Thought you were offering a trade for just a moment:).
The MSAR E-4 is hard to beat; the balance should be easier for a woman to handle, even though it will be slightly heavier than your LMT. Prices are way down and it uses AR mags.
There are even better deals on the STG 556 (non AR mag compatable). It can be set up for right or left strong side; need to buy left hand bolt and move rubber ejection port plug.
I just traded my E-4 for a Bulgarian Krink, which is also pretty light and easy handling, even with a fake suppressor silver soldered in place.
Yes. The new Steyr AUG A3 USA can use the MSAR E4 stock. The NATO stock can be fit with slight non-functional alteration, though I’d recommend the E4 since it is drop in. Also the E4 is in mass production, and not a limited import like the NATO stocks. Also, the NATO stocks will not take lefty bolts, the E4 stocks will…
OP, I’ve been HIGHLY impressed with my AUG A3. I think your wife will find the weight manageable, since it is much closer into the body. However, the LOP is fairly long. About the same as an M4 stock on full extension. I don’t know if that will be a problem for her, just so you are aware.
Also, the support side issue is not a major problem. Since she is a lefty, just get a left handed bolt, and swap the ejection port door. Firing weak side is just a matter of training, and can be acomplished two ways. One is to pull back slightly and place your hand to the rear of the ejection port to serve as brass deflector. This works great. Option two, is to angle the ejection port down. This also works, but I prefer option one…
Actually she is right handed (and left eye dominate, which was a problem with handguns until we figured it out). We will find one at a show or shop to let her handle before we commit. She was impressed with the way the FN FS2000 felt, it is an option but she still leans toward the AUG. She actually wanted a Ruger Mini-14 last year but I trumped her and got myself a 6920 and saddled her with the LMT. I’m just glad she is looking at a AUG or FS2000 instead of the Mini-14 (and I’ve not brought it up either :D) Now I hope she doesn’t read this:(
As I posted ealier, I’ve put the full kit on my 6920 and she can’t stand the weight. She can only shoulder it for a short time before fatiuge sets in. Thanks for the help guys.
My wife like the concept of the bullpup (MSAR STG-556) since she is only 5’2" @ 98 lbs. but she has trouble charging the weapon. I even built up a light weight AR for her, but it was still front heavy for her.
So, one day, I let her shoot my M1 Carbine. She was impressed. She can cycle the action easily and shoot all day with out getting fatigued. Yeah, it’s not fancy, but it works for her!
The FN actually handles much better than it looks and has virtually no felt recoil. With the front eject it is truly ambi and as a bonus it takes AR mags.
That said, I still prefer the AUG. Simply put it shoulders and fits like a dream.
Thanks for jumping in, I knew you were pretty big on the AUG. Any reliability issues with the AUG, or any other problems? I assume not but just want as much advice as I can get before pulling the trigger (so to speak). Any tips or spare parts I should consider. I extended my wife’s LMT’s stock to full and had her handle it. If the AUG’s LOP is similiar then she says it would not be a problem. Any thoughts on this?
Is there any way you guys can get some trigger time on one before actually laying down the cash?
Bare in mind that the triggers on most bull pup designs leaves a lot to be desired. You can adapt to them, but coming from an AR they’ll seem really bad at first. The more you shoot, the better you get of course.
MSAR was good enough to send me one of their STG-556’s last year to T&E, and it ran great for the 1200 rounds of mixed M193 I put through it.
I’ve let lots of girls run my FS2000 and NONE of them have said anything about improper fit, too long, bulky, hard to reload or anything other than the fact that they relly liked it and that it was easy for them to shoot.
IME most women will bond with the first real rifle that they like and feels good for them, and will look at other things with mistrust after that. Best to start her out with a good gun like the FS2000 and not worry about it.
The FS has some really good traits and doesnt play into the drop the mag stuff at all. It encourages mag retention and positive insertion and removal (something us AR guys would do well to practice more).
I will say that I am biased towards the FS in the bullpup platform, as it pretty much solves all the problems that platform has.
I don’t know anyone with a bullpup at all. The only way would be a chance encounter at the local range, but she normally sends me to the range solo and joins me to shoot at our home or my parents’. My range permit is up the last of June, and I’ve already told her I’m getting her a permit along with mine this year, so maybe more range time is in the future. I wish we could get some trigger time on one, or two. That would go a long way in helping her. I don’t how true it is, but I’ve read that the FS does have a better trigger than the AUG. How much so, I have no idea. For myself, like you said, I probably wouldn’t like a bullpup’s trigger after so many years with the AR. However I have always thought the AUG was down right sexy, maybe she will let me play with hers’, AUG I mean:cool:
Growing up in the '80s, I wanted an AUG in the worst kind of way.
