Gentlemen:

I just had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Art Alphin of the A-Square company. He mentioned that he currently has the following rifles finished and in stock:

577 Tyrannosaur
500 A-Square
495 A-Square
470 Capstick
458 Lott
450 Ackley
460 A-Square short

Prices are $3100 per rifle, except the T-Rex which is $3680. Recoil pads are not installed yet, so you can choose your preferred length of pull.

He also has barreled actions in stock in case someone wants to express a stock preference.

Loaded ammo, brass and bullets are also in stock.

Contact info:

Art Alphin
Mon-Fri 9-4
Tel: 812 283 0577
Fax: 812 283 0375

Their website is currently down.

That's excellent. And I take it that yours was a good experience with Mr. Alphin? Did you visit the A-Square shop or just speak with him?

I am glad that A-Square is still around. I own their book and the company seemed to have a lot of pretty good ideas. Do you know if Alphin is now full owner of the A-Square company again? I understand he lost it some time ago due to trouble with the ATF, but was still working with the company as a consultant.

And I wouldn't worry about their website being down. It wasn't much of a website to begin with...

Tex,

I spoke with Art on the phone. I have two copies of the A2 reloading manual - one for home and another for my office.

A few years back A2 ran into financial trouble because of the BATF raid and confiscation of all of their inventory and equipment. It took a couple of years, but A2 got everything back and no charges were filed, so it was just another example of abuse of federal power. Then A2 brought in an investor, Mr. Smith, who was running the day to day operations. However, the investor is now ill, so Mr. Alphin is managing the company again. Best wishes to Mr. Smith for a full recovery, and best wishes to A-Square to continue to be a leader in the field of big bore rifles.

Dear 500,

Good news, AA is always in the biz. I see You remain a big bore fan, sure You have no fillings in your mouth.
Don’t count on enticing me to get a new rifle, the Chapuis 470 You recommended me will arrive in a couple of days. (I am too lazy to drive 3 hours).

Does AA make usual calibres too?

I looked at the picture you display.
It’s very generous of you to bring disable youngsters along on safari.

I confused. Half of the people on here have put down A2 every chance you got and now your praising them.
Which side of the fence are you on?

Looks like the quality is at the level it is supposed to be.

Both sides of course.

Colonel Alphin has been accused of having an abrasive personality. If that were a crime I would have been hung from the nearest lampost before my eighth birthday.

Many people don't care for the "clunky" lines of the various AA stock styles, but the do mitigate the effects of recoil. These days there is a plethora of magnum rifle actions to choose from, but that wasn't the case back in the early 1980's. AA thus used Enfield actions. Again, not the prettiest piece of metal, but certainly stout enough for the job.

AA led the way in reviving many worthy big bore cartridges, and provided brass where none had been available for a long time. It wasn't the best brass in the world, except in those cases where it was the only brass available in a given caliber. Then it actualy was the best in the world.

No one deserves an unjust confiscation of their life's work by an out of control federal agency. We all hope that AA gets rolling again so that we can decry their "clunky" stocks, and bitch about personalities.

lawndart

I had a nice chat with Art, bought a rifle, some loading manuals, and lots of ammunition. It was nice talking with him

Aleko