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Accuracy International AX308

The History of Accuracy International

Accuracy International was founded in the UK in 1978 by Malcolm Cooper, a British Olympic medalist in shooting, and Sarah Cooper, his wife. The company was established with the aim of creating a high-precision rifle that would meet the needs of competitive target shooters and military snipers alike. In 1982, they introduced their first rifle, the AI Arctic Warfare rifle. The rifle's accuracy and reliability made it a favorite of military and law enforcement agencies around the world. In the 1980s and 1990s, AI continued to refine and expand its product line, developing new models like the AW50 and the AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum). These rifles were designed to meet the needs of different users, from military snipers to police SWAT teams.

In the early 2000s, AI secured a contract to supply rifles to the British Armed Forces, cementing its reputation as a supplier of high-quality military equipment. The company's rifles were used by British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, where they earned a reputation for their accuracy and reliability. AI continued to expand its product line, offering rifles for civilian use, as well as law enforcement and military applications. Today, AI is known for its commitment to precision, quality, and reliability, and its rifles are widely used by military and law enforcement agencies around the world.

The company has always been focused on developing new technologies and refining existing ones to create rifles that are even more accurate, reliable, and durable. This commitment to innovation has led to the development of advanced features like detachable magazines, adjustable stocks, and precision triggers. AI has also developed proprietary technologies, such as the Quickloc barrel system, which allows users to quickly change barrels on their rifles. The company remains a small, independent company that is owned and operated by the Cooper family, who continue to oversee every aspect of the company's operations.

Accuracy International AX308 Rifle Review

The Accuracy International AX308 is a bolt-action precision rifle chambered specifically for the short action .308 Winchester. This fixed caliber rifle shares all the features of the AXMC model. Its action is bolted and bonded to an aluminum chassis, which provides a stable platform for the rifle and enhances accuracy.

The AX308's bolt has six locking lugs and a sixty-degree opening angle, which ensures a smooth and reliable operation. It also features AI's combat-proven leaf spring extractor, which ensures positive extraction of spent casings. The rifle has a three-position safety, which allows the shooter to engage or disengage the safety with ease. The safety can also be operated silently, which is useful in tactical situations where noise discipline is important. With a full-length NATO STANAG 4694/Mil Std 1913 rail, mounting optics and other imaging equipment will not be an issue. The AX308 has a two-stage trigger that is adjustable for trigger weight between 1500 and 2000 g (3.3 and 4.4 lbs), which allows the shooter to customize the trigger to their preference.

The rifle is equipped with a detachable 10-round double-stack magazine, which can also be top-loaded through the rifle's ejection port. The magazine port is cut out on the left side for ease of magazine insertion. The rifle weighs 6300 g (13.9 lbs) unloaded with a 610 mm (24 inch) barrel.

Accuracy International AX308, chambered for .308 Win.

Figure 1: Accuracy International AX308, chambered for .308 Win. (Source: https://www.euroopticafrica.co.za/Accuracy-International-Tactical-AXMC-Rifles-308-24-pale-brown.aspx)

Accuracy International AX308 Calibers

Accuracy International AX308 is chambered for the following calibers:

  • .308 Win.

Accuracy International AX308 Variants

Accuracy International AX308 is available in the following variants:

  • Dark Earth

  • Green

  • Pale Brown

  • Elite Sand

  • Elite Midnight

Accuracy International AX308 receiver, chambered for .308 Win.

Figure 2: Accuracy International AX308 receiver, chambered for .308 Win. (Source: https://www.euroopticafrica.co.za/Accuracy-International-Tactical-AXMC-Rifles-308-24-pale-brown.aspx)

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Accuracy International AX308

Rifles that have one-piece mounts interchangeable with Accuracy International AX308

For one-piece mounts to fit on a rifle, the mounting surfaces of these rifles must match in all dimensions. The following rifles are interchangeable:

  • All rifles with a NATO STANAG 4694/Picatinny rail

Rifles that have two-piece mounts interchangeable with Accuracy International AX308

For two-piece mounts to fit on a rifle, mounting surfaces must match in all dimensions except the B distance. B distance can vary because two-piece mounts can be installed and adjusted closer or further apart. The following rifles are interchangeable:

  • All rifles with a NATO STANAG 4694/Picatinny rail

Best Scope Mounts for Accuracy International AX308

Fixed Scope Mounts for Accuracy International AX308

We recommend the one-piece GEN-2 scope mount made by the trusted German manufacturer, ERA-TAC. It is made of aluminum and comes with a two-year warranty.

