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Accuracy International models explained

beetroot

beetroot

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Apr 10, 2018
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I've always dreamed of buying an Accuracy International with the old thumbhole stock and the opportunity has arisen for me to purchase (well bid upon) a folding stock AW in 308. This has lead me to again research the different models of AI rifles and I think I finally have the models all worked out but please correct me where I'm wrong.

-The original version was the Police marksman which then became the Arctic Warfare, these are all short action and use the double stack magazines.
-Next was the AWM and AWSM chambered in 300wm and 338lm respectively and use single stack magazines.
-The short action AW morphed into the AT which is still available today and uses the same double stack mags.
-Somewhere along the lines AI AE models were introduced as a cheaper option and these all used AICS single stack mags, which is now replaced with the AI AT.
-The short action AX models came after the AI AEs but before the AI AT, these use the original double stack magazine and introduce the quick barrel change.
-The AXMC came at the same time as the AX but uses a long action and comes in 300wm, 300nm and 338lm but can be made to use short action cartridge too.
This uses double stack magazines which differ from the AWM and AWSM.
-The AW50 was available at the same time as the AWSM and replaced by the AX50 when the AI AX/AXMC came out.

The AX/AXMC offer the quick change barrel system whereas the AWs, AE and AT all have normal threaded barrels that whilst removable are not quick change.
I can find dates and different models but what rifle uses what magazines doesn't seem quite so obvious, and the difference between the AW, AE and AT are also somewhat obscure.

Cheers
 
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AT’s also feature the quick change barrel system. It’s the AE & AW they are fixed, but nothing that a vice & barrel wrench can’t fix.
 
depends on what you mean by quick... I have an AT and to change barrel is not done inside a minute, but is not difficult or overly time consuming... by the time you loosen the bolt, and use an adjustable on the cut outs at the end of the barrel to un-torque the grip, put the new barrel on an torque it to spec, it usually is something like 5 minutes... that is still not long
 
Forgotten Weapons on the YouTube goes into all the details of the older models.

There are 3 fixed stock AW's and an AWM for sale now in the PX.
 
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That's a pretty good timeline. I would mention that the AI AE was offered in parallel with the AW but at the tail end of AW production. I wouldn't consider the AT as being the replacement for the AE. The AT was the replacement for the AW.
 
hunter1959 said:
depends on what you mean by quick... I have an AT and to change barrel is not done inside a minute, but is not difficult or overly time consuming... by the time you loosen the bolt, and use an adjustable on the cut outs at the end of the barrel to un-torque the grip, put the new barrel on an torque it to spec, it usually is something like 5 minutes... that is still not long
Click to expand...

MHSA told me to spin the barrel on, loosen it slightly, "snap" it tight again with the twist of the wrist, and then torque the pinch bolt to 49 in/lbs.

I did that on my AT and 925rds later it spun off by hand after loosening the pinch bolt and I had the new barrel on in a couple of minutes.
 
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There are major differences between the AE and the rest of AI's lineup. The AE was a round action that was not bonded to the chassis. Also, the AE was discontinued long before the AT came along. The AT is somewhat of a revival of the AW and has since incorporated a few of the more updated features of the current AX line since its introduction.
 
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Mute said:
There are major differences between the AE and the rest of AI's lineup. The AE was a round action that was not bonded to the chassis. Also, the AE was discontinued long before the AT came along. The AT is somewhat of a revival of the AW and has since incorporated a few of the more updated features of the current AX line since its introduction.
Click to expand...
The at replaced the ae on the lower price segment of ai's. The at features are more in line with aw. Ae's had big changes to them during mk1-3 iterations. Mk1 had a single stack mag, non adj cheek and 2 pos safety. The mk2 gained adj cheek piece, double stack centerfeed mag. Mk3 got redesigned thumbhole skins and 3 pos safety. I bought my first ae in April of 2014, it was just deeply discounted in price(1000.00), due to at arriving.

My ae was listed at 4200 in dec of 13, euro optics web price. I got it, mk3 2.0 with factory tooley bart 6.5creed barrel for 3200 in April 14'. New at 308 lfp were 5400ish.
 
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The Author of this book, which is a bit of a good read even if it is mostly about pommy sniperism, is writing a new one about the history of AI hopefully should see that next year and I imagine it will give the definitive answer.

