on both sides close-range paper while running, with pistol, then engage steel in a bay across the way where the ditch opens up.   The barrel dump the pistol, run over to another 100'x100' bay, pull the pre-loaded AUG out, and shoot at about a dozen steel targets hidden behind various barriers.

Stage 1: rifle-only stage out to 510 yards, with stand&shoot targets at 100 yards or so, then drop down onto the mat and shoot a string of 6 more large targets.  So on this one, dialed in +6 again before starting, and ran it similar to how Stage 4 was run.  This string ran great - very fun run.

Overall, AUG shot very well, and knocked the heck out of a lot of gongs going out pretty far.

Total round count: 5,530

Are you not using the laser anymore?

It's still on there - doesn't weight anything - but can't use it during the day.  And my shell deflector isn't hear yet,  so can't run my holo-sight concept just yet

great thread friends.  keep up good work.

looking at an aug myself.  want the anniversary a1 as a collector, but an a3 flat top with an acog or steiner would be much more fun.  

2/12/2019 update:  Fired 10 rounds.  No failures of any kind.
Just a quick 10 rounds to test out the new Corvo Defense Shell Deflector, and my test-of-concept pistol red-dot, mounted on the side of the optic.  The concept is to be able to do a slight 30 degree rotation of the AUG, and the heads-up is perfectly aligned that way.  Historically that's a no-go, because the ejection port is in your face.  The Corvo Defense shell deflector is a relatively handsome and lower profile add-on, that my hope was, would allow me to do this heads-up holographic red-dot concept after-all.

Results were... not bad.  Jury is still out.

On a side note, the Shell deflector is pretty darned expensive - for a shell deflector; but it's also a pretty high quality piece of precision machined kit, and worked well.  I bought mine used at just: "gosh that seems like a lot", pricing,  So, I didn't get any instructions.  Upon install, I saw that the arms were bowed at first, which I'm guessing meant I had the screws too tight, so I loosened them until the arms went straight again, and it seemed to still stay-put just fine.  And it does look good.

In application, the concept did work, but with a couple quirks.  
-The first one, is you can't really wear a hat with this, because the ejected shells hit your hat bill, and fall back onto the gun.  They don't jam, as the bolt is long since cycled back closed, but it's probably not a good thing.  OK, that's... manageable.  
-The other quirk is you have to turtle your head back a bit more than you might otherwise, to really clear the ejection port and shell deflector.  It's doable, but not quite as comfortable as I'd like.  It's not quite in the "forget this" category either though.  
-The final quirk is the mounting point on the side of the 3X picatiny railed integrated scope, is kind of far forward.  Meaning there's a fairly small window that you can hold your head and still see the red-dot.  It works, but will take a bit of training, and I think a larger-window red-dot holographic sight might be better.  It's a balance though, as the point is a leave-it-mounted small as possible little pistol red-dot mounted on the side of the scope.   So going bigger might undermine that.  If the mounting point were further back, you'd have a bigger zone for your eye to be in, and it to still work.

So...  I think the jury is still out on this concept.  I'm leaning towards liking it, and I'm not saying no-good, but I'm not ready to launch the fireworks just yet either.  When I get the chance, I'll take out a few hundred rounds and give this a more extensive exploration.

And of course, the gun is now up to 5500 rounds, and still runs extremely reliable.

Total round count: 5,540

You might want to put a little locktite on the tightening screws. Mine worked lose after 300rds.

Well you guys did it.  Just ordered a Steyr Anniversary Edition.  
paying my card statement in a few weeks is gonna be fun but at least I will get 1% cash back.

Where is the cheapest place to get steyr magazines?  Do you prefer 42s or just the 30s?  I am assuming 42s in prone aren't so good.  Any difference in reliability?  How about the PMAG, still running good?

Congrats!

thanks!  your pmag still running good?

Though I am not the OP, if you'd like to know; I run AUG type P Mags exclusively though my AUG and I love them.

I've left them loaded for month at a time.  I've run a gamut of ammo brands (all brass case) through them.  I can smack them upon insertion without having the top round pop out.  My experience with them has been extremely positive.

I reallllllllly like them.

^^^^
I have been thinking about picking a few of them up.  I have plenty of factory mags but wanted to try the AUG Pmags.  Do they come with a dustcover like the AR mags do?

