PO Ackley Barrel

[Freezer]

  I recently picked up a Interarms MkX chambered in 7 mag.  This was a project gun for me.  It was ridden hard and put away wet.  After refinishing and floating the stock. I put a Timney trigger on it and began the bluing touch ups.  That's when I noticed the barrel was made by PO Ackley Inc.  I didn't know he had a barrel company, or did he? Could this be a custom barrel?  With the Ackley name I can only assume it's of good quality and it does shoot great!  What can you tell me about this rifle barrel combo.

[gunnut69]

Ackley was a very active gunsmith and his work is well thought of. It is also somewhat collectable.. I'm sure he would prefer it to be used and if it functions well, just enjoy.. It's a great caliber, one of my favorites.

[iiranger]

Mr. Ackley was a trained engineer, Syracuse University I believe, and he set up to do guns in the 1930s and he "did it all" to my knowledge. Rifles. Shotguns. Handguns. As a literate man, he wrote columns in many gun magazines. This is where I met him. The handgun remarks were slight. I had him rebore a barrel for me, so ... if he could rebore, makes sense he could make the whole barrel. (You don't want to know what it cost.) At the same time he was "tight" with the Rocky Mountain "names." Buhlemiller? Barnes bullets when Mr. Barnes still ran things. Mashburn. etc. (His books are a brief summary. Available from eabco.com, Sinclair, and others. Even on Ebay at times.) I would say that the poor care is very regrettable and you might have a "collector." How much? Only time will tell. Since it shoots, I am sure Mr. A is smiling... enjoy.

[halfslow]

Ackley was one of the best smiths who did the conversion of the Siamese Mausers to 45-70.
My dad had one converted in the early 1970's, and it was a beauty. I think it included re-heat treatment as part of the re-barrel job.
He would also rebarrel just about any mil surplus action for you. 
One of his most famous articles was in comparing the strength of the various WW2 bolt actions.. I remember that the 6.5 Arisaka proved to be tops.  He actually blew the barrel off the action by filling the case with powder.  The action did not appear affected in the least, to his trained eye.  BTW, the barrel was one of his chambered for one of his hot wildcats.  The price of the surplus jap rifles started to rise after that.

[halfslow]

In regards the action, I think if you look on the side of the action below the stock line, you will see ZASTAVA.  That is the factory in Yugoslavia where it was made.
Those actions were very good.

[Freezer]

Halfslow, that's true it is.  It's the barrel that I'm questioning.  I believe this is a replacement barrel but was trying to find out.  If Ackley did this work I'm very disappointed in the trigger.  May be he wasn't paid to do the trigger.  The stock is a plain Jane.  Too bad this gun really shoots.  I'd like to find someone who has one so they can tell me what their barrel says. 
    I gave my brother a type 38 Arasaka with a nice sporter stock.  He had it re-barreled to 260 Rem.  It shoots sub moa and is the talk of the deer camp.  I've read a lot of the stories.

[halfslow]

I'm sure others will add to this, but what I know is that interarms sold both actions and barreled actions.
Ackley, like most smiths, would barrel your action as well as provide the action if you desired.
I can tell you for a fact that all he put on my barrel is: "P.O.Ackley" and the caliber.
In my limited exposure to the retail sales part of shooting, I have seen a lot of after market triggers migrate from one rifle to another while in the sales rack.  Maybe yours was treated that way.  Or, whoever ordered the job from Axkley was not particularly sophisticated in the trigger department.

[Flash]

I used to own a Mark X in a 30-06 with a P O Ackley barrel and it was a kit gun. These were offered in kit form back in the 70's by CVA and Ackley supplied the barrels. The kit was a blued barreled action with the stock needing inletting and finishing. You don't see them too often but they're out there.

[Freezer]

OK, I think I can tell where this is going.  From the research I've done I believe the barrel was changed.  Ackley being in business for 60 years has a lot of these out there.  It was the first I'd seen.  The trigger was an original, not any more.  My friend hunted with it two days ago and he loves it.

[Flash]

Freezer, I wasn't attempting to sell your gun short. All I know is that mine, completed by my father and I, was purchased in a styrofoam box with a cardboard sleeve as a kit, just as the muzzle loaders were. It came fitted with a P. O. Ackley barrel.

[Freezer]

    Flash you read me wrong I didn't think that at all!  I was referring to the lack of info I could find and the fact that it was an Akley barrel with a full address.  Besides I ain't my gun any more, my friend shot it and wouldn't give it back.

[Flash]

My barrel read Salt Lake City, Utah underneath P O Ackley.......if that helps.