I've been kicking around the idea of a 260 ackley improved and was wondering if it's really worth the expensive dies and the time fire forming/ case prep for what you gain if that much at all? Also I will be using a short action Remington 700 bartlien #4 8 twist barrel with the wyatt extended box mag loading with 130grain Berger hunting VLD. Thank you all for any advice.
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260 ackley improved really worth it?
- Thread starter Couch11b
- Start date
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Our ruger compact(16" barrel) achieved slightly over 3000fps with rl17....but it was definitely hot....some pockets opened up enough to not be able to use again....with Remington brass...
Best accuracy with 130gr acc...
Made wife and son proud to hit 300 yard gong...five years ago...
Best accuracy with 130gr acc...
Made wife and son proud to hit 300 yard gong...five years ago...
J E Custom
Well-Known Member
The 260 AI (6.5 x 308) Is a winner as far as I am concerned.
It is one of the best 6.5s for a short action and can Match the great 7/08
in velocity and energy with the same weight bullet.
Hornady makes the dies and Lapua makes brass for the 260 that If set up correctly can be fire formed while hunting with great accuracy. (There is no reason to do a dedicated fire form). I bough my 260 AI reamer from JGS and also the 260 AI head space go gauge gage The go gage is .004 thousandths shorter to get the proper fit of the 260 cases/ammo. so fire forming is routinely very simple and accurate.
Manson is another top choice for the reamer and Go gage. If you already have a 260 go gage it can be used if you stop short of head space by .004 to .006 thousandths to get the same amount of compression of/on the 260 cases.
I recommend a center feed mag box for all AIs and short mags for best feeding. The AI feature adds velocity to the same bullet weight or adds bullet weight with the same velocity. It also adds case life and efficiency. It is well worth the small effort it take to go with the AI design. The extended mag is really not necessary unless you want to use extremely long bullets because the AI case capacity increase makes up for any capacity loss due to bullet Infringement in the powder capacity.
It also makes a great 6.5 AR 10 cartridge.
J E CUSTOM
It is one of the best 6.5s for a short action and can Match the great 7/08
in velocity and energy with the same weight bullet.
Hornady makes the dies and Lapua makes brass for the 260 that If set up correctly can be fire formed while hunting with great accuracy. (There is no reason to do a dedicated fire form). I bough my 260 AI reamer from JGS and also the 260 AI head space go gauge gage The go gage is .004 thousandths shorter to get the proper fit of the 260 cases/ammo. so fire forming is routinely very simple and accurate.
Manson is another top choice for the reamer and Go gage. If you already have a 260 go gage it can be used if you stop short of head space by .004 to .006 thousandths to get the same amount of compression of/on the 260 cases.
I recommend a center feed mag box for all AIs and short mags for best feeding. The AI feature adds velocity to the same bullet weight or adds bullet weight with the same velocity. It also adds case life and efficiency. It is well worth the small effort it take to go with the AI design. The extended mag is really not necessary unless you want to use extremely long bullets because the AI case capacity increase makes up for any capacity loss due to bullet Infringement in the powder capacity.
It also makes a great 6.5 AR 10 cartridge.
J E CUSTOM
In my opinion yes it is, I've never been upset going to 40 degrees on the shoulder angle. If nothing else is gained, you get improved brass life (all other things equal). If you compare apples to apples (I'm a Redding die fan when I'm not using Wilson's and a Redding bump die) there is only $20-30 difference in die costs. JE sums up the rest.
cjl2010
Well-Known Member
Would barrel life be affected at all?
J E Custom
Well-Known Member
More velocity and more powder generally effect barrel life, But powder burn efficiency can help barrel life. the AI design doesn't appear to hurt barrel life even though velocity is increased.
There are many contributing factors to poor barrel life and the AI design
difference is not measurable with all of the other contributing factors present.
In My opinion it is one of the improvements that is a win win.
J E CUSTOM
Cliff,
That depends on your loads. If you push the AI to its limits you're going to be "running faster" and all that intails. Which, would decrease barrel life with all other factors equal. Is this possible decrease measurable or are you going to be able to notice it? I'd say no, not with the use of an AI and a standard 260 being the same. Just my .02.
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
Go for the .260 AI... AI is almost always worth it, especially if you use high-quality brass, like Lapua or Nosler.
lancetkenyon
Well-Known Member
Is 100-150+ fps extra worth it?
Is it worth what?
If you tell your gunsmith what you're wanting to do he should be able to get the right reamer to set you up with the bottom metal you're planning on using.
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
Yes it is!
