243 vs 243 AI?

C

Chainsaw.

New member
Hey guys. So ive been contemplating a rifle build for a while now, probably on a 700 action, built for long range accuracy. Ive done alot of reading and was leaning towards a 6mm cartridge. Welp, I purchased an "estate" of reloading goods which included a lot of oddball stuff like 7mm BR, about a thousand .257 bullets of various weights etc etc...AND...about 3000 6mm/243 bullets and a few hundred cases. Seems to me my cartridge decision has been made!:D

So as is my usual nature I begin to wonder if I should complicate things. And being youve already read the post title you know how. So the question. Have any of you messed with the Ackley improved cartridges? Is it worth the trouble? Do they turn into powder wasters? Throat burners?

And for one more wrench in the gears, how about 6mm Remington....cause I have brass for that too. :eek:
 
From the April 2012 issue of Shooting Times

"To the Nth Degree"
by Greg Rodriguez

We might be inclined to give credit to the increased case capacity, but velocity increases at 1/4 the increase in case capacity. (At the same pressure) Theoretically, if you gain 10 percent more case capacity, you should get an additional 2.5 percent increase in velocity.​

Basically, he points out that those claiming a 8 to 10% increase in velocity due to changing to an Ackley Improved chamber are almost certainly achieving most of the increase due to increased pressure. The AI design is forgiving of pressure and that may be why handloaders think they haven’t increased pressure.
 
AI cartridges show improvement mostly because they are handloaded to higher than standard pressures.

The cartridges that show the most real improvement are ones with a lot of body taper to remove. The 250 Savage and the 348 Win have a lot of taper, so a blown out version can increase case capacity.

The 243, not so much, certainly not enough to offset the cost of custom dies and decrease in resale value of any wildcat. Besides when I look at the limitations of the 243 as a hunting round insufficient velocity is not among them.
 
Everybody has heard for years that the 6MM Remington is almost identical to a .243. I have had both and would say that the 6MM REM generally feeds smoother, but other than that I saw little difference. Why would you want to build a gun that is a pain to reload for and has little re-sale value with practically no improvement? Out of all the .243 and 6MM owners out there, how many do you think use them in such a way that it would make a difference? I consider it a "Hobby" cartridge and if it makes you happy, go for it.
 
Thanks for the imput guys. I think you are all solidifying my thoughts from today. I think the cartridge will do me fine as Winchester intended.
 
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