bobthenailer Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 Following my question from yesterdays post I'm looking for the same end users opinion on the AI-AXMC in regard of running short action calibres with it. I know that I will need a second bolt and magazine adaptor. I will be looking at running a .300 Win-Mag, .308 and .260, (I have slots for all three) My question is: How well do the short action cartridges feed? I have heard stories that it can be a bit hit and miss? Again this cannot be confirmed or denied 100% by anyone that I know so hoping to get an educated no B/S answer on here. This could be the answer... Kind regards, Bob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biged85 Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 Have you purchased the rifle yet? The reason I ask, is that I had a butchers at the new AX MK111 while at the BSS. My understanding is that it is a long action but they have now incorporated a short-action calibre adapter into the magazine itself which offers vastly improved feed. Available in cals are .338 Norma, .300 Norma, .300 Win mag, .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor They have also got a new forend with Arca rail and they have added an ambi AR15 style 3-position safety catch. No idea on availability though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotch_egg Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 The new .308/.260/6.5CM length magazine will fit the older AXMC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthenailer Posted February 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 Hi, No I haven't brought it yet or even committed to doing so, I did read about the new "improved" MC rifle. The AX - MC has been around for a while now and it was that model that I was referring to when I asked about feeding issues with short action calibres, Call me suspicious but I would ask why a company would bring out a NEW IMPROVED version of the BEST in the world if it was indeed the best? Maybe I would be better with a standard short action AX and get a stand alone .300 WM? Still open to opinions though. Kind regards, Bob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biged85 Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 If as Scotch_egg says, the new magazines fit the older AXMC then I would wait to find out from others if they improve feed/reliability in the real world. The improvements are genuine in my opinion. Although I don't know if the improved rifle comes with improved price........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 I’d look towards the US forums and ask their view too there are many users of the MC platform there Weight would be a major negative for me if your intended use is cull work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthenailer Posted February 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 Hi Ronin, Yes thank you you are correct, I was just hoping to kill two birds with one stone with the ability to run a standard & magnum chamber on the same platform. Maybe a stand alone Magnum for those windy end of season times would be the better option. Thank you for pulling me back into the real world, 12 months off and I forget how steep, long, wet and boggy those hills can be on a 2 week trip 😉 Kind regards, Bob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 Suggestion custom build on long action mausingfield or Bighorn TL3, Pse etac stock, couple of barrels but you would have to use a long action magazine - one adapted to 473” case diameter - one magnum case head I honestly don’t know if the mag would work with short action cartridge and not tipple forwards But it’s worth considering Or Use short action bolt action (as above brands) and magazine and a select Wsm cartridge which can be made to feed in short action aics (I’ve done this with 7mmwsm) Both TL3 and Mausingfield have removable bolt head and can swap to magnum and standard case head easily Im sure there are other actions that you could do this with too (Ultimatum Deadline is one ) Err, of course there is a Blaser R8 option ,,,,, I know of several professional cullers who use them and are happy with performance - they do have a propensity to aquire brown deposits if not cleaned or oiled often though ,,,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthenailer Posted February 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 I'm so anti Blaser its unreal Ha Ha, I bought one once to keep as a client rifle as all the foreign clients seemed to love them... I hated it so much I couldn't allow it to live in my cabinet 😐 Got rid of it sharpish! I don't know where my distaste for the Blaser comes from, I have NEVER used one that didn't shoot like a laser, I even went on a shooting industry range day at WMS and shot the snot out of the R8 I was given for the day at some very long ranges... It never missed a beat all day and performed flawlessly, I just don't like them and I cannot get past it? I have a shyness for a full custom job too, The ones that I have seen in use seem a bit highly strung if that makes sense? I need something that if and when it breaks (Usually because I have dropped it down a rocky face or rode the Quad over it I can get it repaired without too much hassle. When I busted up my shoulder and couldn't manage the TRG weight I used a plain old factory Tikka T3 Varmint in .308...Never missed a beat all season 90+ days on the hills and forests. Maybe I should have stuck with that ha ha! Kind regards, Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catch-22 Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 My Defiance Mutant XL action in an Eliseo RTM chassis is butter smooth in both long and short action config. The long (XL) action has two bolts, whilst the chassis has two lowers to support long and short action mags. Think of the upper and lowers like that on an AR15. Change the lower, bolt and barrel and I can shoot anything. I currently have barrels in 6.5x47, .30-06 and .338 Norma Magnum. Totally butter smooth and never had any feeding issues. Though it is a target gun, not a culling gun (it does weigh in at 24lbs with scope, bipod and a full mag of .338NM). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 Nice, but butter smooth equals tight tolerances and may not be ideal in “field” conditions Weight may also put Bob off 😃 Bets it ace to rock up at the angle and shoot that range of calibre off one platform though - remincient of Tubb ATR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One on top of two Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 44 minutes ago, Catch-22 said: My Defiance Mutant XL action in an Eliseo RTM chassis is butter smooth in both long and short action config. The long (XL) action has two bolts, whilst the chassis has two lowers to support long and short action mags. Think of the upper and lowers like that on an AR15. Change the lower, bolt and barrel and I can shoot anything. I currently have barrels in 6.5x47, .30-06 and .338 Norma Magnum. Totally butter smooth and never had any feeding issues. Though it is a target gun, not a culling gun (it does weigh in at 24lbs with scope, bipod and a full mag of .338NM). Hi maintenance! that wouldn’t last 5 mins stalking on the hills , as long as you could lug it up there 😂 give me a slack bolt any day 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catch-22 Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 Agreed, I wasn’t suggesting its use it for stalking! That would be daft. My point was you can have rifles setup to feed short and long action without issue. Personally I wouldn’t consider adapting stocks etc to make it work. You’ll end up spending loads of time and money with a gunsmith to make it work. Use a chassis system that’s proven and designed for that very purpose. The AI’s are configured for hard Mil use, so should fit the bill nicely. But I agree with Ronin’s point that the weight will make it very tough to drag around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthenailer Posted February 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 That’s very nice and some clever engineering there, last time I had to carry something that weighed that much up a hill in the field it was belt fed ha ha... I was 20 years younger and 20 years dumber though 😃 Kind regards, Bob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One on top of two Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 47 minutes ago, Catch-22 said: Agreed, I wasn’t suggesting its use it for stalking! That would be daft. My point was you can have rifles setup to feed short and long action without issue. Personally I wouldn’t consider adapting stocks etc to make it work. You’ll end up spending loads of time and money with a gunsmith to make it work. Use a chassis system that’s proven and designed for that very purpose. The AI’s are configured for hard Mil use, so should fit the bill nicely. But I agree with Ronin’s point that the weight will make it very tough to drag around. I’m only playing 👍 I can truly appreciate everything in the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catch-22 Posted February 19, 2020 Report Share Posted February 19, 2020 No bother, didn’t take offence. You are right, it would indeed not be suitable for the hills. But it is perfect for reaching out to 2000m 😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ds1 Posted February 20, 2020 Report Share Posted February 20, 2020 Bob, I use a 338 AXMC for practical type stuff - as you are well aware they are very robust / reliable platforms. The way I made mine a lot more balanced and portable was by using 20” barrels. Yes you give up some speed but the difference is massive when it comes to positional shooting. FWIW I have not noticed an appreciable real word difference in accuracy out to 800m with the 20 inch barrel compared to the 27 inch. I f you can get hold of an AXMC - unscrew the barrel - feel the weight and balance of the chassis and work out if that is ok for you - if it is your then onto barrel length and or material steel or carbon for your “light” stalking setup. I would definitely recommend 20” for that. pic 20” on left 27” on right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthenailer Posted February 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2020 Thank you, I would definitely use a 20" Barrel as a matter of course, I think that every rifle I have had for the past 10/15 years has had the chop back to 20 or shorter treatment. For me they just work fine. Typically with my hand loads I'm getting 2840 with 155 A-Max which works for me, Newer contracts demand Lead free so will probably run either 150 GMX or 175 DRt's so still would be fine from 202 tube. kind regards, Bob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted February 20, 2020 Report Share Posted February 20, 2020 Lead free 308 Bob you need to be 120-130 g territory You need higher velocity for non lead to open up properly regardless of brand Heavier projectiles (like for like with lead core) tend not to open resulting in poor terminal ballistics and “follow up” Without entering into specifics re numbers for work, I use 95 g in 6.5/47 and 6.5/284 both in excess of 3000 FPS with DRT results every time Normal lead core would be 120 in the 47 and 143 in the 6.5 284 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthenailer Posted February 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2020 Hi Ronin, I was part of the first Non Toxic trials for a large organisation/estate that shall remain nameless, This was 15 odd years ago when only very few non lead projectiles were available to general shooting outlets. We tried everything that we could get hold of and even had some hand turned by who was then considered to be a bullet design genius... Non of them worked particularly well and as you say they had to be driven close to warp factor for any kind of terminal performance. Both of us destroyed barrels over a couple of seasons running too hot, If we ran them any faster we would have needed a launch code and red button 😏 A few years later Hornaday GMX and Nosler E-Tips came onto the market, These were a marked improvement but still were reliant on high speeds and terminal performance drops rapidly as velocity reduces at range. I have followed the writings of a chap in NZ called Nathan Foster who has done some fantastic ballistic testing using non lead projectiles and its from his studies that I decided on the 175 DRT's. They are a fully frangible projectile powdered inert metal construction, Worth a look? Sorry to hijack and go off topic on my own thread :-) Kind regards, Bob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted February 20, 2020 Report Share Posted February 20, 2020 Think I am guilty of that too Have used lathe turned solids for similar amount of years whilst not involved in any trial I am close to those who were involved and are employed in my area There are many types available now - I solely use GS Custom HP They are worthy of a look but require to be loaded as per Gerard Shultz (Gs) guidelines which is simple to do They are length tolerant, accurate and offer impressive terminal and external ballistics The 95 g I spoke of earlier offer similar trajectory to 123 scenar and work “at distance” Anyway enough side track Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthenailer Posted February 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2020 Cheers for the info Ronin, I may PM you in regards of non toxic projectiles if that’s ok with you? Kind regards, Bob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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