AE MKIII vs AT

[gun-ho]

Ive been keeping an eye on both rifles for a while. Struggling between them...

As mentioned in another thread the AT has quick change barrel, flush cups, accessory rail options, better low-profile hinge mechanism, 6 lug bolt, AW mags, bonded action (Curtesy ZombieMonkey).

The AE with folder and brake is running around 3200-3500 (I hope it keeps dropping), and AT with these features are about 4600.

The questions is: are these features really worth 1000-1300 bucks? The MKIII seems to be quite solid already, and I am not taking my rifle to Sahara or the Arctic anyway. May switch from 308 to 260 permanently sometime but that's certainly doable by taking it to a gunsmith and I am not expecting to switch it back and forth.

Any thoughts? Especially from those who recently acquired the AEs

PS: another consideration would be that in a few years if I would like to sell it I guess the new AT will probably have a better resale value than the AE.

 

[ZombieMonkey]

It really depends on the user and the features they desire. Your desires may be fully satisfied by the AE which is plenty capable in its own right. The AT is just the next evolution for AI with some improved features.

Personally, AW mags are a huge plus to me as I am not nearly as fond of AICS mag loading. Flush cups are a great added bonus as well because they are my preferred sling attachment. The quick change barrel of the AT was the deal sealer for me though as my AT already has a 260 barrel on order for swapping when desired. Now if only Mile High were to give me the call I've been waiting for...

 

[redneckbmxer24]

The AT is better in every way and yes it's worth the difference. The AW was worth the difference and it didn't have as many upgrades, the AT for less is a steal. Street price is a little less than that too. Mine is a 24" plain barrel folder and was $4083 shipped. I'd personally go that route and have the barrel threaded yourself in a standard thread. The AI brake is nice but IMO not worth the cost plus you have oddball metric threads.

 

[sib1948]

I plan to switch to the FDE folder with the 26" 308 barrel and 20 or 24" 260 barrel for medium range matches I shoot (500 yards). Switching to this platform and canceling my AI AXMC308 preorder in FDE. Plan to shoot Berger VDL in 185gr and 140 gr, respectively.

Which length of barrel should get to shoot the 260 to 1000 or more yards? I want the shorter barrel for my TBAC suppressor and have been spoiled by my DTA SRS A1s.

Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[BoilerUP]

AE MKIII vs AT

A 20" 260 can give you an honest 2700 fps with 140s and 43.0ish H4350.

Also, I have been asking myself the same question as the OP.

 

[Speedie]

It really depends on the user and the features they desire.

That's the money shot.

I had to make the AE/AT decision last week, and I decided to go the AE route. I have no need at all for caliber changes, so that left the 6 lug bolt, flush cups, accessory rail options, and different mags. None of those were a particular area of interest for my intended purposes, and $1,200 - 1,300 buys a lot of .308 reloading components. Ultimately I decided that I would benefit more from the extra trigger time.

 

[gun-ho]

is it from MH or europtics? I think you have a good point, just skip the metric brake and get one yourself if you really want it.

 

[gun-ho]

The AT is better in every way and yes it's worth the difference. The AW was worth the difference and it didn't have as many upgrades, the AT for less is a steal. Street price is a little less than that too. Mine is a 24" plain barrel folder and was $4083 shipped. I'd personally go that route and have the barrel threaded yourself in a standard thread. The AI brake is nice but IMO not worth the cost plus you have oddball metric threads.

is it from MH or europtics? I think you have a good point, just skip the metric brake and get one yourself if you really want it.

 

[gun-ho]

That's the money shot.

I had to make the AE/AT decision last week, and I decided to go the AE route. I have no need at all for caliber changes, so that left the 6 lug bolt, flush cups, accessory rail options, and different mags. None of those were a particular area of interest for my intended purposes, and $1,200 - 1,300 buys a lot of .308 reloading components. Ultimately I decided that I would benefit more from the extra trigger time.

That's my thought too. It seems that europtics still have some AEs and I will wait and see whether the price would drop further (it did once last week!)

 

[redneckbmxer24]

is it from MH or europtics? I think you have a good point, just skip the metric brake and get one yourself if you really want it.

I ordered mine from euro optic. They were the same price though (5% off retail with hide discount) but euro optic also has free shipping.

 

[-Claybuster-]

That's the money shot.

I had to make the AE/AT decision last week, and I decided to go the AE route. I have no need at all for caliber changes, so that left the 6 lug bolt, flush cups, accessory rail options, and different mags. None of those were a particular area of interest for my intended purposes, and $1,200 - 1,300 buys a lot of .308 reloading components. Ultimately I decided that I would benefit more from the extra trigger time.

I had to make the same decision, My AE will be here Wednesday.

 

[Mike_Honcho]

The AT is better in every way and yes it's worth the difference. The AW was worth the difference and it didn't have as many upgrades, the AT for less is a steal. Street price is a little less than that too. Mine is a 24" plain barrel folder and was $4083 shipped. I'd personally go that route and have the barrel threaded yourself in a standard thread. The AI brake is nice but IMO not worth the cost plus you have oddball metric threads.

IMHO, the deal is to wait and catch someone with an AW that is itchy for an AXMC. If real world pricing on an AT is @ $4k, that makes the average AW w/ 2.5k rounds and a little safe / mash hook rash worth what? $3,000 - $3,400? Barrel swaps are now a 5 minute chore, lot of mileage left on tube, swap the skins if you hate the rash.


I am really hoping to catch a .300WM like this....may not happen, but I am patient.

 

[Speedie]

I had to make the same decision, My AE will be here Wednesday.

Mine arrived at the local FedEx depot at 7am on Friday, but because that was only day 2 of a 3 day service commitment they decided to sit on it over the long holiday weekend. Kid waiting for a new toy was unamused

 

[sib1948]

A 20" 260 can give you an honest 2700 fps with 140s and 43.0ish H4350.

Also, I have been asking myself the same question as the OP.

Thanks. That's what I was thinking. I use H4831 45.7gr and was getting 2710 FPS out of my 26" DTA SRS A1 barrel. Haven't been able to find any H4350 in may area for 6 months and won't pay Hazmat fees. I have about 20 lbs. of IMR 4350, but haven't had time to mess with it yet!!!

 

[redneckbmxer24]

IMHO, the deal is to wait and catch someone with an AW that is itchy for an AXMC. If real world pricing on an AT is @ $4k, that makes the average AW w/ 2.5k rounds and a little safe / mash hook rash worth what? $3,000 - $3,400? Barrel swaps are now a 5 minute chore, lot of mileage left on tube, swap the skins if you hate the rash.


I am really hoping to catch a .300WM like this....may not happen, but I am patient.

I doubt that's going to happen. Even if it does I'd still pay the extra price to get the quick change barrel and flush cups over the AW.

 

[LRJammer]

I plan to switch to the FDE folder with the 26" 308 barrel and 20 or 24" 260 barrel for medium range matches I shoot (500 yards). Switching to this platform and canceling my AI AXMC308 preorder in FDE. Plan to shoot Berger VDL in 185gr and 140 gr, respectively.

Which length of barrel should get to shoot the 260 to 1000 or more yards? I want the shorter barrel for my TBAC suppressor and have been spoiled by my DTA SRS A1s.

Any suggestions appreciated.

I recently purchased an AX in 260 Remington. After shooting a ladder test for powder charge, I am getting 2820 fps in a 24" barrel. I was in your position as well and went with the AX becuse it was availble imeediately (I sold my old rifle and was in need of a replacement) and since I was taking the AI plunge, decided to go a step above the AE. Good luck. No matter what you choose, you will be stunned by the quality, ruggedness, and accuracy and you will be ruined for anything else!

 

[Mike_Honcho]

If a new AT is @ $4 why do you not think (in this Econ) that an SA AW is worth less? How much less is about condition and motivation. Mark my words, over the next 18 months we will see SA AWs in the EE selling in the mid to low $3s.

 

[gun-ho]

Mine arrived at the local FedEx depot at 7am on Friday, but because that was only day 2 of a 3 day service commitment they decided to sit on it over the long holiday weekend. Kid waiting for a new toy was unamused

I hear u man. It happened to me once (UPS delay over a weekend) but it was only a savage though

 

[gun-ho]

I ordered mine from euro optic. They were the same price though (5% off retail with hide discount) but euro optic also has free shipping.

Just curious what barrel length did you get? I am thinking about 20 for maneuverability but compare to 24 it seems to lose about 100 FPS of MV. But on the other side I am probably getting a 24 inch 260 barrel in the future to cover longer range, that makes getting a 24 308 pointless...

I may just strip the rings and scope off my current bolt and put it on the AT. Just wondering if a Harris bipod would fit with the AT or do I need to get a bipod mount?

 

[redneckbmxer24]

If a new AT is @ $4 why do you not think (in this Econ) that an SA AW is worth less? How much less is about condition and motivation. Mark my words, over the next 18 months we will see SA AWs in the EE selling in the mid to low $3s.

I doubt that but we'll see. If the AWM drops down I'll buy one, if not I'll wait for the AT magnum.

Just curious what barrel length did you get? I am thinking about 20 for maneuverability but compare to 24 it seems to lose about 100 FPS of MV. But on the other side I am probably getting a 24 inch 260 barrel in the future to cover longer range, that makes getting a 24 308 pointless...

I may just strip the rings and scope off my current bolt and put it on the AT. Just wondering if a Harris bipod would fit with the AT or do I need to get a bipod mount?

I went with the 24" because you can always shorten it and I was planning on selling the barrel but I'm actually going to hang onto it. The lothar barrels are very fast so you will get good velocity regardless but the 24" will naturally be faster.

Mine came with a keyslot adaptor for Harris bipods, if you wanted to run a atlas or something you would need a picaro my section.

 

[Bradu]

I personally don't need the features of the AT, I have been thinking about selling a rifle and picking up another AE since they keep getting cheaper.

 

[mackdrvr]

That's the money shot.

I had to make the AE/AT decision last week, and I decided to go the AE route. I have no need at all for caliber changes, so that left the 6 lug bolt, flush cups, accessory rail options, and different mags. None of those were a particular area of interest for my intended purposes, and $1,200 - 1,300 buys a lot of .308 reloading components. Ultimately I decided that I would benefit more from the extra trigger time.

I totally agree with Speedie. This is my exact take on the AE/AT debate.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

I had two AE's, an AW, an AWSM, and currently have an AX and a AT. I'm not going to tell you AI makes a single bad rifle because they don't. But the advantages to the AT for not much more cost is easy to see.

Look at what the street prices were for an AW vs AE MKIII before they were dropped. A folding plain barrel AW was $6k and a AE outfitted the same was $3600. That's a $2400 difference for nothing more than an action and magazine and people still bought the AW for the mags. The double stack mags are the shit and until you use them you won't understand. They load much easier, they have a OAL of over .1" more and they have a bolt stop. Those are all major advantages, the only thing the AE had going for it was its a few ounces lighter. The AT gives you that same feature plus more for less of a price difference.

I know some of you say you won't use the quick change barrel but are you sure about that? Even if you don't it's there if you ever want to pick up a second or third barrel and swap it out. To change out a barrel on a AE you need $500 worth of tools, $250 for a quality torque wrench and another $250 for a barrel vise and action wrench. You also have to pull the AE out of the chassis to change the barrel so you need a inch pound torque wrench for that. The AE is also picky about action torque and will have POI shifts if not torqued properly, I believe it's 60inlbs front 30inlbs rear. To change barrels on the AT requires a basic 4mm hex.

Then you have the other upgrades. I'm not so sure the keyslot is an advantage to me but it's there if I need it. For somebody running an atlas it is an advantage though as it gives you the option of running it on a picatinny rail as well as the spigot. The magnum bolt stop however is much more heavy duty compared to the standard, my friend broke his. I don't see this magnum stop breaking. The trigger is the same trigger found in the AX and it blows the old trigger out of the water. It's smoother and crisper and has an adjustable shoe. The flush cups is also a huge advantage to me because I can share the same slings with other rifles if I need to. I also hunt with my rifles and the hooks are very noisy whereas the flush cups are quieter.

The price difference isn't $1300 either. An AE MKIII plain muzzle folder is running roughly $3300 and the same AT is $4100, that's only $800. IMO that's $800 well spent and I think anybody who has spent time on both an AE and AW would agree.

 

[mkollman74]

Just waitin' on the lefty ATs to become available...

 

[remington patriot]

For me it was the bonded action of the AT and the 10 round mags. I have been lusting over the AW's for years but they were a little out of my reach and when the AT line came out I was sold. That being said, I was NEVER let down by my AE.

 

[Jrb572]

I know some of you say you won't use the quick change barrel but are you sure about that? Even if you don't it's there if you ever want to pick up a second or third barrel and swap it out. To change out a barrel on a AT you need $500 worth of tools, $250 for a quality torque wrench and another $250 for a barrel vise and action wrench. You also have to pull the AE out of the chassis to change the barrel so you need a inch pound torque wrench for that. The AE is also picky about action torque and will have POI shifts if not torqued properly, I believe it's 60inlbs front 30inlbs rear. To change barrels on the AT requires a basic 4mm hex.
.

