Re: AE MKII or DTA SRS or TRG-22
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bm11</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SRT Supply</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The difference in price between a TRG-22 and an AE MkII evaporates if you buy even one or two spare magazines for the TRG. Buy a bipod, and there's no difference at all in price between them. </div></div>I like you Jon, and I have both, so I certainly don't have a dog in this fight. But I have seen this math before, and it doesn't add up.
Buy 2 TRG mags at $180 = $360, but subtract out the two AE 10 round mags at $77.28 apiece (your price) and you net out with $205.44 extra.
Then buy the TRG-22 bipod for $450 (yes, you can get this price shopping around a bit) but subtract the cost of the AI/Parker Hale bipod at $357.12, and the net additional is $92.88. Yes, you can make the argument for an Atlas, but accushot also makes a pic rail adapter for the TRG, so that argument doesn't fly.
OK, so, the mags cost you $205.44 MORE and the bipod cost you $92.88 MORE, so you spent $298.32 MORE on the TRG accessories than the AE accessories. BUT you bought the TRG for $2500.
<span style="font-weight: bold">So what price are you selling the AIAE mk2 for that it is actually cheaper to own once you factor in the accessories?</span>
Just curious.</div></div>
Fair enough!
Let's compare everything first at retail, though, since you're mixing up retail and heavily discounted (below MAP) prices in your analysis. My previous statement was made from the basis of comparison of $2700 for a TRG, and the AE at 'Hide member discounted pricing (PM for more info).
The TRG-22 base model in green or black has an MSRP of $2850, with a MAP of $2698. MSRP on the 10rd magazine is $259. MSRP on the bipod is $610. MSRP on the factory sling is $75, $147, or $150 depending on model and color. MSRP on the TRG high picatinny rail is $360. MSRP on the Optilok mounts range from $519 to $595 for the Optilock QD scope mount. If you've got the TRG high picatinny rail, you can then use the Optilock picatinny mounts, with an MSRP of $163, which is basically a wash. MSRP on the folding stock is $2,860 (more than the rifle itself!).
In comparison, MSRP/UPL on the AE MkII base model is $3369 ($519 more than the TRG). MSRP on the 10rd magazine is $77.28 ($181.72 less than TRG). MSRP on the bipod is $357 ($253 less than the TRG). MSRP on the factory sling is $67-73 ($2-73 less than the TRG). MSRP on the rail is $0, since it comes already installed on the rifle ($360 less than the TRG). MSRP on a picatinny scope mount is $195. And MSRP on the folding stock option is $422 ($2438 less than the TRG).
So in other words, that initial $519 difference in favor of the TRG is eaten up as soon as you add the picatinny rail to the TRG ($360 right there - now a difference of $159), and buy a spare magazine ($181.72 - bringing the AE to $22.72 less than the TRG). Even if you forgo the rail and go with a Sako Optilock scope mount, at MSRP you're burning between $324 and $400 more than an AE with the AI picatinny scope mount. Again, add a spare magazine and you're back up to the same point as the AE. If like most people, you want 4-5 spare magazines for your rifle system, it's going to cost $726.88-$908.60 more than buying the same number for your AE.
Even if you buy the aftermarket mag well adapter mentioned earlier in the thread, you're spending $298 right there just to get to the same per-magazine price as the AE (except then you're left with one extra TRG magazine that won't work in your rifle, that you'll have to sell).
To carry this out to its logical conclusion, let's compare a pair of fully-equipped rifles, complete with all comparable factory accessories and gear one might want:
TRG-22 Green Folding Stock $4560
TRG Picatinny rail $360
TRG Muzzle brake $259
TRG Optilock picatinny scope mount $163
TRG Bipod $610
TRG 10rd Mag x 4 $1036
TRG Green Sling $150
Total: $7138
AE MkII Green Folder w/ Muzzle Brake $4118
AE Picatinny rail $0 (Included with rifle)
AE Muzzle Brake $0 (Included with rifle)
AE Picatinny Scope Mount $195
AE Bipod $357
AE 10rd Mag x 4 $309
AE Biathlon Sling $73
Total: $5052
Total difference - the AE is $2082 less than the TRG-22.
With that said, Beretta has recently discounted lots (though not all) of the TRG accessories down in price temporarily on their website. Even at the discounted prices, their sling is still $32 more than the AI, their magazine is still $108 more per mag, the bipod $132 extra, and the mounts $74-154 above the AI model. Street prices will obviously vary considerably, but at the end of the day, realistically the only way a TRG-22 is cheaper than a comparable AE is if you buy the TRG, duct-tape the scope to the receiver, only use one magazine, and never add a single accessory to the rifle. Between the actual street pricing on a new TRG-22, and the Hide discount on an AE, the difference shouldn't be significant enough to matter to anyone who's buying an actual mount for their scope, instead of duct-taping it onto the rifle.
For that matter, it should be mentioned that someone *really* on a budget always has the option of using cheap aftermarket picatinny rings on the AE...not so much on the TRG.
To sum all of it up, the important factor isn't price (although by now I think it's clear that the AE is the less expensive system by the end of the day), but rather which rifle feels and fits the best for you the actual shooter.