AUG Pmags do not have a dustcover. I have a couple Magpul AUG mags and I like them. AUG factory mags are sexy looking but can be slippery mofos to handle compared to Pmags.

This.  ...and if you smack 'em in M16 style with the bolt held open you can pop a round right out of a factory AUG mag and lock your gun up if you aren't careful.

That being said, if you just insert an AUG mag without smacking it, they are smoooooooth as silk.

I am rough on my gear so I prefer the P MAGS.  Strictly a personal preference.

2/22/2019 update:  Fired 100 rounds.  Several jams (now corrected)

Using the Corvo Defense Shell deflector, and a green laser mounted on the receiver side-rail this outing.  Neither did very well today.  almost every 5th round bounced off the shell deflector, back into the gun, and jammed up pretty hard.  It then came loose, which I was warned it easily does.  Not too impressed with this system.  I did this with some random ammo and using the laser, so not shouldering, but instead fired it via hanging from the sling.

So, switched ammo, and fired shouldered, still jammed; it's the shell deflector.   Which also came loose.  That might be a factor, but I kind of don't care, this is not as hardy a system as I was hoping, as it easily came loose.

Took it off and rapid fired a mag (PMag), which ran tip-top.  Raining a stream of brass out no problem.

As to the laser, I'm finding that a laser which is mounted on that receiver rail, seems to lose zero when it gets hot there - and it gets hot there.  My red laser did, and now the green laser does too.  Also, I think the heat may harm the batteries, which might be swelling; I'm not sure this is a good mounting spot for a laser.  Or at least, not a good spot for a cheap little laser with little batteries.
I do think a laser maybe can work, but at this point I think it needs to be a large and serious laser, on a QD mount, so that it can just be removed when not in use.  Also, I'm not sure if the laser is what is losing zero upon heating, or if the rail itself is moving when that part gets hot, so some more testing there might be needed.

Also, ran one of my MagPul AUG PMags.  They feed well (when the Corvo Defense shell deflector doesn't bounce a casing right back into it).  BUT, for some reason the bolt-release button seemed to be more difficult to depress with the PMag, than the AUG mag.  swapped out mags a few times back and forth, and yea, the PMag seems to make it harder to operate the bolt-release button at times.  Never noticed that before.

All in all the gun runs 100% and the integrated optic holds zero very well.  But various "improvements" like the shell deflector, laser, and even the PMag, didn't really shine today.  Which cascades to the holo-sight concept being spotty, since that needs a shell-deflector to work the way I want it set up.

As it stands, yanked off the shell deflector and the holo-sight, and not sure what I'll do about the laser just yet.

Total round count: 5,640

Try mounting the laser on the rail that's on the side of the optic housing

try the deflector again, put a little thread locked on it. Got 500 rds on mine with no issues. As for the lasers. I’ve had surefire laser/light combos many times on the receiver rail with no issues. That said it was mostly for NVD shooting. You should try the Corvus May release. It’s probably one of the best mods besides the 20/20 you can do for the AUG!

Repeating the same advice: blue loctite on properly tightened screws will fix your Corvus Defensio shell deflector problem. Mine has been working without issue using this method.

I haven't noticed the bolt release being harder to use with Pmags but I'm mostly a charging handle guy due to shooting HK roller clones. I'll take a look at it the next time it's out of the safe.

Thanks again for this thread lazy!  Took my anniversary edition AUG out today.  It was absolutely fantastic and exceeded my expectations in about every regard.  Accuracy is superb.

I run the Corvus shell deflector and put an RMR on the top of the 3x optic, all the way to the rear. I can transition from using the 3x optic with a cheek weld, to a chin weld with the RMR, or I can  cant the rifle counterclockwise and use my left eye with the RMR (my preferred method).
With the shell deflector, don't have any issues with brass using the cant method.  However, when I use my suppressor I get a bit of gas to the face, which is unpleasant but bearable. The chin weld method doesn't have this issue.
I've put probably 250 rounds through the system with this setup and haven't had any issues with the shell deflector coming loose.
I also just installed the Corvus enhanced mag release. I haven't made it to the range yet, but doing mag drills it has really sped up my reload speed. I can now do a kind of upward karate chop to the mag release and grab a fresh mag while the old one falls free.
Don't give up on the she'll deflector and red dot, it's a good combination.

Thank you for all of your work, Lazy.  ( LOL...that sounded hilarious in my brain )  I think this is one of the most definitive AUG threads out there.

