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Hi All,
I've recently purchased a very nice secondhand AIA M10 No4 in the UK.
I've found a few posts on the web stating Australian International Arms are still in business and selling to the Australian market only. Are there any Australian shooters on this forum that can confirm if this is indeed true?
Marstar Canada - AIA M10 No. 4 Mk. IV Modern SMLE Rifle (AIA-M10N4)
Thanks
paul.
I don't think so. There were a number of "new" AIA rifles advertised and sold in Australia via one of the online classifieds sites in the last year or so, but my impression is that they were new old stock not newly manufactured stock
As T-Bone says, there was a flurry of activity last year, and since then, nothing...
One of the local forums had a good discussion going, with input from one of the AIA principals, and it did seem that new production was imminent. Nothing has eventuated as yet.
The discussion group disappeared when the forum in question was closed down (for reasons unrelated to AIA).
These rifles seem to garner a lot of negative press, for a variety of reasons. I'm very happy with the ones I've got; if they ever restrict us to just one rifle each, the AIA 7.62x39 carbine will be the one I keep.
If you were to email Rebel Gun Works in Brisbane, they MIGHT be able to give you some up-to-date info, since they were local agents in this part of the world.
Many thanks both T-Bone and Maxwell. I've emailed Rebel Gun Works as suggested, I will post up their reply if one is received.
I agree with you Maxwell the later AIA rifles were excellent. I understand they were badly let down by one or two of their international distributors, but it a great shame they appear to have completely disappeared.
That would depend on whose story you care to believe.Quote:
Originally Posted by paul_costall
At the end of the day they made a few rifles that were well received by some, for whatever reason. If you manage to make contact, have a list of spare parts you may need over the life of the rifle ready to order... and good luck...
Yes I've heard some not so good reports. For the money I would have bought one or two of the many as new No4 MkII's on the market that were selling for about 1000 bucks at the time. That's just me.
Check the Technical Articles for Milsurp Collectors and Re-loaders (click here)
Note: There are pretty old, but there are two informative but very different library entries on the AIA rifles.
AIA No. 4 Mk. 4 (Review by Stevo) (click here)
Australian AIA Rifles (Feedback and Opinion by Steve) (click here)
Please note that the author of "Australian AIA Rifles" Steve is not the same as the member Stevo, who wrote a separate review of the "AIA No. 4 Mk. 4 rifle."
Hope these articles help you ... :)
Regards,
Doug
I consider myself lucky to have stumbled upon their 7.62 x 39 carbine. The wood stock is burled and quite simply the nicest looking rifle stock of any I own, to include my Remington and Winchester sporting rifles. While not a Lee-Enfield, it is an interesting homage to the line, and I only wish I had the opportunity to buy one of their "L-42" types.
I happened upon this thread and was hoping you fellow AIA M10 owners could help me with an issue.
I recently found and acquired an M10-A2 from the original owner (took forever to find one, even longer to find an owner willing to sell), he claimed to have never fired it and it does look to be the case (perfect bore, bolt, no wear marks, etc).
Anyway I have yet to fire it myself but once I got it home I did notice something that I hadn't notice while inspecting it upon purchase.
The trigger is not under any sort of spring tension, it just sort of dangles, freely able to swing fore/aft until it makes contact with the sear. And when I say freely I mean freely, I noticed it as I lifted the rifle off my work cradle and rotated the rifle 90deg and set the butt on my bench (barrel pointing up), I heard a faint metallic 'clink'. I first scratched my head, set it back in the cradle but couldn't find what made the noise, lifted it again and again heard the noise. After doing it a few more times I finally noticed it was the trigger flopping back and forth.
Since info and IPBs for the AIAs are non-existent on-line (or my google-foo just sucks) I pulled up some Lee-Enfield IPBs and it doesn't seem that there is any sort of trigger spring shown on them either. Mine pretty much matches the SMLE parts (do their triggers just flop around? If not, what keeps them from doing so?)
PARTS GUIDE
I also can't find any indication of a missing spring, no slots, recesses, or guides to hold one, no wear marks where one might have rubbed, nothing to indicate diddly.
So is this normal?
I've never owned or used a rifle where the trigger just flops around like this and it's a bit startling, I'm used to reaching for the trigger and NOT feeling a limp noodle dangling there.
BTW I did contact the original owner and he said he had never noticed it.
Any help would be appreciated......
I'm not sure where they ended up in developing their own parts. Initially they were based on quite a few of the No4 small parts, but they moved away from them. Your only hope would be if a gunsmith can recognise the shape of what was needed and make one from scratch. I have to this day, never heard of anyone successfully finding spare parts or any other support for these rifles.
Maybe someone here with one can help you out as to what you might be looking for, but everyone needs to know, if you break it, you will possibly never fix it.
It is completely normal.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigBangTheory
The AIA rifles use a standard Lee-Enfield type trigger, all of the L.E. models set up for two-stage flop around loose like that. You are not missing any springs from the trigger - there aren't any in the first place.
Whenever you take your 7.62 x 39 M10 for a run, and you are going to shoot ex-military laquered cases in it , make SURE that you take a full length metal cleaning rod and a mallet with you.
I have some spares for my 7.62X39 that Evan brought to Canada last year. He left them in Vancouver and I accidentally found the person who had them and he mailed them to me.
I also have a B2 and to be honest think both of the guns are pretty decent. I can hit a regular "clay pigeon" at 300 yards so that is good enough for my old eyes.
