Why I'm here.

I grew up in a somewhat liberal, extremely pacifist household in the equally liberal Washington state. I had some good friends who introduced me to the errors of my upbringing. Guns (any weapons really) were a forbidden topic in my house, so when I was first introduced to shooting sports I fell in love- kind of a forbidden fruit thing I think. My mother still wonders where she went so wrong.
Because of my upbringing, and my poverty in college, I am not your average gun guy. Most “gun people” buy a gun and it stays in the family, passed on through generations when the owner goes to their heavenly reward. I, on the other hand, go through guns like they were work pants. I get bored, or I look too close, or I shoot them till I don’t like them anymore. Over the past five years I have bought, shot, and sold or traded More than 50 firearms. Along the way I have learned TONS, established opinions, and had a great time. Now some will ask, “Why” ? It all comes down to a deal I made with my incredibly beautiful, and patient wife. When we were first engaged we talked about lots of important things in great detail, and one of those was firearms. She knew I liked guns and enjoyed shooting (though at the time neither of us had any idea how big this would become). She was worried about having hundreds of guns strewn everywhere around the house. We set a four gun limit at any given time. Over the years that deal has been revisited and modified, but the rule made me sell a gun before I could get a new one. It also has led me to play with a ton of platforms and a ton of accessories. This review blog is based on the experience gathered along the way. I have also figured out how to self-fund my gun addiction. In our house “gun money” is a separate entity, though I have on occasion used it to spoil my wife. “Gun money” is money made from a gun sale that is used for buying another gun or ammo. (Gun money also magically accumulates when I let my wife pick our sons names). Guns have become a real investment to mee, they hold their value very well. I have made a lot of additional “gun money” along the way. My addiction started with a $550 initial investment and has grown to around $15,000 in guns, and around $8000 in ammo (though little of that is left) in the course of five years.

» »Unlabelled » Accuracy International AE MKIII

The Accuracy International AE MKIII (260 rem)


I had been out to 875 yards with my rem700, and it was a bunch of fun to do but I never could get it much farther, the gun shot great and had the best trigger of all time, but the barrel was limiting me. It was not that consistent, let me explain, it shot great groups, but the cold bore shot was all over the place, then when it heated up it grouped great; a constant 3/4 moa gun. Then it would get too hot and the shots would start “stringing” up and left usually about a ½ inch each shot over hot. It was a great 800 yard gun but at 1000 dialing it in for elevation was nearly imposable as the shots started moving around and that ½ in. at 100 yards is now 5 inches per shot. On top of the barrel issues, I did not like how much slop was in the action, the bolt was all over the place in the receiver, because of that I didn’t feel it worth my time to re-barrel the action as it still had too much slop, so I did what I always do and, sold it.
                  I looked around for a replacement and decided I wanted to try: 6.5 Creedmoor a 6.5 Norma or a .260 rem (as they are all so similar I didn’t quite know which to get.) my plan was to buy a short action Tikka, install a Bartline barrel in one of the above calibers and get a x-ray stock for it. I bid on a few Tikka’s on gunbroker but lost all the auctions, usually at the last possible second, so slightly depressed, I started looking for other options.
                  It was about this time when a good friend and accuracy international aficionado called me up saying he found a deal on a .308 AE MKII, I told him I was interested, then that deal fell through. That however got me looking and I found a black on black MKIII on snipers hide. He was asking $300 more than I had to spend, but about $700 less than it was worth, I offered him what I had, explaining my situation in the process, and much to my surprise, he said yes, so I bought it. 2 weeks later (after all the ffl mess) I had it in my hands, and immediately I was ready to sell it. The trigger on accuracy international is, to most people, amazing, compared to the jewel in the r700 it was crap. Yes I know I am the only man alive to complain about the trigger on a $3500 sniper rifle, but I hated it. After a bunch of research I figured out how to make it a single stage (highly not recommended by the factory) and get a bunch of the weight off. It is a really good trigger now but it will never be as good as the jewel. That aside the action is incredible; it is slick as baby drool, and tough as a tiger tank. It has Zero slop. The stock took some getting used to, but it is fine now. The chamber is a 260 rem. Which is a .308 case necked down to .260 diameter (6.5mm bullets) this can be done by simply running the .308 brass through a .260 full length sizing die, it is really easy.  The reason for doing this is the 6.5mm bullet is a much more arrow dynamic bullet and as such it flys a lot flatter and is 26% less affected by wind pushing it around (than the .308). 
Accuracy international is a rifle manufacturer based in England that specializes in military sniper rifles they make some of the best in the world, and are known for extreme precision in all environments and temperatures. The company was started by some Olympic shooting competitors. In 2009 A British sniper in Iraq, equipped with an AI in .338 lapua set a world record for the longest kill shot at 2707 yards on a Taliban heavy machine gun crew. Killing 2 and disabling the gun. The AE MKIII is an upgraded final incarceration of the AE. The AE is the model built for police snipers, it has the aw bolt (fluted for artic conditions), a thumb hole stock with a second grip for your off hand on the rear of the stock, and a 26 inch threaded barrel.
            This baby shoots incredibly. It groups ½ inch or less all the time. Mine has a Bartline barrel installed by AINA (accuracy international north America) and is so consistent it’s almost boring out to 750 yards. I have only had it out three times once as a sight in day, once for load development, (both never passed 100 yards) and the third for distance. We ended at 1111 yards on a 12”x24” ipsc target, I hit it 2/3 of the time without any fuss. I am now not quite ready to pull the trigger on the whole selling it off idea, and if I ever do I don’t know what I would replace it with, it’s an AI after all where does one go from here? The result of this purchase is I finally, after 3 years feel ready to try a sniper competition. It has been a long time coming, but I am there now.


THE GOOD:
This action is amazing!
I love the chassis. The gun has one long block of aluminum that everything is attached to; makes it tough as nails.
When slung properly I don’t mind hiking with it.
It is incredibly accurate, almost boringly so.
The 260 round in this heavy a package is great, as you can watch impact on anything past 400 yards.
It is so well made I am sure I could throw it off a cliff and it would still shoot bug eyes.

THE BAD:
It was expensive, all in I am over $5600 in this one rifle; makes it a bit hard to justify for me, that is a lot of other guns I could have instead of just this one.
The thumbhole stock takes some getting used to.
I wish it had a folding stock.
The trigger is good but I expected more from it, though I am sure it’s just me being spoiled by the jewel.
It is a heavy gun and mostly front heavy.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

This gun makes anyone look like they can shoot. It is stupid accurate, and beautiful. I am not wealthy, it took me five years to pay for this gun, but it is everything it is said to be, the best you can buy. Though the axmc is cooler I really like this one. Coming from a Remington 700 (a highly modified hunting rifle) to the accuracy international (a purpose built sniper rifle) is a crazy thing to do, they are truly worlds apart in every possible way.