Help buying an AI AXMC Please...

[W54/XM-388]

I've seen numerous AI's go down at matches - one being my friends which was having an issue with light primer strikes. It happens, and they are not 100% bomb proof.

I wonder if he had done some modifications to it or something?
All the AIs that I've used & dealt with were the exact opposite of light primer strikes...
(Except when a piece of primer blows back into the bolt and then it's a strip, shake and back in the running.)

 

[kthomas]

I wonder if he had done some modifications to it or something?
All the AIs that I've used & dealt with were the exact opposite of light primer strikes...
(Except when a piece of primer blows back into the bolt and then it's a strip, shake and back in the running.)

Nope, his was bone stock. UK AI. I can't remember what the specific issue was, think it had something to do with a set screw/shear pin in the firing assembly (excuse my ignorance on AI firing systems). I know he's on here and he can chime in if he wants.

Funny thing is, he is in the UK and there are AI rifles everywhere. Over there they envy custom rifles. He just went through the hassle and cost of importing a custom rifle from the US to the UK. They talk about custom rifles on their forums like we talk about AI's here.

He calls AI rifles "junk" - I know there is some facetiousness whenever he makes this comment, but it just goes to show that people covet what's hard to get. Whether that's an AI or custom rifle.

 

[AIAW]

It's a tool, and all tools break eventually. Some are engineered better for longevity and abuse but their function is inevitably finite. AI has definitely led the market in many different areas.

The only failures that I have experienced in over 15 years of owning AI rifles is a lock ring failure in an AW (locking lug destruction) and a burred extractor on one of of AX's thowing cases back into the receiver. The former required AINA, the latter I resolved myself. I did have a sheared retention pin on an AI dovetail scope mount but that could have been my fault (most likely was). There was an AWM of mine that had a barrel that took around 500 ft. lbs. to remove... that was a concerning little operation - not really a failure though.

Granted I have lots of buddies with Surgeon, Stiller, GAP, Defiance, PTG, etc. platforms that have been flawless through multiple spent tubes. "Luck of the physics" really.

 

[Timo Turl]

Nope, his was bone stock. UK AI. I can't remember what the specific issue was, think it had something to do with a set screw/shear pin in the firing assembly (excuse my ignorance on AI firing systems). I know he's on here and he can chime in if he wants.

Funny thing is, he is in the UK and there are AI rifles everywhere. Over there they envy custom rifles. He just went through the hassle and cost of importing a custom rifle from the US to the UK. They talk about custom rifles on their forums like we talk about AI's here.

He calls AI rifles "junk" - I know there is some facetiousness whenever he makes this comment, but it just goes to show that people covet what's hard to get. Whether that's an AI or custom rifle.

It was my AI that went down at the SnipersHide Cup at RO. The firing pin assembly is connected to the bolt with two screws on top of each other. One fell out at some stage and the second backed out so the pin was loose / depth incorrect (I’m not so good on the technicals). Anyway, they have two screws on top of each other as a redundancy feature so I guess it happens. In any case, a few much more knowledgeable competitors than I reset the firing pin depth and I completed the match with the one screw. A pic below for posterity on how many people it takes to fix an AI ?. Honestly, these guys were the best. Super talented and incredibly generous.

AIs are fine but I think KT hit the nail on the head by saying a) switch barrels, meh and b) the quality of custom rifles has closed the gap on reliability and probably exceed on accuracy if you go with a top builder. My custom rifle is way more expensive than my AI, a function of me being based in the U.K. and importing a rifle from the US with taxes and a weak GBP. I’ve had two AIs but what I really wanted was one really well built top end custom rifle built to my specs.

A pic of the screw / trouble spot

 

[blbennett1288]

What switch barrel systems have you spent time behind that forms your thoughts on them?

Bighorn TL3 with ARC BarLoc shoulder barrel version is what I owned previously. It made barrel changes super simple and easy and the repeatability was acceptable, typically within 0.2-0.3mils. When I started this project my expectation was to be able to switch from 6.5CM to .223 without having to re-zero. This expectation might have been unrealistic and why I have a sour taste in my mouth. My thought was I could confirm dope with the 6.5CM and then switch to .233 for positional practice.

I have experience barrel nuts, shouldered barrels, and have witness the Vector being used a handful of times.

Having said all this, shoulder barrels seem to work best as far as return to zero.

 

[Dthomas3523]

Not when you actually try to chamber them in wierd funky cartridges that a lot of custom actions get challenged with. One of the locals was shooting our club match a couple of months ago and had an AI melt down during a speed stage. He's running a BRX in it. He's also the first guy to say about AIs, "It.....flat....out.....runs.". So while he's ripping shit apart I'm saying over his shoulder, " They just run!".

