Re: AICS 1.5 vs McMillian A4/A5
I have an AICS 1.5... My 700P originally had an HS precision stock.
One of the more notable things for me, and many that have shot my rifle is that by handing a thumbhole, your fingers, hand and wrist are all in line with your shoulder. What i "feel" this does, is helps to manage recoil a little easier. I find the rifle pushes back against my palm, and then the recoil travels in a straight line down my arm.
I felt that the palm swell and grip on the more traditional stocks only really offers my shoulder as a means of keeping the rifle in place when it recoils, whereas pistol grip and thumbhole stocks let me utilise my arms and shoulders to reduce recoil.
Maybe im trippin balls but alot of people that shoot it tend to agree with that.
What i dont like about AICS is the weight, its a heavy bitch to walk around with. I have found some positives to this... The rifle seems more balanced now with the rear not being as light as the HS stock.
Because the AICS has sling points on the sides of the rifle i can now wear a biathlon sling when doing a hike/hunt with my rifle. Very handy as my hands are now free. This also means if i have a buddy with me, and one of us has to cart back some animal/meat/caped head, one of us can hold the guns (one on the back and one in arms) whilst the other hauls around some carcas.
The AICS also offers a simple install requiring no bedding, as well as the option for spigot style bipods, normal style that clip into studs, and the option to slide in a picatiny rail system un the foreend. You can also purchase an IMUNS rail kit for night vision.
One more good thing about the AICS is that you can buy the side panels and have spares lying around with different colors and camo patterns etc. The whole thing changes by simple removing 8 hex screws and changing the sides.
I feel the AICS is very adaptable and thats another reason that i love it so much.
Hopefully those points about the AICS shed some light for you