Steyr's Incomparable Auga3

A look at the rifle that became the bane of john mcclane’s christmas eve.

- Mike Searson

It’s hard to believe that the Steyr AUG is turning 40 next year.What’s more remarkable is that it’s still used to this day to represent a futuristic weapon or the latest in firearms technology.

That’s the beauty of the bullpup. Its shorter overall length makes it great to keep in confined spaces such as troops in an APC or a tank crew, and this compact size is perfect for troops to use in MOUT operations for shooting from cover.

Initially called the Stg-77 (Sturmgewehr 77) and adopted by the Austrian Army in 1988, we saw it for the first time in a James Bond movie (Octopussy). Being 12 or 13 years old at the time, I assumed it was some futuristic rifle invented by a Hollywood prop master, until seeing it again five or six years later in Die Hard. Then, I thought, “Man, I really need one of those.”

The AUG’s journey as a firearm in America has been an interesting one to say the least. One might consider it an in-depth examination of the stupidity of laws designed to restrict firearms ownership being written by people who know nothing about firearms.

Importation began in the 1980s as the AUG/SA (SA denoting semiautomatic), and for the most part they were slow sellers due to the price and likely the fact that its design was so unique. The initial offering (A1 model) boasted an integral 1.5x optic.

Despite never being used in any sort of crime in the United States for over its first decade, it was banned by name via an executive order by President George H.W. Bush under the 1989 Assault Weapon Import ban. This really sent the prices of existing rifles through the roof.