The B2 is a great shooter even with crappy ammo, yes they are heavy and hopefully they get to produce them again.
Communication is not good but you know I'll live with that. Whenever I have communicated with AIA they have always been cordial and answered my questions.
The problem of "sticky" cases in these rifles is a function of the ammo.
The heat of firing melts a little bit of the lacquer on the neck. This will generally re-solidify BEFORE you can open the bolt and thus, extraction starts to get sticky. You will find the same happens to Norinco and BRNO / CZ bolt actions with this ammo.
AK and SKS type actions open SO fast that the case is red-hot on extraction and ejection and thus the lacquer is still soft. They still accumulate a bit of lacquer fouling, and should be cleaned "thoroughly" from time to time..
Try the recently available Russian-made grey "polymer" coated stuff; it seems to not melt in the same way.
The WORST stuff I ever encountered for this problem was the "chocolate brown" lacquered stuff that came in pale green boxes of 20. This stuff appears to have been made "for export" to non-military customers. The "dark olive" coated Chinese "surplus" ammo seems to be less of a problem too. This usually came either in ten-round strippers or bundled in the classic "plain, brown wrapper", both in big "sardine tins", two to a wooden crate.
Even some of the "copper-washed" stuff can cause problems because the copper "plating" is itself protected by a thin layer of clear lacquer.
Plain brass as per PMC or Yugo stuff , etc, is perfect.
Thanks for the info, I guess I'm going to have to get used to it but it's strange for sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxwell Smart
---------- Post added at 06:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:00 PM ----------
I only shoot Yugo M67 (brass) in my bolt actions & singles, years ago when no one wanted it at $150 per crate I bought about 3 dozen so I might shoot out my barrels before I run out. I save the lacquer/poly-steel cased ammo for my AKs & SKSsQuote:
Originally Posted by Maxwell Smart
I recently bought a case of copper washed 7.62X39 after fighting the surplus lacquered ammo. The copper wash works perfectly in mine so far.
People have endless trouble with lacquered steel cases in AR's too. They bare hard on the extractors of gas guns too. Especially rifles with non chrome barrels. Bruce hit the nail squarely on the head.
The problem with rotating bolt rifles is that you cannot have primary extraction. Extraction is by brute force and an extractor that engages a large section of the cart case. It would appear to me that in the AIA rifles using 7.62 x54R the geometry of the primary extraction camming angle might not be as great as that on the old No4 rifles. Therefore the leverage exerted during the lifting of the bolt isn't doing its job of breaking the obturating seating cleanly. But as BinO says, even if it primary extraction did break the seal cleanly and instantaneously there'd still be the question of the laquer residue.
We fired a Vickers converted to 7.62 x 54R recently (another no primary extraction example) and didn't experience any stricking cases after a few belts of the cheapo steel cased varnished stuff. Mind you, the barrel ain't getting much hotter than 100c. Interesting thread
One thing that confused me is I shot surplus 7.62X39 lacquered out of a CZ bolt gun and never had a issue with cases sticking, yet they do in my AIA??
The chamber is probably a bit tighter. Every barrel is different.
Or maybe it is designed to have a longer 'throw' during the leverage part of the primary extraction phase. Just a thought.
But going back to 7.62 x54R, it is a very forgiving cartridge case. Even the steel cased ones. I was always under the impression that the base-rim diaameter, length and taper put it at the extremity of its ductility. But I saw a .303" Vickers firing it and the barrel had been chamber-reamed to accept the larger diameter base but forward of that it was plain old .303" form. The gun fired flawlessly and the cases came out totally bulged at the forward end ehwre they'd fire formed into the forward form of the .303" case.
A few had split necks where the ductility of the steel HAD been exceeded but 90% were bulged but........., well, apart from that, OK.
They were making a one way trip so the odd split necks and bulged cases were of no consequence. As I say, the gun fired 500 rounds in 10 - 20 round bursts and didn't miss a beat. I have to say that it shook me but did raise my regard and respect for the 7.62 x54R even further that it already was. A respect I gained while using the PKM.
I guess the "machinists" would have needed to alter the "T" slot in the front of the breech block a bit,, not to forget the feed arm etc
However, given that the two cartridges have a very similar overall loaded length, at least that part of the feed mech would have been OK.
Given the extra "wallop" of the Russian round, was the the muzzle "booster" fairly redundant?
Some of these old guns are obviously versatile. The Russians fielded huge numbers of Maxims in their own calibre, and the basic Maxim was suitable for modification to a wide variety of cartridges. The Americans played with Vickers guns in .30-06 (and other calibres), before adopting the mechanically simpler Browning design. However, they went to WW1, (and Mexico), with a motley collection of guns of variable quality and suitability.
Captured WW1 "trophy" 7.92 x 57 German Maxims were "re-engineered" for .303 ammo in Oz during WW2 etc.
Where there's a will, there's a way....(and probably a few lawyers as well).
And speaking of Vickers guns...............
http://www.oryansroughnecks.org/vickers.html
I like the 7.62x54R, I have a 1946 Mosin Nagant carbine and its quite "handy" way better than the rifle version. The sights are not as good as the Enfield's though, cant get on target as fast or sure as the Enfield Battle sight, cycles way slower. The cartridge is still under production as well, longest running?). To ad to me small collection I'd quite like a Draganov at some stage, not this year though.