Recently I was given the opportunity to get my hands on a MSAR E-4 bullpup rifle in .223/5.56. These rifles are the US copy of the Steyr Aug, famed to be the Cadillac of battle rifles. MSAR stands for Microtech Small Arms Research. Microtech has since lost the MSAR and to my knowledge Ratworx USA is or has been attempting to get things in order hopefully to get them into production again.
There are several editions of the MSAR, some of the early editions had issues; early editions went by STG-556 and did not have the E-4 designator. The E-4 was the latest edition meeting the requests and complaints of customers. Previous editions only accepted the MSAR magazines, the E-4 will accept AR-15 magazines and the updated MSAR E-4 magazine. To my knowledge the E-4 will not accept the older MSAR mags. A quality problem with the bolt was corrected, and some special edition packages were put together that included a limited edition Microtech knife, a Storm hard case, and the E-4 rifle in OD green, desert tan, or black finishes.
Base price for the MSAR E-4: $1000-$1500, Special Edition: $1900+
These can be found easily on http://www.gunbroker.com
So clearly it’s not the price range of the base-model AR, but then again it’s clearly not an AR now is it.
The specific design of the MSAR gives it a unique profile, so much so that it is considerably shorter in overall length than the typical AR-15, even the M4 configurations. Due to the profile of the MSAR recoil is conosiderably managed and controlled to the point that the shooter will notice a big difference shooting the MSAR side by side with an AR-15 when it comes to recoil management. So let’s dive into this thing starting from the rear of the rifle.
The magazine release is one of the items that will put many people off a bit. It is a bit cumbersome to operate until you get used to it, but it is designed that way to prevent an accidental mag-drop given the relative placement of the hand on the pistol grip as well as the equipment that might be mounted to a vest or carrier in that immediate viscinity. I have yet to actually find a comfortable way of cheating to speed up reloads, including the use of a magazine coupler, to no avail…it just takes training. That said, if the situation allows you to be a wise combat shooter then you’ll likely be aware of being low on ammo in the mag and conduct a mag change while a round is still chambered. To give some insight on the mag change with a coupler: If the secondary magazine is to the left, right one loaded in the rifle, the magazine release button can be difficult to get to and depress fully because your hand has to get around the spare mag. If the secondary magazine is to the right, left one loaded in the firearm, it is extremely simple to get to the magazine release button and depress it but, the magazine to the right of the firearm will be pressed upon your right arm trying to reach the pistol grip. It’s tolerable but it is noticeable.
The trigger has an identical feel to some of the early HK “space gun” designs that were out there. If you are used to an AR-15 trigger this will take just a little conditioning to get you used to the trigger, but it’s not much. Ratworx USA has started making “hybrid” trigger packs for the MSAR that consist of AR-15 parts so that parts are easier to obtain. They have done the same with the bolts on the rifle by incorporating AR parts.
The safety selector leaves a bit to be desired because of the square design. Don’t let that put you off, it’s clearly positive by feel and can be operated easily from both sides of the rifle. The bolt release leaves a bit to be desired. I wound up using the charging handle rather than the rear bolt release. It was just too tight to depress on mine.
The MSAR can come with a couple of nice options atop the receiver. The first is the 1.4x optic that is quite nice and makes it easy for close-in combat shooting, shooting out to 100 yards, and even shooting between 5ft and 100 yards. Very little human adjustment is needed with the optic, so long as you remember what distance you’ve sighted in at. The optic often is found with iron sights on top of it, similar to what is found on some Acog optics. I found them difficult to utilize at first because I was unfamiliar with those particular sights and where to place my cheeck on the rifle to work it out. They are not adjustable irons, so you need to shoot them on the target range and know exactly where they hit.
Another option for the top of the receiver is the picatinny rail. Simply unbolt the optic and bolt on the rail. There is no easy way to go about this folks, it requires an allen wrench. Now if you’re military you’ll already know this, if not pay attention! Some multiplier tools come with a small “bit set” that allows you to insert a screw driver bit and the like to use with your multiplier. If you have one of those, find the allen bit that would fit the screw of the optic and keep it with your MSAR package, you never know when it will come in handy.
The ejection ports are dual-sided and for good reason. The MSAR can be configured to shoot left or right handed. It does require that the rifle be disassembled to accomplish the swap, then simply remove the ejection port cover and place it on the opposite side. Ratworx USA has designed hybrid bolts for both the left and right hands. Lefty’s, see the warning in the gas system info!
The stock/housing is polymer and thus subject to the issues of heat and cold. Know in advance that military units in other countries have used the Aug with little to no problems in extreme heat and cold as well as arid desert conditions. I’ve yet to see an Aug that cracked from the cold or one that metled due to desert heat; not that it couldn’t be possible at some point.
The gas system is adjustable, so you can tune the rifle to shoot a more flexible range of bullet weights and loads if needed. The gas port is located along side the barrel just forward of the pistol grip. WARNING TO LEFTY’S!!! DO NOT get your hands or fingers forward near the gas port on this rifle it WILL cause injury if you do!