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Accuracy International AX308

For easier detachment and repeatability, while also offering adjustable inclination, we recommend the ERA-TAC GEN-2 Adjustable Inclination scope mount. It is made of aluminum and comes with a two-year warranty.

Help us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu

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VIDEO

Introduction

In recent years we can observe that a trend of Picatinny rail has become widespread and global. It is driven by the NATO standardized rails, more commonly known as the Picatinny rail standard. Picatinny rail being the New Jersey Arsenal that developed it in 1995.

These mounting options are revolutionary. The biggest and best advantage being that the Picatinny rail can be used its entire length and not bordered to a few pre-designed slots like for example the Weaver rail standard was before.

The other main advantage is the ease of use and interchangeability. If a product is meant for a Picatinny rail design it will fit all Picatinny-rails, no matter the manufacturer or date of production.

Picatinny/Weaver Rail

Picatinny Rail and Weaver rail profile

Design

The Picatinny rail is almost exclusively crafted from a single piece of metal (in some cases aluminum). In this manner, the axis of the Picatinny rail is perfectly straight and aligned with the axis of the firearm. Therefore the rifle scope which is mounted onto this kind of configuration is certainly aligned with the rifle / gun and the trajectory of the ammunition.

Weaver rail design on the other hand is usually manufactured in two separate pieces, greatly increasing the possibilities for the axis to be crooked, overlapping, and out of line.

It is always harder to align two separate pieces to a third line than it is to align one piece to another. In this way, the lapping of two mounting rings on a single-piece Picatinny rail is no longer required.

The single-piece rail will assure that both rings are perfectly aligned to each other and that no unwished stress is transferred to the riflescope.  

Picatinny compare to Weaver Rail

The Picatinny rail itself is an evolutionary step forward from the older Weaver rail. The main difference between Picatinny rail and Weaver rail is the spacing of the slots. Picatinny rail design has them evenly placed exactly 5.23 mm from one slot to the other, 3 mm deep. For this reason, the mounting options are repeatable and the same as other firearms using the Picatinny rail standard.

Interchangeability was a major driving force in the development of the new standard as different NATO armies need to be compatible with each other.

Weaver rail has 3.8mm wide slots and these slots can be placed anywhere on the Weaver rail and in any number that the producer wished.

Advantages of Picatinny design

A big advantage for using the Picatinny rail design is the ever-present recoil stop. Furthermore, the manufacturing of the rail is not very technically demanding and can be done without the use of state-of-the-art machines which greatly reduces the cost of the finished product, making it very affordable.

The Picatinny rail is easy to mount and usually, this type of configuration does not transfer negative stresses and forces from the fired weapon to the rifle scope.

In addition, the Picatinny rail with its very long useable surface works well for mounting longer rifle scopes or to achieve optimum eye relief.

The durability and toughness are other big pluses for this solution.

Manufacturers of Popular Models

A majority of the Picatinny rings are fixed, but a number of best rated European manufacturers (EAW, MAK,..) have, in recent years, put a lot of effort into the development of detachable ring with100% repeatability, with which it becomes easy to remove the scope from the weapon without the use of tools.

No re-zeroing is needed with such mount options, but these models tend to be expensive

Weaver and Picatinny Rings

Picatinny rail and weaver rail share one more thing. It is possible to use the Weaver ring and the Picatinny ring on the Picatinny-rails, but it is usually impossible to use the Picatinny ring on the Weaver base. The reason being the above-mentioned positioning and spacing of the slots.

  • Picatinny mounts have a 5mm recoil stop that goes into the rail slot and since
  • Weaver rail only has 3.8mm wide slots such rings do not fit on Weaver rails.

Due to this reason, the Picatinny-rails are popular and prevailing on the market in recent years and eventually, these options will completely oust the Weaver rail from the market.