This definitely looks a bit off as a setup...
Something that I have definitely not been able to find much on, is the mechanical accuracy of the Steyr AUG. Being rather anal retentive, and a reloader, I decided to work up some loads for it and see for myself what the mechanical accuracy capability of the AUG A3 was. Needless to say, everything went better than expected!
The Purpose
There were several reasons for me to do a test like this. The first one was that being a reloader, I always like to test a multitude of bullets and see how retardedly small of groups that I can get. Another reason was there is not much information out there on the AUG A3 for this sort of thing, so I decided I could correct that. The last reason was to see what type of mechanical accuracy that the AUG A3 is capable of. I will not say that the AUG A3 can do these sort of groups "All day long", but it is capable of shooting the groups you will see below.
The Setup
For accuracy testing, all groups were shot from the prone position. A bag was used on the front of the AUG for a rest, and my hand was used under the rear of the buttstock to control elevation and keep the gun stable. The AUG was equipped with a Burris 4-16x50mm XTR scope and shot with the foregrip folded parallel to the rifle. The scope was given a rough zero so that it was hitting close enough to your intended target so that you can see where you are grouping. Today I was shooting over 28 different loads with 4 bullet types. Attempting to zero the scope perfectly between groups is just retarded, hence the impacts in various places.
The day testing was done the temperature was 78 degrees, sunny, with no wind. All groups for load development consisted of 5 shots at 100 yards. Five shots were fired and then the gun was allowed to cool off until I could grab the barrel with no discomfort (approximately 5-10 minutes). Group sizes are determined by measuring the group at its widest point from the outside of the bullet impact and by subtracting the bullet diameter (.224 in this case).
The day testing was done the temperature was 78 degrees, sunny, with no wind. All groups for load development consisted of 5 shots at 100 yards. Five shots were fired and then the gun was allowed to cool off until I could grab the barrel with no discomfort (approximately 5-10 minutes). Group sizes are determined by measuring the group at its widest point from the outside of the bullet impact and by subtracting the bullet diameter (.224 in this case).
The Loads and Ammunition Used
For this range session I tested various loadings with the following projectiles:
- Hornady 50 Grain VMAX
- Sierra 53 Grain Sierra Match King
- Remington Bulk 55 Grain FMJ
- Nosler Varmagedon 55 Grain JHP
- Nosler 69 Grain BTHP Match (the good ole GBL)
The Results
This day turned out to be a long day. A really long day, nearly 10 hours were spent at the range, but things turned out rather well. As you can tell by the results below, the AUG A3 definitely is capable of shooting sub 2 MOA groups. If you read my initial accuracy report (http://www.randomgunstuff.com/1/post/2013/03/steyr-aug-a3-initial-accuracy-report.html), you can see that the results were pretty in line with that. Surprisingly, I even had a few groups that were sub MOA. Smallest groups are marked in purple, all measurements are in inches. And note I am not listing the powder or charge used to cover my ass on liability. Now, if you happened to email me, I might be kind enough to let you in on that secret.
Best Group Pictures
 Best group using the 53 Grain Sierra Match King. |  Best group using the 55 Grain Nosler Varmagedon. |  Best group using the 50 Grain Hornady VMAX. |
Groups for Reference
I decided to show some more sample groups to compare and contrast the AUG's accuracy. Below are groups shot using the AUG and The Giant Ginger's Bushmaster Predator AR. TGG's AR features an 18" fluted barrel, the Burris scope (that I borrowed for the AUG), and a Geissele trigger. Of course the AR shot better, AR's shooting below sub MOA is pretty common. These groups were shot using the Ginger Battle Load, which consists of a 69 grain Nosler Match BTHP. Every gun that shoots this load loves it, and so does the AUG, even with a 1/9 barrel.
 5 shot group shot using the AUG A3 and the GBL. This group was shot from the prone position with the ACOG that resides on the weapon. |  10 shot group from the AR using the GBL. Group was shot from the prone position. |  10 shot group shot through the AUG A3 using the GBL. Group was shot from the prone position using the ACOG. |
Afterthoughts
The AUG ended up shooting a bit better than I thought it would. Yes, it did shoot some sub MOA groups, but still I would not call it a sub minute weapon with a straight face. Based upon this testing, my first test using the ACOG, and lots of field time, I would say that the AUG is a 1.5-2 MOA weapon, setup and deployed practically.
Shooting the AUG from the prone position feels rather good, but one this you must watch for is where your gas regulator is. The AUG will chew a hole in your shooting bag from where it vents the gas when you fire it. If you notice, in the first picture I placed a blue rag on the bag to act as somewhat of a sacrificial barrier.
For what it is, the AUG definitely shoots well enough for all of my needs. As a general purpose gun, it will get the job done fine, without sacrificing accuracy or velocity. Now, if this was a gun I was going to use to sit on a bench all day and shoot squirrels, or something precision of that nature, I would go with an AR. That being said, on my recent ground squirrel trip, the AUG performed well offhand in the field. But that is another article.
EZ
Shooting the AUG from the prone position feels rather good, but one this you must watch for is where your gas regulator is. The AUG will chew a hole in your shooting bag from where it vents the gas when you fire it. If you notice, in the first picture I placed a blue rag on the bag to act as somewhat of a sacrificial barrier.
For what it is, the AUG definitely shoots well enough for all of my needs. As a general purpose gun, it will get the job done fine, without sacrificing accuracy or velocity. Now, if this was a gun I was going to use to sit on a bench all day and shoot squirrels, or something precision of that nature, I would go with an AR. That being said, on my recent ground squirrel trip, the AUG performed well offhand in the field. But that is another article.
EZ
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