Steve Timm and his .260AI

Jim Hall

New member
I have had a .260AI built like yours you wrote about in TVHM. I was wondering if you had any problems with the cases becoming short enough when you fireformed them. The problem I have found in mine is the cases shorting due to the AI forming. This causes a carbon ring to form at the end of the chamber just before the lead. The rifle shoots great, but if I don't keep the carbon ring cleaned out the accuracy falls off from about 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch.
 
Hey Jim,

Yes, I've noticed accuracy fall-off on all Improved cartridges from carbon build-up in the front of the chamber. They all shorten when fireforming and it is basically the nature of the beast.

Obviously, some powders foul more than others and it is best to avoid known foulers. For instance, WW 748 tends to be dirty, so while I often use it in a .223 Remington, I never use it in my .223 Ackley rifles.

Having said that, I assume you are using the data that I published in The VARMINT HUNTER Magazine. I am quite (painfully) aware of the carbon situation and tried to avoid problem powders in the load data.

The carbon is easily removed with a good bore brush and Shooter's Choice or, even better, Shooter's Choice Black Powder Gel. Actually, I use the Black Powder Gel in place of the liquid normally anyway because it is much more user-friendly. I'm also personally convinced that the Black Powder Gel does a better job of break-in and general cleaning.

I really love the .260 Ackley and I'm delighted that you are having fine accuracy with it. please keep me up to speed on your project, my friend.

My very best, Steve
 
Steve - well I slap myself in the face and spin around until I fall down ........... Well that was a odd thing to write .......... Anyway since I did all my load developement for my 223AI with WW748, I'm now lost. Since I'm way to lazy to look up your published loads can you please list some of them here? I'm not actually interested in the exact loads I'm interested in the powders that you consider to be clean burners. As an asside have you ever worked with Varget in the 223AI? I've been eying my supply of that powder and thinking that I would try it but was wondering if it was appropriate in a 223 sized case.
 
MJM,
About any powder other than a ball type will be cleaner. However, these won't meter as well through a powder measure. It has been my experience that the stick types will hold match grade accuracy for more rounds without cleaning. Generally, with ball powders, accuracy starts to go down hill around 40 rounds. Stick powders will generally hold the same accuracy for up to a 100 or more in certain rounds. You have to pick a trade off you can live with.
 
Michael,

For ease of loading, I normally use H-335 in the .223 Ackley. That doesn't mean it is the best powder, it just means that it is the simplest to load, it doesn't carbon up excessively and it shoots like a demon. I load literally thousands of rounds of .223 Ackley per year and spherical powders are much easier to meter.

Yes, the sphericals have a downside, but I've had no real carbon problems H-335 in the .223 Ackley.

The cleanest powders I've used in the Improved .223 are VihtaVuori N-133, Benchmark, RL-12 (roughly in that order) . Not too surprisingly, they are all extruded.

I DID include two loads with 748 in the first article, just because they shot so darned well in Karen's Holland Vee-Block. One was with 50-grain Bergers and the other was with 55-gr Bergers. I never use Bergers on game (way too hard), so they were simply academic loads as far as I was concerned.

Best, Steve
 
No disagreement with what has been said, but will add - for cleanest results with 748 or any ball powder, work your loads up to the nuts. It's amazing how much difference a few thousand psi on the top end makes in regards to powder fouling with these propellents. Just seems like there is a minimum pressure threshold for getting the heavy deterrent coating to burn off clean.

- DAA
 
DAA
I sure am glad to hear that was not just a figment of my imagination. Two of us imagining it, makes it look more like a fact.

Jack
 
Michael,

I forgot to andswer your question about Varget. I assume that you have a good supply of the stuff and want to use it in the .223 Ackley.

Varget is on the slow end of the proper burning rate range. I see no reason why it wouldn't work very well in the .223 Ackley, especially with bullets of 50-grains and heavier.

I haven't worked with Varget in the .223 Ackley, but it should be a winner. I use Varget in the 6BR, 6-250 and 7SGLC and love this fine, clean-burning propellant.

Oh, about the comment of "loading spherical powders to the nuts" to burn cleaner. A lot of the loads that I use personally never make it into print.

Writing for magazines carries a heavy responsibility. I realize that a lot of boneheads take a published maximum load and use it as a starting load. All of the loads I publish have been fired and are reported properly, but some my "to the nuts" loads are personal favorites and go unpublished. Hey, it's just the nature of the game.

Steve
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top