LetsKillDave

About a month ago, I got delivery of one of the first Steyr AUG A3‘s made in the US.  It was a bold step for me, because I basically bought it without ever having fired an AUG.  My experience with the FN2000 wasn’t all that great, so I was reluctant, but after reading a few early reviews, I felt the investment would be worthwhile.  I also correctly guessed the price would go up over time, and the worst off I would be is breaking even on my investment.  I’m happy to say though that I have no regrets (and no intention to sell).

The packaging for the Steyr is quite nice — a very nice case, a simple sling, a cleaning kit, two 30-round magazines, and an owners manual that’s not very friendly to those of us with “older eyes.”  Just thought I’d warn ya.

Although a little heavier than the AR-15 platform, the Steyr’s backend-weight feels very comfortable.  Given the shorter overall length, it definitely feels more maneuverable than most ARs (at least those that don’t require an NFA license, and I don’t have one of those).   Here’s a pic of the Steyr and one of my ARs (an LMT for those that want to know):

Both barrels are 16" long

Yes, that’s a 42-round magazine in the Steyr.  I don’t use those in real-life, but the guy I bought some magazines from made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. 

Since this post is about disassembly of the Steyr, let’s get down to the brass tacks.  The first step, as always, is to virually and physically inspect the rifle to verify it is unloaded.  NEVER work on guns anywhere near ammunition, and never disassemble a gun without sufficient eye protection.  Spring-loaded parts have a fondness for soft eye tissue.  Trust me when I tell you that.

Verify the magazine is removed and breech is empty

The first step in disassembly is to remove the barrel.  That’s a simple matter of pressing the barrel lock pin, then rotating the barrel clockwise and pulling the barrel straight out.

Barrel Lock Pin

 This is a cool feature of the AUGs, although I’m hard-pressed to see how you would want to quickly swap to a longer (say 20″) barrel.  The trigger pull strength is too high (about 8lbs) to really make it an effective DMR rifle, IMHO.  It DOES make barrel cleaning handy though

Barrel Removed

Now remove the receiver assembly.  First make sure that the bolt is closed to make sure any tension is taken off the assembly.  I’m not sure if Steyr has an interlock to prevent that from happening, and I wasn’t willing to try.  Press the receiver lock in fully.

Receiver lock slide

Once that’s done, pull the receiver and bolt carrier out of the stock.

Receiver and carrier removed

Then separate the receiver from the bolt carrier assembly

Bolt Carrier removed

The next step is a little tricky.  There is an indentation in the butt plate of the AUG.  Push it in and pull the retaining bolt (which is also the rear sling mount) outward.  This will cause the butt plate lock to disengage.  Once you do that, you will see the trigger assembly inside (in the pic below, that’s the little green tab).

Butt Plate removed

The next thing is to push the trigger assembly in again (which was previously covered by the butt plate) and completely remove the retaining bolt.  Once that’s done, slide the trigger assembly out.  Marvel at the plastic workings of the tigger assembly.  Yes, plastic.  Industrial-strength plastic, but definitely strange to look at if you’re an M1 or AR kind of person.  One interesting thing is the strength of the hammer spring in the trigger assembly.  If you intend to test its function, don’t get your fingers anywhere hear the hammer strike path, or you will end up with not-so-manly fingertip bruises.

Trigger Assembly and Retaining Lock removed

I’m going to skip over the gas piston disassembly and jump into the bolt carrier group.  Disassembly was a little easier than the AR.  Basically you raise the “anti-turn device” prior to removing the firing pin.  The pic below shows it in the raised position.

Bolt Carrier - Anti-turn Lock unlocked

 Then turn the firing pin, which you have “exposed” by raising the anti-turn locks, counterclockwise and the pin should slide out.  Remember that this is under spring pressure, so be careful removing.

Firing Pin coming out

At the top of the bolt carier assembly is a metal “control bolt”.  Press it down while pressing the bolt inward, then slowly release the pressure.  The bolt asssembly looks like this once it’s pulled out.

Bolt carrier exploded

The bolt itself looks highly similar to the AR-15.  8 lugs with one for extraction.  Here’s two photos to give you a comparison.  The AR bolt is on the left.

AR vs Steyr Bolt perspective viewAR vs Steyr Bolt top-down

AR vs Steyr Bolts top-down

That’s really the bulk of the disassembly process. The rest is diligent cleaning and proper lubrication. Then basically reassembly in the reverse order. You should do a dry fire function test as well as a magazine insert and removal test.

Once you’re finished, REMEMBER to wash your hands and face with cold water and soap.  There’s all sorts of nasty chemicals and metals when you clean a gun, and there’s no sense making your life miserable just because you thought it was “only a little oil.”

Of course, if you do everything right, you will now have a smooth-shooting, fun bullpup rifle!  Happy shooting!

P.S. — A big shout out to Steve at The Firearm Blog for asking me to do this. I had fun doing it, and I appreciate the nudge!