dromia wrote:I've had a few M10s and M10As through my hands over the years, some of them are excellent shooters and some aren't they seem to be a pig in a poke.
I've always fancied an M10A but would only buy one that I had seen shoot.
Evidently they tried to flog them to the Canadians who had this to say about they and could explain their varied ability to shoot. Extract courtesy of Steve Redgwell's site.
Excerpt from a Canadian government document concerning the military's Small Arms Replacement Project II (SARP 2):
13. A company based in Australia, Australian International Arms (AIA), markets a M10 No.4 Mk IV Modern Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) Rifle in 7.62mm NATO calibre. This rifle is a replica of the Lee Enfield but in appearance only. The cost of this rifle, less ancillaries is approximately $800.00 (Cdn). The CF technical authority for small arms, DSSPM 5, on 24 Jul 08 conducted an initial examination of the AIA rifle because in appearance it closely resembles the current Lee Enfield. The technical authority concluded that the rifle would not meet the Canadian Ranger’s requirement without significant modification and re-engineering because it is cheaply made.
14. The Australian International Arms M10 No 4 Mk IV SMLE Rifle fires a 7.62 x 51mm NATO cartridge and at first glance appears to meet the CF requirement as a replacement for the Canadian Ranger Rifle. The rifle is assembled from parts manufactured from throughout South-East Asia in locations such as as Viet Nam, Thailand (teak stocks) and Indonesia. The barrel is hammer-forged in Australia. The general assessment is that the rifle is accurate and attractively priced, but it was clearly designed for the civilian recreational shooting market and it is not a military product. Many parts of the rifle are cheaply made and would likely fail under testing.
Yep, good idea poorly executed.
AIA have all but disappeared. They are still listed as a Company in Queensland but IMO they've made their money and buggered off.
I'd have a M10-A2 for a donor action (if it was cheap enough) to re-barrel it to 6.5x39mm.
“The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.”
Paul101 wrote:Just put a deposit on an AIA 7.62x39 M10A , one previous owner who's in his 70's.
his sons bought it for him about 5 years ago, only fired about 50 times.
So my FAC is away for a variation, then its mine, all mine.
Have been looking into sub-loading with lead gas checked boolits for the clubs 50mtr outdoor range.
You won't need gas checked boolits for fifty yards shooting, soft plain based boolits around the 125 gn mark will serve you better at less cost. Tumble lubed in 45/45/10 or Xlox. 4-7gns of any fast pistol powder, N310, work up in .2 gn increments to find the best velocity for good groups.
This is a good boolit for such rifles and distance, NOE's version of the Harris designed boolit for the AK and SKS rifles. Lee do a tumble lube version and a grease groove version if you want to take a gamble on getting a decent mould.
I use 125 grain cast boolits no gas checks with 3.6grains of N310 in mine at 25yards. Only problem I have is they don't feed from the magazine very well because of the shape of the boolit. I single load them and shoot them of the bench supported.
Paul101 wrote:Just put a deposit on an AIA 7.62x39 M10A , one previous owner who's in his 70's.
his sons bought it for him about 5 years ago, only fired about 50 times.
So my FAC is away for a variation, then its mine, all mine.
Have been looking into sub-loading with lead gas checked boolits for the clubs 50mtr outdoor range.
You won't need gas checked boolits for fifty yards shooting, soft plain based boolits around the 125 gn mark will serve you better at less cost. Tumble lubed in 45/45/10 or Xlox. 4-7gns of any fast pistol powder, N310, work up in .2 gn increments to find the best velocity for good groups.
This is a good boolit for such rifles and distance, NOE's version of the Harris designed boolit for the AK and SKS rifles. Lee do a tumble lube version and a grease groove version if you want to take a gamble on getting a decent mould.
Thanks for the info. FAC posted thurs to Norfolk Cons., they're fairly quick.
Good luck Paul
Hopefully yours will take less time than my original application-best part of 9 months :cool2: Subsequent variations etc have been turned round in lightning time thou so credit where its due.
P.s. Was that the AIA M10A that I spied down at Horsford last Sunday? Nice looking rifle
I don't think that many actually made it into shooters' hands here. The importer was Sabre Defence Industries (RIP) and Guy Savage its MD got in touch with me a few months after the rifles first became available desperate to get a review of the 7.62X39 model into print. He was pretty open about it - they weren't selling and needed any help he could get to shift them. A rifle was promised to be with me 'within days'. Anyway, it never turned up, there was no explanation, and suddenly Mr Savage couldn't be contacted, emails weren't answered etc. At the time, I reckoned he'd managed to do a deal to offload most of them, probably in another country, and so didn't have a problem anymore. I know one or two people who tried to, or actually managed to, get one in either version / calibre and the 7.62X39s were only very briefly available to gunshop orders it seemed. More of the 7.62x51s seemed to make it into shooters' hands, but I never met an owner who was really satisfied with this model. Within 12 months of them first appearing as new builds, they started turning up in gunshops described as 'little used secondhand'.
They are a bit clunky and can take a bit of fettling. Mine never fed very well from the original magazine. I got rid of the magazine and fitted a after market 5 round one that is much better. I fitted a telescopic sight on mine all though the iron sights worked Ok. I have removed the flash hider or whatever you call it and made a muzzle break for it I think it looks better. Mine is OK accuracy wise but just Ok it will never be a tack driver. Its a fun gun no good for serious target work. If you are looking for a slick smooth actioned carbine that shoots one hole groups at hundreds of yards this is not the rifle to do it. But they are different and they all ways attract peoples interest on the firing point.
Thanks for the info. FAC posted thurs to Norfolk Cons., they're fairly quick.
Good luck Paul
Hopefully yours will take less time than my original application-best part of 9 months :cool2: Subsequent variations etc have been turned round in lightning time thou so credit where its due.
P.s. Was that the AIA M10A that I spied down at Horsford last Sunday? Nice looking rifle
yep, had a crappy scope on it, but it shot fairly good.
my last variation last Oct only took 5 working days. hope its as quick this time.
Laurie wrote:I don't think that many actually made it into shooters' hands here. The importer was Sabre Defence Industries (RIP) and Guy Savage its MD got in touch with me a few months after the rifles first became available desperate to get a review of the 7.62X39 model into print. He was pretty open about it - they weren't selling and needed any help he could get to shift them. A rifle was promised to be with me 'within days'. Anyway, it never turned up, there was no explanation, and suddenly Mr Savage couldn't be contacted, emails weren't answered etc. At the time, I reckoned he'd managed to do a deal to offload most of them, probably in another country, and so didn't have a problem anymore. I know one or two people who tried to, or actually managed to, get one in either version / calibre and the 7.62X39s were only very briefly available to gunshop orders it seemed. More of the 7.62x51s seemed to make it into shooters' hands, but I never met an owner who was really satisfied with this model. Within 12 months of them first appearing as new builds, they started turning up in gunshops described as 'little used secondhand'.
Possibly something to do with Savage being arrested and deported to the US! Last seen being frogmarched onto an airliner bound for America.
