223 AI ???

[trapper]

I have a Rem. model 700 LTR in a 223 and was wondering what kind of performance gain could be expected by going to the 223 Ackley Improved? How big of job is this to do...details please. What do you guys think about this, is it worth doing? Any info would be appreciated........Trapper

[gunnut69]

I've no real experience with the 223 AI so really am curious myself..  I would expect the gains to be nominal as the 223 is already short necked and fairly straight sided..  Capacity gain should not be very great..  If you need more horsepower a 22-250 or Swift would seem a logical answer.  Perhaps even the 223WSSM, although that would mean a new rifle for certain..  One of the others could be built using a donor action from a shot out rifle.  Why are you contemplating the re-chamber?

[trapper]

I already have a 22-250 and a 220 swift but the little 223 still seems to be my favorite gun for plinking and varmit hunting. I don't know why, maybe a matter of personal preferance I guess.....Just looking to give the 223 a little more umph. Trying to decide if it was worth the extra $$$$.  Thanks Trapper

[kend]

I don't know how much gain you should expect, probably in the 200 fps range. The barrel would have to be set back and the new chamber cut, you can rent the reamer for this job if you don't have access to one.

[kaferhaus]

You'll only get 100 - 150 fps more.... and then with only a few powders, chances are your rifle may not like the higher speed loads anyway.

I've ackley'd two of them and it was a waste of time and money.  The 223 is about maxed out as is, has a mild report and recoil is negligible.... use it for what it is.

[coopershooter]

i have a 222 mag AI. i love it! it,s a savage, shillen barrel, chaote stock, unyrtl 20 power scope, sharp shooter trigger, and shoots .250 groups with 40 gr balistic tips, at 3800 fps. talk about efficient! it takes 28 grains of powder! compaired to 40 grains in my 22-250 AI, at 4000 fps! the 12 grain diffrence gives only two hundred fps increase. one thing about the ai cases is that they dont grow nearly as much as regular cases. i hardly have to trim ai cases at all! i never shot the parent case, but i,m sure that 3800 is a max load. i dont know how much cap. you can get with the .223ai but i like the non growing brass!

[kaferhaus]

AI'ing many cartridges is pretty much a waste unless you just want an odd-ball caliber rilfe that's going to be very hard to re-sell when you get tired of it...

Most (certainly not all) performance gains you get with the "AI" are already available just by going to another standard caliber that's easy to get brass for, doesn't cost anything for gunsmith work and maintains a better resale value.

Some are a bit more "efficient" without doubt.  But by the time you spend all that money on gunsmithing, special dies etc. etc.  You could have bought enough extra powder to wear the barrel out several times.

More "efficient" sounds good until you crunch the numbers and find out it's a bad investment monetarily.

Now if you just want something different, got money to burn and don't care about re-sale value.  Hey why not!

Been there. done that, bought the t-shirt etc. etc.