4/20/2019 update: No major updates (commentary notes)

Haven't touched AUG since last outing, but probably will take it out again soon.

My main distraction is I recently picked up a 6.5 Grendel AR for cheap; and have to say this is the coolest modern round I've ever seen.  A much needed option Steyr needs to do.  6.5 Grendel fits a small-frame rifle (AR15, AUG, etc) with simply a bolt, BBL, and magazine change (a 60 second task, in an AUG); and I am in love with this round.  And unlike .300 BO, it wont' fit in a 5.56 chamber (i.e. it can't Kaboom if you wupsies and run the wrong mag)

A 6.5 Grendel round sent from a 16" BBL at 300 yards, has double the energy of a heavy 75 gr 5.56 out of a 20" BBL.  Compared to a 7.62x39, it does even better then that.  Out of a simple 16" BBL, it's still humming supersonic at ~1000 yards.  It's an incredible round and a pleasure to shoot.   And with Grendel Wolf Steel at 27 cents a shot; in a cartridge configuration designed to be able to shoot steel (unlike 5.56), it can be shot for dirt cheap.  If Steyr released an AUG in 6.5 Grendel, I would throw money at them and wear out that barrel in 2 years.


From @LRRPF52

Back to my current AUG, shell deflector is still not remounted; haven't decided if I'm going to bother.  Jams and falling off if a tiny set-screw comes loose (which apparently it is want to do) is a turn-off.

I was told Steyr had plans for a 6.5 Grendel AUG back in 2008, by someone who was a Steyr rep that saw it personally on one of their computers.

I would love an AUG in 6.5 Grendel with Steyr-built AUG Grendel mags.

You won't wear out a barrel in 2 years either since chamber pressure is way less than 5.56 NATO.

Biggest challenges with the AUG are the trigger and accuracy with a quick-change barrel system.

4/22/2019 update:  Fired 134 rounds, in factory configuration (& 2020 sear in the trigger).  No failures of any kind



Great time at the range today.  Tested some ammo to get some velocity data out of the 18" BBL, and then did some speed drills firing while on the move.  It's a rush having 3-5 casing in the air at the same time.   The AUG is such a fun gun to shoot.  When on the move, the 42 round mags work well; and aren't cumbersome or heavy in that task.

Set up targets at just 50 yards, and did some ammo comparison testing.  Five shot strings:

Lot 223-556 62 gr Barnes style copper bullets and 25.2 gr 8208: 2923 +/- 20 fps: 2.8 MOA (1.2 MR)  ~0.7 MOA POI LEFT of center (for all 3 groups fired)
(compared to 20", which gave 2950 fps, so only around 27 fps velocity loss; which isn't bad)

Lot 223-568L 62 gr Bear Claw Federal Fusion style bullets with 27.9 gr CFE223 (MP530): 2931 +/- 9 fps: 4.3 MOA (1.7)
(compared to 20" AR = 3024 FPS)

Llot 223-577 55 FMJ with 25.7 gr IMR 4166 powder (MP580): 3065 +/-12: 2.4 MOA (1.2 MR)
(compared to 20" AR = 3132 fps)

Lot 223-585 55 FMJ with 23.5 gr of Accurate LT-32: 2.4 MOA (0.86 MR)
(compared to 20" AR = 3051 fps)

Lot 223-528 55 FMJ with 25.9 gr of C1700 (Ramshot TAC): 2942 +/-33: 3.3 MOA (1.2 MR)

The gun is basically a 2.5+ MOA rifle now; and has been for a while.  The 62 gr loads look useful to keep.  The gun really seemed to like the LT32 powder behind the 55 gr FMJ ball.

Total round count: 5,774

No updates, just an add to prevent this from going to archive.  Of late, I've been focusing on 6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5 Grendel projects; and haven't had chance to shoot the AUG much.  I will say, a 6.5 Grendel AUG would be the best BESTEST bestie, of all time.

That said, my confidence in Steyr unass'ing and engaging in any sort of development project this decade, isn't really there.

Intend to take it out to a longer range gong-range this week.  Will update

I see you have the 20/20 trigger mod - have you tried the Neu Trigger? I'm trying to decide which to do to try to improve my AUG trigger somewhat.

