Steyr AUG HBAR-T

About the Steyr AUG HBAR-T

The Steyr AUG HBAR-T is a designated marksman variant of the legendary Steyr AUG bullpup rifle system, featuring a heavy 24.4-inch (621mm) barrel and a STANAG-compatible optics rail replacing the AUG's iconic integrated optic housing. The 'T' designation stands for the telescope/optics rail configuration, which allows mounting of dedicated precision optics such as the Schmidt & Bender 4x25 or Kahles ZF69 6x42 telescopic sights. The heavy barrel profile provides improved accuracy and sustained fire capability compared to the standard AUG barrel, while the bullpup layout keeps the overall length to just 900mm despite the extended barrel. The short-stroke gas piston system with rotating bolt delivers clean, reliable cycling, and the progressive two-stage trigger -- a hallmark of the AUG system -- provides both semi-automatic and automatic fire modes depending on trigger pull depth.

The AUG HBAR-T was one of the first bullpup rifles adapted for the designated marksman role, proving that the compact bullpup configuration could deliver precision at extended ranges when paired with a heavy barrel and quality optics.

Steyr AUG HBAR-T specifications

The HBAR-T differs from the standard AUG HBAR in its receiver configuration: while the HBAR retains the integrated 1.5x optic of the standard AUG, the HBAR-T replaces this with a flat STANAG rail for mounting dedicated precision, thermal, or electro-optical sighting systems. The 24.4-inch barrel extracts maximum velocity from 5.56mm ammunition, achieving approximately 1000 m/s with standard NATO ball. The rifle accepts standard AUG 30 or 42-round translucent polymer magazines. In Austrian service, the weapon is designated StG 77 HBAR-T. The quick-change barrel system allows the HBAR-T barrel to be swapped with standard AUG barrels in seconds without tools.