# Another Ackley Improved Thread... Sorry!, but I'm interested



## huntnfish08 (Nov 10, 2007)

I am interested in AI a rifle or two of mine and my fathers. A few questions about the procedure. Sorry if this was covered in the AI for youths instead of Magnums thread. I only read a page and was fed up with the bickering.

1. When reaming the barrel out to AI; Does the barrel need to be taken apart from the action or just take the barreled action off the stock?

2. After fireforming; Do case necks need to be trimmed to a consistent length or are they ready to load.

The two rifles in question are my fathers Stevens Mod 340, 30-30Win and my new to me CZ 527 in .223Rem. I want to get a little more performance out of the 30-30 by reloading better bullets and more velocity. I would be happy with the extra velocity in the .223 but I am more interested in case life and neck sizing only. :sniper:

Thanks for any input,
Adam

Again, sorry if this has been covered.


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## MagnumManiac (Feb 19, 2008)

huntnfish08 said:


> I am interested in AI a rifle or two of mine and my fathers. A few questions about the procedure. Sorry if this was covered in the AI for youths instead of Magnums thread. I only read a page and was fed up with the bickering.
> 
> 1. When reaming the barrel out to AI; Does the barrel need to be taken apart from the action or just take the barreled action off the stock?
> 
> ...


To answer the first question, yes the barrel has to come off, it needs to be re-set one full turn, or in other words shortened by a full turn, then chambered to the AI round.
The reason for this is that the AI round must have negative headspace to function correctly, or be a crush fit in the chamber.

Second question, the brass may actually shrink in the neck when fireformed, it may take several loadings to bring it up to spec, so trim square to begin with and keep an eye on length as you load.

The 30-30 might be a worthwhile exercise, but the 223 may not be, you can neck size alone in the standard 223 case without trouble.
I do not see any gain in the 223AI, others might.
Cheers.
MagnumManiac.

:sniper:


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## GUNSHIP (Jan 18, 2007)

HF

Don't drink the Kool Aid about blazing velocity gains with the Ackley cartridges. Ain't gonna happen, like MM states in his reply. Their main claim to fame is longer case life and better accuracy.

I have Ackleys in 223, 243, 6,5x68 and 2 22-250's with one in 1>8 twist for heavy projectiles.

Also if you have read about the 19 Calibers, Jim Calhoon gave them an Ackley styled shoulder, and they are very accurate.

One thing nice about the Ackley styled carts is you can fire the standard cartridge and fireform brass, saves money, components and time.

I have a CZ527 the was converted to 19 Badger by Calhoon and it is a dream to shoot. One of the Smiths from North Dakota was an inovator for the cartridge. He and Calhoon got together and further perfected it.

I am frugal (cheapskate) and have up to 15 firings on some of my 223 cases and when the necks split I just chuck them. I really don't baby them. I have never had a case separation either.

Good luck on your projects and keep us posted on how they work for you.

Best wishes, Bill


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## huntnfish08 (Nov 10, 2007)

The 30-30 was the one I am most interested in. I talked to the gun smith today. He said $150-200 for the barrel work. Not worth it on that old Stevens 325. That cash will buy a lot of powder, primers and lead. The brass is the cheapest component of all so whats case life anyway?!

Adam


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## Csquared (Sep 5, 2006)

> The reason for this is that the AI round must have negative headspace to function correctly, or be a crush fit in the chamber.


Would you please explain this in more detail. I have never heard any of that before, so I'm lost on the logic.


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