How do YOU fire form Ackley Cartridges?

[hankle]

I know this topic is as broad as the people that do it, but how do you fire form your AI brass?

I've got my 1st AI at the gun smith and will be hopefully fire forming soon. I'm putting my plan together now.

Do you use cream of wheat, bee's wax, loaded ammo?

I've got loaded ammo that I'm hoping to break the barrel in with and retain the brass for later. I'm also looking to fire form new premium brass.

Please include your recipes...

Thanks
HW

 

[338 dude]

I know this topic is as broad as the people that do it, but how do you fire form your AI brass?

I've got my 1st AI at the gun smith and will be hopefully fire forming soon. I'm putting my plan together now.

Do you use cream of wheat, bee's wax, loaded ammo?

I've got loaded ammo that I'm hoping to break the barrel in with and retain the brass for later. I'm also looking to fire form new premium brass.

Please include your recipes...

Thanks
HW

Not an AI but I have recently been making six arc brass from 220 Russian 65 Grendel and 762 x 39 and I just use loaded ammo. I've never done cream of wheat or any of that.

 

[Rem81]

Use factory box 25-06 ammo and shoot. I use nosler 115 ballistic tip box ammo and haven't had any problems

 

[birddog 68]

Just used factory 280 Remington cor lokt and was quite accurate.

 

[Mike D Texas]

I load new factory brass to near full load with the bullet I plan to use and start working on group tuning. Usually it's just a mild tweak up in powder charge to get to where I want to be after fireforming.

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

I know this topic is as broad as the people that do it, but how do you fire form your AI brass?

I've got my 1st AI at the gun smith and will be hopefully fire forming soon. I'm putting my plan together now.

Do you use cream of wheat, bee's wax, loaded ammo?

I've got loaded ammo that I'm hoping to break the barrel in with and retain the brass for later. I'm also looking to fire form new premium brass.

Please include your recipes...

Thanks
HW

There are so many Posts on this topic already.
1. just use regular loaded brass to fire form
2. Use COW or Hydro Form.
3. Put in an oven or open pit of fire and burn the heck out of your brass.

Easiest is #1 and you still get to shoot good groups with the regular cartridges and bullets you want to shoot.
Then have them on the way to fire formed cases.

 

[DUCKMAN11]

What chamber are you having Ackley improved? Kinda hard to give advice without knowing what cartridge you are planning on forming. You are dealing with an explosion 4" from your face so its not a "one size fits most" situation.

In a properly set up Ackley improved chamber your standard chamber go-gage becomes your no-go gage. An ackley improved chamber should be about .006" shorter than a standard chamber so regular factory ammo should have a bit of a "crush fit" of about .004" between the neck shoulder junction and the bolt face. If your chamber is too long to get a good stiff bolt close on factory ammo then I would neck up 2 caliber sizes then neck back down and use the false shoulder method. I fire form and hunt with the minimum starting load for standard 25-06 Rem in my 25-06AI chamber with new norma 270win brass as the parent case.

Forming 25-06AI for 25-06rem will leave you with short necks that will stay short after multiple firings. Most standard to Ackley conversions using the standard parent case will be this way.

I've used cheap coffee "smells better than burnt COW" and 12% fill of pistol powder in a 223ai before. But after learning how to do the false shoulder method I create an amazingly accurate fire forming load that is great on game out to 200yds. The only difference between the FF load and the fully formed load is the formed load holds more powder and is about 175fps faster.

Some guys jam bullets into the lands to get proper contact between the case head and bolt face but that method personally freaks me out.

@Coyote Shadow Tracker is right about this being discussed multiple times on here. Heck I started a thread not long ago myself.

Good luck and go slow!!

 

[FEENIX]

I know this topic is as broad as the people that do it, but how do you fire form your AI brass?

I've got my 1st AI at the gun smith and will be hopefully fire forming soon. I'm putting my plan together now.

Do you use cream of wheat, bee's wax, loaded ammo?

I've got loaded ammo that I'm hoping to break the barrel in with and retain the brass for later. I'm also looking to fire form new premium brass.

Please include your recipes...

Thanks
HW

I am assuming you are referring to your .270 AI project. Ackleys are designed to be fired with the parent case/cartridge. As I previously noted in my PM, I developed an accuracy load for .270 Win and .270 AI. I only have one AI, but I have some wildcats.

.270 Win with 150 NABs and .270 AI with 175 Matrix

I have pre-formed brass using the COW method (I use cotton balls) and hydraulic forming dies. The recipe might depend on the powder to use. On my .30 Gibbs, I used WST with roughly 15-20 percent of a full load. You might have to adjust accordingly. I only did the COW method because it is too much of a jump from the parent case to .30 Gibbs.

From L-R
1 - .35 Whelen virgin brass
2 - After running through .338 WM and .30-06 sizing dies to establish a false neck
3 - After running through .30 Gibbs sizing die
4 - After COW method with 11g of WST
5 - .30-06 Virgin brass

This is with my .338 Thor using hydraulic forming die.

From L-R
1 - .338 Norma Magnum virgin brass (Lapua)
2 - After running through the hydraulic forming die, and sizing die
3 - After fire-forming off the rifle's chamber with 250g bullet and 91.5g of Magpro

Pre-forming the brass depends highly on what type of work you are willing and able to do. In either case, it is best to do load development when the brass has been fire-formed off your rifle's chamber. Good luck

 

[sturner]

Load and shoot 260 AI

 

[RYEWSKY25284]

I know this topic is as broad as the people that do it, but how do you fire form your AI brass?

I've got my 1st AI at the gun smith and will be hopefully fire forming soon. I'm putting my plan together now.

Do you use cream of wheat, bee's wax, loaded ammo?

I've got loaded ammo that I'm hoping to break the barrel in with and retain the brass for later. I'm also looking to fire form new premium brass.

Please include your recipes...

Thanks
HW

on my 223AI , I used 10gr of WW748, COW and a wax plug. They come out perfect.

 

[ATH]

Brass is slight crush fit. Load up near max for parent, set bullet .02" from the lands. Shoot.

 

[CogburnR]

If it is a true AI you should be able to fire factory rounds or normal reloads for forming. One trick is if you put a piece of tape on the back of the cartridge and see if it will chamber, if it does then jam the bullets to take up the headspace. For any cartridge that moves the shoulder ahead then the process outlined by Feenix is required. I use COW and 700x and toilet paper to hold it in.

 

[JC in Calif]

Load 25/06 brass to a standard load level. Load to lightly engage the lands and shoot. Nicely formed brass.

 

[Buffalobwana]

I have a 270 ICL built by Vern Junke (Saturn) in the 50's or 60's (not sure).

I throw factory 270 win ammo in it and pull the trigger. Accuracy is great, so I just use it as a 270 win.