Two things:

1) Is there any resource online (manufacturer's website etc.) that showcases rifles made by A-Square? Or are they strictly custom made?

2)I know at least one if not many of you have experience with rifles of this brand. What are your experiences? What is the overall quality?

Thanks in advance guys!

I'm not an expert but the 1 A-Square that came through during bear season was a monster! 1917 Enfield action w/generic stock,not one of my fellow guides were impressed.

A lot of folks do not like the overall looks of the stock, along with the plain wood. If I had the money and the desire to own a 500 A2, then I would buy one. The plain wood does not bother me.

The A-Square rifles are by far the absolute worst handling/feeling/looking rifles that have ever touched my hands. When they came out back in the late '80's or so, I remember Art Alphin blasting every one who spoke ill of his rifles, basically saying he was the only person who knew how a dangerous game rifle should be built. The only thing more distasteful than his rifles was his attitude

I once read that the stock shape was all about minimizing felt recoil, not too pretty but supposedly effective in meeting that objective.

A-square- definition- way too expensive POS. Does the term STUPID Money mean anything to you!-Rob

I've not fired one but handled several & it's way too clumsy a stock design for my taste. It may work, but so does my M70 & it looks/feels better.

You can make your own..take a stump and drive a Enfield barreled action into it, you got an Asquare!

Ray, you are so tactfull!

Wow, I guess that answers my question =)

They're not good!

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:
Ray, you are so tactfull!

Well Fred,Ray just called a "spade" a Spade and with Aces too!

Terrible handling things after you have used a real handling rifle. I am surprised he suckered as many people in as he did before the first door closing. If someone gave me one it would go in a sale ad the next day.

Other people can make you a 500AS if one wants it.

No AH, I completely agree. I just love the way Ray puts things out there. He reminds me of....me!

Hi Guys:
I got a kick out of this one. I have met Mr. (Col.) Alphin twice at two different Shot Shows. I had called him one other time. Sad to say, each time I was suprised how unfriendly he was considering my enthusiasm, courtesy, and certain similarities in our military past. I have no hands on firing experience with his rifles. I handled several of the Hannibal types at various times. They were all very plain, clunky affairs. I always marveled at how much money was extracted in the rebarrelling, altering, and restocking of those old Enfields. Though the real test of any rifle is in the shooting, it just didn't fit my sensibilites to buy it. I am clueless as to how people sell them. Either there is a special clic of A-Square owners or some serious discounting is occurring. I will go out on a limb and suggest the later. Again in fairness shooting is the real test and to that I offer no testimonial. Of course you still have to look at it. What's that sound Lurch used to make?

This is the wrong place to speak of anything A-square. You will not get an unbiased opinion here. Better to go and see for yourself.

quote:

Originally posted by fusino:
Two things:

1) Is there any resource online (manufacturer's website etc.) that showcases rifles made by A-Square? Or are they strictly custom made?

2)I know at least one if not many of you have experience with rifles of this brand. What are your experiences? What is the overall quality?

Thanks in advance guys!

Fusino, try this: http://www.a-squarecompany.com/

Contrary to what's been said earlier , keep an open mind and do some research, you might be surprised.

Good Lord, if I ever see him at a show, I'm going to offer my services as a web designer.

He needs some serious help on that site.

Thanks for the advice guys

My experiences with Col Alphin were extremely bad as he charged me for a manual which he did not bother to send, and neither did he even bother to reply after cashing my payment.

That said, my experience with the present owner Jim Smith have been completely different and he is a complete gentleman. He not only enquired about my book order - a small one - but arranged to send it to me more than two years after I had my bad experience with Col Alphin. He has been in touch with me off and on on e-mail and has never been less then perfectly courteous.

I am sure that he has his own plans for the company and if someone is interested, you could contact him and talk to him about their products and coming range. I have seen pictures of A-Square rifles with stocks radically different form what the website lists some time ago on the Cabelas website (that particular rifle has been sold since) and elsewhere though I have no idea what they manufacture or sell since Jim Smith took over.

