I currently have 3 of them-- 2x AXSA & 1x AXMC (and previously had 2x AE MK3s and 2x AT along with an R700 in an AICS) but I'm under no illusions they're "the best" for everything. Al has always been a "one size fits most" option like
@kthomas said, and if the AI ergos worked for you, good... if not, too bad, as there used to be no other stock options. Al ergos have always felt pretty good to me so I've always been ok with them, but I know others that don't get along with Al ergos. At least now you have a couple of options like the ATX, Vision, and MPA chassis.
Al bolts have always been rather, shall we say, "industrial" feeling. They're heavy and clunky, but feel very solid. I actually like the extremely positive feeling of them, but I'll admit that the heavier and clunkier bolt cycles does take more work and attention on your part not to disturb your sight picture and point of aim compared to an aftermarket R700 action that are often much, much lighter and smoother when it comes to bolt lift, and that's a big deal for some buyers/uses.
Years ago Al used to have the advantage of they just worked correctly out of the box (especially with AW mags), prefit barrels were available, and they were reliable, while many "put it together yourself" options often had feeding issues, ignition issues, etc. Also, 10+ years ago almost nobody was offering prefits for R700 or aftermarket actions as the action to bolt face dimensions weren't controlled all that tightly at the time. However, In the last several years all that has changed and aftermarket actions are now far more reliable and are held to tighter tolerances so prefits are a thing and available everywhere. Another thing that's changed is many more aftermarket actions are now cut for and can reliably run AW mags, and that was always one of the biggest advantages that Al had. Many of the advantages that Al held 10-15 years ago aren't exclusive to Al anymore.
I can take or leave the QC barrel on the newer Als. If you only have the money for 1 rifle and want to have a bunch of barrels, it works great, and the Al QC barrel setup is probably one of the best QC barrel systems on the market today IMO. Personally, I still think torquing the barrel onto the action like on the older AE & AW is a more stable and reliable attachment method-- years ago I tested tightening the barrel on my QC AT to 55 ft-lb before torquing the QC screw compared to the barrel just tightened by hand or snugged with a strap wrench, and actually noticed a small improvement in group size on the torqued barrel when smacking the barrel with the palm of my hand between every shot (keep in mind the AW and AE barrel torque is 110 ft-lb.) Even though you can quickly change barrels on a newer Al, I hate having to adjust zero when swapping barrels and it always seems like every time I take the rifle out of the safe I want to use the barrel that's not currently installed... hence why I have 2 AXSA's, I got tired of constantly switching between 2 barrels and adjusting the zero on the scope turrets, so now I have 2 of them in different calibers and they're both ready to go at all times.
One thing I will say is Als still hold their value quite well based on reputation and name recognition. In my experience you'll lose less money selling a used Al than a used "I built it myself" custom-- and if you bought your Al used in the first place you'll often break even when you go to sell it. (To be fair, the same value retention also seems to apply to a complete build by a well known 'smith.) I'll still recommend an Al to someone without hesitation, especially if they just want to buy something and have it work right out of the box-- but I'll highly recommend they need to test drive one first to see if they can live with the ergos, trigger, and bolt feel because you're pretty much locked into those.
Lately I've been wanting different stock ergos better optimized for specific uses as well as wanting actions with lighter and smoother bolt lifts, and I have to say I've been very happy with the different stock and action options I've built and tried in the last couple of years (TL3, Impact, Archimedes, Coup de Grace)-- I'm actually considering parting with my 6 dasher AXSA and building a second ARC CDG/Manners TCS combo in 6 dasher. The CDG bolt cycle just feels like butter compared to the Al, and that's something that appeals to me more now than it did just a few years back. It also feeds perfect from AW mags, and prefits are readily available. But then I realize I'll probably just build another CDG in addition to the AXSA, because I don't know if I can bring myself to sell the AXSA as I still really, really like it, LOL.
The only thing I want AI to do is come out with a damn 223 platform.
That’s the one drawback. I know you can get bolts made, but if AI came out with a 223 AT-X I’d buy one tomorrow.
Regarding the official Al 223 conversion since it was mentioned... even though Al hinted at an official 223 and short mag conversion several years ago, I'm not sure they'll ever release the 223 conversion (a long wait for parts or new things is also an AI "feature".) I have one of Gilbert/Enrique's 223 conversions and like it, but after using it a couple of years it's obvious the large diameter Al bolt and action feed ramp geometry aren't really ideal for small diameter 223 cases-- especially with a single stack AICS 223 mag. If Al wants the 223 conversion to happen they're going to need to do some voodoo magic and come up with a double stack 223 magazine that works, and it's going to be a chore to get a double stack 223 magazine to have the rounds presented high enough to be caught by the bolt face for proper feeding but also keeps the feedlips far enough apart and low enough so they don't rub the large diameter bolt body. I'll be happy (and surprised) if AI ever releases their 223 conversion, as AI mentioned they won't offer it unless it runs 100%, and I'm guessing the reason we haven't seen it for sale yet is they're still working on it. Making 223 happen in the AXMC and AXSR is only going to be more difficult with the even larger bolt diameter, larger diameter tenon and breech face, and lower feed ramps.
), and an Origin.
