Re: SAS New Remington ( COVERT) .308
Hell , what a bunch of girls , its almost as IF AIs are new and totally unproven , they are the real deal , and have been since the 80s , they where designed from the ground up to be a sniper rifle , not a cheap lite hunting rifle , opps thats the Rem700 .
I wanted a certain number of AI type rifles , and because I am not a millionaire , have decided to go with a mix of real AIs and Badger based clones , I also have a Badger AWM clone in 300WM , and Lowlight is right , having it as new unfired keeps its value high , and again , just because I have not fired all my AI rifles ,does not been I can't , it means I simply have not YET .
I also do not live in the US , and special rifles are not in large numbers here in New Zealand , and are not just sitting around in stores as they are in the US .
Here , everything like AIs are ordered by the buyer ( ie custom order ) , then you wait 6-18 mths to get your rifle .
Also firearm ownership here is not a RIGHT ( protected in Law ) , its a priveledge , which at any time the Politicains can remove IT with out consulting the people .
If money was NO object , most if not all of my precision rifles , would be AI , its that simple , they are that good.
I have experience with Sako TRGs , Parker Hale M85s , PGW Timberwolfs , Rem700 , Sako sporters , and Surgeons and a few others , and obvuoisly AIs , and if I had to choose just one it would be an AI rifle , hands down ( and as NZ does not make any of these , I am unbaised , as all these are foreign made rifles to me ) .
If I had to ever go to war with one , you can be sure it would have " Accuracy International " stamped on the side , along with made in " England " , and thats a good thing for ME , why because IF it was made in the USA , I would not be able to own IT due to your ITAR & export rules .
If you are still with your head in the sand , just google the countries that use AIs , you will find them in almost EVERY country , in either Regular Army or SF or Police units , even in Opps Russia .
Is my Badger Covert clone as good as a AI Covert , No its not , but at the time I though it would be ONLY 60% the cost , Opps , again due to changes in US Export requirements ( which where beyond , my control , as I cannot yet see into the Future ) , the actual cost of my Badger Covert is more like 90% plus , and at this level , you are much better OFF going straight to a AI rifle , hind sight is great thou .
Donot , make assumptions of shooters that live out side the US , we live in a very different world than you do , its much more expensive for us to own & shoot rifles , rifles are usually twice what you pay in the US , ammo & components are 3x the cost , to have a firearms licence , we are vetted & interveiwed & family and friends are also interveiwed , and then we pay some money as well , safes & homes are also inspected .
Its no easy thing for most shooters that reside , outside the great USA , so just bare a thought for us , ours is a much harder barrow to push .
For years I did not want to pay the AI price , and brought TRGs as I thought they where basically the same as an AI but 1/2 the cost , THAT was a big mistake , I wish I had brought my AIs 10yrs ago .
I have a mix of rifles , and have used AIs & Sakos in non magnum and magnum cals , and think more about the total design & cal than I use to .
In 308 , I prefer the AI AW , and in 338LM I prefer the Sako TRG-42 , as the AWSMs in 338LM have very small bolt heads for the cal , AI has corrected that with the new AX338 , and with the new AX338 , I prefer that over the Sako TRG-42 .
Later Chris
