aia

RANGE & FIELD TESTS... An ongoing, assorted posting of field tests of various Australian International Arms rifle models. Also refer to other tests published in various Australian, American and British magazines as listed at the bottom of this page.
50 & 100 meter target frames Ian shooting the A.I.A. M10-B2 Cheekpiece removed from the M10-B2 Cheekpiece can be interchanged 7.62mm NATO M10-B2 7.62x39mm M10-A2	This 2008 test in southern Queensland was shot in a very light crosswind in 20+ degree C. on a cloudy afternoon. For group and accuracy, a former SAS Regiment sniper did the chores. A .308W Savage 10FLB tactical rifle was used as a comparative reference with the AIA models. Brian and Ian then shot the rifles for general appraisal. The Australian International Arms rifles on test were... 7.62x51mm NATO M10-B2 & M42-B2 (early production) 7.62x51mm NATO No.4 Mk 4 7.62x39mm M10-A2 Model: M10-B2 (a) s.n. 0514303 (7.62x51mm NATO) M42-B2 (b) s.n. 05014202 (7.62x51mm NATO) Metal & finish: Steel gloss, blue-black. No alloy / plastic. Stock & finish: Light-colour teak hardwood, edges chamfered, excellent fit. Function & manipulation: Typical No.4 bolt throw, tighter specs than military, smooth with use. The rifles had fired only about 40 & 300 rounds. Balance & pointing: Typical for L42A1, target or sniper models. Great on the bench or from a prepared position, heavy for casual carry. Feel & trigger: 2-stage military, 1st pull 3 lb, 2nd is 4-5 lb. Recoil: Feels less than L42A1 because the action body & furniture are heavier. Not as noticeable with sling in Hawkins position, standing or kneeling. Sights: (a) BW IOR Bucharest Tactical 2.5 - 10 power, ½ MOA click at 100m (b) Leupold Mk 4 Gold Ring 4.5 - 14 power, ¼ MOA click at 100m Group size: (a) 23mm, 5-shot 100m; FNB 150gn ball. 30mm, 5-shot 100m; 130gn Sierra reload (b) 19mm, 5-shot 100m; Taipan 168gn load Magazine: Fitting not easy at first, new rifle is tight with closer tolerances than other rifles. Longer magazine release is very handy. The bolt holds open on an empty magazine. Observations: Fore-end, handguard, bolt & bolthead are individually fitted, numbered to each rifle. Slip-on rubber kickpad made shooting more pleasant, but made eye relief too long. Model: No.4 Mk 4 s.n. M10B-0403534 (7.62x51mm) Metal & finish: Steel, blue-black. No plastic or alloy. Stock & finish: Light-colour teak hardwood, chamfered edges, very neat fit. Very natural looking oil finish, feels smooth and durable. Function & manipulation: Typical Lee-Enfield bolt throw, tight action as the rifle had fired only proof & test bedding rounds of about 30-50 rounds. Balance & pointing: Typical for No.4 Mk 2. Good on the bench, or with Hawkins sling. Feel & trigger: Two-stage military trigger, 1st pull 3 lb., 2nd pull at 5 lb. Recoil: Seemed typical of its .303 No.4 predecessor. Sights: Folding rear aperture at 200 (S) & 400 (L) metres. Adjustable post front sight. Vertical adjustment Singer (Mk I) sight can replace the original ‘L’ Mk 2 type. Provision for optional steel Picatinny rail to mount telescopic sights Group size: 24mm, 5-shot 100m; FNB 150gn ball. Magazine: Magazine fixing needs some practice as a new rifle is tight. All magazines are individually fitted. Empty magazine follower acts as a bolt stop. Observations: Typical Rifle No.4 configuration feels good. Shot over open sights, which cannot be as fine as with telescopic sight. There is provision for a Picatinny rail for scope mount. Model: M10-A2 s.n. M10A-0201029 (7.62x39mm M43) Metal & finish: Steel, grey matte. No alloy or plastic. Stock & finish: Light-coloured teak, chamfered edges with a good fit. Function & manipulation: Typical Lee-Enfield bolt throw. Action tight as the rifle had fired only proof & test bedding rounds, about 30-50 rounds. Balance & pointing: A little heavier than an average sporter due to the heavier barrel & teak hardwood stock. Points well because of its length. Nice balance. Feel & trigger: Typical double stage military trigger, 3-4 lb. on 1st pull, 4-5 lb. for 2nd pull. Recoil: Much more mild than 7.62 NATO, maybe the flash hider contributes to this too. The Monte Carlo butt makes for comfortable shooting. Sights: Folding rear aperture at 100 (S) & 300 (L) metres. Adjustable post front sight. Group size & results: 27mm, 5-shot at 100m using Norinco copper wash commercial ball. Magazine: Reloads easier than box M-14 type as it fits more comfortably in the hand to insert into the mag well. Follower does not act as a bolt stop. Observations: A tighter group was likely if shooting was done with telescopic sight fitted. Provision for Picatinny rail makes easy fitting of a scope.
