10-29-2012, 05:38 AM
The company was based in Brisbane, Australia with the parts largely being made in SE Asia, including Vietnam. For this last reason they were not able to be imported into the USA (US still has a trade embargo going with Vietnam). Some made it into Canada and were then imported to the USA 'without telling anybody'. The rifles were assembled in Australia using Australian made barrels.
The new company is also based in Brisbane, but more than that I cannot say. They are a fairly popular firearm with the service rifle guys as the 7.62x51 No.4T variant is quite accurate (for a service rifle). I suspect (but don't know) that the 'new' AIA is the 'old' AIA with a cash injection to operate again. Prices are typically high, spare parts can be an issue (and they don't use No.4Mk1 parts) and they are quite heavy compared to most modern rifles.
The 7.62x39 variant is really quite heavy for the cartridge. Despite appearances, the magazine is not an AK magazine (at least not those in Australia).
The new company is also based in Brisbane, but more than that I cannot say. They are a fairly popular firearm with the service rifle guys as the 7.62x51 No.4T variant is quite accurate (for a service rifle). I suspect (but don't know) that the 'new' AIA is the 'old' AIA with a cash injection to operate again. Prices are typically high, spare parts can be an issue (and they don't use No.4Mk1 parts) and they are quite heavy compared to most modern rifles.
The 7.62x39 variant is really quite heavy for the cartridge. Despite appearances, the magazine is not an AK magazine (at least not those in Australia).