Amazing AIA, they're baack

[jona]

Items from Viet Nam are not restricted. But they do not get favorable status either. The problem is the U.S. State Department. The importers have to jump through a LOT of hoops(some very expensive) that only one attempted to import. They got slapped with so many extra charges, fees and regulations, they went out of business. By the time someone could get the AIA guns imported, they would have to charge a 500% margin just to break even, and NOBODY would be willing to pay that much for one of their guns.
That is why you probably will not see them in the U.S. anytime soon.

[enfield303t]

To the best of my knowledge the STOCK is made in Vietnam nothing else. I was told by Kyle from AIA that they were NEVER paid by the distributor in the USA. AIA had the guns seized and the person "holding" the guns sold them and again AIA was never paid. I wouldn't send any to the USA again either. Kyle said in his email to me they lost all their money in every gun they shipped into the US. I would post the email I was sent by AIA but promised not to do that as it included the new pricing and they are going to be very expensive. I like jmoore would like a 7.62 X 39 as the ammo is so cheap. It is also strange that so many people bring up Vietnam, gee look at all we buy from China, anyone remember KOREA??

[Dimitri]

Items from Viet Nam are not restricted.

ITAR regs ban military items such as firearms from going to or from Vietnam. Other goods are fine just not firearms, tanks, fighter planes, bombs, ammunition, missiles, explosives etc

To the best of my knowledge the STOCK is made in Vietnam nothing else.

The magazines when compared to made in Vietnam M14 magazines appear to be the same. Barrels were supposedly sourced through Vietnam at one point from US left behind. The receiver manufacturing location has not been determined other then (as of the US importation problems) the registered Aussie address is not it. Which per the Australian Business registry has changed a handful of times.

Dimitri

[enfield303t]

Funny I keep reading about "US importation problems" but have never had that confirmed by anyone, just rumours. AIA informed me they are going to make 500 rifles in 2010 and if you ever hear of them exporting to the USA again please let me know as I want to witness "Hell Freezing Over".

[Alan de Enfield]

"Hell Freezing Over".

The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term.
The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well:
Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?
Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.
One student, however, wrote the following:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order, for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.
This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in
Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
So which is it?
If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my freshman year that, "It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you," and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore is extinct......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."
THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY "A

[powdermonkey72]

Which AIA rifles were made in Vietnam??? As far as i know, none were. If you have an AIA rifle, AIA will always respond to your emails. In fact Kyle Hadley, the head of quality control, will help with absolutley anything. I am sending mine (14 of 25 prototype *T M10's) back to Brisbane for a bedding upgrade, and a new stock and forend. In fact, Ive ordered a repro L42a1 spec transit case to house it all as well.
A portion of the US buyers market is a bit miffed, and rightly so! They are missing out on a fine line of rifles. Ive seen many negative forum postings around the traps, all seemingly nothing to do with the quality of the build, or performance of these rifles, but with AIA's communication skills. If you read some of the AIA website, you may find that they state themselves, that they develop and build quality weapons, they do not manage websites or do PR. You must deal with a Distributor for sales. The American market, as big and illustrious as it is, doesnt affect the sales of their product. The aussie domestic market gobbles them up very quickly, as they are 100% Australian made, low build numbered quality items. The recievers are all milled in Brisbane, the barrels are all hand lapped and the woodwork is all done by hand, on an individual rifle basis in Brisbane. I have seen articles in Australian shooters magazines of the production facilitys IN BRISBANE!
The Teak used on stocks, is sourced from Vietnam, New Guinea, or any other rainforest rich tropical islands in the Pacific that grow old dense Teak nativley.The US canned the import of these rifles partly because of the timber componentry made form Vietnamese wood, NOT BECAUSE ITS A VIETNAMESE MADE RIFLE.
Really that is an insult to the AIA team, as they have been developing and building very good rifles for close to a decade. Technical skills that rival many much larger allegedly professional overseas engineering companies.
Ive seen new $3000 Remingtons that have needed "some adjustment to bolt fit" and "just a tiny bit of inletting" etc etc. Not with an AIA rifle.
If I sound biased its because I am!. Great rifle!
This isnt at anyone in particular just my rant on the AIA subject. Thanks!