M10-B2... No4 Mk 4... M10-A2... Cartridge: 7.62x51mm NATO 7.62x51mm NATO 7.62x39mm M43 Overall length: 1200mm (47.5-in.) 1134mm (44.6-in.) 1048mm (41.25-in.) w/ Monte Carlo stock w/ Monte Carlo stock Barrel length: 640 mm (25.2-in.) 640 mm (25.2-in.) 410 mm (16.1-in.) without flash hider Barrel rifling: 1 in 12 in., RH twist 1 in 12 in., RH twist 1 in 10 in., RH twist Barrel crown profile: Square, recessed Square, recessed Square, recessed Trigger pull: 4 lb. (on 2nd pull) 5 lb. (on 2nd pull) 5.5 lb. (on 2nd pull) Weight of rifle: 4.97 kg (10 lb. 15 oz.) 4.45 kg (10 lb. 0 oz.) 3.8 kg (8 lb. 5 oz.) Scope, mount & bipod: 0.875kg (1 lb. 11 oz.) Magazine: 10-rd. M14 style 10-rd. M14 style 10-rd. AK style Price (rrp): A$1,275 A$1,045 A$1,025 Features: 4-groove hard chrome chordal rifling, hard chrome chamber. Accessories: Rifles come w/ spare magazine, Picatinny rail (both numbered to rifle), foresight adjusting tool. Options: US Pattern sniper sling (buffalo hide), cheekpiece, Monte Carlo stock.
.308 Savage Model 10 & 7.62 NATO AIA M10-B2 view from bolt handle side .308 Savage Model 10 & 7.62 NATO AIA M10-B2 view from off side with bolts to rear Top view, left-hand action Savage Model 10 and A.I.A. M10-B2 right-hand action Brian shooting the A.I.A. M10-B2 Widescreen shoot video available soon Brian's target 7.62x39mm A.I.A. M10-A2 50 and 100 meter butts 100 meter targets .308 Savage (left) & 7.62 NATO A.I.A. M10-B2 (right)	AIA M10-B2 vs. Savage Model 10 FLB Function and shooting results with the AIA 7.62 NATO rifles were most satisfactory, evident from the targets. Some comparisons can be made with predecessors, the SMLE, Rifle No.4 and 7.62mm L42A1. The AIA ‘S’ and ‘L’ marked L-shape Mk 2 style rearsight is sighted at 200 & 400 metres for 7.62mm NATO models, and 100 & 300 metres for 7.62x39mm. AIA rifles feature hardwoods from Laos, West Africa, New Guinea and America, depending upon model. Light colour teak on rifles we tested weigh about 25% more than their equivalents; this timber is harder, more dense. An AIA action body is up to 50% heavier than No.4 Mk 2 as it is redesigned and made significantly stronger. Our comparison was shot with a .308 Savage Mod. 10 FLB. This relates more to the M10-B2 as AIA's No.4 Mk 4 and M10-A2 have different configurations. The Savage had a left-hand bolt; the AIA M10 is right-hand with AIA left-hand cheekpiece. Ian shot both rifles left-hand, Brian and our ex-SAS sniper shot both rifles from right-hand positions. The Accu-trigger has a lighter pull-off than the AIA’s double-stage military style. Brian used an Arkansas stone to fine tune the M10-B2 sear face for a more crisp pull-off which is now probably less than the regulation 4 lb. A trigger shoe will improve any trigger even more. The Savage is lighter than the M10-B2, both have similar diameter heavy barrels but the Savage barrel is bare, with no foresight or backsight fitted. Three 3mm Allen key screws secure the M-10 Picatinny rail for the scope mounts on AIA rifles. A 2-7x variable Leupold Vari-III Gold Ring was fitted to the Savage on low mounts. The M10-B2 has a new generation IOR 2.5-10x tactical scope which was even better, with its A$1,500 price tag! In more of a sporter configuration, the Savage is lighter than the M10-B2, but felt much more muzzle-heavy, especially with Harris bipod fitted. With more weight at the rear and using hardwood rather than plastic, the AIA balanced better, even with Harris bipod attached. The Savage synthetic stock is similar to new Winchester and Remington models, with moulded ‘chequering’ grip. Even with wet hands, it affords a good grip. Both rifles feature the Brewer barrel locking system and recessed bolt-head with integral extractor & ejector. This eliminates the need for different size boltheads. The AIA M10 functioned flawlessly, its bolt action & safety were tighter than the Savage, so it was not quite as quick to reload. The Savage ejector failed early into the test, with the internal ejector spring seemingly collapsed. An AIA bolthead turns only 1 degree over-centre clock-wise, compared with 7.5 degrees for a Lee-Enfield. All tolerances are tighter on the AIA. Checking pull-off on a Lee-Enfield by cocking the bolt and observing how much movement occurs in the cocking piece, is a good check. Our test rifle passed this well. Compared with the No.4 Mk 2, the AIA transverse reinforcing screw with Allen-key head rear of the fore-wood is more neat and practical. AIA