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Very interesting. I would suggest they move the charging handle forward similar to the location on the SCAR or ACR.

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I guess the cat is out of the bag. So it won't hurt to post this.

Steyr has prototyped a new AR 15 style rifle with a quick change barrel. Also quick change caliber conversion too.Will it make it to the States? I don't know.

What do you guys think about it?
Pete Athens

http://www.steyrauga3cqc.com/SteyrAR.jpg
http://www.steyrauga3cqc.com/SteyrAR1.jpg

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ETA: let's not forget that you would lose zero between calibers anyways.....seems easier to just switch uppers on an AR.

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Monolithic uppers are generally heavy....I'd want to know the weight on it or I would for sure be out....Just me, maybe.  I mean, it isn't a bullpup...it just has the quick barrel exchange....but, if you are like me, you have more than 1 AR that is already GTG for each caliber you care to shoot anyways...Kinda seems like a pointless benefit when you give up the weight/feel/balance/ergo of a bullpup for this.

I'll just stick with conventional ARs, SBRs, and Bullpups.


ETA: let's not forget that you would lose zero between calibers anyways.....seems easier to just switch uppers on an AR.

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AR15 buffer and buffer tube... fail.

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They should stick with bullpups.

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DO. WANT. NOW.

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This

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I don't know about that. A lot of militaries really like AR type guns for their "special force" guys.
This could have been started by Austria wanting a national designed/assembled AR type gun instead of buying from overseas.

Steyr knows how to make reliable and accurate firearms. I doubt their new STM is going to be a failed project. Time will tell.

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Not really in the loop on AR's, has the whole carrier tilt thing been solved on piston driven AR's?

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Most likely the design was spurred by a bid on a rifle contract somewhere in the world.

There is no POI shift if you dismount and mount the same barrel. There might be some shift with other barrels (same length). And there are shifts for sure if you change the barrel length.

Why a (real and quick) barrel changing system? Or better: possible benefits:
- Its easy to clean (no fumbling around in a barrel extension, etc.). I like this feature on my AUG
- You can easily clear some types of malfunction (e. g. stuck case, broken case, ... you name it)
- You can go from CQB length to DMR length quickly with the core of the rifle staying the same (I know.. there might be no reason to do that in 5 seconds, but as a side effect you simply can).
- Quick and easy caliber changes are possible by just changing the barrel and the bolt head. That´s done within 60 seconds. The STM556 will be offered in 5,56, 7,62x39 and .300 Whisper for now. More to come. Barrel legths will be: 11,5", 13", 14,5", 16", 18", 20", and 22".
- Because of that quick change system they are thinking of lMG versions in 5,56 and 7,63x39. Could be interesting.

Probably there are more advantages. And if you see no benefit you can just treat it as every other rifle.

The barrels are cold hammer forged, chrome lined and MANNOX coated. Also every other steel part is MANNOX coated.

The gas settings are:
- normal use
- heavy use (weaker loads, dirt, temperature, etc.)
- silencer
- off (for barrel grenades and if you need a silent shot with a can without any motion of the bcg (think of .300 Whisper)

The gas piston, which is a 35 years proved system, kicks a rod that is located in the handguard and can easily be removed, when the barrel is off. There is almost no dirt or carbon build up on this rod after heavy and sustained fire.

The handguard/upper receiver is monolithic and made of forged 7075 aluminum. 3 reasons for the monolithic design:
- optics
- barrel change system
- use of grenade launcher (have you ever seen high speed footage of an AUG mounted GL shooting a 40mm?)

The ventilation holes on the side of the handguard will all be able to receive quick detach sling swivel attachments. Additionally you can mount different Picatinny rails that come with a cable slot (like the side AUG A3 rail).

The safety catch will be able to be also engaged when the hammer is not cocked (some mil regulations want a rifle to be on safe before loaded).

The most interesting thing is still in the experimental phase: They want to establish a permanent dry lubrication system in that rifle. This will also be possible due to the piston system, because heat is generated at the front end and not in the bolt carrier group.

Additional remarks:

This rifle is still a prototype! I just wonder how many experts are on the internet (especially on german forums) who are discussing wildely just because they see a picture of a prototype.

Will this rifle be a toy for the overindividualized civilian who wants to change the handguard every other day? Probably not. But therefor it is also not designed to.
Will you be able to shoot it "Costa-Style" (sorry). No. But a longer handguard is planned/possible as much as I know.

Yes. After 5 Magazins of rapid fire the front end gets hot. But handling is still possible. And if you use a VFG you have absolutely no problems. And after that ammount of ammo you can still touch the bcg. And there was no cook off. BTW: I own a DI SBR with a Troy TRX Battle rail and I too don´t want to touch it at the front end without gloves after 5 mags of sustained fire.

Regarding the serial numbers: In Austria (were the rifle is manufactured) only the barrel and the bolt head are considered as weapon parts. The lower (and the rest) you can buy like bread at a bakery.

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But the point in the quick change (as it seemed marketed) is for quick caliber conversions....it is monolithic so you WILL need to re-zero....I understand the convenience, somewhat, but to a greater extent the convenience will actually only exist when switching barrel sizes within a caliber....if you switch calibers you need to re-zero...I would say the benefit there would be negligible since the time to re-zero is greater than switching uppers on an AR15....My opinion.

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I don't see the problem, you're thinking too small.

If you can afford a rifle system with multiple calibers, you probably have more than one optic for it as well. A quality optic mount will hold zero (see Larue Tactical for a good example of this).


Example:

Rifle chasis + 5.56 conversion with aimpoint zeroed to 5.56 conversion + 7.62 conversion with dedicated acog + 6.8 conversion with dedicated 1-4 optic

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I agree although i believe if toy know your battle site zero and have good fundamentals the poi should not be that far off after a barrel swap.  and if you cant wind-age your shots after a few rounds you have bigger problems than a poi shift.

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I love Larue (only mounts I have used thus far as well)...I don't feel I am "thinking too small;" I think it is a flawed benefit at best (or negligible benefit).  I would still have to then carry the optics for each caliber, mount them in similar (marked or otherwise; this wouldn't be hard of course) locations for each caliber, and then also carry the barrels....or, just have a few uppers in the bag/pelican case (my point is that both will likely occupy as much space)...

I see an ease for those with one caliber or one rifle but for those who are already vested in AR15's, it just isn't appealing.  Having to rely on any mount for within MOA after taking it on and off of the upper works for most (arguably all) realistic applications but then one must haul the optics and the barrels as opposed to another Upper...at the end of it all, I still think switching uppers is faster and more efficient.  YMMV.



Furthermore, I don't feel my comment was "small" minded, I thought about it hard..I wanted to like the system (I love the ingenuity, regardless) but firearms are a very personal thing....I evaluated my initial comments for my personal preferences, needs, and uses.