You know what runs in a 308 sized/ based action? 308 variant cartridges. There's two problems with comparing AIs to every custom action as a group.

1. Custom actions, by far, get challenged with trying to pull off everyone's bad ideas. AIs don't. You get what you get. This does speak to your point about it being a vetted system, but it also says that you can't compare them to"every custom action" because they aren't getting challenged to prove they can work in those same conditions. I bet if more people tried to run wildcats in AIs you'd start to see many of the same problems. I think a better comparison than which action is more reliable would be which cartridge facilitate a more reliable rifle.

2. The second problem is comparing AIs to every other custom action. You've now just made Surgeons responsible for every problem a Stiller has had. The net has been cast so wide that the available population of fuckups is endless.

I agree for the most part. Though I’m mainly comparing to either calibers I run (all .308 based cartridges) and what I mainly see down here, which is mainly 6creed, 6.5creed, 6xc, 6br, 6/6.5x47.

I’ve owned defiance, surgeon, bighorn, and impact in the last year and the AI feeds more reliably in .308 based casings than all of the others.

This is mainly a product of the AI being a system and the customs needing tweaking depending on stock/chassis and mags chosen. Not because the custom action itself is the issue.

 

[blbennett1288]

The Barloc. Yep. An engineers solution to a non-problem that creates another problem.

No RTZ issues with my switch barrel.

barrel nut pinned?

 

[Dthomas3523]

6/6.5x47 and 6BR are not 308 based. Neither is 6/6.5 CM but they are close enough.

You had feeding problems with a 6.5x47, 6 CM and 308?

Jamming the mag into a barricade or putting a lot of weight on them, yep. You could jam them home of course.

AI doesn’t do that at all, regardless of what I do.

 

[Toddmonty]

Good to know thanks

I live in Canada and I'm not sure anyone if bushing the AI firing pin here yet

Do you know if there's any issue running a 6.5x47 in an AXMC at normal speeds without bushing the firing pin?

I'm on my 3rd barrel of 6.5x47, I've had 2 primers pop in over 9000 rounds. 37.9 Varget, 130 Berger, Lapua brass, BR4 primers.
I have a 15 AI AXMC with Large firing pin. It's not near the issue some have made it out to be.

 

[Deleted member 121493]

_

 

[Deleted member 121493]

Just ordered an AXMC in 338lm. Have a pm2 5-25 + spuhr to top it with. I initially thoght I would run it in PRS in 6bra (mag conversions exist), but the issue some report with LFP and SR primer piercing is a bit concerning. I have read AI now sells axmc 308 bolts with SFP and if this is the case, all is good. I dont know if switching firing pins on the bolthead assembly (LFP & SFP) is easy and quick however. If not I may as well run a 308 size cartridge (260rem) with LR primers, or is there an isse with these in AXMC as well?

 

[mercracing]

Just ordered an AXMC in 338lm. Have a pm2 5-25 + spuhr to top it with. I initially thoght I would run it in PRS in 6bra (mag conversions exist), but the issue some report with LFP and SR primer piercing is a bit concerning. I have read AI now sells axmc 308 bolts with SFP and if this is the case, all is good. I dont know if switching firing pins on the bolthead assembly (LFP & SFP) is easy and quick however. If not I may as well run a 308 size cartridge (260rem) with LR primers, or is there an isse with these in AXMC as well?

I run 260 in my MC without any problems.

 

[atombomb]

Just ordered an AXMC in 338lm. Have a pm2 5-25 + spuhr to top it with. I initially thoght I would run it in PRS in 6bra (mag conversions exist), but the issue some report with LFP and SR primer piercing is a bit concerning. I have read AI now sells axmc 308 bolts with SFP and if this is the case, all is good. I dont know if switching firing pins on the bolthead assembly (LFP & SFP) is easy and quick however. If not I may as well run a 308 size cartridge (260rem) with LR primers, or is there an isse with these in AXMC as well?

If not, LRI bushes the bolt for about $175, both of my MC bolts are done... nice work

 

[Toddmonty]

Just ordered an AXMC in 338lm. Have a pm2 5-25 + spuhr to top it with. I initially thoght I would run it in PRS in 6bra (mag conversions exist), but the issue some report with LFP and SR primer piercing is a bit concerning. I have read AI now sells axmc 308 bolts with SFP and if this is the case, all is good. I dont know if switching firing pins on the bolthead assembly (LFP & SFP) is easy and quick however. If not I may as well run a 308 size cartridge (260rem) with LR primers, or is there an isse with these in AXMC as well?

I've had no problems with my AXMC with 6.5x47. The small firing pin conversion is only for short action AI's

 

[Deleted member 121493]

I understand they now sell the 308 bolt with SFP for axmc...View attachment 7002820