AIA Factory

johnone said:
Impossible my friend, all these experts say you are wrong.... Thank you for adding some sanity to this chat
John
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You da man John. I always get a kick out of reading your responses. You should do stand up comedy.

And I'm the proud owner of 3 AIA rifles from Marstar. (2 B2's and 1 No4.)
 
GUB said:
So Johnone are we taking preorders? And I was tempted a few years back and I snoozed....
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There were massive price increases at the producers end, our dollar went in the sewer, so it is not practical at this time....
John
 
Light Infantry said:
Excerpt from a Canadian government document concerning the military's Small Arms Replacement Project II (SARP 2):

13. A company based in Australia, Australian International Arms (AIA), markets a M10 No.4 Mk IV Modern Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) Rifle in 7.62mm NATO calibre. This rifle is a replica of the Lee Enfield but in appearance only. The cost of this rifle, less ancillaries is approximately $800.00 (Cdn). The CF technical authority for small arms, DSSPM 5, on 24 Jul 08 conducted an initial examination of the AIA rifle because in appearance it closely resembles the current Lee Enfield. The technical authority concluded that the rifle would not meet the Canadian Ranger’s requirement without significant modification and re-engineering because it is cheaply made.

14. The Australian International Arms M10 No 4 Mk IV SMLE Rifle fires a 7.62 x 51mm NATO cartridge and at first glance appears to meet the CF requirement as a replacement for the Canadian Ranger Rifle. The rifle is assembled from parts manufactured from throughout South-East Asia in locations such as as Viet Nam, Thailand (teak stocks) and Indonesia. The barrel is hammer-forged in Australia. The general assessment is that the rifle is accurate and attractively priced, but it was clearly designed for the civilian recreational shooting market and it is not a military product. Many parts of the rifle are cheaply made and would likely fail under testing.
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We provided samples to both the Government and Colt
John
 
cantom said:
There was a live interview on an Aussie gun site as I recall, about 2-3 years ago. They were interviewing the owner of AIA. He answered all kinds of questions.

I believe domestic Australian demand was pretty much eating up all of their production as I recall.

BTW, Johnone of anyone knows what the score is with them. If he says the price is too high now for our market, I'm sure he knows of what he speaks.

One of the models they were showing around was of a new version of the Long Branch lightweight rifle...that one made me drool. :cool:
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with the issues I mentioned you would be looking at about double what they wee selling previously
John
 
Arrrggghhhh! I really wish I'd grabbed one when they were available.
I won't make the same mistake again if/when the stars align and Johnone brings in a boatload.
 
johnone said:
Another expert with personal knowledge.... Would you mind sharing, the next time the owner is here I would like to bring him up to date
John
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Instead of berating potential customers why don't you share?

There seems to be little to no information available on the company (aia) and a number of sources (reliable or otherwise) seem to indicate the company no longer exists.

Does the company still exist? Are the rifles still in production? Of they're out of production, is it only pricing that's keeping them out of production?

There's a market for these rifles, admittedly probably not at the double the last price, but if the dollar goes back up and these are still in production, there's definitely a market.
 
I own one of the ones in 7.62x39 sure wish there were available again. mine doesn't like laqured cases ether, but copper wash or brass it works, shoots great
 
Light Infantry said:
So which parts were cheaply made and would be expected to fail?
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I've owned and handled several AIA rifles and nothing about them was cheaply made IMHO.

They're an upgraded, heavier Enfield style action.

I loved the design with the Savage style barrel nut so headspace was adjustable, and the front sight clamped on and could be rotated. Great design IMHO.
 
Light Infantry said:
So which parts were cheaply made and would be expected to fail?
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That particular use of words, "expected to fail", has always sort of bothered me. Seems to me as if someone in the decision making process projected their own prejudices onto the rifles. Looking at the other criticisms of the parts and the countries in which they were manufactured and it is almost an ad hominem attack; as if by virtue of originating from certain Asian countries that the parts were to be cr@p. To my knowledge I have never heard of a single failure with these rifles or their parts and I have looked long and hard to find any evidence of such.

I wish I had added a B2 version and got a second 7.62x39 version to add to my collection when I had the chance. I could have had both for around a grand each. I am still glad to have one of the 7.62x39 versions and one of the B3 rifles which has pride of place in my collection. They are quality, heirloom firearms and I thank John and Marstar for bringing them to market. Those who missed out don't know what they are missing.

And w00t! 1000th post!
 
Light Infantry said:
So which parts were cheaply made and would be expected to fail?
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‘Cheaply made’ is by not only military standards of potentially constant hard use over a service life of decades, but also add in the arctic environment.

(It can't be the stock, as teak is known to be durable and quite waterproof, being used extensively in boats for centuries; don't know why they singled that out…)

‘Expected to fail’ is a political decision, saying we won't even put it in the running to give it a chance.
 
So you have no clue which parts they were referring to?

cantom said:
I've owned and handled several AIA rifles and nothing about them was cheaply made IMHO.

They're an upgraded, heavier Enfield style action.

I loved the design with the Savage style barrel nut so headspace was adjustable, and the front sight clamped on and could be rotated. Great design IMHO.
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