Quick question. Maybe it was a typo?? You say on an AT you still need a torque wrench and vise ? So does it require to be torqued just like an AW action and to what foot pound?

 

[redneckbmxer24]

That was a typo or it could have been auto correct thinking it's smarter than me. It should read AE though. The AT only requires a 4mm Allen to change the barrel. It only goes hand tight into the receiver.

 

[Jrb572]

Thanks. How do you like it compared to your AW? Do you have to adjust the check pice much to get a good sight picture?im trying to figure if it's worth selling my AW to upgrade?

 

[redneckbmxer24]

I just picked it up today so I haven't gotten a chance to fire it yet. It seems to live up to the hype though. I already knew what to expect from it and I'm not disappointed. I mounted a NF F1 on it in a spuhr 1.35" mount as I plan on using the night vision bridge once it gets here and I had to raise the cheek piece up about 1/4" or so. If you're not planning on running the NV bridge a 1.125" or so mount would be ideal as you shouldn't have to raise the cheek up, 1" may work too.

 

[gun-ho]

I had two AE's, an AW, an AWSM, and currently have an AX and a AT. I'm not going to tell you AI makes a single bad rifle because they don't. But the advantages to the AT for not much more cost is easy to see.

Look at what the street prices were for an AW vs AE MKIII before they were dropped. A folding plain barrel AW was $6k and a AE outfitted the same was $3600. That's a $2400 difference for nothing more than an action and magazine and people still bought the AW for the mags. The double stack mags are the shit and until you use them you won't understand. They load much easier, they have a OAL of over .1" more and they have a bolt stop. Those are all major advantages, the only thing the AE had going for it was its a few ounces lighter. The AT gives you that same feature plus more for less of a price difference.

I know some of you say you won't use the quick change barrel but are you sure about that? Even if you don't it's there if you ever want to pick up a second or third barrel and swap it out. To change out a barrel on a AE you need $500 worth of tools, $250 for a quality torque wrench and another $250 for a barrel vise and action wrench. You also have to pull the AE out of the chassis to change the barrel so you need a inch pound torque wrench for that. The AE is also picky about action torque and will have POI shifts if not torqued properly, I believe it's 60inlbs front 30inlbs rear. To change barrels on the AT requires a basic 4mm hex.

Then you have the other upgrades. I'm not so sure the keyslot is an advantage to me but it's there if I need it. For somebody running an atlas it is an advantage though as it gives you the option of running it on a picatinny rail as well as the spigot. The magnum bolt stop however is much more heavy duty compared to the standard, my friend broke his. I don't see this magnum stop breaking. The trigger is the same trigger found in the AX and it blows the old trigger out of the water. It's smoother and crisper and has an adjustable shoe. The flush cups is also a huge advantage to me because I can share the same slings with other rifles if I need to. I also hunt with my rifles and the hooks are very noisy whereas the flush cups are quieter.

The price difference isn't $1300 either. An AE MKIII plain muzzle folder is running roughly $3300 and the same AT is $4100, that's only $800. IMO that's $800 well spent and I think anybody who has spent time on both an AE and AW would agree.

Thanks for the long paragraphs man, you just managed to push me to the AT side

 

[gun-ho]

That was a typo or it could have been auto correct thinking it's smarter than me. It should read AE though. The AT only requires a 4mm Allen to change the barrel. It only goes hand tight into the receiver.

BTW do you know whether the rifle needs to be re-zeroed after barrel change?

 

[redneckbmxer24]

You're typically going to have a minor POI shift with a different barrel just because no two are exactly alike. It should be minimal though and removing the same barrel and putting it back on should be minimal. I know guys with PSR's that say they record there shift with the different barrels and it's consistent every time. It should be minute of deer or man but I plan to always confirm zero between changes even with recorded data. I can tell you that going from the 308 barrel to the 6.5 creedmoor on my AX and back again was .1mil and it was the same POI with the 308 barrel as before I took it off.

 

[malsa82]

I just picked it up today so I haven't gotten a chance to fire it yet. It seems to live up to the hype though. I already knew what to expect from it and I'm not disappointed. I mounted a NF F1 on it in a spuhr 1.35" mount as I plan on using the night vision bridge once it gets here and I had to raise the cheek piece up about 1/4" or so. If you're not planning on running the NV bridge a 1.125" or so mount would be ideal as you shouldn't have to raise the cheek up, 1" may work too.

