Movies and video games fascinate the masses.  The most popular films and games in these mediums are action/shooters.  These mediums allow us to “utilize” a wide variety of weaponry in a safe manner in a world that is contained in the digital form.  Several guns stand out in these formats and the Accuracy International MKIII is one of them.

Accuracy International (AI) is no exception to the “cool” factor when it comes to guns. The British Military utilizes the L115A1 version for their issued sniper rifle and it makes appearance throughout cinema and video games has become an iconic weapon system.  Featuring some similar properties it the AI MKIII .308 Precision Rifle.

Tri-City Swat here in Minnesota was kind enough to lend one to us at 2 If By Sea Tactical to look at and work with.  Accuracy International is a company based out of Portsmouth, Hampshire, England and was started by British Olympic Gold Medalist Malcolm Cooper & Sarah Cooper in 1978.  Now the company is known for their military rifles and is partially owned by the British government.  

Gun Laws in the UK are wildly complicated and restrictive.  Most Brits do not own guns, and do not have a favorable view of them.  This limits firearm companies in the U.K to gain popularity throughout the world.  This, coupled with a litany of missteps in firearm design and manufacturing, has put a sour taste in the U.S. market for British guns. 

AI, however, defies these principles.  They manufacture excellent precision weapon systems that have a high degree of accuracy and reliability.  The most famous of their weapon systems is the L115A1 sniper platform.  The MKIII is another similarly designed system developed for the Law Enforcement market. The stock on these rifles is a synthetic polymer blend.  Despite this these guns are quite heavy weighing around 25 lbs.  This makes the forward mounted tri-pod essential for control and stability.

 This one has been in service with the Tri-City SWAT Team of Scott & Carver County.  Precision rifles like this are unusual in SWAT service where the Remington 700 reigns supreme.  This is mostly due to cost.  AI rifles tend to have a price tag in the U.S. of around $9,000 per rifle.  There is also an availability issue of them in the United States.

Since this is a U.K. based firearms company, they must be imported into the U.S. which is an arduous process.  There are only two importers of these rifles in the U.S. one based out of Colorado and the other out of Texas.  This further drives up their price and makes their influence among American firearm enthusiast limited. 

Guns such as these really inspire the minds of people everywhere.  Seeing such an iconic pop-culture firearm in the real world is a treat and we were excited to share it with you!  Be sure to check out our Youtube video on this firearm.