30-06 Ackley Improved advice and opinions pls

stratts

Well-Known Member
Hi guys,
The 30-06 i had ended up having excessive headspace and was going to be the donor action for an african big game rifle. But the gunsmith who took it off me had a thought, and said i may be able to get it back if he is able to turn it into an Ackley Improved 30-06, as someone he knows may have the tooling to sort the chamber out?!

This is the 1st time i've heard of this so after opinions or advice about it please. Will i need to reload the rounds myself and does it use normal 06 cases?

Anything else i need to know?

Cheers

Stratts
 
I can't see how a simple chamber re-cut to Ackley spec could cure excessive head space ?
I would have thought you would need to completely re-cut the chamber to either standard 06 or ai
and set the barrel back to take out the extra headspace.
If your going to pay for that (and it would still be a cheap rifle) you can choose which option for yourself.
Yes you can as I understand it still fire factory ammo, that will fire form the brass to your ai chamber, from
there you re-load for it, and reap the benefits of the extra powder capacity.
But I don't see the ai route as a fix for your problem, it is there for the people for whom a standard 06 is not enough
​or for those that want to limit case length growth on hot loads.

Neil. :)
 
Simple the barrel is removed and one thread is turned off then the chamber is reamed to the AI spec and the tenon re-cut along with the counter bore for the bolt head.

Of course this means the barrel will not have the same clearance that it did before in the fore stock.

You can fire std 30-06 ammunition providing the chamber is cut as Ackley specified to allow this. I doubt the SAMMI mutilated version will.
 
You really think the 30-06 is short on oomph??? :eek: and if you are recutting the chamber surely recutting to 30-06 would be the way forwads as long as there is meat in the barrel - would this not entail a list of other things to be done such as reproof etc?

Retgards,

Gixer
 
You really think the 30-06 is short on oomph??? :eek:

The Norma mag was designed to be an easy rechamber for 30 06, when "magnums" were popularised. Norma was producing brass when no factory was chambering rifles. Its reported to be a more accurate chambering than the 300 win mag & can be loaded down to ought six levels, if "oomph" was really a concern. It can headspace off the belt if the chamber is overly long where as the improved may not, however I'd still headspace off the shoulder & forget the belt if you can.

Cheers Sharkey
 
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It's been looked into and is not a viable option as the headspace issue will still be present.

I have sourced a couple NOS original BSA 06 barrels though and am just mulling over if it's worth spending the money getting it re-barrelled with one of these if they fit the action ok!

Still wouldn't be screwcut and the rifle would need re-proofing as the barrels are unproofed blanks, but I may get it cut at the same time,

Stratts
 
get the barrel set back 1 thread and have the chamber re-cut, should be a quick job without too much cost.

speak to another gunsmith.

It's been looked into and is not a viable option as the headspace issue will still be present.

I have sourced a couple NOS original BSA 06 barrels though and am just mulling over if it's worth spending the money getting it re-barrelled with one of these if they fit the action ok!

Still wouldn't be screwcut and the rifle would need re-proofing as the barrels are unproofed blanks, but I may get it cut at the same time,

Stratts
 
give it to me!!
Will make a perfect 300 Win Mag donor!!

Won't have any headspace issues by the time it has swallowed a 300WM reamer!
 
It's been looked into and is not a viable option as the headspace issue will still be present.

Stratts

If you are saying that your "gunsmith" is unable to set back a barrel and re-chamber, then find another, this is a simple task any gun tinkerer worth his sort should be able to do.
Standard chambers cannot just simply be improved by pushing an improved reamer up the chamber, they must be set back in order to create the correct headspace which is usually .004" less then the minimum SAAMI spec headspace dimension.

Ian.

Ian.
 
Recutting to either 300WM or 308 NM will require additional bolt face and extractor work, additional costs that should be factored in...

SS
 
If you are saying that your "gunsmith" is unable to set back a barrel and re-chamber, then find another, this is a simple task any gun tinkerer worth his sort should be able to do.
Standard chambers cannot just simply be improved by pushing an improved reamer up the chamber, they must be set back in order to create the correct headspace which is usually .004" less then the minimum SAAMI spec headspace dimension.

Ian.

Ian.

The reason that this is not a good idea is this:-



As you can see the rifle was made during an earlier fad of light weight rifles and so BSA made the barrel as light as they deemed suitable. There is not much room for removing one thread really is there?

Anyway it might be moot as fingers crossed another better solution has been found .:cool:

BTW that photo is of one of the BSA 270's that I still own.
 
The reason that this is not a good idea is this:-



As you can see the rifle was made during an earlier fad of light weight rifles and so BSA made the barrel as light as they deemed suitable. There is not much room for removing one thread really is there?

Anyway it might be moot as fingers crossed another better solution has been found .:cool:

BTW that photo is of one of the BSA 270's that I still own.

You dont need to set back one complete thread only enough to correct the headspace issue and allow a few thou of material for removal during re-chambering, proof marks etc will not be in the same place but does that really matter if a non shooter is revitilised?

Ian.
 
You dont need to set back one complete thread only enough to correct the headspace issue and allow a few thou of material for removal during re-chambering, proof marks etc will not be in the same place but does that really matter if a non shooter is revitilised?

Ian.


Ahhh what about the dovetail cut for the rear sight and the foresight?



​It might be an old rifle but there is no need for it to look crappy.
 
dovetail is easily filled and reblued and recut elsewhere if needed

I am really beginning to wonder what planet some comments are coming from :rolleyes: ............................... yes just about anything can be done if money and time is no object. Sadly the OP does not have either unlimited funds as I understand it nor unlimited time. I suppose if one has the tooling to hand along with the skills to use it then it's not really a problem but for someone who must rely upon others and pay for it to be done filling dovetails and cutting new ones is going to cost as does re-blacking. Most people would not where to start in doing either of those "small" jobs.
 
Seems to me that if you can source a genuine replacement barrel, that is the route to go. By the time you do one thing and then the next thing that has to be done because of the alterations and on and on and on complete with the teeth sucking noises that come before another big bill! You might spend less and get a better rifle paying for the new barrel and the work of fitting it all up.

Just my 2p. David.
 
I am really beginning to wonder what planet some comments are coming from :rolleyes: ............................... yes just about anything can be done if money and time is no object. Sadly the OP does not have either unlimited funds as I understand it nor unlimited time. I suppose if one has the tooling to hand along with the skills to use it then it's not really a problem but for someone who must rely upon others and pay for it to be done filling dovetails and cutting new ones is going to cost as does re-blacking. Most people would not where to start in doing either of those "small" jobs.
​most of us are from earth - that's maybe why you aren't familiar with the planet...
 
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