Official Accuracy International AT First Look

Congrats RP!

Man, the wait is killing me! 24" folder in Pale brown and a 6.5CM 24" threaded barrel...sigh...

Thanks. Mine was a 20" threaded with the AI brake. I was told the Bartlein barrels are not available and I was dead set content with a UK barrel. I am very interested in ordering a 6.5 CM barrel down the road. I got mine from MHSA and they said the ATs are coming in on a regular basis so hopefully it won't be long.
 
Just got my OD green AT on Monday and much to my surprise the barrel is a Bartlein stamped AINA 308. I was totally expecting the UK barrel with the UK proofs but that kind of surprised me. I am not disappointed. :) I will get some pics up when I get the scope mounted and work leaves me alone.

Do you have any pics of yours yet? Yours is exactly what I was going to order so just wondering.
 
What scopes are you all running on these? I have the AT in .22-250, .260 and .308 and ill be using a Vortex gen II Razor. Got rid of the Heritage after seeing Robs review. Making barrel swaps easy as...
 
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Got my AT on Wednesday and have the .308 & .260 barrels for it. Last night I mounted a NF scope and put the bipod on and just sat a looked at it for awhile. Finally got behind her, adjusted the cheek piece and tested the 2-stage trigger... As a Savage shooter, I couldn't really understand the desire to buy something "expensive" when my rifles performed admirably. I do now.
 
I have a NXS 5.5-22 X 56 w/ NF rings currently on my AT. Waiting for the new Steiner to hit the shelves so I can go to a FFP scope. If NF offered more scopes in FFP I wouldn't see any reason to change. Not interested in the BEAST so will be switching. An ATACR in FFP or just a NXS 5.5-22 in FFP would be ideal but that's not happening. I am sure NF is aware of the interest in more scopes offered w/ FFP but they don't seem too interested apparently. They may say otherwise but they are losing lots of business as a result. Maybe I am misinformed but that's my opinion anyway. Sorry for going off track a bit.
 
An ATACR in FFP or just a NXS 5.5-22 in FFP would be ideal but that's not happening. I am sure NF is aware of the interest in more scopes offered w/ FFP but they don't seem too interested apparently. They may say otherwise but they are losing lots of business as a result. Maybe I am misinformed but that's my opinion anyway. Sorry for going off track a bit.

I agree. I love the ATACR. If it were FFP I would have one instead of the S&B that will be sitting on my AIAT next week. My 308 AT was Fedex'd yesterday. Should be here by Tuesday. I got the Pale Brown 20" Non-Folder. I couldn't see paying $422 just so I don't have to remove the cheek piece when removing the bolt. I know the folders would be an eisier sell in the future... But I don't sell my guns.
 
Running the S&B PM II 5-25 in a Spuhr. Loving it with barrel swaps as current test loads with the 260 barrel being only .1-.2 mil right of the factory and about .1 mil high. Haven't finished full 260 load development so it may change a slight bit, but I honestly would have never expected it to be that close for a 100 yrd zero. Maybe I got lucky, not sure. Curious what everyone else's zero shifts are coming out to be. I already know that barrel swapping on my particular rifle is showing no measurable shift in zero after several swaps.

Only thing I have noticed is that first 5 round group is a little larger spread than all other groups that follow, then they tighten back up to usual. I'm not sure if it's me, but I've seen this with both the AINA 260 barrel and the factory 308 barrel. Anyone else seeing this?
 
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Here are some pics of mine... I am a very proud Pappa!
 

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Just ran it over the weekend. Very happy with fit and how it runs after 5 to 20 rounds. First 4 rounds about .8MOA, then it tightens up. Handloads, no factory. This will stay in front of my safe for awhile. One thing I am not real keen on is the scope rail. Just a tad high for me. Will most likely remount with Seekins .92 or just wait for the factory lower to come out.

.308 - 100 yards - 168 SKM


photo.jpgai.jpg
 
Well, I sent out my barrel to TS customs for a thread job... in the mean time, I'm painting my skins as I'm not a huge fan of the pale brown. Looking at going with a tri color brown scheme. Guess I'll just post a few pics when it's all back together.
 
Well, I sent out my barrel to TS customs for a thread job... in the mean time, I'm painting my skins as I'm not a huge fan of the pale brown. Looking at going with a tri color brown scheme. Guess I'll just post a few pics when it's all back together.

If it's a folder I have some black ones I'll trade you.
 
A couple of quick questions:

1. What bore guides will fit this rifles action?
2. Has anyone had the standard rail off yet and whats the underside look like? I was thinking of getting my smith to mill off some underside to reduce the height.

Cheers :)
 
Backspace, they are the UK barrels. They are just being marked during importation is my understanding. Once the rifles are imported they have to be marked with the importer's mark, i.e. AINA.