The charging handle is nice in that it is easily out of the way when rearward and compact enough that it doesn’t hang up when forward. Because of that it can be difficult to release the bolt when the handle is locked rearward. Use caution as you can skin a knuckle easily! See accessories below for the fix on this one. If you have a large optic you will want to upgrade to the Manticore charging handle from Ratworx USA. (see below)
The muzzle brake (radlock) is an interesting design and most folks will say “yuck” right away. The brake design just aids with controllability of this rifle as it is completely different from the typical AR birdcage design. There are two thread patterns on the MSAR brake. The first is the metric pattern, the second is the 1/2 x 28 pattern. If you’re exploring a different muzzle device, it is important that you know which you have. Per Ratworx USA: Look behind the brake, if there is a ring that looks like it might accept a bayonet, if so you have the metric, if not you have the 1/2 x 28. If you have an AR and the proper tools, you can carefully verify by pulling both muzzle devices and carefully attempting to swap them, that will verify your thread pattern. Should you find that you have a metric thread pattern and would like to go to a 1/2 x 28 patterned accessory, simply contact Ratworx USA as they have the thread adapter.
Shooting the MSAR is quite nice as the recoil is very manageable. Most collapsible stock AR’s have a couple of flex points. The first is where the recivers mate. Far too often a shooter can see daylight between the receivers and you can easily twist the top against the botttom, this is not the case with the MSAR. The second flex point tends to be at the collapsible stock itself. Again, the MSAR does not have this problem. Double taps were easily placed at close ranges inside 15 yards, this was illustrated to a few people who shot this rifle at the Necros Threat shoot at Bear Creek back in November. ARG Zombies enjoyed it enough to include it in their footage! http://www.argzombies.com/blog/everything-zombie/how-to-survive-the-zombie-apocalypse-weapons-training/
We tested shooting while standing (fixed position) unsupported and I had 3 rounds touching at 21 feet using the optic. We tested shooting multiple threats and the rifle transitioned easily keeping rounds were I wanted them. We tested shooting on the move and kept the rounds where they needed to be. We also tested double and triple taps (2 chest, 1 head) to look at recoil management in the home as well as multiple threats in the same fashion. The rounds still stayed where I wanted them without any issue. Only two strays occurred because of squeezing with my ring and pinky fingers on my right hand.
When fired the design of the MSAR creates a pivot point almost at the shoulder while the AR tends to try to pivot near the pistol grip, making the MSAR slightly more manageable than the AR platform. This can translate to faster shot recovery, a speedy secondary shot if needed, and more accurate suppressive fire which is something the Kiwi’s in Afghanistan proved with the Aug.
One disadvantage of the rifle that surprised me was that the light contoured barrel heats up rather quickly when compared to the AR. Heavy barrels were few and far between for the MSAR, but there are a few that managed to get out and they are very desireable. Given the light weight of the overall platform, the heavy barrel would provide better temperature regulation, but it would sacrifice weight to do so.
Field strip disassembly is a royal pain the first time. After that it’s very easy. Simply follow safe gun handling rules for unloading and starting the process. Once the rifle is completely unloaded you will need to depress the button on the left side of the rifle’s frame near the pistol grip. It does not move in a straight line, so look before you push. Then simply twist the barrel by the pistol grip and pull straight off.
The next part is where I had issues. It should be as simple as pressing the take-down block (mid-frame) from Left to Right through the rifle’s body. However this can be difficult as some of the parts are under slight compression. It may require a slight rearward push with your hand on the forward parts (now exposed) while pushing the block L to R. Once that has been completed you should be able to slide the parts forward out of the body.
Next, use the rear sling mount/takedown by pulling it up and out to remove the butt plate, then pull the trigger pack straight out. DO NOT dry fire this rifle while disassembling! It will be difficult to reassemble if you do!
Reverse the process for reassembly.
How mine is decked out: Black special edition MSAR E-4, Tri Ax 31 tri-rail, Surefire shorty forward pistol grip, factory optic, Magpul single point speed sling. There may have been some trigger work done as well. All work on this rifle was completed by Shane Rogers of Shane Rogers Tactical in Nixa, Mo.
Accessories available from Ratworx USA:
Tri Ax 31 tri-rail
Aftermakret pistol grips for an AR will fit with the Tri-rail mounted
Metric to 1/2 x 28 thread adapter
Left handed hybrid bolt
Right handed hybrid bolt
Brass defelctor
Manticore charging handle
Hybrid trigger pack
Side rails for the body of the rifle
Sling point attachments
Manticore Talon scope mount for your hunting or other rifle scope
Tactical lower rail (not the tri-rail)
Tactical top rail for the top of the reciever
http://www.ratworxusa.com/pagCatalog.aspx?xCategoryID=MSAR Accessories
Stoney McCleery