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So the AE models used a round action, making them more or less a Remington style action to use the AICS stock.
The AT is just a current production AW but no more thumbhole stock.

Am I correct in think the AX magazine is the same double stack as is used in the AW, AT and AE mk2 and mk3?
The AWM and AWSM use the AICS mags despite not being AEs or using AICS stocks?
 
Jason explains the models still available for sale today.

Accuracy International Rifle Decoder

EuroOptic: Guns, Glass, & Gear - - If you aren't intimately familiar with the nomenclature surrounding Accuracy International, it can be tough to know which rifle that's being talked about. Let's take a look at the current AI rifles, including the AT, AX, and AXMC, and provide a little more...
www.eurooptic.com
 
hunter1959 said:
depends on what you mean by quick... I have an AT and to change barrel is not done inside a minute, but is not difficult or overly time consuming... by the time you loosen the bolt, and use an adjustable on the cut outs at the end of the barrel to un-torque the grip, put the new barrel on an torque it to spec, it usually is something like 5 minutes... that is still not long
Click to expand...

Whats the difference between the AW and AT barrel change?
Does the AT use the bolt for the final seating/location meaning you don't need a torque wrench whereas the AW is just a normal threaded barrel which no wrench cuts?
Do AT and AW barrels use the same tenon size and thread pitch?
 
beetroot said:
So the AE models used a round action, making them more or less a Remington style action to use the AICS stock.
The AT is just a current production AW but no more thumbhole stock.

Am I correct in think the AX magazine is the same double stack as is used in the AW, AT and AE mk2 and mk3?
The AWM and AWSM use the AICS mags despite not being AEs or using AICS stocks?
Click to expand...
The ax rifle uses a double feed mag that has a tab on the front. The ax aics uses a centerfeed aics type mag with a tab on the front.

The ae is more or less to a rem700 as a arc mausingfield is more or less to a Mauser. The ae has a round action, bigger od than rem. It has a seperate recoil lug thats 1/2" thick that front action screw anchors to. The bolt release on the ae guides the bolt, just like other ais. The cocking effort is split between opening and closing bolt. Its a 3 lug 60° as opposed to 6 lug 60°. My take on it, granted I have a mk3 and mk2 ae, and had an at for 600+ rds and a bunch of dry firing. The at i had, had a very heavy not smooth bolt lift and the trigger was just so so. My mk3, which doesn't get shot as much anymore, had 1800rds on it+dry firing. The mk3 was alot slicker and the triggers on ae can be adjusted nicer. The ae trigger lands in between the at factory and ai comp trigger, in feel and pull weight. The factory at trigger can get close to ae, but it is no where drop safe at that point.
 
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beetroot said:
So the AE models used a round action, making them more or less a Remington style action to use the AICS stock.
The AT is just a current production AW but no more thumbhole stock.

Am I correct in think the AX magazine is the same double stack as is used in the AW, AT and AE mk2 and mk3?
The AWM and AWSM use the AICS mags despite not being AEs or using AICS stocks?
Click to expand...

The AW and AT share the same magazine (double stacked, double feed). The AE MK II and III share the same magazine (double stacked, single feed). The AX has it's own magazine (double stacked, double feed). The AWM/AWSM (same thing) uses AICS magazines for the .300 WM, but different ones for the .338 LM between an AW rifle vs a .338LM rifle that is in an AICS.

I know. Just thinking about this would make you go cross-eyed. I think Euro Optics has a bit of a primer on which AI mag you need for your rifle.
 
beetroot said:
-The short action AX models came after the AI AEs but before the AI AT, these use the original double stack magazine and introduce the quick barrel change.
Click to expand...

Original AX rifles before 2014 do not have quick change barrels.

there were 3 generations of the AE rifle, the first had the 1.0 style butt with no adjustable cheekpiece and used its own specific single stack magazine. Action is a round type with a rounded off bolt shroud and is not bonded to the chassis, attaches via a conventional action screw format.

AE mk2 had the 1.5 style butt with an adjustable cheek rest, changed to AICS magazines, still has rounded bolt shroud/ action. available as folder.

AE mk3 had the 1.5 style butt with adjustable cheek rest, AICS mags, had an AW style square bolt shroud and safety, available as a folder.

