After 20 year of absence from the U.S. civilian market, the Austrian Steyr AUG has returned. Ammoland.com reports:
"Now built stateside by Steyr subcontractor Sabre Defense—legendary for its tactical rifles and its unrivaled M2HB and Minigun barrels currently in use by the U.S. military—under the watchful eyes and to the exacting tolerances of Austrian engineers, the new Steyr AUG/A3 SA USA made its debut at the 2009 SHOT Show and is now available in 5.56×45mm (.223 Rem.).
"After the importation ban in 1989, the legendary AUG/A1 frequently commanded in excess of $5,000, but the svelte, utilitarian Austrian bullpup in its upgraded, modern A3 configuration is now available at a fraction of that."
The MSRP is now $2,295. That's still beyond the means of a humble blogger with children who demand to be fed on a pretty regular basis, but this will go down as more AUGs get into the market. 30-round mags are still $45 a pop on Steyr's website.
There is also a domestic AUG clone built by Microtech Small Arms Research (MSAR) called the STG-556. The MSAR version retains the integral AUG/A1 optical sight, while the new Steyr model has a picatinny rail to mount whatever optics you want.
Although Bawb will point out that the AUG is still just a "poodle shooter" since it fires the .223 round, if you are going to have a poodle shooter this is the one to have. The AUG is shorter (without sacrificing barrel length) and more rugged and reliable than the AR-15. Besides, that "poodle shooter" crack may seem funny to Bawb and his buddies out in grizzly-country, but here in the Hawkeye State, where packs of feral poodles are a growing menace, it's no laughing matter.
You can view a cool promotional video about the new Steyr AUG here.
I encourage my fanatical fans or affectionate older siblings to seriously consider giving me one of these. It's better to give than to receive, so I'd be getting the hard part of that transaction. That's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
"Now built stateside by Steyr subcontractor Sabre Defense—legendary for its tactical rifles and its unrivaled M2HB and Minigun barrels currently in use by the U.S. military—under the watchful eyes and to the exacting tolerances of Austrian engineers, the new Steyr AUG/A3 SA USA made its debut at the 2009 SHOT Show and is now available in 5.56×45mm (.223 Rem.).
"After the importation ban in 1989, the legendary AUG/A1 frequently commanded in excess of $5,000, but the svelte, utilitarian Austrian bullpup in its upgraded, modern A3 configuration is now available at a fraction of that."
The MSRP is now $2,295. That's still beyond the means of a humble blogger with children who demand to be fed on a pretty regular basis, but this will go down as more AUGs get into the market. 30-round mags are still $45 a pop on Steyr's website.
There is also a domestic AUG clone built by Microtech Small Arms Research (MSAR) called the STG-556. The MSAR version retains the integral AUG/A1 optical sight, while the new Steyr model has a picatinny rail to mount whatever optics you want.
Although Bawb will point out that the AUG is still just a "poodle shooter" since it fires the .223 round, if you are going to have a poodle shooter this is the one to have. The AUG is shorter (without sacrificing barrel length) and more rugged and reliable than the AR-15. Besides, that "poodle shooter" crack may seem funny to Bawb and his buddies out in grizzly-country, but here in the Hawkeye State, where packs of feral poodles are a growing menace, it's no laughing matter.
You can view a cool promotional video about the new Steyr AUG here.
I encourage my fanatical fans or affectionate older siblings to seriously consider giving me one of these. It's better to give than to receive, so I'd be getting the hard part of that transaction. That's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
6 comments:
Since I own a few of those mentioned "poodle shooters" I think I can comment that I would love to have one of these. I will point out that the MSAR takes AR magazines, not AUG.
Now if Bawb would get out of his bunker and away from the keyboard once in a while he would know what his neighbors looked like and were defending the hill were carrying. :) Oh wait, that is an AR-10...
poke poke... Bawb ya there... poke poke.. :P
Let's send Governor Ahnold back and maybe they'll send us some Hirtenberger 60mm Commando Mortars or Steyr 15.2mm anti-material rifles.
Ben, you should know better than to think your brother would be so generous as to surprise you with a new gun when after all there are still soooooo many out there with HIS name on it :-)and if those were ever to be exhausted (in case we win the lottery), then there are anti-tank rifles, grenade launchers, tanks, and who knows what, and then there is my own very humble list (a dream which we will never get to) and then, only then, maybe, we could consider your "needs". Although, you could consider not feeding your children regularly to save some money, or you could force them into child labor, or if you wait long enough, maybe your kids will buy it for you when they are old enough and have become incredibly rich, or you could coerce your wife into putting all the money towards the AUG instead of food and all the other stuff we think we "need". Just some ideas, you might come up with some more, depending on how desperate you are for the AUG :-)
Thank you for the suggestions. Selling the children to buy guns is also always an option.
Just a note: When I first posted this I wrote "doting older siblings." I meant doting in the "to be lavish or excessive in one's attention, fondness, or affection" sense of the word. I forgot that that word can also mean "to exhibit mental decline of or like that of old age," which is not how I meant it. Just so we're clear on that I changed it to "affectionate."
Now send me my rifle!
Hey Bawb,
I think Ben may have been hinting to me, especially as he has now defined doting.
Ben, I will get you one sometime after you get me joint ACLU and Moveon.org lifetime memberships.
Sis, I'd even get you a membership in al-Qaeda for this rifle!
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