The neu trigger will give you something better than what you have, but the 2020 TSM will substantially transform the trigger into something great. It's worth the extra money. I've been using one since 9/2013. If there's only one modification to do to the AUG, it's the 2020 TSM.

Whoa - nice. That's a ringing endorsement.

I agree, worth every penny.  It is what it should have been when they converted to semi only.

9/8/2019 update:  Fired 80 rounds, in factory configuration.  No failures of any kind

Today's focus was on 6.5mm rifles, but had some time fire a couple of magazines through the AUG.  The setting was a steel gong range that went from 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 yards.  I ran a ballistic calculator on my own measured velocities, to get the basic come-ups.  Note the reticle is included in the top of the notes, and the donut is 6 mil's to the inside edge, and I basically used that as my ruler for just holding over.  Note this is for the 3X Steyr factory scope.  I didn't click (each click = 0.25mil); but instead just held-off with the reticle.  There was some wind, so had to hold off there as well; and had a friend spot my shots on a spotting scope, on the gongs.

I ran 55 FMJ, 69 SMK, and 62 gr MK318 Mod 1.

At 300 yards, it was pretty much on, every shot.  At extended distance, the ballistic charge was pretty close, but sometimes it seemed I needed to hold higher, to get hits.  It was a fun experiment.  The biggest challenge is that .223 is just a weak round once you get that far out, and so it's hard to tell if you actually hit or not.



Basically, the inside bottom of the donut, is about the right spot to hold for a 700 yard shot (ish); for pretty much any ammo if the ballistic calculator is to be believed.   Interesting to see the 55 FMJ didn't really drop that much more than the heavier bullets; I'm guessing due to it's faster initial velocity.  to be honest, I'm not convinced I believe the ballistic calculator on this, but that's what the Hornady App is telling me.

My hit rate wasn't great, but I was able to get hits.  Probably should have kept better notes on the field results, but anyway; had fun.

Total round count: 5,854

Interesting numbers. What velocities were you using for the Mk318 mod 1 and 69gr smk?

Haven't shot it in a while (that and also updating my bookmarks and tags; as I'm going let TEAM slide this year; and I really do need to trim out my subscribe list as it's a mess!).

I did pick up a cheap heavy duty green laser; that's too large to leave mounted, but should work daytime (should).  Going to change philosophy of approach - will not leave the laser on, but mount it when usage seems appropriate (and will have time, preparations, and gumption to do so).  One can just "zero" the laser manually using the already zero'd optics, with an offset, which is my plan.

12/10/2019 update:  Fired 37 rounds.  No failures of any kind.

Some bench shooting with 55 gr SP loads (using LT32 powder).  Loaded  them long, at 2.250" OAL.   It actually shot pretty decent.  Under 2 MOA or so, which isn't bad as I wasn't really trying that hard.  On 1 target, four of the shots at 100 yards were almost touching - it was kind of impressive.  Especially for American Reloading bulk no-name rejects.  See image for the 2 groups fired.


Then I mounted one of those big heavy green lasers off of Amazon.  Theory being it wouldn't be left on the gun, but only mounted when appropriated (one can glass-zero the laser via the already zero'd scope; so no big deal losing zero with remounting).  To be honest, for $20 it was a lot of laser; and was visible in daylight out to 50 yards very easily.  Which is great!  Unfortunately, the zero moved around on every shot, which kind of defeats the point.  I can't tell if it's just bouncing around inside a certain field of play, or if the whole thing is going to Hell.  If it just is bouncing around at about 6 MOA - for a laser, that might actually be OK for those 25 yard shots; so I haven't decided what I'm going to do there yet.

Did off-hand shooting on little steel disks at 100 yards.  It did decent enough, but the AUG is kind of a heavy gun, so was harder to keep on, than something like a light AR.  Indeed, had some guests this weekend the guys girlfriend-novice asked to shoot the AR vs the AUG, due to weight.  (A shame, because her boyfriend is into photography and took some seriously amazing photos and slow-mo video of her with the AR.  It would have been an awesome showcase of the AUG - though they'll be back).

In any event, accuracy today was actually pretty good for the AUG, and it ran fine.

Total round count: 5,871

Using blue-loctite, reinstalled the Corvo shell defelector in the ejection port.  Hope it works better this time (it came loose last time and bounced casings back into the port, inducing jams).

Took apart the cheap $20 green laser and tightened everything up; will try it again to see if it holds zero under recoil better.