6mm Ackley Improved

C

cp5205

Guest
I am brand-new to benchrest shooting and do not have too much experience reloading. Hopefully ya'll can help me with my first question... I have a 6mm Ackley Improved rifle that was built by SG&Y Rifles about eight years ago. I am aware that I have to fire-form the 6mm Remington cases prior to loading new AI cartridges, but wanted to know if standard, off-the-shelf 6mm Remington ammo might shoot well enough to go prairie dog hunting? I have the opportunity to go to South Dakota in a week and do not have enough time to reload a bunch of AI ammo. I have several hundered rounds of 6MM Remington ammunition and thought it might be OK to simply use it instead of going through the fire-forming/reloading process?

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks.
 
If it's not a tight neck and the chamber was cut with a "standard" 6mm AI reamer it should work great. My fire forming rounds in my 5 AI rifles are very accurate. If your nervous to shoot the factory ammo in the rifle here is a proven scientific way to test the rifle and ammo. Go find a 14 inch tree, load the gun, reach around the tree with the rifle on the opposite side of your face and body, shoot the rifle into the ground. If your forearms arn't powder burned, the rifle is in one piece, and the extracted case looks ok, then your good to go.
I know this method works after having my face and both eyes nearly removed by a gunsmith's error. When the rifle came back from the 'smith, I went straight to the tree. True story.
Seriously, did you just buy the rifle? Is there anything stamped on the barrel about neck size?
 
6mm Ackleyt Improved

The barrel is stamped ".276 Neck." I believe that is the standard for 6mm Remington. Thanks for you help - I'll give-er a try!
 
Sure

The only drawback is you will be a little down on velocity, as the Ackey chamber does have more volume.
As long as it headspaces ok,I see no problems........jackie
 
cp

Your best test to see if everything is Ok is to strip the bolt and chamber a couple of factory loads. They should go in with a slight "crush". If there is no crush and they chamber without any feel then you may have excess headspace, a common malady of Ackley chambers made by barrel butchers who do not know how to cut one (Ack chamber, that is).

The 276 neck should be OK. Measure the neck diameter on a couple of factory rounds just make sure.

As to accuracy, you may be disappointed when you later discover that they are more accurate than the fire-formed cases. :rolleyes:

Ray
 
Thanks Ray. The necks on the new 6mm Remington rounds measure between .269 -.271 so I "THINK" I will be OK firing them in the .276 chamber. I hope??? Maybe the "shoot from the other side of the tree" process might be a good idea afterall. Thanks again!
 
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