243 ackley

R

rusty dog

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can some one give the the max. case lenght for a 243 winchester improved (ackley)
thank you bill t
 
Typically ackleys are the same as the parent case as far as max length so that factory ammo can be fireformed in the chamber. But, it depends on who ordered the reamer & what they wanted originally. If you know who chambered the barrel, it would be best to get that info from them to be sure.
 
rusty dog said:
can some one give the the max. case lenght for a 243 winchester improved (ackley)
thank you bill t
Click to expand...

I've run into this before and was not successful - so I typically use the length data from the reloading book. Not saying that this is the best solution, but it has worked for me in several A.I. chambered rifles.
 
For it to truly be an Ackley the OAL must be the same as the parent case altho the case will fireform to significantly shorter. The resultant empty area of the neck is called "gapspace." This gapspace is one of the (IMO) negative aspects of this design. I went so far as to have reamers ground for the shortened cases but I ended up dropping this chambering from my lineup over time because of (again IMO) irreparable sizing problems generated by the long 40degree shoulder.

hth

al
 
Chamber Length Gauges

are available from Sinclair's., they are cheap and easy to use & will not harm your chamber. You will ruin one case but you will know exactly what your chamber length is.
 
alinwa said:
For it to truly be an Ackley the OAL must be the same as the parent case although the case will fire-form to significantly shorter. The resultant empty area of the neck is called "gapspace." This gapspace is one of the (IMO) negative aspects of this design. I went so far as to have reamers ground for the shortened cases but I ended up dropping this chambering from my lineup over time because of (again IMO) irreparable sizing problems generated by the long 40 degree shoulder.

hth

al
Click to expand...

I have left Ackley chambers behind for this and other reasons. You gain something and loose something. I found the gain not worth what I lost.
 
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rusty dog said:
can some one give the the max. case lenght for a 243 winchester improved (ackley)
thank you bill t
Click to expand...

The case length of the 243 AI fired case will be 15 to 20 thou shorter than the original parent case. If you have a shortness of 15 to 20 thou, plus the original extra in the chamber, you will easily have 20 or more thou of free space before you get to the end of the chamber with your fired cases.

You will never have that much case growth with a 243 AI... unless you are the worst handloader that ever pulled a handle.

So, pick your shortest fire-formed case, clean up the mouth, and then trim the rest to match it.

Then don't worry, be happy.
 
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