Issue with forming AI brass

[Creedmoor shooter]

So my we got my dad's shilen select match barrel on tonight in 22-250AI. He tried fire forming his brass and something is definitely not right. I'll attach a pic of the brass coming out. These are very warm loads and even with the bullet jammed. What's the thoughts on this brass? Is our headspace too tight? This is off a savage action.

 

[J E Custom]

So my we got my dad's shilen select match barrel on tonight in 22-250AI. He tried fire forming his brass and something is definitely not right. I'll attach a pic of the brass coming out. These are very warm loads and even with the bullet jammed. What's the thoughts on this brass? Is our headspace too tight? This is off a savage action.

I don't know if his chamber is done the way PO Ackley recommended (.004 thousandths shorter than the Parent case) but I definitely don't recommend seating the bullet against the lands.

You can fire factory loads if the chamber has the .004 crush and standard freebore.(Bullets seated to -.020 shorter than the mag length.

When fired this way the shoulders are nicely shaped but not sharp edged. and the shoulder aligns the case so there is no need to seat the bullet against the lands plus it can raise the pressure. If you reload new cases, load near the minimum load and with the bullet seated shorter than magazine length.

The ring you see near the shoulder is the original body shoulder junction so don't be alarmed. once you tumble them it will disappear.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

It's hard to tell in the pic but the shoulder never changed. It just got that ring around the top other than that the shoulder is still the same as a standard 22-250. He was sent a piece of AI brass from a member here, he ran that through his 22-250ai FL die and that still won't chamber. The bolt only closes about what our no go gauge did. Upon further inspection, he notices the shoulder angle on the gauges are the same as a standard 22-250 case even though they are stamped 22-250 Ackley Improved 40°. Is this correct or were they some how miss-stamped?

 

[CatShooter]

So my we got my dad's shilen select match barrel on tonight in 22-250AI. He tried fire forming his brass and something is definitely not right. I'll attach a pic of the brass coming out. These are very warm loads and even with the bullet jammed. What's the thoughts on this brass? Is our headspace too tight? This is off a savage action.

If you can close the bolt, the headspace is NOT too tight. Most Ackley's have the opposite problem - the chamber is too long.

What load are you using? Your fireforming load might be "light in the loafers."

 

[tbrice23]

Did you have a barrel that was already chambered re-chambered to A.I. ?

It looks like someone tried to ream the chamber to A.I. without cutting a thread or two off first and stopped cutting when it headspaced for the go gauge.

 

[codyadams]

Did you have a barrel that was already chambered re-chambered to A.I. ?

It looks like someone tried to ream the chamber to A.I. without cutting a thread or two off first and stopped cutting when it headspaced for the go gauge.

I would agree, it doesn't look like the chamber was fully reamed from standard 22-250 to AI, at least from the pictures and the description.

 

[Bullet bumper]

Try annealing some fired cases and then reload them at AI powder levels .
Polish them up a bit with wire wool their dirty . If the shoulder comes out exactly the same you may have a badly reamed chamber , failure to cut all the old chamber out is a possibility .

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

This barrel is brand new straight from shilen. We headspaced with our go and no go gauges but then after his failed fire forming happened he tried to chamber a FL resize piece of brass that was sent from another member and that won't chamber it acts like a no go gauge. He measured to the shoulder of the gauge vs the AI brass that was sent even after he FL resized it it was still .020 longer than the gauge. I can assure everyone these aren't "light in the loafers". Over max in the manual and on the lands.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

We got the barrel back off this morning and upon further inspection it appears shilen didn't finish reaming it out. The brass coming out appears to be something like a 30°. The AI brass that we have definitely will not fit in this chamber. The shoulder hits before it fully seats in the chamber.

 

[J E Custom]

We got the barrel back off this morning and upon further inspection it appears shilen didn't finish reaming it out. The brass coming out appears to be something like a 30°. The AI brass that we have definitely will not fit in this chamber. The shoulder hits before it fully seats in the chamber.

Brass from another chamber even though it is supposed to be the same cartridge will often "NOT" fit another chamber for many reasons.

As far as the head space gauge, if the head space gauge is marked 22/250 AI, It will be .004 thousandths shorter than the standard 22/250 Head space gauge to hold the case during fire forming.

There are several different Shoulder angles on wildcatted cartridges and many are not 40 degrees
so it may have been chambered with one of them not a 40 degree reamer.

If you can please give us a larger picture of the case or take it to a competent Gun smith for him to solve you problems. It should fire a SAMMI 22/250 factory round without any problem.

PS: Never fire form brass at Max load data and Never, Never, with the bullet seated against the lands.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

Brass from another chamber even though it is supposed to be the same cartridge will often "NOT" fit another chamber for many reasons.

As far as the head space gauge, if the head space gauge is marked 22/250 AI, It will be .004 thousandths shorter than the standard 22/250 Head space gauge to hold the case during fire forming.

There are several different Shoulder angles on wildcatted cartridges and many are not 40 degrees
so it may have been chambered with one of them not a 40 degree reamer.

If you can please give us a larger picture of the case or take it to a competent Gun smith for him to solve you problems. It should fire a SAMMI 22/250 factory round without any problem.

PS: Never fire form brass at Max load data and Never, Never, with the bullet seated against the lands.

J E CUSTOM

The brass from the other chamber we ran through the FL die so therefore in theory it should fit any 22-250 AI with a 40° shoulder. Near as we can figure shilen didn't ream it out all the way. It's going to a local smith tonight and he will be able to tell us. I'll attach the pic of the brass as well as the 40° piece we have. It was supposed to have been done with the 40° shoulder. You can see in the pic where it started to form but only a small amount. We called ptg see if our gauges are wrong but they aren't. Sorry if I'm being difficult fellas

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

On the left is what we tried to fire form. On the right is what it should look like

 

[J E Custom]

The brass from the other chamber we ran through the FL die so therefore in theory it should fit any 22-250 AI with a 40° shoulder. Near as we can figure shilen didn't ream it out all the way. It's going to a local smith tonight and he will be able to tell us. I'll attach the pic of the brass as well as the 40° piece we have. It was supposed to have been done with the 40° shoulder. You can see in the pic where it started to form but only a small amount. We called ptg see if our gauges are wrong but they aren't. Sorry if I'm being difficult fellas

No problem.

Here are the dimensions for the 22/250.
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...ved=0ahUKEwjZifa87_fUAhVE4CYKHRxZAn4Q9QEIJjAA

And here are the dimensions for the 22/250 AI.
http://accurateshooter.net/Blog/sierra22-250ailoads.pdf

Maybe this will help tell you what you have.

J E CUSTOM

 

[NEMTHunter]

You need to finish ream the barrel you got from Shilon. Thats the way they do it. you buy a ready to go on barrel it still needs to be finished reamed. Thats what they told me with the barrel I bought. Thats how it is with all the pre chambered barrels they sell. For center fire that is.

So yes you will need to finish ream it then set to the proper head spacing.