improvements over its No.4 Mk 2 predecessor... * Trigger guard bow is more narrow, with parallel guides for M-14 style magazine. * Outer band is hinged at the top, like the SMLE and early No.4s and trials rifles. * Safety catch with Long Branch style ‘kicked leg’ is easier on the thumb. * Reinforce ribs each side of the body are longer, past the rear of the bolt locking recesses. * Vertical & lateral adjustment on the front sight which is a post rather than a blade, like SLR. * Lithgow style 3-groove cocking piece . * Stockbolt has a hex head for tube socket, an improvement on the big old screwdriver! * Sling swivels are central-mounted like No.4, rather than offset as on the service SMLE. * Developed from post-war Rifle No.4 Mark 4 body type without bulge for cut-off axis screw. * Integral bridge at rear of body, machined from solid, much wider than No.4, great for scope. * L42A1 type bedding plate and O’Connor epoxy-bedded near the front of the fore-wood. * All steel and wooden edges are nicely chamfered. * Extra mounting post for Harris bipod attachment. AIA body is made from a steel forging, ordnance 4140 or equivalent. The M10-B2 barrel is chrome-moly steel, with a longer Brewer collar to stabilize the heavier barrel. All AIA parts are new-made, few are interchangeable on .303 No.1 SMLE or No.4 rifles. From the old school, the feel of timber in the hands and on the cheek, was more pleasing with the AIA, compared with Savage’s polycarbonate stock. Maybe this has a bearing on the bedding and accuracy too, as the AIA did shoot tighter groups than the Savage. Wood finish is with Birchwood Casey products applied by hand. AIA military sling swivels rattle more than the detachable Uncle Mike’s that I had already fitted on the Savage sporter. The Savage M10's rubber kickpad makes more pleasant shooting. AIA's brass buttplate is hard on the shoulder, but durable. A butt-trap is great to carry a pull-through, ruptured case extractor and oil bottle, or spare ammo! An AIA Monte Carlo stock with kickpad is another option. The groove in the AIA fore-wood is comfortable to carry and shoot with gloves. The shape of the butt-stock grip and feel to the face is reassuring, its feel is typical Lee-Enfield, with which many of us are accustomed. As a keen Military Rifle Club shooter in the 1980s, I loved my TRW M-14 and preferred it to the M1 Garand for pointing and feel. Others used to the Garand did not like the muzzle-light feel of the M-14. The AIA M10-B2 with its heavy barrel and folded bipod reminds me more of the feel of a Garand. Regular practice and shooting with one type of rifle of course will bring comfortability and preference. We were most impressed with the new AIA rifles’ shooting and traditional steel and wood construction. So much that Ian has purchased the M10-B2 we tested and is now awaiting a Monte Carlo butt with rubber kickpad, to complete what could well be the ultimate in Lee-Enfields! Ex-Hong Kong Gov't. 7.62mm NATO contract FNB ammo shot similar groups to Australian MF F4. Pulling down FNB samples found bullet weights vary from 143.7 to 144.7 gn, and ball powder charge from 43.9 to 44.7 gn. Just for interest, having both types of rifles, a range and trained shooter, we fired the 7.62mm M10-B2 with factory .308 Winchester soft point, and .308 Savage M10 with 7.62mm FNB ball. The .308 and 7.62mm cartridges do not have the same specifications, even though they may be interchangeable between the rifles. Essentially, the angle and shape of the cartridge shoulder is different, headspace and gauging are different for too. We found rounds loaded, chambered and fired in the different rifles readily but group sizes opened out at least 30% and the point of impact shifted a few inches. High pressure loads e.g. handloads, used in the other rifle (308 Win. in 7.62mm NATO or vice versa) can be dangerous.
Guns Australia: January/March 2001 M1887 lever action 12 gauge shotgun with ADI Lithgow
Guns & Game: Issue #39, July/Sept 2003 M10-A2 Issue #48, Oct/Dec 2005 M10-B1 Issue #53, Jan/Mar 2007 M10-B3 Issue #58, Apr/Jun 2008 M10-B2 In virtually every instance, test rifles were purchased by the evaluating shooter or a friend. 'The Proof of the pudding is in the eating'...!
Sporting Shooter: Sporting Shooters Association of Australia Journal, November 2001 ADI M1887, M10 introduction
Shooting Sports (UK): 'On the Range', Gun Tests 2004 M10-A1, No.4 MkIV	Great Britain:
USA magazines:	United States: