How well does an AI return to zero???

[samb300]

The question gets asked all the time: how well does an AI return to zero if you swap the barrel? Well, I’ve got an extreme case that shows just how ridiculous AIs are.

Many of you probably know I’ve been working on my own AI chassis, and the intention is to de-bond a factory AT or AX action and re-bond it in the new chassis. So over the past few months I have had my factory AX de-bonded to work on the project. I recently re-bonded it back together and took it to the range to re-zero with my current 6.5x47L barrel and match load. This is all what I have done to the rifle, and the results...

- De-bonded and re-bonded the action twice
- Removed and reinstalled a G2 Razor mounted in Spuhr
- Removed and reinstalled scope action rail
- Removed and reinstalled barrel about 5 times
- Cleaned barrel

My zero changed by only 0.2 mils straight down, that’s it. Rounds 2-5 went into one hole. Holy shit.

So if anyone asks me how repeatable barrel swaps are on an AI, I’ll tell them I can literally take the gun apart to individual components, reassemble it, and it will be closer than most rifles will be with a simple barrel change or scope swap.

Cheers,

Sam

 

[jbell]

I have never removed the action from a chassis like you but over 2 AW’s and 1 AT and probably 10 barrels between them with untold number of barrel removals and reinstall all of these in any combo never has more than 0.1 - 0.2 MOA POI shift. I have shot many 1/2 MOA groups (@ 100 yards) with removing the barrel between each round. They are very repeatable.

 

[ShtrRdy]

That's the same behavior I see on my AT. Then I usually have to fine tune the zero slightly.