[Son]

Which AIA rifles were made in Vietnam??? As far as i know, none were. If you have an AIA rifle, AIA will always respond to your emails. In fact Kyle Hadley, the head of quality control, will help with absolutley anything. I am sending mine (14 of 25 prototype *T M10's) back to Brisbane for a bedding upgrade, and a new stock and forend. In fact, Ive ordered a repro L42a1 spec transit case to house it all as well.
A portion of the US buyers market is a bit miffed, and rightly so! They are missing out on a fine line of rifles. Ive seen many negative forum postings around the traps, all seemingly nothing to do with the quality of the build, or performance of these rifles, but with AIA's communication skills. If you read some of the AIA website, you may find that they state themselves, that they develop and build quality weapons, they do not manage websites or do PR. You must deal with a Distributor for sales. The American market, as big and illustrious as it is, doesnt affect the sales of their product. The aussie domestic market gobbles them up very quickly, as they are 100% Australian made, low build numbered quality items. The recievers are all milled in Brisbane, the barrels are all hand lapped and the woodwork is all done by hand, on an individual rifle basis in Brisbane. I have seen articles in Australian shooters magazines of the production facilitys IN BRISBANE!
The Teak used on stocks, is sourced from Vietnam, New Guinea, or any other rainforest rich tropical islands in the Pacific that grow old dense Teak nativley.The US canned the import of these rifles partly because of the timber componentry made form Vietnamese wood, NOT BECAUSE ITS A VIETNAMESE MADE RIFLE.
Really that is an insult to the AIA team, as they have been developing and building very good rifles for close to a decade. Technical skills that rival many much larger allegedly professional overseas engineering companies.
Ive seen new $3000 Remingtons that have needed "some adjustment to bolt fit" and "just a tiny bit of inletting" etc etc. Not with an AIA rifle.
If I sound biased its because I am!. Great rifle!
This isnt at anyone in particular just my rant on the AIA subject. Thanks!

Any chance of sharing the details of the production houses from the magazine articles?

I'm afraid I've seen plenty of words very similar to yours, but I've never seen anything that convinces me they are any more than assembled in Brisbane.



Ok, straight from their current website at http://www.australianinternationalar...au/history.htm

"Development and manufacture of the A.I.A. rifles is truly international. Like many other military and commercial production rifles today, many component parts and work is outsourced. This varies between the models and is largely dependent upon availability and quality. No nylon, plastic or alloy are used in our rifles, just good old-fashioned steel and hardwood, along with the new technology.

Rifles are currently prepared in Queensland, Australia, from local and imported component parts or groups. All screws, pins and springs are made in Australia and each rifle is hand-fitted and tested, unlike most production today.

Wood furniture has come from the United States, Brazil, New Guinea, West Africa and Laos. It has been profiled in Australia and in Vietnam."


Hmmm, seems to me if they were making receivers in Aus they'd be mentioning them ahead of the springs, pins and screws.

[limpetmine]

.... If you have an AIA rifle, AIA will always respond to your emails.

Well, they haven't responded to any of mine!

[Dimitri]

No nylon, plastic or alloy are used in our rifles, just good old-fashioned steel and hardwood, along with the new technology.

See that right there? No alloy used?

I guess they must be using pure Iron to make the rifles. But we know that is not the case. The AIA group as a whole is good at lieing nothing technical though, because up until after they were imported into Canada and the US they were claiming the rifles were completely built in Australia. And statements like above show they are not competent enough to build a dog house never mind a firearm.

The original US distributors did issue at the time public statements on various web forums that the State Department found the rifles to be made in Vietnam. If you dig deep in American boards you can find them, I believe the FAL Files was one such board.

Dimitri

[powdermonkey72]

Sorry, I should of typed..."if you own an AIA rifle, in Australia...