Last I heard all the barrels marked AINA were Bartlein barrels. The UK barrels should have a proof mark on them, something along the lines of "LP" and some other stuff. The receivers are marked with the importer's mark.
 
Last I heard all the barrels marked AINA were Bartlein barrels. The UK barrels should have a proof mark on them, something along the lines of "LP" and some other stuff. The receivers are marked with the importer's mark.

This is correct. The ones with the London proof markings are UK barrels, if they say AINA they are a Bartlein done by Dave Tooley.
 
Thanks for the answers. It doesn't really make a difference I guess, other than some smiths don't like to work on LW barrels. More of an observation than anything. Anyone receive one with the lower rail yet or is that further out in the future for them to ship with those? I thought I read something about a thumbhole stock kit, any word or pics of those floating around? I picked up my first AI, an AE, this year and love it. I feel like one of these is calling my name. Haha.
 
Has anyone checked fort the COAL with a comparator? I received my AT308 yesterday and I checked it with my Hornady comparator and I'm getting weird numbers. 2.495" from ogives which gets me a OAL of 2.935". Doesn't make sense to me. I checked five times with five different SMK 168gr bullets.
 
Has anyone tried to remove their brake. I thought it would have been as simple as loosening the hex screw that clamps the brake onto the bbl and spinning it off. No way...its on there tighter than a frog's ass and that's water tight. My AE was a breeze but the one on my AT will not come off.
 
Take the retaining screw all the way out (out) place a coin or a flat piece of sheet metal into the slot on the underside of the brake.
Refit the screw on the wrong side of the brake and gently screw it in on to the coin or sheet of metal until the brake begins to rotate stop!!! screwing it inward, rotate the brake off. job done.
 
Thanks guys.... If your interested, I used was a sea sponge for the pattern. I laid a light base coat and followed it up with a brown and grayish green.

I figured why not, AI's are shooters/functional guns, not lookers... kinda like Glocks ;)
 
I could not agree more, the 1:12 UK barrels are outstanding well made barrels. I was not one bit swayed or dissappointed when I heard the AT's were shipping with these tubes.


I don't mine the 1:12 twist, but several years ago I purchased my AR10 which came with a LW barrel. I could not hit the side of a barn with it. I sent the rifle to White Oak Precision and had John Holliger work a Broughton blank for me that transformed the rifle.

I guess my question is are there different levels of LW barrels available like Douglas or Krieger? Are they doing something exclusive for AI? In the past I heard their metal was the hardest out there for high round count. Have they changed focus? Also, are they single cut, broach cut or button,etc? Funny, over the years I still have the barrel in the closet.
 
As I understand it, the big difference with LW, is that the steel is much harder (requires carbide reamers). I've never chambered one, so don't know this for a fact; this is only what I have read (so consider it hearsay at this point).
 
From what I have read their steel is harder. To the point where it is harder on machining tools and some smiths do not like to work on them. LRI specifically says in their group buy form that they will reject any LW barrel sent in for it. The benefit to the harder steel is some claim better barrel life and some say that the LW barrels may have a slight velocity edge. I can't confirm either, but there is plenty to read on here and elsewhere. All that being said, I am positive that if you manage to find a fluke AI that doesn't shoot lights out, they will take care of you with a quickness no matter the barrel make... AINA bartlien or the UK LW.
 
FYI, every AE produced had a Lowther Walther barrel to AI design and we have been using Lowther barrels, to AI design, on AW's for years. Since Border Barrels were sold and are going through reorganization we have fitted Lowther Walther barrels to all UK produced AI rifles except AX for the USA. In the USA we use Bartlien for all AX rifles. Bartlien are cut barrels and Lowther are button.
Tom Irwin
Accuracy International
 
FYI, every AE produced had a Lowther Walther barrel to AI design and we have been using Lowther barrels, to AI design, on AW's for years. Since Border Barrels were sold and are going through reorganization we have fitted Lowther Walther barrels to all UK produced AI rifles except AX for the USA. In the USA we use Bartlien for all AX rifles. Bartlien are cut barrels and Lowther are button.
Tom Irwin
Accuracy International

Maddco of Australia also made barrels for AI, they haven't done so for years due to the higher exchange $ AUD vs the UK pound. I have a blank on hold at Maddco for when my AT arrives in Aus, for a 260rem. They have all the profiles etc on hand from the contracts they had with AI. I'm pretty sure Nev Madden schooled under Boots Obermeyer.
 
No word on lower rails, my guess is when you see a dealer advertise AT's with lower rails then they will be here. Also still no work on the thumbhole kit or NV bridge I ordered with mine.

You can purchase a thumbhole kit. You just have to purchase a new style thumbhole stock sides for now and use the rear portion. This is what I was told by Tom Irwin. But I am having no luck finding them. Mile High and euro optics do not have them in stock.