Accuracy International AW - problems?

dodgyrog

Well-Known Member
My pal has spent approx £4k on one of these rifles and found that the Picattinny rail is 9 MOA out of true to the rifle bore axis.
Anybody else had problems with AI rifles?:(
 
The rail is out of true to the bore axis as they are designed for very long range shooting - the back of the rail will be higher than the front to compensate for the bullet drop when out at 500m plus - this allows you to sight in so you have plenty of room adjustment on the sights etc. If it was parallel to the bore the you would quickly run out of adjustment.

I am sure some of the long range shooters on this forum could give a lot more detail.
 
Absolutely nothing wrong with that rail.

Tell your mate to mount a S&B PMII and he'll be sorted well out beyond 1000yds at least. The spec will say 1st round hit guaranteed to 600yds, but that doesn't even start to test that rifles abilities.

I carried an L96 for over 2 yrs relatively hassle free. Your mate wouldn't dream of putting his rifle through what i and others did on a regular basis.
 
Mine was bore sighted by York guns ! when i tried to zero it i could not get enough elivation !!

Turned out the mount was on back to front . I still wonder what the chap who boresighted it was looking at when he used the boresight ?
 
That's probably the biggest problem - people with too little knowledge assuming that it's just another rifle with expensive accessories. It's a weapons system requiring training to get the best from it and to modify.
 
Well put Marc , IMO to many amatures playing sniper, I wonder how many would last the beat up to the course .
 
Well, that's just great. The 'could be helpfull' pro's slagging off the amateurs. Since when did this become the Snide Snipers forum? If you two guys are representative of the best Her Majesty has to offer then it's time I stopped supporting H4H.
If the guy did not spec' a 10 mill' base then perhaps he has the right to wonder why his rifle/scope combo won't mount to point of aim.
 
Well, that's just great. The 'could be helpfull' pro's slagging off the amateurs. Since when did this become the Snide Snipers forum? If you two guys are representative of the best Her Majesty has to offer then it's time I stopped supporting H4H.
If the guy did not spec' a 10 mill' base then perhaps he has the right to wonder why his rifle/scope combo won't mount to point of aim.

You're being way too touchy longlowdog. I wasn't being snide; i meant what i said in that the system is unique. Everything is designed for a specific purpose and quite different from what most people will ever pick up and use. For example:
1. Look at the trigger guard and you'll note the over-large shape to accomodate gloves.
2. The bolt is unique to all others in that it is specifically designed to not freeze nor clog with ice - a common problem with bolt action rifles in arctic conditions. Best way to keep a rifle operational in such conditions is not to take it into the tent with you, but to dig a shallow hole in the snow and bury it where instantly accessible.
3. A good armourer is not a riflesmith, but they have been specifically trained in the 'Accuracy International Way' to maintain and modify that rifle. You wouldn't believe how bad it was when the rifles were first issued without adequate support - there are stories of scopes practically rattling off, barrels shooting out, etc.

I could go on and on, but you'd only fall asleep or die of boredom. My point wasn't meant as an insult - merely that unless taught otherwise the average joe will look at the AW and consider it just another 'tactical' rifle. Accordingly he may well not understand the purpose or benefit of the 'thingy' bolted onto theirs.

This has been proven to me time and again when strangers have approached me with theirs asking me to 'fix' it. Usually this can range from incorrect mounting of scopes, completely innapropriate scopes, tinkering with parts they have no knowledge of or most usually trying to zero it as too short distances (100yds or less). Put me next to a fella shooting an AW and i'm as quiet as a mouse - i want nothing to do with it, i don't have hours to waste tweaking it or listening to how many months you wasted listening to the sales assistant masquerading as a riflesmith.

My advice to anyone determined to buy an AW is to buy an AE. You will never abuse the rifle in the ways it is designed to withstand and doing which not change the zero: you'll never jump with one (i did), you're unlikely to drop it down the face of a mountain whilst on a German alpine course (i did), you won't change the barrel 3 times in one day (i did). The AE will do everything you're ever likely to require and save you 2 grand in the process.

Lastly, don't think for one minute the the army hands you an L96 and a book of secrets which makes you all knowing, all capable. Widow's Son will support me when i state that you go through all manner of endless shite before they'll even let you touch one and then it's only to learn how to clean it properly.
 
Scotsgun, I understand everything you have to say regarding the rifles in question and indeed happen to own a tough +1k capable rifle with a S+B on top. However, what does Widows Son's reply "IMO to many amatures playing sniper, I wonder how many would last the beat up to the course" have to do with constructive/helpfull or polite assistance and how much does it have to do with personal aggrandisement?
 
Read the initial post LLD, It says there is a problem with. Reputations are won and lost on such a claim. i think you will find if you re-read WW's post that he is defending the rifle. Reminds me of the story of the old dear who took her car in for it's third gearbox. She rode motobikes all her life, She did not realise the gearstick moved sideways so she never got out of second. Had the post asked why the rail was out maybe you would have seen a completely different response,
Jim
 
Why such fuss over such a simple addition to a rifle?, first thing I did was source a 20 m.o.a. lift rail for my Howa 7mm WSM, in order to make best use of a mildot fixed ten mag scope from the states, seems the main trouble here is tw*ts purporting to know how to even sell a rifle , let alone fit after market parts,also the end user should have a basic understanding of why they require a piece of kit, because it might look good just isn't one of my first reasons,& references to snipers/sniping have their place on some other forums on the net, don't think there's much call for it in here?
 
Scotsgun, I understand everything you have to say regarding the rifles in question and indeed happen to own a tough +1k capable rifle with a S+B on top. However, what does Widows Son's reply "IMO to many amatures playing sniper, I wonder how many would last the beat up to the course" have to do with constructive/helpfull or polite assistance and how much does it have to do with personal aggrandisement?

LLD, methinks the lady doth protest too much. As far as I am concerned those lads that have the T shirt are entitled to their opinion, just as you are to yours. If you have seen what some of them are put through, you will not be surprised that they cannot take wannabe snipers too seriously. It was gentle sarcasm, nothing nasty, take a pill calm down and relax.

ft
 
I stalked with a guy for a couple of weeks on a over seas trip, he said he was ex-sniper and was still in a foreign military service, he had no time for the “wannabe snipers” he said once you have killed a few men in “cold blood” the shine goes off, “these wannabes have no idea what is involved” was his opinion.

Whether all ex-military take the same view I have no idea, I just thank them for what they have done.

ATB

Tahr
 
Definately getting side tracked here ... mainly because there's too much bollox about the term 'sniper.' All i was trying to say was that if you blab or someone else blabs then folks equate you as a supposed 'all knowing' - especially with the 6K toy they are having problems with. It's nice to be helpfull but it gets tiresome wasting often hours to fix something that was originally done by the owner because he mistakenly assumed it was just another rifle or doesn't understand the concepts.

I understood Widow Son's comment which wasn't intended to be offensive.

Incidentally, only this morning i was stalking with a friend and kneeling in a gutter with stagnant water travelling up to my bollox. Dropped a lovely wee roe buck at about 200yds. Once gralloch'd, it was back to his house where he showed me all manner of little tricks in which he made handling the carcass so much easier. This morning i was the learner.
 
I didn't make myself clear, obviously. The error was in windage not elevation. Not a built in Correolis correction, I guess.
 
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