I still think you guys would be better served with a quality AR with a lightweight barrel, but if you guys have your heart set on an AUG, there are a lot worse guns out there (Mini-14).
Someone else suggested a M1 Carbine. A USGI M1 Carbine, available through the CMP, would also be an excellent choice.
I suggested a lightweight barrel AR but after handling the FS last weekend she seems set on a bullpup. My dad has a USGI M1 carbine, I’ll let her handle and maybe shoot it tomorrow. We’ll see.
Since I turned my issued AUG-P in last year (sadly to be cut in half on a bandsaw, don’t ask) I have been itching to find another bullpup. I had high hopes for the Charles Daly Tavor but that wasn’t to be. I am hoping to have a long talk with the Steyr guys at SHOT '11 about getting an AUG of my own.
The trigger on mine smoothed out nicely actually and is the best of the FS2000’s that I’ve felt.
for comparison it feels a lot like a heavy stock glock trigger with a spongy take-up. It’s not a target trigger, but it is very manageable and you can get decent accuracy from it. If i had to describe it i’d say imagine a Glock 21 with a 3lb take-up and a 6.5 lbs break.
Mag removal is kinda cool as you basically grasp the mag like a beer can and shove the top of your hand into the mag release and pull down. It ensures positive retention of the mag which is why they designed it that way. insertion is easy and fast as the magwell is huge and a simple whack seats it without having to down load the thing to 28 rounds.
The adjustable gas system means you can run wolf all day long without issue.
Neat feature… with the ejection port closed it will retain the first 4 cases INSIDE the rifle, before it ejects them when the fifth case pushes them thru the dust cover door. I’m sure I could think of a use for case retention.
I run a gun completely ambidextrous, so any rifle that cannot be shot from either side instantly is out for me. The FS is the ONLY bullpup to make this possible thus far, and it does a great job of it too. The quality is outstanding and in spite of it’s extensive use of polymer, I have complete faith in it.
I won’t try to talk you or your wife out of the AUG. If that’s what she wants, that’s what she wants
However, if the AUG weighs as much or more than an AR, weight isn’t the issue. Balance and fitment is. The stripped down AR feels muzzle heavy to her. Try shifting the balance rearward by adding weight to the butt and try different lengths of pull. Try a different buttstock. She might like something else better
Inexperienced shooters will complain about a weapon being too heavy when the really it just the stock is too long or too muzzle heavy. When it’s both, then it really feels heavy!
You can try different things with the AR (or other carbine) to see what your wife finds comfortable. Not to find out what she’s comfortable with instead of the AUG but to give her more choices so she can decide what she really likes
Echoing the sentiments of other shooters here- if she wants a bullpup, get her one. She may like it, or she may shoot it for 3 months and absolutely detest it.
Example- my ex wife absolutely wanted a Bushmaster Patrolman’s carbine. Not a Colt 6920. Not an LMT. Bushmaster. I had no idea why, but we went and I got her a BM Patrolman’s carbine. She shot maybe 600 rounds thru it, decided she didn’t like it anymore, and sold it. :rolleyes:
She also wanted a Steyr M9 as her first handgun. We got one and it turned out to be a colossal POS.
I guess there’s no rhyme or reason about people’s individual likes/dislikes regarding firearms.
I have experienced none, to be fair I haven’t had any with the FN 2000 either. I have been told some people had feed problems with the AUG mags the A3 came with and these problems ceased when replaced with original AUG magazines.
I don’t know if this is actually true. My A3 runs just fine with the magazines it shipped with. I also don’t even know if Steyr made any magazines domestically for the A3 or not.
As far as LOP, see if you can have her trying one for size at a gunshow. As far as parts, all of my pre89s are still on original parts.
Better than the original AUGs perhaps slightly. Hard to say mine are nicely broken in. Compared to the A3 I’d say they are the same. I bought a trigger tamer for the A3 but never felt the need to install it.
According to Jack at Steyr Arms, they had a bad batch of magazine springs. It was a limited one time issue, fairly small number were affected, and most owners did not encounter it…
Yeah, it’s not fancy, but it works for her!