On the other hand, I shall invite him to comment on the company's current products here.

Best wishes,

A-Square makes basically good rifles, but they need a new stock.

The rifles are "hell for stout" and if you have your gunsmith trim the stock down you will wind up with a serviceable and reliable big bore. They are ugly but they work!

I would expect from their stock design and weight that they would handle recoil very well.

But they are so ugly and clubby, I'll never find out, because I wouldn't buy one.

I have other rifles with beautiful, more conventionally designed stocks that also handle recoil very well and will stick with them and rifles like them.

Well golly gee, I am looking at so many "I have read", "I have heard", "I saw one once", and " a buddy of my buddy told me he new a guy who had one",...type of thing.

I knew when I saw the title the opinions would come out of the woodwork on thi subject. I have not only seen one (in the flesh, not just a photo), I have seen two, I almost bought the second one. I have also spoken to Col. Alphin ret.
He is off-putting but then again there are many people who are, so what else is new?
Yes the stock is funky, it takes some getting used too.
Atkinson has handled more fine (H&H, Rigby ect.)rifles than we will likely ever see. His opinion is biased, ignore it.
I thoroughly enjoy shooting my .500 A-Square. I bought it back in 1996 from a advertisement in of all magazines Precision Shooting. That is like finding an ad for a D-9 Caterpillar in a Rolls-Royce magazine.
While "stupid money" are strong words, I bought mine previously owned with a ton of accessories and equipment so I have not been bothered by what I spent. I also figure to amortize that cost over many, many years.
Of all the firearms I own I consider the .500 to be the most fun reloading. I can drop the velocity to where I can see the bullet flying out to the target (the neices and nephews love to watch that), and then I can run the velocities up to snot-slinging.
The wood for my Hannibal is quite pretty, it was the optional grade, the other Hannibal I have handled was plain wood, but well chosen.
The stock design does reduce felt recoil.

Now that all that is said and done: you should try to locate an A-Square rifle. I know there is a feloow who posts on this board who owns a shop in SLC Utah who carries them as stock items. There are others. Try to handle one and go out for a test drive. If you do find a Hannibal, see of you can get some downloaded ammo if the caliber is heavy, you want to have fun, not get knocked around.

These boys who posted are very experienced, mostly intelligent, and some highly educated. You should expect to get some polarized opinions. Form your own though.

The A-Square stock is, big, heavy, and chunky. It's heavy, by design, as a means of dealing with recoil. It's chunky and feels awakward because the designer doesn't understand the art and science of proper stock architecture.

If the only measure of a stock was it's ability to add plenty of mass to fight recoil off the bench, then A-Square's rifle would take all honors as the greatest stock of all time.

But hunting rifle stocks must do more than fight recoil off the bench. They have to handle well and quickly in the field, provide proper balance, rapid sight alignment, blah, blah, blah.......

On this other side of the balance sheet, A-Square stocks flunk out. The ones I've handled felt awful, looked awful, exhibited fourth-rate workmanship, and I wouldn't want one --- except to buy low and sell high at a gunshow.........

AD

Some years ago at my first SCI show at Reno, I looked over the A-Square Rifles as I was considering a 500 at that time. Upon shouldering it, it was so out of proportion and clunky for me, I backed off. I actually owe Art one for helping me with my decision not to buy that junk as he was very abrasive as to my lack of knowledge of fine big bore rifles. Later, I met Frank Wells and inspected and shouldered one of his pieces in 500 Jefery, a great rifle, albeit pricey, but Art was right nothing equaled his stump rifle.

American Hunting Rifles does a great job stocking big bores, IMO.

Dak

I bought a used ASquare several years ago at a fraction of what new rifles were been marketed at, and it does look about like a 4x4 fencepost (with nice grain) with a pipe sticking out one end. With that said, it would consistently shoot 3 barnes X's into 3/4".

It is most definitely not a work of art (no pun intended), and I totally agree that the stock needs some trimming down to make it handle more crisply.

I will probably have it turned into a 500ASQ or something similar one of these days.

Steve