-------
I would suggest that the original AX release replaced the AW as the timeline of the release of the pre 2014 AX coincided with the cease of consistent AW production (there have been small runs since).

The AT did not necessarily replace the AE, i think it was just seen that way due to it being cheaper than the AX models like the AE was cheaper than AW.
 
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AE’s came about in the early 2000’s, the MK1 used a proprietary single stack 5rd mag, the MK2 and MK3 use the AICS mags as well as have some other differences. They were discontinued around 2010-2012.

AX gen 1’s came about in 2010 and we not quick change barrel, basically a AW action mated to the gen 1 AX chassis. There was also magnum versions of the gen 1 as well. Gen 2 AX’s (same as the current AXSA) came in 2014 along with the AT and AXMC, both were released at SHOT that year. The early ones of both the AXSA and AT had large firing pins too, something else to watch out for. Also the PSR preceded the AXMC and were essentially pre production AXMC’s sold in a kit made for the PSR solicitation and a batch of 100 was made, mine is a 2012 and I believe they’re all that way.

Then the ASR is basically the same thing, it preceded the AXSR by a little bit and was made for the ASR solicitation.

If you’re a baller on a budget the AXMC is the way to go, one rifle does everything. If you’re a baller with no budget or a big budget then ASR or AXSR.
 
S12A said:
there were 3 generations of the AE rifle, the first had the 1.0 style butt with no adjustable cheekpiece and used its own specific single stack magazine. Action is a round type with a rounded off bolt shroud and is not bonded to the chassis, attaches via a conventional action screw format.

AE mk2 had the 1.5 style butt with an adjustable cheek rest, changed to AICS magazines, still has rounded bolt shroud/ action. available as folder.

AE mk3 had the 1.5 style butt with adjustable cheek rest, AICS mags, had an AW style square bolt shroud and safety, available as a folder.
Click to expand...

This is incorrect. The early MK1’s had the 1.0 chassis (just like the AW’s did) but not too long after the AE MK1 was available in both 1.5 adjustable cheek and 2.0 folding configurations. I owned both versions.

MK2 also got the AW style trigger that was removable through the bottom without pulling the action out of the chassis.
 
beetroot said:
So the AE models used a round action, making them more or less a Remington style action to use the AICS stock.
The AT is just a current production AW but no more thumbhole stock.

Am I correct in think the AX magazine is the same double stack as is used in the AW, AT and AE mk2 and mk3?
The AWM and AWSM use the AICS mags despite not being AEs or using AICS stocks?
Click to expand...

I wouldn’t call it a Remington, it was a round action that didn’t have a built in recoil lug but still much different from a Remington 700. It was still the same 60 degree bolt as the AW and had an actual bolt/firing pin safety instead of the trigger safety on a 700.

The AX rifle mag is the same as the AW/AT mag but just has a lip. You can use a AW/AT mag in a AX but you can’t use a AX mag in a AW or AT. AE MK2 and AE MK3 used AICS pattern mags, not AW/AT mags. Correct that the AWM and AWSM used AICS 300 and 338 mags, but there was also a version of the LA AICS chassis that used a different CIP length mag too.
 
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beetroot said:
So the AE models used a round action, making them more or less a Remington style action to use the AICS stock.
The AT is just a current production AW but no more thumbhole stock.

Am I correct in think the AX magazine is the same double stack as is used in the AW, AT and AE mk2 and mk3?
The AWM and AWSM use the AICS mags despite not being AEs or using AICS stocks?
Click to expand...

You can purchase thumbhole stock sides for the AT if you so desire. You don’t have to have an AW in order to get a thumbhole stock. Likewise the early AX’s when they had the AT rear end, you could also fit with thumbhole stock sides.
 
clubsportmark said:
You can purchase thumbhole stock sides for the AT if you so desire. You don’t have to have an AW in order to get a thumbhole stock. Likewise the early AX’s when they had the AT rear end, you could also fit with thumbhole stock sides.
Click to expand...
I know you can get Viper Skins as replacement side panels, but I don't see that they offer thumbhole sides.

The rifle I'm looking at buying is an 08 build AW, I like that it's an original AW and has a few genuine AI accessories.
If I don't buy it I'll look down the AT or AXMC route
 
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