can a handi be ackley-afied

[mitchell]

well i got some ideas a burning again i'm thinking about the 25-06 ackley and the 6mm-06 ackley . well i think the 6mm-06 imp wouldn't be that hard but what of the 25-06imp ? is there enough metal to get a good cut  you can't really set the barrel back on a handi so?

one other quick question on the 6mm-06imp . could that be done by hand or is that something a at home gunsmith couldn't do?

[Donaldo]

Mitch....
Don't want to through water on your plans, but there is a practical limit on how much powder you can burn behind a bullet.  If you are after velocity only, you might think along the lines of the 284 case.  The 6mm-284 is getting some play now, that and the 6.5x284.  However velocity and accuracy seldon go together.  The most accurate loads are generally something less than max in almost any cartridge, not always but most of the time.  I used to think that way but now I am trying to find a way to burn less powder.  I think the 243 has more case than it needs, for good accuracy that is.  I am even thinking a 6mm-250 case is about right.  This combo is pretty close to a round called the 6mm International.  Anyway that p-dog or deer ain't gonna care how fast that bullet is going if it misses him.  But hey, have fun with your project.  Oh yeah, these are probably not DIY projects unless you have a good lathe, and the knowledge.

[handirifle]

I read an article a while back of a guy with a 6-06 (not the AI) and he was pushing a 90gr Nosler at about 3600 I believe.  Shot a antelope at about 450yds, if I remember correctly.  His was a very accurate combo.  The lope dropped like it was hit with a sledghammer he said.

This should be about the same as a 243 WSSM from what I've read.

The Handi should have more than suffecient room for the improvement, but I'd leave it to a good smith.

[Leftoverdj]

A 6mm-06 would take way too much reaming for me to do by hand. The chamber would almost certainly wind up eggshaped or out of line.

Unless you lucked into an absolute minimum chamber, you could not turn a .25-06 into a true AI that would still be suitable for factory cartridges. You could very easily use an AI reamer and AI dies to create an almost AI .25-06 that took reformed .270 brass. Its shoulder would have to be few thous further out than a true .25-06 AI. That could easily be done by hand.

[Fred M]

Mitchell

A better case to use would be a 280 Rem it has the shoulder neck junction further forward than the 270. Set up the 25-06 AI reamer so you can chamber a 280 case without head space or flush with the back of the Handi barrel.

Fire form the cases with about 20gr of 700X and cream of wheat and you are ready to go. Or you can fire form with bullets. This would not be a true 25-06AI because you could not fire factory 25-06 ammo, but it would clean up the chamber and shorten the free bore by .046".

You would need custom dies for this baby. Also it is a pretty good wild cat but also very inefficient. It is called a 25-280AI.

The 25-06 has more juice then you would ever need in a 25 bore. The problem turning a Handi into an AI is case life.  That is because of the action stretch and the extra three thou you need for trouble free action closure. 8 reloads is all you can expect compared to nearly unlimited reloads in a bolt gun.

So if you don't mind fire forming and case prep, AI's are ok in a Handi.

[Alaninga]

and the 30/30 I had made a very nice 30/30 AI. Rimmed cases are ok to blow forward/sharpen shoulder/blow taper out. Headspace, if it was done correctly at factory [some are sloppy] will be fine with the AI round. Rimless Ackley rounds need a TIGHTER headspace at the very narrow contact point which on a rimless round is right at the base of the neck. If you ream a Handi barrel in a rimless round to AI,,you technically will have EXCESS headspace. EXCESS headspace can be overcome with case sizing technique,,but, the chamber WILL be excessive in headspace, and possibly a danger to anyone fireing a standard round in it.
I have made many Ackley chambers,,most on bolt actions that the barrel can be set back to the tighter - CORRECT headspace. I have also corrected a few bolt rifles that were 'reamed' to an Ackley without removing the barrel. Prior to correcting the headspace,,the chamber would shoot ok, but brass would not last as long,,and the margin of SAFETY is lessened. MAYBE it will be ok,,,but it's not worth the chance that a weak case will let go and destroy the rifle. Find a rimmed handi barrel and Improve it--the 30/30 is a great one to do.
alan in ga.

[mitchell]

well it was just an idea but if its not safe then well poop :cry: oh well

[Alaninga]

is to start with a small chamber. If the NEF was offered in .257 Robt....you could clean up the chamber and have a 25/06 Ackley with correct headspace. A smaller chamber and correct [same] bore can sometimes produce the correct AI chamber. But trying to chamber the same round to it's Ackley Improved version means setting the barrel back to achieve less headspace. You 'can' make ok cases by seating the bullet out to jam lands and/or blow neck LARGER than the factory caliber - then sizing back to get crush fit on 'new' neck/shoulder,,,but still the possibility remains that someone in the future will put factory standard ammo in and fire in chamber with 0.005" t0 0.010" too much headspace. One problem is that the factory already allows a few thousanths too much headspace even with factory chambers - a product of 'production runs'.
Nice thought tho.

[Mitch in MI]

One problem is that the factory already allows a few thousanths too much headspace even with factory chambers - a product of 'production runs'.

I gaged a couple of new unfired 280 barrels. One was right in the middle between go and no-go headspace for a new chamber, the other would take a no-go gage with maybe 1/2 thou to spare. If I could cut a perfect AI chamber on the shorter gun, I'd be .006 beyond perfect at the neck junction. (AI should be .004 under minimum spec and I'm already .002 over before I start cutting) This wouldn't be ideal, but it should be workable. The long chambered gun might be a candidate for 280 Gibbs or 7mm JRS, but no way would I try to AI it and shoot factory ammo.

[Alaninga]

make your own cases,,and just be sure to never offer the barrel to someone without stamping it to ID it I guess. I had a .250 Savage that a gunsmith reamed without barrel setback long before I aquired my own lathes. When I sold it, I sold it to a machinist that knew exactly what had been done, and that it had excess headspace per "specs". Or do a GIBBs and be done with it.