The Steyr AUG — Austria’s iconic bullpup — changed how the world thought about service rifles. Introduced in the late 1970s as the StG-77, the AUG combined a compact bullpup layout, polymer components, a quick-change barrel concept and an integrated optical sight to give soldiers a very compact, serviceable rifle without sacrificing effective barrel length. Its modular variants (A1/A2/A3 and export models like Australia’s F88 Austeyr) have been adopted or produced under license by dozens of countries and used in conflicts worldwide.

Modern AUG builds and aftermarket parts have improved two of the platform’s traditional weak points: the trigger and barrel options. Today you can fit improved trigger packs or spring kits that noticeably reduce trigger pull weight and improve feel, and swap to modern barrel assemblies (different lengths, heavier profiles, or .300 Blackout/7.62 options on some NATO pattern models) to tailor the rifle to AR-style roles, CQB or designated-marksman roles. Those changes — plus the A3’s NATO stock/interface improvements — make the AUG far more competitive today than the original production rifles.