Ackley improved dimmension questions

[varminthunter98]

Hey guys, I have some questions about Ackley Improved chamber vs resizing die dimensions. I have been scouring the internet half heartedly for several years on this topic, but have not been able to find exactly what I'm looking for. I have a 260 rem., and have heard terrific things about the 260 AI, which has led me to strongly consider adopting this chamber for the 260's next barrel. I am a stickler on money however, so here is my question. Can a 260 AI chamber reamer be used to cut only the AI shoulder into my resizing die? I saw somewhere that a resizing reamer is supposed to be .002-.004" tighter than the chamber reamer, but if its just the shoulder being cut, will it matter?(I forgot to mention that this could be a stupid question So, my financial advantage would be not buying new dies, and only buying one or two reamers(rough and finish?). Am I just wasting my time and money? I am a prospective gunsmithing student, and am hoping to attend Trinidad State next year and get a professional education in the art, but I can't wait that long to get this info. I guess what I'm saying is that I have Zero experience with reamers, and very little knowledge to accommodate, so I may need a little more explanation than the average individual. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

varminthunter98

 

[Edd]

so here is my question. Can a 260 AI chamber reamer be used to cut only the AI shoulder into my resizing die?

No it can't. How are you going to insert the reamer far enough into the die to make the shoulder contact without reaming the whole die? If you are going to buy two reamers, you could make one of them a resize reamer. You probably won't be able to cut the die with it either because the die will be too hard. So you would have to buy a die blank to use. By the time you get all that done you will probably have spent more than the correct dies would cost.

 

[shortgrass]

And you don't need a roughing reamer, unless you're going into production... Edd is correct, buy a finish reamer and the proper set of dies. Costs less in the long run..... Always costs more to turn one thing into another, as you suggest.

 

[Hired Gun]

A finish reamer for cutting the chamber and a resize reamer for making a full length sizing die. The resizing reamer/die is a couple thousandths smaller on most dimensions. You can buy 260AI dies for about half of what you will spend on the reamer.

 

[varminthunter98]

Ok, that all makes sense. I do enjoy making my own equipment, but this will not be included in that. It does seem like most of this equipment is quite overpriced for their simple design, but I guess there is a point when shortcuts should not be considered. So just for future reference, a roughing reamer is not necessary? The way I understand it is that one should invest in a high quality reamer, and a lower price/quality reamer to do the brunt work. How long will a single reamer last doing all the cutting? Would it be cheaper/wiser to invest in one high quality reamer and run it till it dies? Or buy two reamers and "piggy back" them off each other? Thank you for the timely reply's and explanations.

 

[Hired Gun]

If you drill, prebore to within .010" and use a good high pressure flush system there is no reason you shouldn't get a couple hundred nice chambers before it needs sharpened up again.

Chamber work is a pretty advanced gunsmithing task. It usually comes after learning to make your own cutting tools and cutting inside and outside threads to very high tolerances and of superior finish on those threads. Are you already pretty good at those tasks?

 

[J E Custom]

And you don't need a roughing reamer, unless you're going into production... Edd is correct, buy a finish reamer and the proper set of dies. Costs less in the long run..... Always costs more to turn one thing into another, as you suggest.

+1

Being interested in the process, I decided to go the finish reamer, sizing reamer and making my own dies because the cartridge was a wildcat and no dies were available for it.

It was a lot of work and the results were no better than just buying the finish reamer and a set of custom dies. also it ended up being more expensive. It was fun and it taught me a lot but I wont do it again as long as there is no need.

You can save your barrel if it is a good one, but most of the time, it is better to re barrel than set the shoulder back in order to get a good chamber and head space. I still recommend the use of the parent headspace gauge and set the head space with minus .002 to .003 headspace (The SAAMI head space gauge will not allow the bolt to close) that will allow you to use/fire standard 260 ammo in it with hunting accuracy while fire forming.

J E CUSTOM

 

[shortgrass]

Hey guys, I have some questions about Ackley Improved chamber vs resizing die dimensions. I have been scouring the internet half heartedly for several years on this topic, but have not been able to find exactly what I'm looking for. I have a 260 rem., and have heard terrific things about the 260 AI, which has led me to strongly consider adopting this chamber for the 260's next barrel. I am a stickler on money however, so here is my question. Can a 260 AI chamber reamer be used to cut only the AI shoulder into my resizing die? I saw somewhere that a resizing reamer is supposed to be .002-.004" tighter than the chamber reamer, but if its just the shoulder being cut, will it matter?(I forgot to mention that this could be a stupid question So, my financial advantage would be not buying new dies, and only buying one or two reamers(rough and finish?). Am I just wasting my time and money? I am a prospective gunsmithing student, and am hoping to attend Trinidad State next year and get a professional education in the art, but I can't wait that long to get this info. I guess what I'm saying is that I have Zero experience with reamers, and very little knowledge to accommodate, so I may need a little more explanation than the average individual. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

varminthunter98

If you're a "stickler on money" you've picked the wrong field to get into! Good tools/tooling are expensive and you can't do good work with half-a$$ed, cheap tools,,,, and there's no end to the tools a gunsmith might need. If you consider the time and materials you can put in to making tools, there's some expense there, too. If you mind spending on tools/tooling, become a plumber or an electrician. By the way, there are 'waiting lists' at all the gunsmithing schools that are years long. If you're not on the 'list' and been 'excepted' you probably won't be starting next fall. Even that 'nice' ITAR registration is gonna' cost ya' $2250/yr. (hopefully, that'll change). Not trying to bust your bubble, it's just the reality of today.

 

[varminthunter98]

I am very aware of the high expenses to the trade and the difficulty of acceptance. That being said, I am already accepted to a school in MN, but really would rather get into Trinidad State, which I do believe I have a quite good chance at getting into. I may have sounded like I just decided on a whim to go into this trade, but I and my family have had my occupation figured out for years. I have little to no experience with a lathe, but I get it where I can, and have done lots of other work on rifles that is considered mild "smith work". Aside to that, I know that that tools are never ending and very pricy. That is why I am building up my tool list now, rather than waiting till I am out of money to do so. I am a very decided and determined person, so if I think I can modify, or build my own, that's what I'm going to do. In cases such as this however, when I am not aware of specs and details, that is why I ask. The earlier and better head start I can get the better off I will be in the long run. So this particular project, I am not intending on tackling alone,(or at least not for quite some time) or with the assistance of a local smith. Thank you for your info

 

[shortgrass]

'Famous" schools are like 'famous' gunsmiths. For every one that's 'famous' there's an equal or greater number of unknowns that do comparable work. What you put into it will far out weigh the zip code of the school.

 

[BountyHunter]

Most people do not take the time to match the reamer specs to the die specs. The dies all have a variance that they can be and still be SAAMI, same thing with reamers.

You can end up with tight reamer and loose die and not get enough sizing. Buying cheap the first time often costs way much more money in the long run. Buy what you need, not the cheapest.

PTG makes reddings die reamers so they can match you up pretty easy if you order your reamer from them and tell them exactly what you are trying to do.

One of the best dies on the market is to take a simple Redding body die for your caliber and send it to JLC Precision with 10 cases fired 3x. Jim Carstenson will hone the die to match your chamber, and convert it to FL size with bushings. Cost was $80 and 2-3 week turn around.