Tom Irwin said a few days ago that they were going to start shipping the AT with a lower optics rail. The current high rail will be an accessory along with the NV bridge. How high of a mount do you run on your AWs?

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Tom Irwin said a few days ago that they were going to start shipping the AT with a lower optics rail. The current high rail will be an accessory along with the NV bridge. How high of a mount do you run on your AWs?

My AW and AWSM both had the dovetail so I ran the AI mounts, not sure what they were. The AE I couldn't get a sight picture with 1.0" high rings without removing the cheek piece. The AI amount solved the problem there too. I briefly ran a NF Unimount on it which I believe was the 1.375" and it was about perfect without having to raise the cheek. I'd wait to see how low it's going to be though. If it's the height of the AE pic rail and AW's with optional pic rail the. 1.3-1.4" will probably just right to get good sight picture without having to raise the cheek piece.

 

[K_4c]

I just picked it up today so I haven't gotten a chance to fire it yet. It seems to live up to the hype though. I already knew what to expect from it and I'm not disappointed. I mounted a NF F1 on it in a spuhr 1.35" mount as I plan on using the night vision bridge once it gets here and I had to raise the cheek piece up about 1/4" or so. If you're not planning on running the NV bridge a 1.125" or so mount would be ideal as you shouldn't have to raise the cheek up, 1" may work too.

I'd appreciate a picture of the objective over the bore with the said rings... I plan on running an f1 on my AT... and I'd prefer to have the lowest sight/bore height possible... I assume yours came with the 20 moa base and not the flat base?

Thanks for the feedback bud

 

[redneckbmxer24]

I'd appreciate a picture of the objective over the bore with the said rings... I plan on running an f1 on my AT... and I'd prefer to have the lowest sight/bore height possible... I assume yours came with the 20 moa base and not the flat base?

Thanks for the feedback bud

I'll snap a pic for you tomorrow. It's way over the barrel though, probably 3/4" gap but the cheek piece is only up 1/4-3/8" or so and that gives me a nice tight cheek weld.

 

[K_4c]

I'll snap a pic for you tomorrow. It's way over the barrel though, probably 3/4" gap but the cheek piece is only up 1/4-3/8" or so and that gives me a nice tight cheek weld.

much appreciated. I can make a sound decision on what rings I'm going to run.

 

[kb14mb]

Another question please, I am in the boat as the poster. I really prefer the options on the AT( epoxied action ect) But I much prefer the thumbhole stock. Does anybody know if they have skins for the AT to convert from pistol grip to thumbhole? I could get the AEMKIII but miss out on the upgrades. Thanks in advance

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Another question please, I am in the boat as the poster. I really prefer the options on the AT( epoxied action ect) But I much prefer the thumbhole stock. Does anybody know if they have skins for the AT to convert from pistol grip to thumbhole? I could get the AEMKIII but miss out on the upgrades. Thanks in advance

They have a thumbhole kit for the AT but I don't believe they have shipped yet. I ordered the thumbhole kit when I order my AT and I'm still waiting on it.

 

[shoedo]

Hope you don't mind responding to my question reqarding barrel removal. Which type of action wrench and barrel vise do you use?

 

[clrems77]

Ive been keeping an eye on both rifles for a while. Struggling between them...

As mentioned in another thread the AT has quick change barrel, flush cups, accessory rail options, better low-profile hinge mechanism, 6 lug bolt, AW mags, bonded action (Curtesy ZombieMonkey).

The AE with folder and brake is running around 3200-3500 (I hope it keeps dropping), and AT with these features are about 4600.

The questions is: are these features really worth 1000-1300 bucks? The MKIII seems to be quite solid already, and I am not taking my rifle to Sahara or the Arctic anyway. May switch from 308 to 260 permanently sometime but that's certainly doable by taking it to a gunsmith and I am not expecting to switch it back and forth.

Any thoughts? Especially from those who recently acquired the AEs

PS: another consideration would be that in a few years if I would like to sell it I guess the new AT will probably have a better resale value than the AE.

Heres one for an even better price.
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...iii-308-2-0-aics-stock-tan-$2800-shipped.html

For a weekend shooter, my AE is the best rifle I've ever owned!

Goodluck with your purchase. Either will make you a happy AI owner guaranteed!!